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

[0:09] Robert Bannon: Welcome to The Roundtable, everybody. My name is Robert Bannon. You're listening to us on Broadway World over here on the Broadway Podcast Network, iHeart, Spotify, wherever artists are talking about art. I've had a show. I have my favorite show for people to see this summer. I like this show. Sam, I like this show. It's fun. It's got a great movie. It's a great premise. It's a great experience for you to go and check it out. It's called A Walk on the Moon. Sam Gravitte has not been here in a minute. I don't know why. I don't know. Where has he been? Apparently he's busy. He's been working. He's, you know, your favorite Broadway star. He does shows all around the country. He is incredible. That voice is incredible. I was just talking about his good hair and my old hair. It's falling out, Sam. He's here. He's here and he's back. Welcome, Sam Gravitte, to The Roundtable.

[0:53] Sam Gravitte: Very happy to be here, Robert Bannon. It's been a couple of years.

[0:56] Robert Bannon: It's been a couple of years. You know, I told a story about you the other day.

[1:01] Sam Gravitte: Uh-oh.

[1:02] Robert Bannon: Uh-oh. And when I met, so, okay. So I did an embarrassing thing when I first met Sam and I've never told Sam about this. But Sam, I met Sam Gravitte at the rooftop of our mutual friends Adam and Bradley's house. Okay. And he had just finished being in Wicked, but I didn't know he was in Wicked. And he talked about, you know, I was in a show. He didn't say he was in a show, but he was talking about his family and showbiz and blah, blah, blah. So I said to him, stupidly, what do you do for a living? What do you do? I think he was going to be like, a dry cleaner. I don't know, a garbage man. And then he said, oh, I'm an actor. He's so humble and sweet. He was like, I'm an actor. Then I left and I was like, Oh, damn. That's like Fiero Sam Gravitte. Michael Orleans' godfather, his family. Embarrassing.

[1:57] Sam Gravitte: You need to-

[1:58] Robert Bannon: It's not embarrassing.

[1:59] Sam Gravitte: It is.

[2:00] Robert Bannon: Listen, dry cleaning and garbage man sounds like decent colleagues these days.

[2:05] Robert Bannon: So he is, you know who he is? He's an incredible actor, incredible singer. And I'm so grateful to have you here. You have your Princeton hat on, you know, you went to, that is, that's a flex.

[2:18] Sam Gravitte: I do. I have my Princeton hat on. It's because I told you, I can't do my hair. I'm about to go put a wig on. It's an incredible wish on fire. Wig designer Matthew Armatrout. But yeah, my parents are actors, as we've spoken about, and they, you know, my whole life were sort of encouraging me to widen the lens. And Princeton was a part of that expression of other interests and things like that. And of course, all roads led back to being an actor, but I'm glad to have had that, the time in New Jersey.

[2:56] Robert Bannon: In Jersey, out in Central Jersey, if there is a Central Jersey, out in Central Jersey, your mom was just here. Your mom was here before she started the show. She never had, I wanted her, she's, you know, she's very busy, incredible singer, actress, business person. Seeing her, and your dad, of course, you're in the actor's studio. He is like Mr. Actor's studio, and now on the road as well in Notebook, which is coming to Detroit, where I am right now this fall. So we have to come see your dad. Seeing what they do, it's not just art. So now you're writing plays, you are expanding, you are from just being on the stage to sometimes behind the scenes, and I'm sure business as well. Is that a family inspiration? It's not just singing and dancing. They do a lot more than that.

[3:36] Sam Gravitte: I think I grew up with the firsthand, the first person experience of what it takes to make a life in this kind of work. And I think that different kinds of expansion happen at different points, and they're necessary to sort of sustaining a life in this, in what we do, not just financially, but I think creatively and for a more, you know, intellectual and spiritual place too. So I started writing really over the pandemic and, and it's sort of, it's blossomed into more of a vocational thing and not, not just this hobby that was really an exercise in my own sanity to start. And yeah, I've been lucky that it's turned into something that I'm really sort of curious about and interested in as a professional limb of my creativity.

And then, yeah, I mean, it's, it's been wonderful to see the different ways that my parents have had to pivot, both just like logistically raising a family. And my mom, you know, sort of stepped away from doing eight shows a week and deliberately moved more fully into the concert world and sang with symphonies my whole childhood. And the way my dad was, was teaching, working with the studio and now he's back acting. And I think seeing their example of how this life has many chapters has definitely allowed me to step fully into different interests at different times and know that these things aren't pivots. They're expansive and all of it exists under the same umbrella. And hopefully, you know, being a writer makes me a better actor and being a guitar player makes me a better musician. And these things are, they're sort of, they're contributive in that way. And that's something I definitely learned from them.

[5:32] Robert Bannon: Well, I love it. I'm here for it. Let's go. Sam Gravitte shows everywhere coming soon. Speaking of shows and you being in New York and being in a show, A Walk on the Moon, while we're here, you can go to awalkonthemoonmusical.com. You have only until the 22nd to be able to see the show. You need to see the show. Maybe you've seen August. Did I say, what did I say?

[5:52] Sam Gravitte: You said just the 22nd.

[5:54] Robert Bannon: August 22nd, not just the eternal 22nd. August 22nd, you have a month, go get a ticket, go see the show. So I was, so the other day, we were, we had a, we had a chat and we had Max on and Max plays Marty in the show. And then last week we had Pamela Gray on who wrote the movie and now wrote this. So she was telling the story and then Max was telling the story. And I said to both of them, Sam, I think, no spoilers, is the bad guy. Sam, I think you're in here to cause some trouble for this nice couple.

[6:24] Sam Gravitte: I don't know. Listen, we could take some sort of moral stance on it all, but I think that, listen, there is, there is a, it is a piece about a community and there's an outsider, there's a disruptor who enters that space. And I am a bit of a disruptor and am I the vehicle for a morally questionable choice? Absolutely. Do I think that Walker is bad? No, but I think that folks should come see and make decisions. I will say also a bit of a spoiler, one of my dear friends from Princeton, actually, the athletic director of Princeton, came not knowing anything about the show. And he saw me after and he was like, Sam, you didn't tell me you were a homewrecker.

[7:16] Robert Bannon: Yes, a homewrecker, Sam is a homewrecker in this show.

[7:21] Sam Gravitte: But you can't, you're an actor studio, you can't judge the character. You have to figure a way into his, his ideas. He is the black man. So how do you approach a character that's fun? It's got to be juicy and fun to play.

[7:33] Sam Gravitte: It is, and listen, I'm lucky, almost all of my stage time is shared with Talia Suskauer, who plays Pearl, and she's just wonderful and generous and sounds unbelievable, of course. And I think you just approach it a scene at a time. And like, but for Walker and Pearl, all of their interactions are so, there's so much privacy and intimacy to them. And I think sort of leading with those two things and allowing whatever chemistry happens between them to bloom into whatever it blooms into, you can come see the show until August 22nd, is, you know, that's the most interesting thing. And playing with how aware he is of her circumstance and her external life and how, you know, how much guilt to hold from his point of view.

You're also talking about, you know, 1969, and it's a year after the Summer of Love and there's a sexual revolution going on. And there's, there's all sorts of movements that are challenging assumptions and, and structures. And I don't want to make this sound like I'm advocating for free love. I'm not. But I think that there are ways to understand Walker and Pearl and ways into those sorts of scenes and conversations.

[9:04] Sam Gravitte: It makes great theater.

[9:05] Robert Bannon: It makes great entertaining theater, everybody, that you need to go get a ticket. When I was talking to Pamela, she said that, you know, Viggo Mortensen played this part in the movie. And she said, when we were talking about casting, it takes a certain type of charisma, a certain type of person. Some people are going to compare them. And she very complimentary said, Sam walked into the room and Sam has this captivating way that he connects to this with this material. And he becomes the Blast Man. Was it fun to audition? What was your process like to get this show?

[9:33] Sam Gravitte: So I actually didn't audition. It's funny that Pam remembers an audition because she said that to me, too, and I didn't want to correct her. But I did. I've worked with Cheryl Kaller, our director, before a bunch of times. We did a handful of readings together. We did a production of a play called Deceived last year together. So Cheryl knows me and my work pretty well. And she's been a big champion of mine. And when actually we were working together last year, she mentioned this was in the pipeline. And so it sort of materialized out of that. And I think that.

[10:07] Sam Gravitte: I watched the movie one time, like last last year, and then I didn't want to watch it again because I didn't want to be doing a Viggo Mortensen impression. And also our show is quite different from the film. You know, Viggo, what's so genius about his performance is that it's basically it's all in close.

[10:25] Sam Gravitte: So he doesn't have a ton of dialogue on the page, but everything's happening in his eyes. And he's telling the story so beautifully and so simply. And you can't do that on stage, right? We can't, you know, unless we've got a camera crew, Sunset Boulevard, Ivo van Hoof, I mean, name your director, Thomas Susstermeyer, camera crew on stage, we can't really be in close up. So we had to come up with different ways to tell the story. And I think that was really freeing for me. And also just ways to find, like a fully physicalized Walker and like how he sits into his hip and then working with the costume designer to Ricky Loury to think about and our amazing wig designer to Matthew Arben tried about how he moves and what he wears and, and the textures and all those sorts of things that help Walker feel embodied.

And I think, like, inspired by Vigo in that time, but not like a direct quote of the things that he was doing just by, again, like, necessity of art form of storytelling versus what Pam did originally in the beautiful movie. So there was a lot of freedom in that exploration, too.

[11:40] Sam Gravitte: I love that the year because I feel like the year and the timeframe is a character because you think of 1969, you think of what was going on in the world in many ways, we're living in a revolution in a lot of ways now where people are trying to figure out their freedom, the world is crazy, it's on fire, half literally. And we're all trying to figure out our own revolution and our own way through it. Do you feel like people coming to this will take something from that time and it's it holds up to 2026? The story holds up to today?

[12:07] Sam Gravitte: Yeah, absolutely. I hope so. At least I mean, I think there are ways in to these conversations through our show. I think music is a particularly sort of powerful medium of that language or of revolution. And you see these two younger characters played by Sophie Polano and Oscar Williams. Yeah, Oscar Williams, and they just have these extraordinary voices. But and that's matched by the songs that they get to sing to each other and the sort of youthful energy. If you look at the 60s, you know, all of these movements are really directed and led by college kids and kids right after that. I mean, you have SDC and even the Panthers and stuff like that. There were all these young folks. And I think that there's a beautiful permission to young folks in our show to listen to those revolutionary instincts and especially, you know, through music. I think that's a really powerful platform that Anne-Marie Lotso, our amazing composer lyricist, has given the show.

[13:16] Sam Gravitte: I was going to ask you about the music. And, you know, she is a Tony and Grammy Award nominee. You have Cheryl, who is a Tony Award nominee. They've worked on tons of stuff. The sound, the 60s sound, but it's got a contemporary feel to it as well. How do you describe the music? What's it like to hear other people sing the score and then be a part of the score as well?

[13:33] Sam Gravitte: I think this music is special. I think Anne-Marie did a really—and our music supervisor, Andy Einhart, have done just a gorgeous job because the music also sort of—it quotes the time period without being pastiche. It's never a cartoon version of the time. It is inspired by, but also, again, this word expansive comes back because, like, we live in a musical theater landscape. And that is something that Andy and Anne-Marie are so native to in a beautiful way. And then there's a song that could easily be a Joni Mitchell song. There are songs that are inspired by the dead and by all sorts of folks. And you get this beautiful guitar-driven music that I think is really special. I don't have anything to say.

I'm hoping we get to do an album just to preserve the sort of sonic landscape that we've been given and that it's so fun to walk around in every night. But yeah, I do think that the music is really special. And there are a handful of tunes that folks will want to listen to over and over again. I need you to get a ticket, everybody. Go head on over to awalkonthemoonmusical.com.

[14:47] Sam Gravitte: So how do you—now that you're writing and you have projects and you're working in that world, there's always the next audition, the next show, the next gig, and then you're in a show. So how do you balance all of those worlds at the same time? I think—and the Princeton thing is part of it, too. I've always been a person that if you want something done, give it to a busy person. I feel totally paralyzed by a lack of structure. So when I'm in a show, having somewhere to be every day at a certain time is really a nice organizing principle for my brain. It makes me feel good to have deadlines and shows at 7:30 p.m. and all of those sorts of things. And then I think just having irons in the fire is, again, another—it's another necessity of what we do.

And also, I think just it's fun to me to be building out work with friends and peers and having the chance and ability as a writer and as a creator and then also as an actor to sort of reach across to different friends and folks that I want to work with and say, like, hey, I have something. Can we make this together? Or like, let's sit around my living room and read this and just create a relationship in that way. Because again, this is such a community-based thing that we do, and you can't do it alone. I don't want to do it alone. And I think it's—those are just the things that I love. So I'm grateful to the show to have, you know, eight times a week to go and flex those muscles and be around this wonderful company of performers and folks backstage. And then everything else is like, it's just a nice sort of creative complement to all of that work. I'm always happiest in the structure of it all coming together.

[16:41] Sam Gravitte: I love that. I think you could have it all. And Sam's going to do it all, everybody. Just wait, watch. You better sit around and wait. And you better watch. What I love about this show, and I think it's important, growing up—I grew up in Jersey, and you growing up at a time, wherever, all over the world at certain points. But me, having accessibility to theater and especially theater that is—you're originating a role. The producers here have made tickets. There's tickets available for less than $55 for certain seats a night. That's important. So if you're young, if you're looking to see new music and you want to hear new musicals and new stories being told, that you don't have to mortgage your house to be able to come see a show, there's an importance to that, that a theater is accessible to people.

[17:17] Sam Gravitte: Absolutely. And I say this to young folks when they're moving to the city or if they're asking me, always, all of these institutions, there are so many programs to take advantage of. Get on the email lists for MTC and Roundabout and Second Stage and everybody else who do 30 Under 35 tickets, Lincoln Center, LinkTix, and all of these things to take advantage of because it shouldn't be a mortgage to see a show. And in most cases, it's not. We have $40 rush tickets every night at half hour if we're not sold out. Please come and see the show. And yeah, take advantage. Get on the email lists for all the theaters on Broadway, off Broadway, and find ways to see the thing, because you have to see stuff to make stuff. You have to make stuff to see stuff. And I see Bersie and all that jazz. And all that jazz.

[18:15] Sam Gravitte: So for you, before you go put the wig on and put on the costume and go do a show tonight, on this Friday, we're taping this, a big old Friday night in New York City on stage. For you and this journey, what has it been like? What can you say about the other people that are on the stage and the creative team that worked so hard behind the scenes about this show in particular?

[18:34] Sam Gravitte: I love doing new work. I love being in a room where the script is flexible and songs are changing. And I think it's been just really wonderful to feel like I have, to feel like it's been a room full of collaborators who all have, you know, the same interest at heart, which is to make this show as good as possible. The performers backstage truly are like, it's an embarrassment of riches from the ensemble all the way up to Talia. It's just really grounded, great people. And it's truly a wonderful building to walk into every day for work. And I can't say enough about the positivity and warmth backstage. So just a lot of gratitude. And anytime you get to work in the city and then on top of that work with wonderful humans, just all the boxes feel checked. So it's been a really, really lovely experience. And I'm excited to have five more weeks of it.

[19:39] Sam Gravitte: Five more weeks, five more weeks, everybody. So August 22nd, not just 22nd, August 22nd, go get your tickets, go to awalkonthemoonmusical.com, go see Sam, go see Sam in this, go see Sam in what's next, go see Sam when he writes a show and puts it up, go see Sam in a concert, go see Sam Gravitt, wherever Sam Gravitt is going to be, follow him on social media, the links will be below. And I promise you, you're going to have an incredible night. Congratulations, enjoy your summer, enjoy this show, live it up, have the most incredible and amazing time. And congratulations friend, this is exciting stuff.

[20:07] Robert Bannon: Thank you, Robert. You are the greatest. Thanks for lifting up the show and all of these humans and all the things that we do, we really appreciate it. My show is your show anytime and I will always know who you are now for the rest of the time. I will never think that you run a laundromat ever again. Who knows? I don't know. Again, there's a lot of Chapka's to life, so you never know. You never know. Thanks for being here. See you soon.