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

[0:15] Robert Bannon: Well, hey everybody. My name is Robert Bannon and you're back here at The Roundtable on the Broadway Podcast Network. I'm so excited for this week's episode. This is a really good show. It's short. It's sweet. It packs a punch. It's got star power.

[0:32] Robert Bannon: Tituss Burgess is our special guest for the day and I cannot be more excited. Tituss has done television. Tituss has done films. Tituss has recorded music, but Tituss comes from the world of theater, from Broadway, all the way back to Good Vibrations, to Jersey Boys, to The Little Mermaid, to Guys and Dolls, and then he takes a break because Hollywood came a-calling. Well, guess what? Tituss is back where he belongs, right here on stage in New York City.

[1:06] Robert Bannon: Moulin Rouge! is a blast. Its cast is fantastic. The set is amazing. The music is bumping. The orchestra is gorgeous. The costumes are glistening and it is just based on the movie that you have all loved and adored. And now you add Tituss Burgess in here singing these songs? It is the perfect family, date, holiday night out for you this November. Tituss is in the show until December. Get your tickets at MoulinRougeMusical.com.

[1:42] Robert Bannon: It's a great night. I had a great time. I'm a school teacher and all the teachers went and made a night of it. And now to see Tituss in it? Woo! Forget it. It's gonna be bananas. Well, Tituss sat down with me from the lobby of the Hirschfeld Theater, right where he's about to do the show. And we had a fun chat about Moulin Rouge, his history, and what's next. Spoiler alert. It might have something to do with Whitney Houston and it might have something to do with a movie that I know for one, I love. Tituss Burgess is here.

[2:16] Robert Bannon: We are here with the one and only Tituss. Congratulations. Welcome to Moulin Rouge.

[2:22] Tituss Burgess: Thank you so much. It's lovely to be here.

[2:24] Robert Bannon: You can, can, can, can get your tickets and get down here.

[2:27] Tituss Burgess: Yes, you can and you better. We want to see you.

[2:29] Robert Bannon: I can't wait to see you do this.

[2:31] Tituss Burgess: Thank you.

[2:32] Robert Bannon: Welcome back to the Broadway.

[2:33] Tituss Burgess: Thank you, friend. I appreciate it.

[2:35] Robert Bannon: I remember Good Vibrations.

[2:36] Tituss Burgess: No, you don't.

[2:37] Robert Bannon: I sure do.

[2:38] Tituss Burgess: Oh, you're just saying that.

[2:39] Robert Bannon: I can sing a Beach Boys number right now. I remember Jersey Boys.

[2:42] Tituss Burgess: Yes.

[2:43] Robert Bannon: Playing with hits on the radio. And then, of course, we remember and love Little Mermaid. And now you are here. What about the show and now made you feel like it was time?

[2:52] Tituss Burgess: Well, it's been time for a long time. And now I just had the time. And it had nothing to do with what is going on in the other industries. I have been wanting to get back to New York to be back on stage and sort of, I don't know, reignite my passion and get back to why I came here in the first place. And I saw the show a couple months ago. I didn't see it with the thought, oh, I got to be in that. I just was like, oh, let me just go check this out. And it was manic, fun, high-octane energy. So when I got the call to do it, I thought, can I do this? I'm not sure. Some big shoes to fill. But Moulin Rouge! is the family that I never knew I needed or wanted, if I can honestly say that.

[3:35] Tituss Burgess: Oh, this cast and this spectacle that is this show. What is it like to work with Courtney Reed, to work with Corey? They are such brilliant performers.

[3:43] Tituss Burgess: Yeah. Courtney and I go way back. I've known her for about 20 years. And this is my first time watching her on stage when I saw the show. And then being with her on stage is a whole other experience. She's a lovely, lovely gifted actress. And Casey is just a dear heart and brings so much warmth and pathos to the role of Christian. It's just lovely to watch them fall in love night after night over and over again. I'm here for it.

[4:11] Robert Bannon: So when you put the outfit on and you put on the hat and you put on the jacket and you're Harold and you go out there, what is your warm-up routine? What is it like before you step? Because it is a circus.

[4:21] Tituss Burgess: Oh, is it ever. And it never gets easier. And I can never prepare enough for it. And I run those lines every day because he has very flowery dialogue that speaks in a very specific way. And so it really gives me agita. But when I put on the top hat and the coat, Harold shows up and Titus is in the dressing room. And it's quite a lovely feeling. I can rely on something else to get me across the finish line.

[4:49] Robert Bannon: Well, we were listening to your music beforehand. We were listening. You have sung everything from Sondheim to Broadway to 45 to your original music. Everything that you've put out there. What is it like to take a song like Chandelier and these pop big diva moments and do this eight shows a week on Broadway?

[5:09] Tituss Burgess: You know, it's kind of for me like a little mini exorcism. I love that song so much and I love Sia's music so much. And it comes at a very crucial point in the plot. But once I send Christian on his way, I allow Ziller just to sort of get lost in the sort of reckless abandon of it all. And for a minute and a half, I get to forget everything in the world and just let my heart leap. And I do a deep dive into that melody. And after I'm done, it's the most cathartic experience. So I quite love having the opportunity to sing that every night.

[5:49] Tituss Burgess: I need to see these tones. I need to see these tones. These tones singing this song is something so special. When I saw you last in the red carpet, I talked about the deep dive of metal work. I listen to it once a week. Your version of metal. The voice and the range that you have. And to hear you sing these big epic songs like that is worth the price of admission.

[6:08] Robert Bannon: Oh my goodness. So it's the holidays. It's going to be Thanksgiving. It's going to be December. It's going to be tourist season.

[6:15] Tituss Burgess: Oh yes.

[6:16] Robert Bannon: So people that are watching from all around the country, what is the perfect Moulin Rouge day this winter? What can we do?

[6:22] Tituss Burgess: Grab a drink?

[6:23] Robert Bannon: Grab a drink.

[6:24] Tituss Burgess: Something warm and something red maybe. Some absinthe maybe. I don't know. But come see us. It's the perfect excuse to take a load off and forget what's going on in the rest of the world and just get lost in the sea and the chaos and the glory that is Moulin Rouge. It's a wonderful cast right now. You're going to love it. And you're here?

[6:46] Tituss Burgess: Until December 17th. So please come see me. They have decked this theater out. It is an experience from top to bottom.

[6:52] Robert Bannon: I agree. And then I think it's not a rumor. I think from here you're going to be in Atlanta.

[6:58] Tituss Burgess: Yes. I wrote a musical called The Preacher's Wife, which is based on the same property that Whitney Houston and Jensen Washington starred in in 1997. And we'll be at the Alliance Theater premiering there and hopefully greater heights after that.

[7:14] Tituss Burgess: I can't even. Amazing director. Amazing choreographer.

[7:17] Tituss Burgess: Yes, Michael Arden and Tinashe Bolden are the co-directors, and it's going to be quite something. I wrote the score and the lyrics, and I am confident that people will walk away satiated and feeling as fervent about the original motion picture score that they do about what we've been able to conjure together. At least I hope so. I hope people listen and watch and feel as much reciprocity as I felt building the show for the past 13 years.

[7:53] Robert Bannon: Amazing. As this Jersey boy, Whitney is all.

[7:57] Tituss Burgess: We're here for it.

[7:58] Robert Bannon: We're here for it. I'm going to give him my 16-bar cut of my Preacher's Wife audition after this. And everyone here is going to head out right with the link below us and make sure you grab your ticket to come down and see you this holiday season in Moulin Rouge.

[8:10] Tituss Burgess: It's always a pleasure.

[8:11] Robert Bannon: Likewise.

[8:12] Tituss Burgess: Thank you so much. I love the art and work you've done.

[8:14] Robert Bannon: Thank you.

[8:15] Tituss Burgess: Thank you.

[8:16] Robert Bannon: Thank you, Tituss.

[8:17] Tituss Burgess: You're welcome. Isn't it nice when people you admire on stage and screen are just wonderful in person? We love Tituss. We've seen Tituss on the red carpets. He's always pleasant. He's always funny. He's always sweet. He's a class act. And we can't wait to see Moulin Rouge. Get your tickets. MoulinRougeMusical.com. Head over to the Hirschfeld. Be ready to sing your song and diamonds.

[8:37] Tituss Burgess: And voulez-vous pousser avec moi?

[8:40] Robert Bannon: Yes. Come on now. I know you know it. I love being here. I love talking about theater. I love talking about Broadway. I love talking about art. I love talking about all of the mediums of art and film and television and all that fun good old stuff. You can check us out every single day at the Broadway Podcast Network. Check out my friends at the Broadway Podcast Network.

[8:57] Tituss Burgess: And while we're here, I have a new album coming out. It's coming out on October 27th. It's called Rewind. It's a live album I recorded at Green Room 42 in New York City. And it is the perfect time for me because I am turning 40 on Halloween and I figured this is the moment and time to share my story. So we did this concert. We recorded it. And it is everything from Dolly Parton to Whitney Houston to Elton John to Rend to Barry Manilow to all of that. So grab a seat. Pull up your Spotify or your Tidal or your Apple Music and take a listen and talk a nostalgic journey back in time to Bergen County, New Jersey with me.

[9:41] Robert Bannon: I look forward to being there. Look for me at Instagram at Robert M. Bannon or go to robertbannon.com. We'll see you here at the Roundtable next time. As always, the best is yet to come. Thanks for being here. Take care, everybody.

[10:07] Robert Bannon: Bye.