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[0:00] Robert Bannon: Welcome to the Roundtable, everybody. My name is Robert Bannon. You're listening to us on Broadway World. You're over here on the Broadway Podcast Network. I'm excited to talk. There's a legendary venue in New York City. It's called Townhall. Now, for me, this is my quintessential Townhall moment. The Oprah Whitney Houston interview. Listen, people. It was on that stage. And then when I went to see shows there, I'm obsessed with being in the same space that so many amazing concerts and productions and galas and events happen right there at the Townhall. And the Townhall has a big Spring Shout Gala that the Roundtable is going to be on the red carpet for. Listen, there's a lot of events in New York City that night.

But when you hear about this gala, there is one place to be. One. One place to be. So Deanna Weiner is here. I called her the chief president of this fancy night. She has a different name. She calls herself the director, but she's the chief fancy person. She's chief fancy person of the Townhall Spring Shout. We're going to get the whole scoop about what she does and everything and what the money is going to go to. There are no slaps. You should see the list of people they have coming. They just went right for the top. So Deanna, welcome to the Roundtable.

[1:32] Deanna Weiner: Thank you. You are the fancy person of the gala. You just decided to go right for the top here with terms of your guest list.

[1:39] Deanna Weiner: Oh my God. Yeah. So I have to give a full shout out because my co-chief fancy person is Kurt Crowley, who's the music supervisor. And we are fully co-chief fancies because it's been him and I in the trenches, truly digging into the, we call it the Lin-Manuel cinematic universe.

[2:01] Deanna Weiner: I want people to know that it's May 19th, right? May 19th at eight o'clock. And you can go to townhall.org and you can get your information and your tickets and everything. And it's honoring Lin-Manuel Miranda.

[2:12] Robert Bannon: Yes. So how do you pick who you honor? What is the process?

[2:18] Deanna Weiner: Yeah. Well, when Kurt and I were asked to do this by Nevin Steinberg, who's the current board president at Town Hall, but also fun fact, he's the sound designer for Hamilton. And he was the sound designer for In the Heights, Tony award winning Nevin Steinberg. He asked us to do this event. And, you know, we sort of looked at each other and we've both been engrossed in the LinCU for a long time. And we're like, well, we could just do a concert of like great people singing Lin's great songs and have that be a night and people can walk away and be like, well, that was nice. Or we could really dig in and really use this opportunity to tell people who Lin is as an artist. So we took this upon ourselves and we decided to really show people who Lin's artistic influences are.

What makes Lin, Lin? What makes him tick? Who are the people that he listened to? Who are the people that his dad and his mom and their family listened to at home when he was growing up? What made him tick? So. To do that, we've basically created 10 original mashups of multiple artists, multiple people that he calls his influences, and now many of them are his friends. And we're going to really take you on a journey. We're going to take you from young Lin listening to records on the record player at home to what he was listening to on his CD player in the 90s and into the musicals he was seeing and what those did for him as a young composer into, you know, who were his influences as an adult. And we're going to weave his work through all of it. And it's massive. Lin will be there. Lin will be there. Accepting this award.

[4:12] Robert Bannon: So let's talk about, firstly, people can, if you're a big corporation and you're looking to have a, there's a spot for you. But if you're a regular person who loves theater, who is a Hamilton freak, or is an In the Heights fan, or loves the Warrior concept album, you can get tickets, you can get a ticket for this than less than you could get a ticket to see Hamilton.

[4:31] Deanna Weiner: Very true. Yes. Tickets start at $2.50 and it gets you into truly the room where it's happening. And it's, I mean, if you were a theater fan, I would say this is the truly the place where you're going to see the center of the Venn, the Broadway Venn diagram. It's the Disney, it's In the Heights cast, it's Hamilton cast, we have some Hamilton OGs coming and reuniting on stage in the 10th anniversary year, which is really exciting for all the folks at Hamilton. We have people who have sung on his Disney tracks. We have some stuff from his newest concept album, The Warriors, which is going to be never before performed live. It's truly like a once in a lifetime Lynn concert. And you guys keep adding more people.

[5:22] Deanna Weiner: We do. We have many more tricks up our sleeves, actually. And the best part is, is that Lynn has no idea what we're doing on stage. So it is a surprise for everyone in the audience. And it is a real surprise for Lynn. So that's kind of the fun, the fun part behind it.

[5:38] Robert Bannon: You really, I just as I keep talking, and I'm reading the guest list, and I'm on the website, townhall.org, you can get your tickets. I keep thinking, and you're going to let this trashy show be on this red carpet. Are you sure this is a good idea?

[5:53] Deanna Weiner: I think it's a great idea. Because I think anybody who's excited to be there and excited to talk to these people is the perfect person to be there.

[5:59] Robert Bannon: Well, listen, we just added some of the people that are going to be there. Joshua Henry, Tony Award nominee, James Monroe, Eigelhardt, you know, Ariel Jacobs, Solea Pfeiffer. I don't know in the Heights, you have Chris Jackson, you have Mandy Gonzalez, you have Robin DeJesus, you have Priscilla Lopez. From Warriors, you have Amber Gray, and Jasmine Cyphers-Jones, and Phillipa Soo, who also is from Hamilton, who is also going to have Jordan Fisher there, and Renee Elise Goldsberry. And Chris Jackson, we said that again, and Freestyle Love Supreme people will all be there. Everyone, like every little area of his career will be represented on this stage.

[6:33] Deanna Weiner: Yes. And the best part is, is not everybody's going to be singing what you think they're going to be singing.

[6:39] Robert Bannon: Oh, that's a tricky one. So the songs that people might be known for, sometimes they're going to sing them. And sometimes they're going to sing Lynn's other hits. So it's really a once in a lifetime, like you're not just going to get karaoke greatest hits moment, this is going to be original stuff that you've never seen before.

[6:57] Deanna Weiner: Absolutely. You are. You can't even imagine who's going to be singing what it is. It is like if you stunt casted, star casted, dream cast, all of these songs, all of your favorite songs. That's what this is. That's what Kurt and I are trying to do. We're trying to make it the show that we would want to see as huge Lynn fans, knowing the guy himself and knowing and loving his shows.

[7:26] Robert Bannon: Well, this is, you guys say that this is the Nagala. It's a night where history is made in real time. And I'm sure it will be. And I'm really excited for people to see this. I'm sure it's going to live on social media. And a lot will be said after this night is done and people see what they see. But what does this gala? What does the money for this go to? What is the purpose of this evening?

[7:45] Deanna Weiner: Yeah, so this gala goes to Town Hall, the historic venue itself. And it goes toward the incredible education outreach programs that they have, which we are going to feature a bit in the show as well. So that'll be a fun surprise. And it'll allow them to continue doing the incredible work they're doing being one of the best music venues, you know, in the city, in the country, that has such an important history of bringing so many artists to the people. So that's what it'll help.

[8:15] Robert Bannon: I'm so curious to know what in the world is going to happen. I know you got my brain is spinning. Okay, so can you tell us a little bit if you're not from New York, or you're not from this area, people have not been to the historic Town Hall. What is some of the history? Do you know some of the history about the building and why it's important we preserve it and what they do there every day?

[8:32] Deanna Weiner: Yes. So the Town Hall incredibly was founded and built in 1921 by a group of suffragists, which is just the coolest thing ever. And if you don't know where it is, it's on West 43rd Street. So it's right in the middle of all of the Broadway houses. And it's, it's, it's right there. And it's one of, apparently one of the best acoustics for a music venue. It was built so well. And since you know, it's over 100 year history since being founded in 1921. It's hosted just absolute legends, as you alluded to in the intro. You know, Bob Dylan performed on the stage, James Baldwin performed on the stage, the Von Trapp family singers performed on the stage. Absolutely incredible. And it's a place where artists can come and they can, you know, make their voices heard. They can talk about what's going on in the world, they can make their music, they can give their music to the people truly, which is absolutely what Lynn stands for as well.

[9:36] Deanna Weiner: As an artist, he has such a beautiful ability to bring people together and to highlight people and diversity. And so it's a really amazing mix of like honoree and mission of building. And that's what I love so much about Townhall. And listen, I was there for a gala not too long ago. And there's not a bad seat in the theater. No matter if you're in the last row, you feel like you're on that stage. The sound is so well done. And the way that the seating is kind of circles the stage in a way that no matter where you are, you hear and sound perfectly. But there's history. When you sit there, you can feel the history of this space. And when you look up, when Broadway does special events, when the president comes in, not this president, when other presidents come in for fundraisers and galas that support Broadway and arts, where do they have events?

At Townhall. It's at Townhall. Townhall is kind of the epicenter of so much other charitable work. It's time for us to give back to the theater. Absolutely. Absolutely. It's time to highlight the place itself.

[10:40] Deanna Weiner: So when you say you get Lin-Manuel Miranda to say, yes, okay, we're going to do this. Then you have the work just begins at that point. Like that's the home base. We have someone to honor. But then you have to build a show and get people's availability and have a band and put on a party. And there's a champagne reception and a fancy evening. So is this like a full-time gig? How much time do you spend a day on the gala? It is right now a full-time gig. Yes, absolutely. I mean, part of it is what we have done to ourselves as Kurt and I as ambitious human beings. And we said, we don't take this assignment lying down. We're not going to give our friends a schlubby concert. We're going to give him the concert of a lifetime.

We're aiming to make him cry 12 to 15 times. He said he's already seen the Catholic and he's already cried. So we're already well on our way. And we're just trying to make it the best show possible for everyone and give him the show of his lifetime, truly.

[11:47] Robert Bannon: Wow. It's going to be a special evening. What do you do when you're not doing this?

[11:55] Deanna Weiner: That's a great question. I'm a freelance director. I work as an associate director a lot on Broadway and off Broadway and developing my own work. And sometimes as a stage manager, which is how I met and how I was involved with Hamilton many moons ago.

[12:16] Robert Bannon: So you have history, personal history with the show.

[12:18] Deanna Weiner: Yeah, I did the original workshops in 2013, 2014 at The Public. I worked on the off Broadway, and then I got to do the Broadway production. And then I got to work with Lynn on Tick, Tick, Boom, the film.

[12:35] Robert Bannon: Okay, so you have history with Lynn yourself.

[12:37] Deanna Weiner: Yeah. Which is why we can't screw this up. He knows where to find us.

[12:44] Robert Bannon: Well, the stories have been, the lore of Hamilton and his career have become like the quintessential, I don't know, 2000 story of theatre, literally. I mean, it's a juggernaut. It's a phenomenon. And you were there for it. When you first saw the workshop, what is your personal recollection of what he was trying? It was something never done before. And then how did you feel when you saw it take off?

[13:09] Deanna Weiner: I mean, I think everyone in the room for those first, the first workshop I did was only Act Two, and it was only through, like, right after Burn. There wasn't anything written after that. And we all just sort of looked at each other. We were in a tiny little studio on East 4th Street, and we, everyone sitting behind the table was like, this is the best thing you've ever heard, right? Yeah, okay. Yeah, no, this, yeah, this is fantastic. Okay. Like, we were just all buzzing, because it's not every day you go and you sit in a room, and it's just categorically phenomenal. And the show, those songs have changed very little from that day in 2013, which is really saying something. But then at the same time, you go outside of the tiny room on East 4th Street, and everyone thinks you're crazy, because you're saying, no, really, it's a hip hop musical about a founding father, and they're like, okay, right.

And then the day that, you know, the day that the show premiered at The Public, and people could finally see it was a very happy day for many reasons. One of those reasons was people finally believed us. Like, we had a secret, we had something that we knew, we were singing the songs, and nobody had any idea. It was an amazing feeling.

[14:25] Robert Bannon: Well, I'm excited for people to relive it. I've been talking about it, because I moved from New York eight months ago. And when I moved from New York, I get married in May, I live in Detroit now. And my husband, my fiancé, my husband, as I just call him, he's my husband, I say to him, he's never seen it, because he's here. So I will say to him, like, how do you have never seen, are you the only human being that has never seen Hamilton? He's not seen it.

[14:50] Deanna Weiner: You found him.

[14:51] Robert Bannon: I found him. So the tour is coming here. And when we were in New York, I have to take him, and we just saw Leslie Odom Jr.'s Christmas show, and people, when he sings his Hamilton song, The Place, he could sing every Christmas song in the world. The second he sings Wait for It, that's what the people are there to see. It will live forever. The show and the music has changed the course of Broadway history and music history forever.

[15:16] Deanna Weiner: I know. It's unbelievable. And now he's coming back to the show, which is going to be another incredible chapter in the show's life.

[15:23] Robert Bannon: Amazing chapter. So if you want to honor Lin, and we want to honor the work that he's done, and you want to honor a New York historical landmark, then you need to just get your tickets. You could be selfish, you don't even have to, I care where the money goes. But if you just have money to spare, and you just want to hear these people sing these songs, they'll take your money, so you have an enjoyable evening.

[15:40] Deanna Weiner: And it goes to a great place, you know, you're going to get a lot.

[15:44] Robert Bannon: The townhall.org. So do you have an outfit? Do you know what you're wearing?

[15:49] Deanna Weiner: I don't know. I'm going to be pacing in the back.

[15:52] Robert Bannon: I was going to say, what's your job that day?

[15:57] Deanna Weiner: The day is going to be putting it together, because I think we have at least 48, if not 50 performers. So it's logistics. It's getting people on stage together for the first time, the day of the thing, and making sure everyone knows where they're going, and knows what they're singing. But once eight o'clock happens, I'm just standing in the back going like this.

[16:21] Robert Bannon: Can I ask nerdy questions for a few minutes about it?

[16:23] Deanna Weiner: Yeah.

[16:24] Robert Bannon: Is there enough dressing rooms for 50 people?

[16:27] Deanna Weiner: No, no, no. Some of the folks will be sitting and then we'll sort of weave through backstage. There are holding areas that we're working on. But again, we could have had like 10 people sing some songs and then just like called it a night. But we said, we said no, this is Avengers endgame for this moment in time. And we're bringing them all together.

[16:52] Robert Bannon: Let's do it. Might as well do it. And do you have like any good luck traditions? Like do you not sleep? Do you wear your socks inside out? Like what is your night before routine going to be?

[17:03] Deanna Weiner: The night before I have to go to a family wedding up in Tarrytown. So I'm going to hug and kiss my whole family. And then I'm going to say goodbye and try to get some sleep. I think that's my biggest best luck.

[17:16] Robert Bannon: Don't get wasted the night before. It's going to be terrible the next day.

[17:21] Deanna Weiner: No, I'm going to have some champagne in the back of the house during the show the night of. That's it.

[17:27] Robert Bannon: Perfect. You want me to send you a door dash like a fajita bowl or something that day?

[17:33] Deanna Weiner: I'll send you a flag on the carpet if I need you.

[17:36] Robert Bannon: Done. Thank you. I will run to a Chipotle or a bodega and in bodega for in the heights, I will go get you a chopped cheese sandwich or whatever you need.

[17:45] Deanna Weiner: Yes. If you smell the chopped cheese from the back of the house during the show, you'll know where it came from.

[17:50] Robert Bannon: Well, I'm really excited. I'm really excited. When I saw this press release, I literally was like, I love Town Hall. I love Lin-Manuel Miranda. He's one of the nicest human beings in the entire universe. And it's nice when nice things happen to nice people and they get this award. And it's a nice place to see a show with great money going to a great cause with great people all around. And I'm really excited for you and for this whole evening.

[18:14] Deanna Weiner: Yeah, me too. Couldn't have said it better myself. The nicest guy deserves a really, really great show.

[18:20] Robert Bannon: So May 19. There's nothing else to do in New York City. This is it. This is the event to be at May 19 at the Town Hall. It's the Spring Child Benefit Concert. It's honoring Lin-Manuel Miranda. It's like back in the day, they used to have like the Battle of the Network All Stars, like where all the TV stars would get together. This is your Broadway cavalcade of stars. They're gonna march down 43rd Street and sing Sing to the Heavens for you.

[18:37] Deanna Weiner: Yes. Congratulations, break legs. And we are so excited for people to check it out. And then afterwards, I hope you go and pop that bottle and you just dance the night away and celebrate.

[18:53] Deanna Weiner: Absolutely. I'll see you there. I'll see you on the dance floor.