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[0:06] Robert Bannon: It's the Roundtable with me, Robert. Alec, I'm with the Roundtable. It's a pleasure meeting you. Now we're here honoring Broadway and off-Broadway's debuts. You debuted in '86 in "Lou." What was that like for you? How did that make you feel when you debuted?

[0:20] Alec Baldwin: Oh, I loved it. I mean, they had done the play at Manhattan Theatre Club, and Kevin Bacon played the part I have. And Kevin went off to go make movies, and he couldn't do the Broadway company, so I took his place. And it was one of the joys of my life. I really was because I fell in love with Orton, he's so witty and funny. Mahar, Joe, who owned every Orton role he played. I loved him, and it was really a great experience. My first play on Broadway, and I was just high as a kite. It was fun.

[0:48] Robert Bannon: That's amazing. Now we're honoring debuts tonight. What was your debut like for you? How did that feel?

[0:55] Alec Baldwin: Surreal. I haven't digested it in any way. I was sort of impossible. I remember trying not to cry. It was incredible. Like it was amazing, though. I had a lot of fun.

[1:04] Robert Bannon: Now, live theater means anything can happen. What's the wildest, funniest, most unexpected thing that's happened while on stage?

[1:10] Alec Baldwin: I forgot my line a few weeks ago when I called myself a spiritual leader. And I am in no way a spiritual leader, please know that. And then it was just a matter of just trying not to cry with love on stage for the next like five seasons.

[1:22] Robert Bannon: Wow. Now what does this award mean to you?

[1:24] Alec Baldwin: It's a lot, it means a lot. I'm very grateful and I feel I don't yeah, like I just sort of like I didn't really expect it in any way at all. I'm very, very blessed, and I wish I could spend it with my family, but they're all the way back in the house.

[1:39] Robert Bannon: That's incredible. Well, thank you so much. Congratulations on everything, it's been a pleasure.

[1:42] Benjamin Pajak: Hi. What's going on, Ben? Nice seeing you. Now, we're here honoring on and off-Broadway debuts. What was your debut like for you? How did that feel?

[1:49] Benjamin Pajak: It was crazy. I mean, I remember opening night, I remember first preview, but for "Music Man," but I just remember the feeling of just being so grateful to be there. I was so nervous for all of the shows. It was a little insane, and my mind was kind of all over the place, but it was just a really special couple of moments that I'll never forget.

[2:09] Robert Bannon: That's awesome. Now, live theater, anything can happen, right? What is the most unexpected, wildest, funniest moment that's happened on stage?

[2:17] Benjamin Pajak: Oh, "Music Man," "Lost Boys." There's been a good couple, both in "Music Man" and in "Lost Boys." We have a very technical, if you've seen "The Lost Boys," we have a very technical show. So we've had to hold the show a couple of times. And when we've had to hold, sometimes LJ's talked to the audience. Sometimes me and Shoshana have sat on the couch and read a TV guide. Like there's been a couple of good moments, you know.

[2:41] Robert Bannon: I absolutely love that. Now, you've received this award before. What does it mean to you to be now presenting this award to LJ?

[2:49] Benjamin Pajak: I think I'm just so proud of him. I'm saying this like I'm older than him, which I'm not at all, but I've literally watched him grow this role to where it is now, and he's still growing it. And he's literally sacrificed like blood, sweat, and tears for this role. And to see him get the recognition for it now, I'm just so proud of him, and I know that he's very proud of this too.

[3:12] Robert Bannon: Well, congratulations on everything. It's been such a pleasure.

[3:15] Ephraim Sykes: Thank you very much.

[3:16] Robert Bannon: I'm here with Ephraim Sykes. "Fear of 13," absolutely incredible show, by the way. Now we're here honoring, you know, debuts tonight. What was your Broadway debut, off-Broadway debut like?

[3:27] Ephraim Sykes: Oh, well, my debut was "The Little Mermaid" back in 2009.

[3:32] Robert Bannon: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh wow. What did you play in "The Little Mermaid"?

[3:35] Ephraim Sykes: I was in an ensemble, so I was with, you know, a chef and a sailor and a sea monkey, a little bit of everything.

[3:43] Robert Bannon: Now, you have had an incredible career. Live theater means anything can happen. What is the wildest, funniest, most unexpected moment you've had on stage?

[3:51] Ephraim Sykes: Oh man, you know, my mind actually first jumps to I was doing "Hamilton" off-Broadway, and as you know, "Hamilton" has a lot of actual hip hop references that reference actual artists. And one of the artists was in the house that night sitting front row, it was Busta Rhymes in all red, huge gold chains, and we got to the moment for Hercules Mulligan, which is very much referencing Busta Rhymes, and he's like in the front row by himself, big as day, and we were literally on stage. It's like it was crazy.

[4:19] Robert Bannon: That's awesome. Now you're presenting the award tonight, right?

[4:21] Ephraim Sykes: Yeah.

[4:22] Robert Bannon: What does that mean to you to be presenting this?

[4:24] Ephraim Sykes: It's a very pinch-me moment. I can't believe I'm here right now. I don't feel real. But honestly, just honored to be able to honor and pay, you know, give some love to some new family member of mine and Adrian Brody, as he's been doing just phenomenal work, bringing so much life and humanization to not only Nikki Ares, but other people that have been affected by this mass incarceration system.

[4:45] Robert Bannon: Yeah. Well, it's absolutely incredible. Thank you so much for your time. Congratulations on everything. It was a pleasure talking to you, too.

[4:50] Tovah Feldshuh: How are you doing today?

[4:51] Robert Bannon: I'm doing fine. Why don't you introduce yourself for the Roundtable?

[4:55] Tovah Feldshuh: Hello, Roundtablers. My name is Tovah Feldshuh, and I'm a Broadway actress, and I'm here for the Theatre World Awards.

[5:02] Robert Bannon: I absolutely love that. Now, as I said before, we're honoring debuts. What was your debut like on Broadway? How did that feel for you?

[5:10] Tovah Feldshuh: Well, my debut was opposite Christopher Plummer in "Cyrano" in 1973 at the Palace Theater. My Theatre World Award was for "Yentl," which I did off-Broadway, and then it would transfer to the One Young Theater where the "Book of Mormon" is being done now and have a huge Broadway run. And I was thrilled to get that, really honored and encouraging in my career.

[5:30] Robert Bannon: Awesome. Now, what did receiving the Theatre Award mean to you?

[5:35] Tovah Feldshuh: It means encouragement. It means that dear John Willis, who was the originator of the award, sees you and hears you and wants to say, great job, keep going.

[5:47] Robert Bannon: That's absolutely incredible. Well, thank you so much for your time. Congratulations on everything, it's been a pleasure.

[5:49] Tovah Feldshuh: Thank you.

[5:54] Tovah Feldshuh: I just wanted to say I will be singing today a song by James Bossey called "Tovah's Lament," written obviously for me, and Michael Levine will be at the piano.

[6:03] Robert Bannon: That's gonna be incredible. Well, congratulations, good luck, break a leg.

[6:06] Tovah Feldshuh: Thank you.

[6:08] Robert Bannon: How are you doing today?

[6:09] Tovah Feldshuh: Good.

[6:11] Robert Bannon: Oh yeah, that's a double trouble.

[6:13] Tovah Feldshuh: It's double trouble.

[6:14] Robert Bannon: So much I can't even look at him. Now, what was it like for you when you received your Theatre Award?

[6:21] Tovah Feldshuh: Well, I was working for the Weisslers at the time and touring in Chicago when they presented me with that award. So what it was like was them not letting me out to go to the Theatre World Awards. And me having to sing, you know, "If You're Good to Mama." So there it was. Having said that, I did have to come back to New York to do the leading ladies at Carnegie Hall. And when I came back to do that film, I was able to pick up, I had actually gotten a bunch of different awards. And then I had to take them on the road with me. So every time I went to a dressing room, which is horrifying, I would have to put out like an OV, a Theatre World Award, a Drama Desk. It was like, oh, yeah, that's incredible. It was fun, but it was also like the other actors in the show were like, really, you gotta tour with? I'm like, I had no alternative other than shipping it home. And I'm too cheap. I'm just silly.

[7:18] Robert Bannon: Of course. Now, what does it mean to you to be presenting this award?

[7:21] Tovah Feldshuh: I am so excited that Maddie is being given this award. It's such an honor to get a Theatre World Award to be recognized for your very first work in New York City. It's just an honor. And that it's happening for my friend Maddie. I'm like so excited for her. And so happy that they asked for. Because I just love her. We love each other.

[7:42] Robert Bannon: That's beautiful. Well, thank you so much, and I hope you have a great night tonight.

[7:45] Tovah Feldshuh: Thank you so much. It's been a pleasure.

[7:47] Robert Bannon: Madeline, how are you doing today?

[7:48] Madeline: I'm good, how are you?

[7:49] Robert Bannon: I'm doing fantastic. I'm Mike. I'm with the Roundtable hosted by Robert Bannon. And now we're here honoring yours and others' off-Broadway debuts, soft Broadway debuts. Now, what was that debut like for you?

[8:00] Madeline: Oh my gosh, I feel like it's only started, and we're now finished in two weeks. It's been perfect. I mean, it's been hard, and you know, a Broadway schedule is no joke, and I am honored to be among those honored tonight, but just among the ranks of people working in theater in New York, on Broadway, off-off-Broadway, off-Broadway, all of it. It is everything I've ever wanted, truly.

[8:30] Robert Bannon: It's truly amazing. Now, live theater means anything can happen. What was the wildest, funniest, most unexpected moment you've had on stage?

[8:39] Madeline: You know, I think it's mostly just that the audience is really kind of a part of us. It's a very fluid thing, and they often aren't able to contain what they have to say and what they think, especially about Becky. So that is often surprising. But seems to be the norm for us now. They're gonna say, oh no. Oh no, when Becky does certain things.

[9:11] Robert Bannon: Oh, I absolutely love that. Congratulations on everything. I hope you have a great night.

[9:14] Madeline: Thank you so much. It was a pleasure.

[9:16] River: How are you doing today?

[9:18] Robert Bannon: Good, how are you?

[9:19] River: I'm doing fantastic. Now we're honoring yours and others' debuts. What was that debut like for you? How did that make you feel?

[9:27] River: I don't know. I can't describe it.

[9:30] Robert Bannon: Yeah, sometimes you just can't put words in that. Now, live theater means anything can happen, right? What is like the funniest, most unexpected, wildest moment that's happened while you were on stage?

[9:42] River: No. I lost my tooth.

[9:42] Robert Bannon: You lost your tooth on stage?

[9:45] River: Yeah.

[9:46] Robert Bannon: What was that like? What went through your head?

[9:48] River: I'm like, why is this gummy bear so hard to chew?

[9:54] Robert Bannon: That's absolutely hilarious. Wow. Well, alright, now you're receiving the Theatre Award tonight. What does that mean to you?

[10:01] River: It really means a lot. It's like it's been my dream, honestly.

[10:09] Robert Bannon: I love that. Well, congratulations on everything. Congratulations on all the success. It's been a pleasure.

[10:13] River: Thank you so much. It's good meeting you.

[10:15] Robert Bannon: How are you doing today, Peter?

[10:17] Peter: Alright, now you're hosting this amazing ceremony. What does that mean to you?

[10:20] Peter: Oh, it means a lot. Every year I'm astonished they ask me to do it again, you know. So I think I'm only one bad joke away from being fired.

[10:28] Robert Bannon: That's absolutely incredible. Now, I sorry, my mind just completely lost track for just a second.

[10:37] Peter: Yeah, I hear you.

[10:40] Robert Bannon: Now, how long have you been hosting this ceremony?

[10:43] Peter: This will be my 28th.

[10:44] Robert Bannon: Wow.

[10:44] Peter: Yeah, I can hold a job.

[10:47] Robert Bannon: I love that. I'm a college student. I'm still working on that myself, holding a job. I hope you have an amazing night. Congratulations on everything. And a young man doing this already, you're gonna be big.

[10:57] Peter: I appreciate that. Thank you so much.