This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Amber Brzezinski: And his hair is looking great.

[0:02] Heather Bedor: Mine is not.

[0:03] Amber Brzezinski: Um, so yeah, and then he'll just hang out while we recap shows.

[0:07] Heather Bedor: Are you ready for everybody?

[0:09] Amber Brzezinski: Please, warm welcome and a drumroll for Nick Flatto.

[0:14] Nick Flatto: Hello.

[0:16] Amber Brzezinski: Oh, hello.

[0:17] Nick Flatto: Hell, hello.

[0:18] Amber Brzezinski: I don't know how you keep your hair perfect.

[0:19] Nick Flatto: I really just need to go to service.

[0:21] Amber Brzezinski: That's hysterical because I feel like it's a mess today.

[0:24] Nick Flatto: Thank you.

[0:25] Nick Flatto: I took a shower because I've been traveling and it's just fluff central.

[0:28] Amber Brzezinski: So you're fine.

[0:29] Amber Brzezinski: You look great.

[0:30] Nick Flatto: Thank you. That leave-in conditioner is my friend.

[0:34] Amber Brzezinski: I love that stuff. Looking great. If you just did like a silhouette of your head, I think people would know it's you.

[0:41] Nick Flatto: And now apparently I've got cat ears, so now they'll know what mine is too.

[0:45] Amber Brzezinski: On brand.

[0:46] Nick Flatto: On brand. I think we need to talk about this fur tax that we were talking about earlier. Let's just like come out with it.

[0:53] Amber Brzezinski: You have a famous cat.

[0:55] Nick Flatto: Yeah, I mean, I can talk about my multi-hyphenates all night, but my favorite multi-hyphenate is I'm a cat dad.

[1:02] Nick Flatto: I, uh, cat dad life, hashtag cat dad life. I think like, I don't know, this is my opinion, but I feel like plants are the new pets and pets are the new kids in 2025. That's how I feel about it.

[1:16] Amber Brzezinski: Especially, like, 100%, for sure.

[1:19] Nick Flatto: Especially full-time New Yorkers. It's like we don't, we, uh, I love the idea of children, but I'm birthing shows, and that's a lot of work and that's a lot of labor, a lot.

[1:30] Amber Brzezinski: Yeah, yeah.

[1:30] Nick Flatto: So my kitty, she's turning three in January, is named Edda.

[1:35] Nick Flatto: Um, yeah, she's turning three in January, and she was introduced to us, uh, we were talking earlier with by Bill Berloni, who's a well-known kind of animal handler on Broadway and TV film, and found the original Sandy for Annie, you know, all that. Most recently, uh, known for Indy and Tana June and Gypsy.

[1:53] Amber Brzezinski: Yep.

[2:01] Nick Flatto: Yeah. He's also, I mean, he is, he's the guy. If you need an animal on Broadway, that is the man you call, right?

[2:09] Amber Brzezinski: So I, you know.

[2:10] Nick Flatto: So you can see Cheyenne says, "Hey, all of my kids have four, have had." But listen, this is the good life. Don't tell the others, don't tell the others. But this is great.

[2:20] Nick Flatto: But so through my network, a friend of a friend worked for Bill Berloni. His wife actually called me pitching kitty cats like they were actresses with different adjectives to like represent how they live life and how they perform headshots.

[2:36] Nick Flatto: I got, I literally got headshots. Um, and I was like, when in my life am I gonna be pitched a new pet, new family member in this way?

[2:47] Amber Brzezinski: Yeah.

[2:47] Nick Flatto: So she was the smallest of the litter, she had the biggest attitude, was loudest of the obviously very much wanted her because of that attitude.

[2:56] Amber Brzezinski: Yeah, such an attitude.

[2:57] Nick Flatto: And so this litter, they actually had one little litter, and TV and film, you know, moved so quickly that they got too old too fast. They wanted, you know, small kittens for this scene on "And Just Like That" season two.

[3:10] Nick Flatto: Um, and so they had a litter that got too big for the shoot date, so they had a new litter and it was five kittens. They're in this cardboard box. You'll, you can see Edda, I don't know what it is, like season, I don't know, season two episode like five or six, and they're in this cardboard box.

[3:26] Nick Flatto: And I kept joking, like, uh, Meryl Streep has nothing on Miss Edda James. She was, she like really played cat well, like she had no nerves.

[3:34] Nick Flatto: You could see her, you know, anyway. Um, but, uh, Shu, who Sarah Jessica Parker, you know, uh, adopts on the show, adopted looks perfect, like just pick the cat up she just like chilling in Sarah Jessica Parker's arm like just beautiful but you're like that's a kind of snugly kitty.

[3:36] Amber Brzezinski: Yeah, the best kitty.

[3:36] Nick Flatto: And she adopted this cat in real life so she, I think she had two cats at home and this was a third so she pulled a Taylor Swift noted.

[3:36] Nick Flatto: Yeah, I, yeah, um, Edda is of that litter so related to Shu on "And Just Like That." It's so funny but we cuddle a lot. I love my couch time with my kitty.

[3:36] Amber Brzezinski: And I love that for everyone. I actually, um, since I mentioned I'm in the process of moving, I already have emailed the rescue that I work for and I said like kitten October like 15th like Pencilman like happening like Amber is cited, uh, foster mom to like happen.

[3:36] Amber Brzezinski: She's had like a litter of what, like eight puppies? You have the Gypsy kittens that all of them are named after, I think, Egg Roll and Herbie?

[3:36] Nick Flatto: Yeah, yeah, like I've had, I've had like a mom, like a, uh, mother kitten like, like bird kittens in my house like in our closet.

[3:36] Amber Brzezinski: Yeah, yeah, the circle of life.

[3:36] Nick Flatto: I just want to see the Egg Roll song in Gypsy with the cats as props like, "Egg Roll."

[3:36] Amber Brzezinski: Okay, we're gonna have that happen. We're gonna petition for that and it's like all props are cats. Like I'm so down for that.

[3:36] Nick Flatto: Yeah, okay, but you have a new musical that's also coming out.

[5:16] Amber Brzezinski: Could you not implement that?

[5:18] Nick Flatto: All props are cats. Let's, I'm gonna make it work. I'm gonna say, screw the cake, let's carry a cat across New York.

[5:24] Amber Brzezinski: Let's just, I mean, Nick, I think that's probably gonna work out pretty well for you.

[5:28] Nick Flatto: Yeah, yeah.

[5:29] Amber Brzezinski: So multi-hyphenated. Now, let me ask you this. You, I mean, I know I already know the answer. You are seeing shows pretty frequently. You were out and about. Have you had something that you've really loved within the last season, or something that you've just been like, that was absolutely crazy bullshit. Like, what are we doing here?

[5:46] Nick Flatto: Um, but in the best way possible. Oh my gosh, I can talk about, it's not playing the spot. Well, hello, that's what's been very special for me is like as a Broadway producer now, I'm being invited to new works.

[6:01] Nick Flatto: Um, and see, you know, whether it's video or in person, I'm going to these readings. Um, I'm gonna, I'm gonna talk about a reading I went to two days ago called "The Loop."

[6:11] Amber Brzezinski: Okay.

[6:11] Nick Flatto: Um, it's, um, not to be confused with "A Strange Loop."

[6:15] Amber Brzezinski: Not, yeah, this is, this is not strange, um, but it's called "The Loop."

[6:18] Nick Flatto: And what they're doing there, it's, um, uh, Cooper Howell wrote this piece in two weeks, and it's um, two weeks.

[6:27] Nick Flatto: In two weeks, they keep joking that he started this script in two weeks, haha, but it is so, so brilliant. It's 10 strangers that we meet on this loop.

[6:41] Nick Flatto: So basically, when you arrive, the, what the float is the in-person spider, yeah, yeah.

[6:46] Nick Flatto: What the, no, but what the float is is kind of the immersive, you put the headsets on.

[6:51] Amber Brzezinski: Oh, I love that.

[6:52] Nick Flatto: Okay. You put your headphones on, you hear the text of the play.

[6:57] Amber Brzezinski: That's what you posted about the other day.

[6:58] Nick Flatto: Yes, yeah. Well, I'm telling you, real-time events, you're like, this is the timing.

[7:02] Amber Brzezinski: I love that.

[7:02] Nick Flatto: And but you're hearing the text detached from the bodies on stage through your headphones, and then you watch these actors act out these scenes, and then every, I don't want to give anything away, but there's 10 scenes, and there's a moment of intimacy in every scene.

[7:17] Nick Flatto: Let me tell you, immersive theater is having such a freaking moment right now.

[7:22] Amber Brzezinski: Yes.

[7:22] Nick Flatto: Like, I was, I love Sleep No More. Life and Trust, I had the opportunity to go to, obsessed with Masquerade.

[7:29] Amber Brzezinski: I just, I just went Saturday night. Have you gotten the opportunity to see Exorcistic?

[7:34] Nick Flatto: I have not, but all of my friends are involved. I need to go.

[7:37] Amber Brzezinski: Yeah.

[7:37] Nick Flatto: This is, these are my people. I love the entire cast and production team.

[7:44] Nick Flatto: Um, so I was invited out over to Asylum, which wasn't too bad to get into off the 24th. And my god, like Emma Mutton comes up to me, gyrating, grabs my hands, and just full-on has me grope her.

[7:58] Nick Flatto: She's like in my face, possessed. And I'm just like, this is happening. This is what theater should always be. I want to be possessed every day. It was so much fun.

[8:08] Amber Brzezinski: Um, but then, you know, and I'm gonna, as a producer, I want to ask you this question. This is an initiative that Amber and I really push is properly behaved audience members.

[8:21] Nick Flatto: Sure, yeah, there's this world now that everybody has this entitlement. I saw Wicked, I saw Mamma Mia! People are singing. I went to Waiting for Godot. Like, how do you go to Godot and like ignore the "don't take pictures" and start taking pictures?

[8:39] Amber Brzezinski: Yeah, yeah.

[8:41] Nick Flatto: We do everything we possibly can to be good audience members, but there are like an Jamie Lloyd, for example, he was like, "No, no, no, don't two of us, don't do this." But specifically, the house is like, "Hey, by the way, like, we can't interrupt somebody taking a photo because it's gonna interrupt the show, it's more impactful that way."

[8:57] Amber Brzezinski: What do you feel? Because you do have shows like 20 Sided Tavern who actually encourage all of that kind of immersiveness and getting on your phone and taking photos. Is it better to make it okay so that it's not so taboo and, you know, a faux pas to take a photo or whatever, or is it like, oh, all phones should be locked up, like Love Supreme style, like put it in a bag, throw it off to the side and enjoy the disconnect from the real world?

[9:25] Nick Flatto: Yeah, it's a great question, Heather. I, uh, I kind of go back and forth on it. I think every project is different in regards to like next steps of development, but also what we're looking for in the room, and I do think it's 2025.

[9:38] Nick Flatto: Like, I want to, this notion of like keeping what your piece is so precious and so close to your chest, right? Doesn't allow for the organic growth that can happen with the footage with the videos, and I learned that lesson firsthand.

[9:54] Nick Flatto: We did, um, Stranger Sings, the parody musical based on Stranger Things, which just did a production here in Orlando.

[10:00] Amber Brzezinski: Oh, yeah, yeah.

[10:01] Nick Flatto: We were, um, we were in Orlando, we, uh, were at the Straz at Tampa, we've been Argentina, Spain, London, Australia, like really all over the world. Which is a miracle, but through that, we learned that lesson of like, okay, spoiler, Barb's coming back, she's singing her revenge song, and we wanted to keep it so close because it was a surprise, and kind of halfway through the run, I was like, if we don't remind people and show people that we're funny, that we have a hysterical surprise in this show, and exploit that and allow that to be on YouTube and in the press, they're not gonna get here to see the whole show, you know.

[10:39] Amber Brzezinski: Is that balance?

[10:40] Nick Flatto: So I do, yeah. I, you know, I think it's kind of, um, whenever I'm traveling abroad, I realize like the American way of like we do what we want and we are loud and we take up a lot of space, and we, you know, I went up to a tourist in Amsterdam and I like asked a question, and she's like, "Only an American would come up and ask me a question a lot of time," you know.

[11:03] Nick Flatto: I was like, oh my god. You know, but it's just like honor, honor, honor what the producers are asking for, honor who's on stage.

[11:11] Nick Flatto: Yeah, respectful art. Um, but again, we're talking about the immersive stuff. It's like, yeah, I, I want to live in a world where we can televise, you know, good luck, uh, good night, good luck.

[11:22] Amber Brzezinski: Good night, good night and good luck.

[11:23] Nick Flatto: Yeah, that was a phenomenal, like groundbreaking thing, and it shouldn't be that hard. Honestly, I wouldn't have been surprised if they were like, it's 10 bucks or 20 bucks, like charge for the stream, but everybody was able to tune in and enjoy it.

[11:36] Nick Flatto: And that ticket was high price because of the, you know, with George Clooney as the lead. Hello.

[11:41] Nick Flatto: And the data, the data does show that like if you get it out there in that way, it doesn't, you know, Hamilton's on Disney Plus for how long, and they're still, you know, doing what they're doing.

[11:52] Nick Flatto: It's like it only enhances the Wicked movie. People going to see the show. So this, this, it's kind of backwards and old way of thinking when it comes to like take pictures and videos.

[12:02] Nick Flatto: So we, uh, I go back to Stranger Sings when we extended, we not only encouraged video, but we added a whole surprise moment at the end for everyone to film, um, to, you know, spread this joy around.

[12:14] Nick Flatto: Titanic did that so beautifully with, yeah, right on, you know, um, spread it, spread it. So that's, that's my opinion as a up-and-coming producer of, of let's, let's encourage folks, right? And, and video.

[12:28] Nick Flatto: I'm not, I think dress is important to me, you know, it's like people showing up in gym philosophy. Oh well, you've been part of these like massive shows.

[12:28] Nick Flatto: Yeah, and I think that's really important for you to be like, hey, let's encourage that, like let's bring them along to the journey because they're able to kind of share that for sure.

[12:28] Nick Flatto: I'm also producer, director, leader, educator, multi-hyphenate, multi-hyphenate and embracing that and spreading that, that, um, understanding to many people. But I, I came to theater because I believe it to be a sacred space.

[13:02] Nick Flatto: I know it sounds like so you know woo-woo-y whatever, but it's sacred what we're doing in the space is a living and breathing moment that no one else is experiencing. Um and we're in this room together, this is the community coming together. Um dress for the occasion. That's sacred. It's it's our church, you know, and like about that all the time. It's that one special moment that you're in the theater with those people at that exact moment, that one character made that one mistake, or somebody said an extra line that got the entire audience laughing their asses off.

[13:34] Amber Brzezinski: Yeah, for sure.

[13:35] Nick Flatto: I remember uh randomly enemy of the people I I can have I have moments and moments and moments, but enemy of the people. Um I'm watching this play, you know, succession stars up there, and it's a play about climate change and and government lying to us and all these things, these prevalent, prevalent uh moments. And during this performance I was at, we had we had real life protesters for climate change interrupt the show.

[14:02] Wow, and I was sitting here like Sam Gold, I was like Sam Gold. This is amazing direction because I've I'm on edge right now. This is amazing. I thought they were actors in the piece. I was like, And it's great marketing, but also like at what cost. And then the cop shows up and bring up these real time real life. And I'm this is live like everybody I was at closing of John Proctor and the director and playwright asked us all to scream in the group. I don't know if you were there. Beautiful camper is obsessed with the show. I didn't get the opportunity to see it. Sobbing but I'm like the this is sacred. This is sacred we're going through and if you're screaming at the booth theater with all of us sold out closing clothing in flip flops and shim shorts like seriously come on.

[14:45] Amber Brzezinski: Yeah so that's like after just that last moment of John Proctor too like already that moment is so much the visceral bot dancing right absolutely yeah I so that's important so like dressing is important for me. You know video uh video and and phones like please spread the word yeah I mean do what you can to support shows as often as you possibly can oh here you go June says we're talking uh the show was so fabulous I had a front row seat so happy you're touring I'm close to Chicago and hope to go again check that out you have fans Nick aren't you special I'm so grateful.

[15:27] Heather Bedor: Well talk about your newest endeavor with two strangers and then even your the new musical coming up too I want to hear more yeah I I can I'll make every story longer than it should be but I moved yeah I moved to New York performer first actor first, kind of instilled with I want to be up there. And I did that for a decade. I realized um through that decade that I I didn't really care about you know my capacity as a performer as one role in a show. I was always thinking about the whole story at hand, the impact it has, um, and the community that theater brings. So with that, I became a director, and then out of necessity, I became a producer. It's like, if you want to do your own work, right? You gotta produce this thing, we're gonna do this. Um, which has now led to with Stranger Sings, I co-lead produced and directed for five years, you know, again, licensing worldwide and all of this.

[16:19] Nick Flatto: Oh, yeah. And gave me an opportunity um to be on my first Broadway show. So I I um was in the West End. I heard about this little show called Operation Mince Meat. I thought little show. I thought you so mentor Larry Larely, I cannot talk. Uh it was his birthday yesterday. Yes, and um, he is my Yoda, and he was like, Hey, so it's like Operation Mince Meat is freaking massive in the West End. You guys want to might want to create a group? And I'm like, oh yeah, okay. I saw the show like first two weeks, and I'm like, I am hooked because it's just it's intelligent humor, but the whole audience is along the right, and it's historically based, which I love. It's so so great. It has that history.

I was waiting, so I after Stranger Sings, everyone said, What are you doing next? And I was like, I need a break. That was five years of my life, you know, and I'm not jumping on something every year. That's not my goal. Um, and it was in the West End. I sat down for Operation Mince Meat, and the same thing, you know, laughing the whole time, and then Deer Bell hit, spoiler. Um, and we're we're feeling and it was like really a man playing a woman singing about a fake corpse and his fake lover, and we're sobbing breaking that down, but yeah, we're sobbing, and that's the power of storytelling. It's like uh Jack talked about it with with their Tony speech of like we're we're dismantling the binary just from feeling emotion.

[17:42] And I'm sure most people don't know this, and maybe you can touch it a little bit when with the rights of mince meat, but I think it's really fascinating that I just read about DV is that if you are putting on a production of Mince Meat, you are required to gender swap for those roles. I think that's beyond perfect. This is queer theater, and it's not it's not quote in your face, queer theater. We we spoon feed it where there's there's I mean, there's there's you know, war veterans at the stage door with 17-year-old queer children, yeah. And this is this is the art that they've created, which is you don't know this is queer theater. We are not we're not quote in your face with gender play, gender, gender, gender.

But that's what this is, and that's why it works so well is that we're masking it with the the historical with the brilliant music and lyrics and book. Um, but it's queer theater, and so the company that I run called Velvet Stage Productions is is focused on queer narratives, queer narratives, and queer um artists. Which you can actually go right to the website and check out all of the fantastic stuff, velvet stageproductions.com. Heather and Amber are prepared. This is amazing. Um I said the name and like look at this. This is um, but so Velvet Stage Productions, so and I can talk about that. So uh Operation Mince Meat happened, and I'll tell you, I come from no money, I don't have a sphere of wealthy people.

I'm like, I'm a director trying to do this thing, and through social media, we were talking about backstage. Um investors showed up. Uh I my my investors that joined me on Operation Mince Meat were all first time investors, never done this before. Three of them graduated from my college, so it's a testament of like being good people.

[19:25] Heather Bedor: What college is that? Go ahead and give it a shout out.

[19:26] Nick Flatto: Yeah, I went to Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Um, my mom worked there. There it's a BA program, so it's very well rounded. Top 10 in the country for for theater. It's it's it's and what's the mascot?

[19:40] Amber Brzezinski: Uh uh Mueller mules, the mule.

[19:43] Nick Flatto: Um really embarrassingly. So no, I don't know. We're mules. Oh no, we are mules. Um sport. Um, so I was across the street at all the theater uh across the way, but so any long story short, these these investors showed up, Operation Mince Meat, and coming this fall, which I didn't plan. Um, I'm gonna be a co-producer on on two strangers carrying a cake across New York. And and really these shows that I'm being very intentional about what we're working on, are shows that are are unknowns, you know, to the masses in America. They're coming from the West End because of the heartfelt storytelling that that is prevalent in both of these. Um, and they're great economical models, which you have to think about this as a producer of like okay, these are five actors playing 30 roles on one set with operation and four stage.

Two strangers are you know, you there's the Times article, which we can talk about, but it's a broken model. The musical theater model is broken. Yes, the timing of that we can talk about all of that, but right, but but it is a broken model, and a lot of these lead producers are saying, Well, it has to be Broadway costs that much, it has to be a million dollars because that's what it costs, and it's like no, I am so anti that. And so, um, two strangers is again two actors, the whole show, one set, and you're crying, and you go on this gorgeous journey, and the music is fantastic. So I love that. I'm thrilled to be working on that. I'm looking at um Jellico Ball in the spring, um, which was one of the best things I saw last year.

Queer Joy in the space together. Um, I I will say today, September 24th, best Tony revival 2026. It is they put cats, which you plan for, um, Heather, and made it made it the black queer bodies that we need to uplift and see on stage.

[21:36] Amber Brzezinski: Um that was actually gonna be like my next segue question.

[21:42] Nick Flatto: Yeah, because like I know you are a very much like an advocate for inclusion in this space. And like what other shows besides Mince Meat do you think stand out to you that are kind of doing that right now, that are kind of making space for being inclusive and and holding space for that right now.

[22:06] Nick Flatto: Well, I mean, we just talked about it. Right. What were you saying about Cynthia? Sorry.

[22:12] Amber Brzezinski: Oh, she was saying holding space is like she's doing her best thing. Right, yes. I want to reach across the screen. We're holding it. Yes, but but we just I mean, I can talk about the those shows that I care about and I want to uplift are the shows that are like John Proctor that have these southern female teenagers on stage as as main characters, right? And these are the spaces that we need to hold space and carve space for the narratives that matter. And then 15 years ago, producers might not have looked at something like John Proctor. Yeah, you know, and you have to have an inverse. They actually did a beautiful thing where Kimberly was licensing her her project for four to five years before it came to Broadway.

So they actually licensed it to the schools to show the popularity of what these beautifully crafted and painted characters look like and and the impact they have to then bring it to Broadway. It's fascinating. And now we have a movie coming out. But yeah, John Proctor, I mean I can talk forever, but but shows that are timely, that have the representation we need for for the teenagers that I was that we all were that were othered, that were bullied, that were, you know, you don't belong. We all found theater and a home and again sacred safe space. Um we want to see ourselves on stage, you know, of course. So where are the producers? And so I can talk more specifically, specifically for me as a gay man, you know, growing up.

It's I I love the normal hearts, the inheritance, angels in America, yeah, uh Bo is coming to out of the box this year. Stunning, stunning, important theater to save lives to um document our history in theater that we so need.

[24:01] Nick Flatto: Yeah, I personally am ready in 2025 to see queer joy and queer love on stage.

[24:07] Amber Brzezinski: Yeah. Have you had the opportunity to see House of McQueen?

[24:11] Nick Flatto: I have not. I've heard the title, I must get there.

[24:14] Amber Brzezinski: Yeah, it's one of the shows I was very fortunate to see this past week with Luke Newton as Alexander Lee McQueen. And it does all of that. It it doesn't hide anything, it's not blasted in your face.

[24:27] Nick Flatto: It's just it's there, it's presenting this beautiful story.

[24:31] Amber Brzezinski: And I I hate to say it's like it's making it okay, but it's really making things, it's not hush hush. There's no putting up a barrier or a wall or making a big to-do about it, it.

[24:41] Nick Flatto: It's just presenting a story that's beautiful.

[24:43] Amber Brzezinski: Yeah, and I think it's really important, especially with producers like yourself who are able to kind of convey those stories.

[24:49] Nick Flatto: And it's not even like we're making this huge deal. Like I see Jeffrey Cohen's like when Lundbridge will have a drag queen, yes, Bob, the drag queen will be the next MC. I think it's really key, but it's just it's acceptable.

[25:01] Nick Flatto: And I love that that's the shift that Broadway is finally in where you're not questioning it, or you must see the show because there's a drag queen in it. No, it's Jinx Monsoon doing the Jinx Monsoon thing. You want to see them because it's jinx.

[25:13] Nick Flatto: Well, and it's time. We are we theater is uh theater artists are warriors for this crusade to fight back for that representation, carve back when you say carved space, it's a fight.

[25:26] Nick Flatto: It is you know, teas are erased off the website, gay marriage is next. I just got married a year ago.

[25:35] Nick Flatto: This is war right now. Yeah, um, so I it took me a long time to to allow myself to announce that I'm a in fact a writer as well. Um, and with our piece, it's a love story, it is a simple, gorgeous, sweeping love story that happens to be between two men. And I am ready in 2025 to reclaim this rhetoric of straight love is divine love and the only love and the normal love and the natural love. I want to show a piece that's like, no, like we have not seen intimate men on stage making out with snowfalling, and I'm ready for that. I'm ready for that.

[26:14] Amber Brzezinski: Yeah, absolutely. I think I'm ready for it.

[26:16] Nick Flatto: Yeah, I would even argue, you know, that Gypsy did something similar, you know, with this recent revival, you know, casting, you know, an all-black cast and doing, you know, that inclusion in that way. I thought that that, you know, specific revival and those choices opened that story in a whole new light. I personally saw it in a whole different way.

[26:41] Heather Bedor: Yes.

[26:41] Nick Flatto: Really was transformative of that piece for me to see it presented in that way. And I thought that was brilliant to do. I thought it was wonderful. It's reclaiming that narrative.

[26:55] Amber Brzezinski: Yes.

[26:55] Nick Flatto: Let's take that narrative and put it in our world and have that representation. And this is where I go back to Castangelical Ball. We have I don't know.

[27:03] Amber Brzezinski: Exactly.

[27:04] Nick Flatto: That's why I'm so excited for that to move on. Well, and spoiler again of like a trans cat goes to heaven.

[27:13] Amber Brzezinski: Right.

[27:13] Nick Flatto: Right. Yes, we need this in 2026. We need to see the American musical classics from a black perspective from their community, their perspective, you know.

[27:26] Amber Brzezinski: Right.

[27:26] Nick Flatto: We owe so much to Marcia P. Johnson, a black trans woman who like started everything, you know. So it's an important narrative to push forward for and you're seeing memory.

[27:39] Amber Brzezinski: Like something.

[27:40] Nick Flatto: No, no, no. As I say, you're so I don't hate the word brave, like your strength is really important because like with Velvet Stage Productions too, like you were trudging forward and focusing on these kind of stories that are really key and in the now and need to be here now. But it's a matter of you're up against and it is that war, but you are still standing strong and you're still you're giving it all of the energy that you need, and then some because you want to make sure that it's key for those people who are coming through the ranks now. So I think that's really amazing.

[28:09] Nick Flatto: Thank you, Heather. I have this strength because I feel that responsibility.

[28:14] Nick Flatto: Right. And I feel uh if we have the courage as artists to remember that responsibility of like the stories and voices that we have in ourselves have to come out because we have a responsibility for everyone else that would see themselves in your story.

[28:32] Amber Brzezinski: Right.

[28:33] Nick Flatto: Um, if we can remember that, that's gonna make theater what we want it to be, you know, is to keep getting these stories out there. Um that responsibility.

[28:45] Amber Brzezinski: There's something I was gonna say.

[28:46] Nick Flatto: You said so something so beautifully.

[28:49] Amber Brzezinski: Um, thank you.

[28:52] Nick Flatto: Yes, yeah.

[28:53] Nick Flatto: I wanted to talk about um Velvet Stage and like using that power to carve the space.

[29:02] Nick Flatto: I love it where I'm not a producer that is just writing a check. Not to, you know, not to call out anyone else, but like I'm not gonna produce can mean a whole slew of things.

[29:12] Amber Brzezinski: So many things.

[29:13] Nick Flatto: I don't think people realize that. I don't have the luxury or privilege to just write a check, you know. That's one thing. I'm also not a producer that's there to take photos with celebrities, not to like read anyone for filth.

[29:24] Amber Brzezinski: Oh no, read it.

[29:25] Nick Flatto: I'm not there to take photos, and I'm not there for my ego. I left acting because it's not about my ego, it's about the stories. So I don't care about Nick Flatto above title um anymore. I want it to be, I want to build something bigger and more beautiful called Velvet Stage Productions. Velvet Stage is actually coded language for the queer community.

[29:48] Nick Flatto: Um, the Velvet Mafia in the 1970s were coming after straight culture, arts culture. This was Andy Warhol, Velvet Underground, Andy, you know, bisexual lead, Andy Manage. There's a self-help book specifically for you know, cis gay men growing up in straight men's world called The Velvet Rage that a lot of us know. This is a play on words. Straight people may not get it.

[30:13] Amber Brzezinski: Well, now they will listening to the show, they will know.

[30:16] Nick Flatto: Yeah, now they know we've told them. But Velvet Stage is a play on words of Velvet Rage. And the idea is we're taking that Velvet Torch from the 70s, and now we're in 2025. And I want to build a safe space for queer people and specifically for multi hyphenates.

[30:32] Amber Brzezinski: We we started a lab and class for multiple.

[30:35] Nick Flatto: I just want to ask about that. Talk talk a little bit about that.

[30:38] Nick Flatto: Yeah, I so again, like it's not about me. I want to, I want to be there for the community and create more safe spaces for process. And what I've learned with developing my own musical this past year is I want to cultivate space for 30 musicals to happen once a month. And what does that look like? So I've created a lab for multi hyphenates to come in and work on their passion projects, whatever that looks like.

[31:03] Nick Flatto: That passion project can be like, I haven't tapped in 10 years, and that's scary, but that sounds fun today. I want to do that. Or I'm working on this um piece uh uh from an, you know, I'm thinking of one girl in this class um where she has an image of grasshoppers in a in a glass jar that become locusts from the pressurized friction of these grasshoppers in their jars.

[31:27] Nick Flatto: And from that image, we we heard the opening night number two days ago. And it's like this is the space, the process space that I think we all need. And my question is, what does a dancer Larry and poetry to the way her body moves, impact this grasshopper locust musical and vice versa?

[31:45] Amber Brzezinski: Um, and that's the space I'm really people are um getting excited about and having feeling the impact of change of one embracing your multi-hyphenness, but two finding your community creates

[31:45] Nick Flatto: I was gonna say it also like it it's inspiring to have other people with those creative ideas around you because then you don't feel like you're doing it alone. You feel like other creative people are around you and and you know you're all working on something.

[32:16] Amber Brzezinski: It creates like you said, that community.

[32:18] Nick Flatto: You're just you're more you know, you you have that that energy and it it energizes you in a way, yeah.

[32:27] Amber Brzezinski: Exactly right, Amber. It's it's energy and it's accountability, yes.

[32:32] Nick Flatto: So to have someone in class that you connect with and say, Hey, do you want to develop something? Meet me once a week. That's the only reason I have a first draft today. We we had our first informal reading of Glasshouse today.

[32:44] Amber Brzezinski: Oh my gosh.

[32:44] Nick Flatto: Because I had a composer lyricist say to me, There's something here, let's meet once a week.

[32:48] Amber Brzezinski: Right.

[32:48] Nick Flatto: And you need that person, you need, I think it's Edward Alby that says, Um, you know, creation happens with a good idea. You need that good idea. We need to scratch for the good idea. Um, but then the deadline having a deadline and having that accountability with your community of great, I need to present. I owe someone tonight some pages because we're meeting, you know.

[33:11] Nick Flatto: Um, so I'm just thrilled to have this this, you know, again, Velvet Stage Productions, Velvet Stage Lab to create the musicals and and plays of tomorrow.

[33:19] Heather Bedor: Thank you.

[33:20] Nick Flatto: Thank you for I love this. This is not sponsored, this is amazing.

[33:25] Amber Brzezinski: That's what we're here for.

[33:27] Nick Flatto: We're here to support and help you create that safe space. That's what we go for with all of our communities and you know, running our platform is that we want to create a welcoming and safe space that sparks creativity and togetherness.

[33:39] Amber Brzezinski: And Amber and I both gravitate towards somebody like yourself who's wanting to create that space for you know a group of people who need it the most.

[33:48] Nick Flatto: And you know, it's it's something tremendous that you're doing.

[33:51] Heather Bedor: And I I know that you know this, but I hope and I will continue to repeat that you are doing something so wonderful for the community, and it's so key.

[33:59] Nick Flatto: Thank you so much, Heather. I mean, it makes it make it makes me emotional.

[34:03] Nick Flatto: And I I look to the title of this Nick Flatto and Why We Love Him. It's like we I want to have coffee and lunch with you both.

[34:11] Amber Brzezinski: We need to we need to like I just came back from New York yesterday, but next time I'm up, we're gonna do it.

[34:16] Nick Flatto: Yes, let me know.

[34:17] Amber Brzezinski: Let me know.

[34:18] Nick Flatto: Um, but the fact that you see I I I think like-minded leaders and lights in this world with the common mission of carving that space and and having theater with the powerful tool it can be for us all um to uplift one another and for you know, for you to arrange this means so so much.

[34:37] Nick Flatto: It's I I think people forget that too.

[34:40] Amber Brzezinski: And that's something Amber and I struggle with is that people have an entitlement or this expectation, and then you know, you're that person that's like, no, we're gonna uplift each other, and they're like, No, you're not, no, you're not.

[34:51] Nick Flatto: They're like pushing you down.

[34:52] Amber Brzezinski: You're like, no, this is like we're still gonna do this.

[34:55] Nick Flatto: It doesn't matter, you're one person, but these thousands of people, there's people that need this community, and we're gonna do whatever we can.

[35:01] Nick Flatto: It's exhausting.

[35:02] Amber Brzezinski: I I mean, I I go back to the American.

[35:07] Nick Flatto: I don't mean to be political, but the American people that's fine.

[35:10] Nick Flatto: The American way is to put yourself first, always, you know and build your corporate ladder ahead and and i'm going to spend millions of dollars to advertise bullying campaign about against others we don't understand that we're afraid of yeah be elected we won't get into both but it's it's but it's it's not about theater is not about being divisive you know we are we are sacred spaces for anyone I go back to the basement we built with Stranger Sings was again a sacred space it was a home for nerds nerds that love sci-fi nerds that love musical theater and here we were screaming the decibel level in that basement on 46th Street will stay with me for a lifetime because they saw their favorite TV show live on stage belting to them right and it was queer and it was theater and we were screaming I um Slee who played Barb um was with it from the origins when we were working in you know a small office you know first song out to five years later eight month run and her last performance she grabbed her wig she's singing um Barb's turn a la rose's turn and stranger singing and she takes her wig and she's uh uh sasha velore takes her wig and goes like this at the end of course pedals pedals pedals and I mean the noise in this room of like understanding that cultural moment.

[36:48] Amber Brzezinski: Right.

[36:49] Nick Flatto: Barb Holland from Stranger Sings in a musical and off broadway was like, you know, three layered of like these are the theater nerves in the space, and we scream for five minutes, you know, of like and like oh, I would have like lost it.

[37:03] Amber Brzezinski: I would have lost it.

[37:04] Nick Flatto: I bet a blast, too. I mean, these are the beast lines that we live for. This is the space that we need, you know.

[37:09] Nick Flatto: And that's that's what I'm I'm fighting for. I'm 37. I hopefully will have a long career ahead of like let's create more of this, more of more of these moments.

[37:18] Heather Bedor: Thank you.

[37:19] Nick Flatto: Thank you.

[37:19] Amber Brzezinski: You're welcome.

[37:19] Nick Flatto: I mean, not that you need the affirmation and validation I do.

[37:22] Amber Brzezinski: We all do.

[37:23] Nick Flatto: I'm you know, uh every new multi-hyphen it that I'm finding the courage to finally say. It's like we need to hear these words. Feedback after Glass House today, our original musical.

[37:35] Nick Flatto: I asked first, what do you love? Tell me what you love first. We need the validation.

[37:40] Amber Brzezinski: Yeah, you know, now here's our specific questions to make it better.

[37:43] Nick Flatto: And now what do you hate? I want to know what are your suggestions, right?

[37:46] Amber Brzezinski: Where are the pain points?

[37:47] Nick Flatto: No, can you tell us anything about glass house, right?

[37:50] Nick Flatto: I can please remind me how wonderful I am.

[37:53] Amber Brzezinski: I need, I need I think we all need everybody to tell Nick he's one more.

[37:57] Nick Flatto: Everybody make sure you follow Nick on his social cities.

[38:01] Nick Flatto: Yeah, I want private, I want DMs and private messages.

[38:04] Nick Flatto: But we all we all need this, we all deserve this. Is like Amber, you were talking about this feeling of being alone in New York and alone in our art. And it's not an alone profession, it is a community profession.

[38:19] Nick Flatto: So find your team, find your collaborators, and find those people that are gonna DM you saying you're alive. Find that family. Glass House is a family of gay men across time. So um, it's about renowned architect. Do we know the name Philip Johnson at all?

[38:39] Amber Brzezinski: Familiar, but yeah, so go on.

[38:42] Nick Flatto: Renowned architect Philip Johnson, he's known for Lincoln Center, Seagram building, ATT building in New York. He's most known for his glass house in New Canaan, Connecticut. Okay. Um, so 49 acres and up in New Canaan. He basically invented floor to ceiling windows. We lost Amber.

[38:57] Amber Brzezinski: Amber's back.

[38:58] Nick Flatto: Amber hates this idea.

[39:02] Amber Brzezinski: No, Amber's gonna go check out the glass house right now.

[39:04] Nick Flatto: Yeah, Amber went to the glass house. But so the glass house in New Canaan, he invented floor to ceiling windows in New Canaan across the way. He had a contrasting brick house completely opaque in 1949 where he hid his secret gay lover for 40 years.

[39:20] Amber Brzezinski: Wow.

[39:21] Nick Flatto: Wow. So we are telling David's point of view. His name's David Whitney. So I read five biographies about Philip Johnson and David Whitney, his lover, is lost to history. Only has 10 pages to all these biographies because in the 60s, you know, it was it was legacy. It was these buildings will stand is a song in my career, and I have to hide you at home. And David is saying, What are your buildings without love at home? It's it's a sweeping, gorgeous chamber musical that we're so thrilled to share soon.

[39:52] Amber Brzezinski: Oh my goodness. Well, we can't wait to see more of that develop. I'm so excited. That is absolutely wild.

[39:58] Nick Flatto: Yeah, thank you. Well, it's about fun again, scratching for inspiration, that good idea. I toured the glass house a decade ago, 10 years ago, and I could feel the emotion and these gay ghosts on this property, their home. Um, and I said, Why is your painting gallery buried under a mound of dirt? Why is and I told a story to tell that's you know, I found a story to tell it to to bring that narrative to the masses. So that's that's our goal. We're we're uh building some experience.

[40:25] Amber Brzezinski: Okay said thank you for doing that.

[40:29] Nick Flatto: Thank you for doing that, because it's important to make sure like we consider ourselves collectors of stories, and it's important when you have a story, but you're like, no, this needs to be told.

[40:38] Amber Brzezinski: Yeah, and like that's that's so important. So thank you for doing that.

[40:41] Nick Flatto: Thank you for thanking me. I mean, have the people to say, take take that risk. You know, we have to risk it, we have to see what it is. Um, and I'll I'll humbly say our first draft a year later is is beautifully made, you know, because we approached it tenderly. We we want to respect these characters, we're putting their work first. We want to really document who they were in their complexities. Philip Johnson has a dark past, and we bring that in. Um, of it makes for great theater when you when you find the good idea and then have the courage to to get it out there. So anyone wanting to create a show, create it and find your people to help you create it.

[41:22] Amber Brzezinski: Yes, find your people.

[41:23] Nick Flatto: Yeah, I was gonna say, especially like if you're like a young artist who doesn't see themselves represented right now or like your story reflected on Broadway or off Broadway or in any way, like we want to see your story, especially if it's not being told, because your representation matters just as much as everyone else's, you know.

[41:53] Amber Brzezinski: Absolutely. No, I mean I think that's key because there are so many people are like, oh well, there's only somebody like me up on that stage. No, go do that, go be that person, don't question it for a moment. Just do it.

[42:04] Nick Flatto: It's representation for people that see themselves on the character uh, you know, in the characters on stage, it's also for everyone else to learn empathy.

[42:16] Amber Brzezinski: Yeah, yeah, empathy. Experiencing to experience moments on stage that you'll you don't get in your bubble in your life day to day.

[42:23] Nick Flatto: Right. Um, theater is there for you to think outside of your lives, to think to feel for people outside of who you know. And I want to have Glass House have you know audiences, you know, sobbing at this love story, forgetting that, oh my gosh, these are two men.

[42:39] Amber Brzezinski: Right. Well, sure. But also that they were real, yeah, right. It's a way to honor. And I think that's that seems to be something that you've aligned yourself with is honoring, and I think that's really key.

[42:51] Heather Bedor: I think I I think I already know that this is going to be one of those questions. Amber, do you think it's time for me to ask my signature question?

[42:58] Amber Brzezinski: You want to ask yours?

[43:00] Heather Bedor: Uh, you can go first this time. I went first last time.

[43:02] Amber Brzezinski: Oh boy. All right, Nick. So shop in. Um so a question I love to ask people is there a question that you've always wanted to be asked, and what is that answer? It could be anything.

[43:16] Nick Flatto: I love talking about myself in theater, so I love offer that. Um it could be serious, it could be funny, it could be what's your favorite snack? You know me, I'm so dramatic, but I love, I mean, I love the question of like what brought you to the arts in the first place. And I think I think it's a beautiful answer, personally in my life, which maybe people might connect to, but we all kind of face trauma in our childhoods to different degrees, you know. Uh, it's hard to grow up in this world. I think generations have kind of uh will go to addictions out there to kind of numb the pain and numb that trauma, but there are generations that come around to find the arts to heal. Um, and so I found theater in my community when I was a seven year old. My parents divorced, you know, when I was seven. Dad went away. I didn't know what this was when I was seven. Is it my fault? And I might be gay. Oh my gosh. All those layers.

[44:17] Amber Brzezinski: All those layers and there was a there was I think there's a play musical in here too. So it's these are a new seat of an idea. But there is there was a book we were reading in class about this prince, and the community um came around and gave him swatches of colorful fabrics. I can't find this play. So if anyone knows this book, it's not a play. It's a book, it's a children's book. I gotta find this.

[44:40] Nick Flatto: Are you are you're are you on you're on Facebook, right?

[44:43] Amber Brzezinski: I am.

[44:44] Nick Flatto: I'm on Facebook. Join the Facebook group. It's called What Is This Thing?

[44:47] Amber Brzezinski: Okay, okay.

[44:50] Nick Flatto: Yeah, it's great. I'm just I'm gonna go. What is this thing and say, what is this children's book about a prince? Describe it as much as possible. Like thousands of people will comment patchwork prints because that's what I just googled.

[45:06] Amber Brzezinski: I will, I mean, I will literally cry if you find this.

[45:10] Nick Flatto: I'll cry. I don't it says patchwork print. I wonder what year this was. I will cry. So this is 2023, so it's definitely back in 95. But it's like patchwork prints. That's the perfect title for this this play. But my single mom, you know, recently divorced, sewed me a costume. I was cast as the Prince in second grade, sewed me a costume with each of these swatches, and it was in a cardboard box in in second grade where I stripped my underwear, I put on a costume that my mom made for me.

[45:44] Amber Brzezinski: Okay, I'd love it.

[45:48] Nick Flatto: You know, and I and I love that story of like yes, find your home.

[45:54] Amber Brzezinski: We're gonna find this book for you, Nick.

[45:56] Nick Flatto: I will I'll cry and and then you'll have to hold me accountable, friends. Yeah, to see what this this show is that I'm I'm working to build. But my I told my mom this story. She came down with the costume from the attic. I have it literally in my office here.

[46:10] Amber Brzezinski: I love that.

[46:11] Nick Flatto: And it's like amazing. And and and so that's the question I want to I want to ask everyone is what brought you to the arts? Like we are we're here doing it for the rest of our lives for a reason. And it's because we found a home early on and found that family you spoke about. So that's that's a question that comes to mind. Um, I also like my favorite food is like I'd say like white cheddar mac and cheese.

[46:35] Amber Brzezinski: Oh yeah, good call.

[46:37] Nick Flatto: Good call.

[46:38] Amber Brzezinski: All right, Amber, you hit him with your one-two punch.

[46:41] Amber Brzezinski: All right, so if your younger self could meet you today, what do you think would surprise them the most about you now?

[46:50] Nick Flatto: Okay, RuPaul, I love this.

[46:52] Amber Brzezinski: Yes.

[46:53] Nick Flatto: Um I'm like, I'm holding your picture. Yeah, and I just spoke about my seven year old self, so it's it's an amazing segue. I mean, I I think we often again we if we have the privilege to love theater, we're we're put in acting, singing, and dancing class, and we're instilled with we want to be up there. We love the immediate response. Right. I would love to tell my seven year old self that you can do so much more than play one character on stage. Um, and you will one day be a Broadway producer, director, writer, educator cultivating space for more boys like you.

[47:22] Amber Brzezinski: I love that and you are an inspiration to people in this community just in case you didn't know that.

[47:22] Nick Flatto: Now I have to say my mom signed me up for soccer and I was whatever the person that's not like the goalie but stands like in front of the goalie the defender this is the I played soccer never groups for yeah touch some with the ball and the sports ball and I stood there and I would dance so she was like so I guess soccer's wrong and we go to dance class so we withdrew from soccer we went to dance class instead.

[47:22] Amber Brzezinski: Yeah, I definitely did the basketball camp football camp soccer camp and I quit. I mean every week a week into it I was like no no no like this is not this is not for me this is not it put me back into the castle let us dance letters I need my colorful my robe of many colors Patchwork Prince we're gonna find this we're gonna no I definitely recommend that group they find everything the internet find everything this is where social media can be healthy can be yes absolutely and speaking of finding things online people can go to www dot thebroadwayfanclub.com you can actually see all the groups that we run including multiple shows that Nick is part of so please go check it out and support Nick they can find you all over social media but if they want to find information about Velvet Stage productions they can go to your website um if you know what this book is please let us know and DM all your friends how much you love them and and what they mean to you because that's our needs right now.

[47:22] Nick Flatto: Yeah I do that all the time all the time I I don't think there's anything wrong with telling your friends that you love them like it's so important you have to and then just like some good news to end on uh the 39th annual edition of the Broadway flea market um raised a record breaking million dollars one million six hundred thirty three eight hundred and three dollars and we did about three thousand dollars worth of that plus plus plus fabulous and I was probably like a good 70 of the three down so yeah yeah yeah so yeah go go us you've been wonderful you're always welcome back on the show please we can't wait to hear all of the things coming up all of all of the things and send us lots of pictures of Eta.

[50:50] Amber Brzezinski: So thank you for that.

[50:51] Nick Flatto: And thank you for the support.

[50:54] Amber Brzezinski: Thank you for existing.

[50:55] Nick Flatto: You're so welcome.

[50:56] Amber Brzezinski: All right, guys. So we'll see you next week with another episode of the Broadway Fan Club podcast. Uh have a great week, everybody. Happy hump day. See you.

[51:00] Nick Flatto: I will have pics are coming thank you for having me and congrats on this podcast covering space for us hey we're here for you thank you for creating the space that we can feel comfortable creating this space too so it's nice to be a good neighbor right definitely and you know how uh you let us know how we can help your communities grow and we will happily do so thank you absolutely means so much we love you we'll talk to you soon and we love everybody out there for tuning in please go check out Nick everywhere you possibly can he is there we'll post his socials everywhere we can as well because you are really just truly a lovely person.

[51:04] Nick Flatto: Bye.

[51:04] Amber Brzezinski: Bye.