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[0:00] Robert Bannon: Are you ready? It's The Roundtable with me, Robert Bannon.

[0:15] Robert Bannon: Welcome to The Roundtable, everybody. My name is Robert Bannon. Thanks for listening to us on the Broadway Podcast Network. If you're watching us on Broadway World or over on our YouTube channel, we're excited. Listen, everyone knows that the West End, A, it's cheaper to see a ticket in the West End. They're all singing their faces off. It's pretty. The seats are a little, well, they're old, but they're more comfy than Broadway. I'm telling you that. Well, Bradley Jaden is here. Bradley has been in every show where you're like a singer, singer, where you sing for like four hours straight, these epic monster shows. Well, he's coming to the United States and he has a monster guest that sings down too. Bradley Jaden is here. Welcome to the show.

[0:58] Bradley Jaden: Hello. Thanks for having me.

[0:59] Robert Bannon: Thank you for being here. So I was reading about you, but I have listened to your voice before, as many of us have. You have quite the resume of theater experience.

[1:11] Bradley Jaden: Well, I've been very, very, very lucky and very fortunate. Yeah.

[1:17] Robert Bannon: Did you, what age did you decide like, this is what I want to do. I know I can sing.

[1:23] Bradley Jaden: Um, it was actually quite late on. It was, um, my sister was a trained opera singer and I think I always followed, you know, just watched her go into lots of auditions and, um, and doing lots of amateur dramatics, but it was never something that I was even remotely interested in, if I'm honest. Um, I really wanted to be a cartoonist when I was younger and I was doing lots of martial arts. So my, my, my passions were completely not about singing at all. Um, and then, uh, when I got into my late teens is when it really kind of kicked off and there was a, um, an open call for Miss Saigon and lots of us kind of went up to there and up to London and, um, went for this audition for Miss Saigon. And I think I got down to like the final 10 for Chris. And then so Cameron Mackintosh basically told me to go to drama school and, and the rest is history. Basically. If Cameron Mackintosh tells you to go to drama school, you, you go to drama school.

[2:23] Robert Bannon: Exactly. Where, where did you grow up? You grew up in somewhere down in the lower part of the UK on the beach. Amazing. What was your West End debut?

[2:32] Bradley Jaden: So my West End debut was in the original cast of Shrek, the musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

[2:38] Robert Bannon: Oh my goodness. And now many shows you have done a litany of shows over there in the West End and television and, and, and different things over there in the West End. And now you bring your show to New York. What was the decision to come to New York? When did you decide this is, this is the bucket list. This is the goal.

[3:01] Bradley Jaden: You know, I'll be really, really honest. It's, I I'm completely blown away by this whole kind of, you know, Bradley Jaden live as it were. Um, it was, it's never even been something that I even imagined was a possibility. You know, sometimes, uh, as performers, we just, you know, we want to be part of shows that we've always dreamed of. And, um, I, I've never even remotely thought of myself as, uh, kind of being enough for people to come and just watch me sing, you know? And, um, I was doing Phantom of the Opera in Italy last year and the, the manager of that venue kind of said, come back. Um, and he was the first person that's ever kind of approached me in a, in a solo format. And, and I was like, come on, you only live once, like, let's just go for it.

And then after that, then a couple of, um, incredible venues followed suit. And, and now it's just a chance where I get to, you know, sing some of my favorite songs, sing the songs that have, um, enabled me to have this very, very fortunate career. And then also to top it off, I get to work with my, my incredibly talented friends that want to come and sing with me. So yeah, it's kind of like a no brainer really.

[4:12] Robert Bannon: No, are you kidding? And Sony Hall is such a great spot to see. You walk down those stairs, it's this big, beautiful venue. It's right across the street from Hamilton in the heart of Times Square. If you want to grab your tickets while we're still talking, it's June 3rd, Bradley Jaden with special guests. We'll talk about one of those guests in one minute. And, and the tickets are available right now. All you got to do is go to sonyhall.com. Make sure you grab a ticket June 3rd. And if you want more information, you can follow Bradley on Instagram and stay up to speed on all the work and events and things to come because you have a whole after the show. I mean, you're going to do Les Mis in like arenas.

[4:49] Bradley Jaden: Yeah, it's the, I've been fortunate enough to be given the role of Javert on the arena, world arena tour. So yeah, I'm, I feel very, very honored.

[4:59] Robert Bannon: Bradley, spoiler alert. It doesn't end, it doesn't end well for Javert in the show.

[5:05] Bradley Jaden: Really? Oh no.

[5:07] Robert Bannon: I don't know if you read that far into the script. It doesn't end great.

[5:12] Bradley Jaden: It's not a good end.

[5:13] Robert Bannon: It doesn't. I've got to really take, take that smile off my face. Look, see, come on Les Mis. Well, that's, it's amazing. I'm sure, how are you describing this concert? Are we going to hear some of the songs that you have done on the West End and in tour and in your, in your repertoire?

[5:27] Bradley Jaden: Absolutely. Yeah. It's, it's really a show that has just enabled me to, you know, showcase songs from being when I was understudies or covers of certain incredible leading roles, songs that have basically helped me progress in my career, be it songs that I've sung in auditions, songs that have inspired me, songs that I've been fortunate enough to sing with incredible artists in, in different shows. So yeah, it's, it's, it really is just like a, like a, God, a musical dream, really. I feel very, very lucky that this is my show. So yeah.

[6:08] Robert Bannon: Have you had fun putting together the set list? Do you tinker and play with what you want to put in and, and move things around?

[6:14] Bradley Jaden: Absolutely. And I'm such a workhorse and a perfectionist. So I've, you know, I've done so many different versions of this show in my living room with a pretend microphone, just singing it and going, Oh, that doesn't work. And the flow doesn't work with that. And then obviously each venue that I'm lucky enough to perform in, I've got slightly different guests. So I've been able to learn different songs or different versions of songs that, you know, want to really help push my guests, not that they need it, but, you know, like kind of just so that, that it's something that's very, very unique to them as well.

[6:51] Robert Bannon: Well, hot off the press, your guests, New York City, Two Time, Tony Malma, she is, you have to come see Hell's Kitchen because it is like...

[7:00] Bradley Jaden: That is on my, that is on my top of my list. I've, I've, I've spoke to Shoshana and said, that's it. I'm, I'm, I'm there.

[7:05] Robert Bannon: Shoshana is there singing whistle tones in the kitchen, cutting carrots, just singing.

[7:14] Bradley Jaden: It doesn't surprise me. I'm surprised she's not doing more than just cutting carrots.

[7:17] Robert Bannon: It's amazing. Well, just announced Shoshana Bean joins you. And I'm such a stan and fan. I just saw her last night at the Cheeto Awards. She is the undeniable, a voice beyond a voice.

[7:29] Bradley Jaden: It's, it's actually almost, it's almost sad that she's taking so much voice that none of us can have. You've not left anything for anyone else.

[7:35] Robert Bannon: Well, I'm happy you have to try to compete with those runs and those tones. Good luck. I wish, I hope I'll be in the audience.

[7:43] Bradley Jaden: I know you're not going to share. I don't want to know, but you know what you guys are singing?

[7:57] Bradley Jaden: Do you know what? Absolutely. Yeah, it was, it was, it was a song straight away. As soon as, you know, months ago when this was kind of in the pipeline, I spoke to her and just said, you know, I'd be completely honoured and privileged if you'd join me. And it was almost one of those, really? Oh, you're saying yes. Oh, okay. Wow. Okay, fine. And yeah, it's just, you know, she's not only just, I'm not, I'm not, I'm such an admirer of her work anyway, but as a friend as well, you know, I feel it's really important for me to be working with people that are my friends and, you know, that will hopefully, you know, hold my hand making that next step. You know, it's, it's as much as it is wonderful. And we all think it's like kind of brave to put on our own show. It's actually terrifying at the same time. And, you know, you want to be supported by the people that champion you and, you know, I fully champion her and she does the same for me. So I'm very, very lucky.

[8:55] Robert Bannon: Well, there you go. Get your tickets, sonyhall.com. Get them, get them, get them. It's a Monday night, June 3rd. You have been known, we have a couple pictures of some of the things that you've done that people may know you from the West End or from your tour. Bradley, I want you to do a show in New York, come to Broadway, come on.

[9:11] Bradley Jaden: I'm so desperate to do it. Honestly, I'm literally, I've been trumpeting at the bit, I've been speaking to my agent. It's, it's something that's always, I think it's always, I'm sure it's one of those, those things, you know, vice versa. If you work on Broadway, you want to work in the West End. If you work in the West End, you want to work on Broadway. And, you know, it's, I think it's, it's always one of those dreams, but it's, it's also so difficult, you know, to get, get, get that opportunity. And, you know, I'm, I'm doing everything I possibly can, but hopefully it might enable me to, you know, hopefully meet some different cast and directors or something like that might, might get me in the room.

But, you know, the talent in, on Broadway is so, so incredible. And same for the West End. And we all have to have a certain amount of fortune and luck to even, to get in the door. So it's, you know, we all work really, really hard, but there's a million people just as good as us as if not better. So, you know.

[10:09] Robert Bannon: June 3rd, watch, people are going to be in there checking it out. You'll be on Broadway within the year. I'm calling it. We manifest. Well, this was an oldie, but a goodie still running here. This is US Fiero.

[10:20] Bradley Jaden: Yeah.

[10:21] Robert Bannon: Come on. How was it to be a part of a big monster? I mean, you're all, all your shows are big monster shows, but this is a beast of a big giant Broadway West End show.

[10:27] Bradley Jaden: Yeah, it's, it was, I mean, it's just a huge privilege. All the shows I have been up in so fortunate because they are, you know, as you say, big, big monsters and these machines that, you know, there's been a million and a plethora of amazing actors that have filled that role before you and you, not that you, but I think the main thing that you always have to do in these big monsters is, is not worry about yourself trying to make it new, but actually make sure that you tell the story in the way that you see it. And I think that's been the biggest change for me, especially when I've done, when I was playing the role of Andras in Les Mis, that was such a, a pivotal moment for me because I was so worried about letting, trying to create my own version of it that actually I was almost letting the show down.

[11:21] Robert Bannon: Welcome to The Roundtable! Today, we have a very special guest, West End star Bradley Jaden, who is here to talk about his New York concert debut!

[11:41] Bradley Jaden: Thank you so much for having me, Robert! I'm really excited to be here and to share this moment with you.

[12:01] Robert Bannon: So, tell us about this concert. It's your US debut, and you're performing at Sony Hall. How does it feel to finally bring your talent to New York?

[12:21] Bradley Jaden: It's honestly a dream come true. I've always wanted to perform in New York, and to do it at such a fantastic venue like Sony Hall is just incredible. The energy here is unlike anything else.

[12:41] Robert Bannon: I can only imagine! You've had such an amazing career in the West End. What are some of the highlights that you’re bringing with you to this concert?

[12:51] Bradley Jaden: Well, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite songs from shows I've been a part of, including 'Les Misérables' and 'Wicked.' I want to give the audience a taste of my journey and the roles that have shaped me as a performer.

[13:11] Robert Bannon: That sounds fantastic! And you have Shoshana Bean as a special guest. What does it mean to have her join you for this concert?

[13:31] Bradley Jaden: Shoshana is such a powerhouse and an incredible talent. Having her on stage with me is a huge honor. We’ve known each other for a while, and I can’t wait to share the stage with her.

[13:51] Robert Bannon: It’s going to be such a special night! What can the audience expect from your performance?

[14:01] Bradley Jaden: They can expect a lot of energy, some heartfelt moments, and of course, a few surprises! I want everyone to leave feeling uplifted and inspired.

[14:21] Robert Bannon: I love that! And you’re also gearing up for the Les Misérables Arena Spectacular World Tour. How do you balance preparing for that while also getting ready for this concert?

[14:41] Bradley Jaden: It’s definitely a juggling act! But I thrive on that energy. Each performance feeds into the next, and I’m just grateful to be doing what I love.

[15:01] Robert Bannon: Absolutely! It’s clear you have such a passion for your craft. What advice would you give to aspiring performers looking to follow in your footsteps?

[15:21] Bradley Jaden: I would say to stay true to yourself and keep pushing forward. The journey can be tough, but every experience shapes you. Embrace the highs and lows.

[15:41] Robert Bannon: Wise words! And speaking of journeys, what has been the most surprising part of your career so far?

[16:01] Bradley Jaden: I think the most surprising part has been the connections I've made along the way. The people you meet and the friendships you build are what make this journey so special.

[16:21] Robert Bannon: That’s beautiful! It’s all about the relationships we form. As you prepare for your concert, what are you most looking forward to?

[16:41] Bradley Jaden: I’m really looking forward to connecting with the audience. There’s something magical about live performances, and I can’t wait to share that energy with everyone.

[17:01] Robert Bannon: I can’t wait to see it! For those listening, make sure to grab your tickets for this special event at Sony Hall. It’s going to be a night to remember!

[17:21] Bradley Jaden: Thank you, Robert! I hope to see everyone there!

[17:41] Robert Bannon: Thank you for joining us today, Bradley. It’s been a pleasure chatting with you!

[18:01] Bradley Jaden: Thank you for having me! I had a great time.

[18:21] Robert Bannon: And to our listeners, don’t forget to subscribe for more amazing conversations right here on The Roundtable!