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[0:10] Robert Bannon: Are you ready? It's the Roundtable with me, Robert Bannon. Welcome to the Roundtable, everybody. My name is Robert Bannon. If you're listening to us on the Broadway Podcast Network or you're here watching us virtually on YouTube, I'm so excited. Two of my favorite people that I have ever interviewed. We interviewed Mandy during the pandemic. I've gone to speak to Javi. I love them. You love them. And we are outside of a bodega in the middle of Manhattan, which works for In the Heights. This is the most, you know, In the Heights moment we can have right here. Mandy Gonzalez and Javi Muñoz are here. Welcome!

[0:48] Mandy Gonzalez: I love that.

[0:48] Robert Bannon: I was like, what is that? And then he's we're covering a foster care event at the town hall tonight on the red carpet. So 4:30. I figured 4:30 with you all, and we just bounce next door. So here we are. Perfect. It's a city, it's alive. I love it. I want to say that Jersey, everyone, Jersey, Long Island, anywhere that Mandy and Javi are coming, you need to hurry up right now and grab your tickets because they've been working on the show, tinkering with the show. Mandy, when did the idea come to you to grab Javi and hit the road?

[1:24] Mandy Gonzalez: Oh my gosh. So I can't remember Javi the year that we did that benefit. And I always tell him because I always encourage him to sing the song that he sang that night. But it was a benefit that we did for a school with Tom Kitt. And I have worked with Javi in two different shows, and you know, we are dear, dear friends, but I've never heard him sing like he sang that night. And he sang and he blew me away. And I was like, okay, we need to sing together all the time. And then that's when the idea kind of sparked, and I was like, what do you think? Would you be interested? And he said yes, and then we just came together, which was very easy and exciting.

[2:10] Javier Muñoz: You guys have done shows, the same shows, and you have known each other, but then to share the stage in this way, what's it like to stand next to her and to put this show together and put the pieces together and go down this memory lane?

[2:24] Javier Muñoz: It is absolute celebration. I mean, that's really what this is. I mean, I think in terms of Broadway careers that we kind of lucked out a little bit, Mandy.

[2:39] Mandy Gonzalez: Yes, absolutely.

[2:41] Javier Muñoz: You know, I mean, In the Heights and Hamilton, not too bad. Good places. You know, people watching may have heard of them before. Well, to talk about memory lane, I mean, Mandy, your time at over at shows through the years, and sometimes in green makeup and sometimes with the sisters, you have and then you know, Javi, you're no stranger to some staircases and bodegas in New York City, and of course, you know, this juggernaut that is Hamilton. When Javi, you were with these shows from the start. What was it like to really be on this rocket ship for In the Heights and then Hamilton, and to now look back at it that it's removed and kind of see the impact it's had culturally?

[3:37] Javier Muñoz: That's a huge question. You know, I mean, so to start with In the Heights, and actually, both Mandy and I were there from the get-go. So we were part of the show for its developmental process into our residency at 37 Arts, which is now the Brushnikov Center, and then our Broadway run. So we share, we got to share that together. And that is light years different from Hamilton. How many of us were in the cast, Mandy?

[4:11] Mandy Gonzalez: Like 26?

[4:12] Javier Muñoz: Yeah, I think right. So I think 21 or 22 of us were making our Broadway debuts in that show. So like, just take that in, that this was just chock full of wide-eyed artists who were being represented so beautifully by the show, sharing our culture not only with each other, but with our audiences and making our Broadway debuts together. So there was such innocence and there was such excitement, and there was just something so pure about that whole process and celebratory all the time. And then, you know, we get to Hamilton, and not that we were jaded, but we'd all been around the block a few times at that point. You know what I mean? And that's a very different thing, like that was a different beast because early on, I know for me, I joined the process in like 2010, 2011, and it was six songs, and I just remember sitting in the room, and Alex was, you know, teaching us the music, and I'm sitting there and I'm going, this is great.

Like, I know Lynn. This is like a new voice. And then, you know, cut to the first time I heard Quiet Uptown, and I was like, I don't even know Lynn anymore. Who is this person? Like, this is the most beautiful thing I've ever heard in my life. And so that was something really different because you could feel from way back in 2011, this was gonna be something incredible. Not that we could predict what it was going to be. There's no way you could predict what Hamilton was going to be, but you could feel that it was going to be something incredible and just the joy of being part of that.

[5:48] Javier Muñoz: But I, you know, it's funny, Mandy and I just played a date in Philly. And we were talking about this in an elevator at one point, like what the ability to look back and see what kind of impact both In the Heights and Hamilton have had culturally, and it's like, you know, it's this thing where you, you know, as artists, we're just in it. We're in the process, we're in the work every day. So there's not a lot of distance from it to go, oh wow, I did that thing, until we come face to face with someone who wants to talk to us about what the show means to them, someone who wants to connect with us about a memory they have with the show. I'm getting chills because it happens, right? Like we get to have these human connections with people who help us see, oh my God, that's what this means to people. And that's when we have the moment to reflect and see, like, holy moly, like this, this is pretty big.

[6:44] Mandy Gonzalez: Absolutely. And just doing these concerts afterwards, we get to see that audience and that kind of grew up with us, which is really exciting, and to see, you know, where they've gone with their lives, and they're so eager to share, like, oh my gosh, I saw this at this age, and now I'm doing this because I saw that show. And it means so much to us. And every show that Javi and I do together, we definitely incorporate community. We bring up a local choir to sing with us. When we were in Philadelphia, it was students at Villanova University, and you know, just to hear the stories that they tell, and you know, it's inspiring.

[7:31] Robert Bannon: Well, I know I taught musical theater this summer at New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. I teach fifth grade in New Jersey in real life, teach history. They're obsessed with us. I get major brownie cool points because I get to, you know, hang out with people who've done Hamilton and get to be, you don't know the impact it has, especially on people who do not live in New York City, who do not have access or the finances to listen to the albums, to listen to the music that you all have been a part of is a part of the Great American Songbook truly now. And now you can see you both live. And I know the show that I live in Jersey, so like I said, September 29th, Performing Arts Center. It's a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful theater. And it says here the music from Stephen Schwartz to Lin-Manuel Miranda. Mandy, how do you pick the set list? What are we gonna, what is the show like? Tell us.

[8:21] Mandy Gonzalez: Oh my gosh. I think, you know, our incredible musical director Dan Lipton, we go and we rehearse and we work together, and it's really, that's the thing that I absolutely love about concert is collaboration, and it's about getting into the room and singing songs that you know, shows that we have been a part of or shows that we wish we were a part of, and you know, it's so it's exciting and it's constantly changing our show to where we are and what we've done. I mean, both of us have gone and done other shows in the interim, and we bring all of that to whatever show that we're doing. It's super exciting. You can get your tickets before we move on. You can get your tickets. I know you're gonna be in Long Island at the Tilles Center with someone that I'm sure everyone's familiar with, Mr. Miranda himself will be a part of that. We'll be and they'll be there singing. So go to their Instagrams and go and get tickets, and you have more dates that you're continuously adding, and you're literally across the country.

[9:25] Javier Muñoz: We are, we are, we are.

[9:27] Mandy Gonzalez: Yeah, it's awesome. It's been a blast.

[9:30] Javier Muñoz: It's been so much fun. So we're just, I feel like we're just beginning.

[9:34] Mandy Gonzalez: Yes, this is only the start.

[9:35] Robert Bannon: You're going worldwide. This is it. Javi, what's it like to duet with Mandy in the show? I'm sure there are moments where you sing together. What's it like to share a stage and a mic in front of a live audience with her and her beautiful voice?

[9:49] Javier Muñoz: I tell you what, I mean, I love what I love about what we've created is it truly gets to celebrate our friendship. So I mean, while we're in the moment and singing, we're just in the moment and singing, but there are times where I get to take a step back and watch Mandy do her thing and take the stage for a moment.

[10:06] Robert Bannon: And it's in those moments that I it's it's the combination of all things. It's holy moly, this artist, but also look at my friend. Y'all, do you see my friend? Look at my friend. I can't I can't wait. I'm so excited to be there. I know that getting to speak to you both during the pandemic. Mandy, you were very outspoken. You put out fear lists of everyone that's out there and about that has not heard this gorgeous, gorgeous album. Go stream it wherever music is streamed. It's beautiful. You were such an advocate and outspoken with your cancer diagnosis and what you went through and during the pandemic. And Javi, I know that when we spoke, you were worried about never being able to perform again in the fear of being of the health and being okay.

And now that we've gone through these past two years and all this craziness, Mandy, does it feel different to walk on a stage now after all that you've been through and to be able to sing these songs in front of an audience?

[11:02] Mandy Gonzalez: Absolutely. It feels, um, I think you're constantly growing. I think that experience was, uh, growth times 10. And, uh, I feel so lucky to be doing it with Javi, who I admire so much, uh, through the work that he does for others, and, um, and it inspired me really that he was a big inspiration for me to be able to talk about, uh, what I've been through, and that's why I just feel like music heals. And we never know what people that are in the audience, you know, at a Broadway show, at one of our concerts, what they're going through, that they get to have an evening where they can just enjoy and, uh, and take a break from everything that's going on in their lives.

[11:53] Robert Bannon: Beautiful. Well, Javi, thank you for making time for us. You're not at the UN today or speaking to presidents and mayors and getting keys to the city and, you know, running the red campaign and the human rights campaign, and you know, just slumming it with me out here on 44th Street. About Javi, you and what's what's so interesting about Javi is that I've I recently spoke to Javi about some personal feelings, thoughts, help things, and he is just the way that you think he is. He is an advocate and a frontline staunch fighter for the rights of the queer community, for cancer survivors, for HIV AIDS, for human rights, period. What's the line for you, Javi, of art and activism, and what's the importance of how do they weave together?

[12:37] Javier Muñoz: I find no separation between the two. And I, but that's a conscious effort because there's varying degrees of this kind of work, right? There are folks who can just purely put their focus on their careers and what they're creating and the artistic expression that they're putting into the world, and then occasionally give light to a cause that they care about. And that's as vital as, you know, going in the street and tearing things down, you know, and all the extreme, you know, protest rally stuff, and everything in between, right? So really it's, for me, I find no separation between my art and my activism. I try to choose things that I say yes to that are sort of reflective of what I believe in, um, that challenge, uh, the not-so-pretty characters, you know, the stuff that challenge our understanding of humanity, the imperfect characters, the imperfect situations, um, because that's my life, and that's what I kind of fight for is to say, is to say, like, let's just embrace all of it, right?

And not leave any and truly not leave anyone up away from the table. Let's all have a seat here together and then figure things out in that way. Um, and I really try to marry the two together. So I'm sort of in between, you know, there are a lot more radical and intense activists than I, and there are a lot more, um, focused artists than I, and I sort of write in between. And it's a happy place for me. It's really where I'm happiest.

[14:19] Javier Muñoz: And I think the most important message I always try to hopefully reflect and emulate is that whatever your involvement in whatever it is that you care about, whatever the cause or causes are that move you and motivate you to just want to make a difference, that there's absolutely no gesture that's too small, and that's not me, you know, blowing smoke. That's real. There is nothing that is too small every given day that someone decides to do that is not going to make a difference. It's all going to make a difference. And so I really try to make sure that that's how I'm activating both as an artist and as an activist.

[15:04] Robert Bannon: You wow, I listen, you get all of these two humanity and their humanity. You get all their humanity and you get their voices, and you get this catalog of music when you buy a ticket to see their show. It's amazing. Mandy, you know, when you look out in the audience, we're talking about activism. You see now these people that come to you, mothers, young musical theater aspiring stars that look up to you and see you as an alpha bar, see you in, you know, in the heights, or in as a Tyler sister, and you see them, or you see grandparents or parents that have fought through cancer and have come to you and they've listened to your album. When you're up there and you're singing these songs, how do you both stay focused on the music and the professionalism? Because I would be a, I'm gonna be a big puddle out there watching you both because you've shared so much of your journey with us. We feel the triumphantness of the work that you're able to do.

[16:05] Mandy Gonzalez: I think for me, uh, music takes me to, uh, another place, and really I see myself as kind of like, uh, I'm a storyteller, and I feel very lucky to be able to, you know. I come from a long line of storytellers, whether they did it with their voice or they told me stories, uh, around, but I think that I feel so lucky to be able to use my voice to tell stories and to move people through music. It just, uh, it takes you to that other place where it's just about giving, and you forget about everything else. You're just in that moment, and I think that, you know, I don't know. I think that that's what it's about. It's about live performance and really just being in the moment. And I hope that I allow other people to have that experience too.

[17:03] Robert Bannon: That's the word, that's the word giving. Giving, that's what it is. That's what you as an audience. If you're coming to our show, we are we are literally up there giving this to you. That's what we want, and we want that conversation with you. Here it is. Here's the gift. Talk to us too. Well, I promise you that Jersey's gonna show up and out, they're gonna sing and yell and cheer and chat. We're I'm ready. I know they know the words to every single one of the songs that you're going to sing, and I want everybody to—

[17:30] Mandy Gonzalez: Oh, they sure do.

[17:39] Robert Bannon: They did last night in Philly, so you see Philly has to bring it. Jersey, Long Island, East Coast, you know, try state MayoArts.org. Make sure you get your tickets to the 29th. And I just want to say to both of you, uh, watching your artistry and watching your humanity and heart as police drive by in the streets of New York City and sirens go by. Um, thank you. Because what you have done and what you have put out there, it means so much. It really inspires us, it gives us so much courage. And we see a lot of ourselves in the work that you do, and it makes us be fearless. It makes us be not afraid to stand in our own light and our own truth. And I have learned so much and, uh, from the messages that you both have shared. I can't thank you enough. I think you both are not only beautiful artists, but just beautiful people. You are really beautiful people.

[18:27] Mandy Gonzalez: Thank you, Robert.

[18:28] Javier Muñoz: Thank you so much.

[18:30] Robert Bannon: Ah, they're stars. The 29th, I'll be singing along all the words too. Everyone follow, follow Mandy, follow Mandy on social media and follow Javi on social media so that you can stay up to date with all of the dates and all of the work because they're just getting started. They have a lot more left to say and get your tickets. Thank you both so much for being here. I so appreciate you.

[18:50] Mandy Gonzalez: Thank you, thank you.

[18:54] Robert Bannon: Well, there you have it. We have, you know, I gotta you gotta love in the heights, you gotta love Hamilton, you gotta love theater, you gotta love Jersey. Mike's sitting across from me right here at this Odani's bar where we're sitting. Mike, are you gonna are you gonna come on the 29th to the Mayo Center?

[19:08] Mike: I'll be there.

[19:09] Robert Bannon: Mike saw Hamilton like 16 times because he's independently wealthy like that. I've only seen it two times because I'm a teacher. Well, everyone, make sure you follow this week because we have really big shows. Wayani from American Idol is on. We're giving away tickets to see Monica and Wei at the NJ Pack. So make sure you could go to our social media. It's at Robert and Dannon or at the roundtable with Robert Bannon. And make sure you're also watching and listening wherever we are, if it's on YouTube or if it's on the Broadway Podcast Network. I thank you all so much for being here. Until next time.