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[0:00] Robert Bannon: Are you ready? It's The Roundtable with me, Robert Bannon. Yes, it's me. Welcome to The Roundtable, everybody. My name is Robert Bannon. You're listening to us right here wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts, or I call us a virtual talk show. I love being here with you, and I love that it's awards season, and one of the best awards is a luncheon for The Dramatists. The new Dramatists honored Stephen Schwartz. Did we talk to Stephen Schwartz? No, he's busy. He was there, a little in demand, but he had all of Broadway out, like the best of the best of Broadway, and we talked to everybody. We have had new correspondents on the show. Adrienne has held it down on the red carpets for me as I've been married and living in Detroit with my husband.

I gave up the showbiz life for a minute to live in Detroit with my husband, and I've sent Adrienne on the red carpets, but she's busy too. So guess what? Michael Mendez is hitting the carpet. He's a student at William Patterson University. He was at The Dramatists. He did an incredible job. I'm coming back to New York, by the way, June 20th. If you could see me at 54 Below, you should come see me at 54 Below. Get tickets at 54Below.org, but that's another story. Let's check out the stars on the red carpet at The Dramatists. Starting off, one of my favorite people, and yeah, she's going to give me some stuff, the legend that's Shoshana Bean.

[1:27] Shoshana Bean: I'm with Robert Bannon and The Roundtable. Hey, where are you? Still in Detroit. He'll be here soon. He'll be here. He's doing a show really soon in June. Come home. I know. I agree. I mean, I feel like that's routine. No, no. He should be here. I agree. It's all right. It's totally okay. Now, it's great to see you. You guys are recording the cast album right now. How has that process been? How excited are you?

[1:48] Shoshana Bean: Oh, man. It's been thrilling and really nice because usually, you record the cast album the day after you open. This is nice because we've been living with the music for a couple months now. It feels more lived in and easier to go in there. I'm very excited for people to have the album because I think the music is one of the most exciting parts of the show. To be able to take that home with you, I think people are ready for it. I have been promoting the show to all my friends. I literally say I don't think there's a single bad song. It is incredible. Flawless. That's right. There were more, by the way. There were so many that got cut. It was just a total embarrassment of riches.

[2:30] Shoshana Bean: Well, you know, we're two weeks away from the Tonys. How are you feeling? Great. I'm excited. We have so many fun tricks up our sleeves. Well, I'm excited to see what you have. Thank you so much for your time and congratulations. It was nice seeing you. Keep the Lost Boys energy going for Ali, who's now a Tony nominee. Ali, thank you. I've seen the show twice already. Lost Boys is absolutely incredible. Now, my question for you, you know, the fans have been absolutely demanding this cast album. Is the recording done? What can you say about it?

[3:04] Ali Louis Bourzgui: I'm actually recording today, right after this, so we're still recording, yeah. I was going to say the process is going great. That's absolutely incredible. One quick question. You know, we're honoring Stephen Schwartz. Is there a composer or maybe song, Broadway songs, that kind of inspired you on your journey to Broadway?

[3:18] Ali Louis Bourzgui: Well, I mean, I'll talk about Stephen for a second because I saw the Pippin revival. I saw it twice on tour and then once on Broadway. I think I was like probably like 14, I think, when I saw it. And it was one of those shows that sticks in my brain. It's like one of those times I saw theater and realized I really wanted to do it as a career and saw myself in the show.

[3:46] Robert Bannon: That's absolutely incredible. Well, thank you so much for your time. Congratulations on all the success. I'm going to see it a couple more times at least, so thank you very much. How are you guys doing today?

[3:56] Marla Mindelle: Doing good. Why don't you introduce yourselves for the roundtablers?

[4:02] Constantine Rousouli: Go ahead. Okay, I'm Marla Mindelle, star and co-writer of Titanique.

[4:08] Constantine Rousouli: I'm Konstantin Rousouli, same star and co-writer of Titanique. Titanique is popping off. Now, we are two weeks away from the Tonys. How are you guys feeling?

[4:14] Marla Mindelle: Oh my gosh, we're exhausted. We're so excited, but we also can't wait for when it's done and we can celebrate with a glass of champagne to toast our incredible accomplishments.

[4:21] Constantine Rousouli: Yeah, no, we're really excited. It's been a dream. We are so grateful and thankful. I can't believe it's coming true. So here we go.

[4:28] Robert Bannon: Oh, that's truly incredible. Now, we're here honoring Stephen Schwartz, incredible composer. For you guys, who was that kind of composer or maybe song, songs that kind of inspired you on your journey to Broadway?

[4:38] Marla Mindelle: Well, I was just saying when I was 12 years old, we did a talent show at my high school and I sang Meadowlark from The Baker's Wife. Absolutely no one knew what the song was, but to me it was the greatest song I've ever heard in my life. So I was listening to The Baker's Wife for as long as I can remember.

[4:55] Constantine Rousouli: Yeah, no, I mean, Stephen's unbelievable. I did Wicked for so many years, but before that, Godspell was one of my go-to albums that I would just wear out. I mean, bless the Lord. Come on. It's absolutely incredible. 100%. Well, thank you so much for your time. Congratulations on all the success. I look forward to seeing more. Thank you.

[5:15] Robert Bannon: Now we get to hang out with two incredible superstars who are blowing up on Broadway, the stars of Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York. I'm doing great. How are you?

[5:25] Zhailon Levingston: Big fan of the show. How are you feeling today?

[5:29] Sam Tutty: Feeling good, feeling happy, feeling excited, feeling cool. It's boiling outside, but you know.

[5:35] Zhailon Levingston: It is. It's fine. We're doing good. Now we're here honoring the great Stephen Schwartz, incredible composer. Is there a Broadway composer or song that kind of inspired you on your journey to Broadway?

[5:41] Sam Tutty: I've been singing today from Stephen Sondheim, Sending the Clouds, just in my head the whole day. I think I've decided it's my favorite Broadway song. So I know it's not Stephen Schwartz, but yeah, that's a song that's in my head today. Really weird.

[6:01] Robert Bannon: Well, you know, I want to talk about Two Strangers real quick. This show, I absolutely love. I saw it once in previews and once since then.

[6:07] Zhailon Levingston: Oh, nice. It is absolutely incredible. And one thing I love about the show is kind of how simple but complex the staging is. I just have to ask, what is your favorite part of the set that kind of transforms on stage?

[6:21] Sam Tutty: I think it's mainly the end of the show. I don't want to give too much away, but at the end of the show, what the set begins to then look like. We've, you know, we've been throughout the whole show, we've been like micro managing, not managing, but like we've been looking at things in such a small scale in terms of what we can pull out, what we can get. But I think by the end of the show, it's like, what does it look like as a whole with the amazing lighting and sound design and the songs? So, yeah, I'm very proud.

[6:49] Robert Bannon: Awesome. We're two weeks away from the Tonys. How are you feeling?

[6:53] Zhailon Levingston: Yeah, feeling good. You know, I'm just enjoyed to be a part of it. I mean, it's a cool experience that I won't forget.

[6:57] Sam Tutty: Yeah, absolutely love that. Congratulations on the success. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Now, you know, we're here honoring the great Stephen Schwartz. You know, was there a composer or maybe song or Broadway songs that kind of inspired you on your journey to Broadway?

[7:07] Zhailon Levingston: You know, plenty of them. Right. But I think, I mean, I hate to be so cliche, but Wicked was the first, like, I don't know, mega musical for me anyway. But there was like a span culture around it that made me feel really excited about it.

[7:29] Robert Bannon: Yes. That's absolutely incredible. Now, I want to talk about Two Strangers for a little bit. You know, for me, this show is kind of like a breath of fresh air. It is absolutely incredible. Now, for me, I really love your guys' staging and the set. My question for you is, you know, it's very simple, but kind of complex. You know, it's a mountain suitcase, but it turns into a bedroom, a restaurant. What's your kind of favorite part of that kind of set?

[7:49] Sam Tutty: I think there's a moment where we reveal a bar and for whatever reason, we reveal little things, but for whatever reason, the audience feels like, oh, they've taken it there. So, you know, the show is a lot about, like, our emotions and how we package them up and zip them up and open them up later. So, I love that the set is just extending that metaphor. What we show, what we hide, like, it's brilliant. And that shout out to the Tony nominated Sutra Gilmore, who's everything and then some. So, yeah, I think the bar might be my favorite.

[8:27] Robert Bannon: All right. Well, congratulations on all the success and thank you so much for your time. Thank you. Why don't you introduce yourself to the roundtablers?

[8:31] Michelle Lewis: Yes, my name is Michelle Lewis.

[8:38] Robert Bannon: All right. Now, today we're here honoring the incredible Stephen Schwartz. Is there a composer or maybe a song that kind of inspired you on your journey here?

[8:45] Michelle Lewis: Yeah, I mean, right now I'm in ragtime and obviously watching a beautiful black woman tell an amazing story that I think is so relevant today and sing those songs. I think that's kind of one of the biggest things that inspired me to be where I'm at right now. And it's continued to inspire me and keep me encouraged to change perspectives.

[9:12] Robert Bannon: I absolutely love that. Now, Stephen's also known for his mentorship and bringing in this new generation of musicians and artists. Was there kind of a mentor for you? What kind of helped you on your journey to Broadway?

[9:21] Michelle Lewis: I actually had an amazing teacher who believed in me from the very beginning, more than maybe even I believed in myself. His name was Uzuri and he, I actually kind of recruited him to be my mentor about, I don't even know, it might be like five years ago now, but as soon as I was done with college, I just like reached out to him and asked him if he would mentor me and he was amazing.

[9:51] Robert Bannon: That's absolutely incredible. Well, thank you so much for your time. Congratulations on all the success.

[9:57] Nicholas Christopher: Thank you so much.

[10:04] Robert Bannon: All right, let's chess it up with the incredible friends to the show, Hannah Bryce and kicking it off, Nicholas Christopher from Chess. How are you doing today?

[10:10] Nicholas Christopher: How are you doing? I'm good. How are you?

[10:15] Robert Bannon: I'm doing fantastic. You know, we're here honoring Stephen Schwartz. Who is that? Was there kind of a composer, maybe Broadway song or song that kind of inspired you on your journey here?

[10:20] Nicholas Christopher: Oh, sure. I mean, I did Children of Eden when I was like 15 years old and that was a huge, huge influence on my life. Darius DeHaas' voice and then also just the music that Stephen Schwartz wrote in that is just beautiful. That needs to be on Broadway.

[10:38] Robert Bannon: I agree. Yeah, completely. Now, I saw you as actually Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors. That was an absolutely amazing performance and I've seen you in chess. Absolutely incredible. Now, there's this one moment, I don't know if you noticed, it's been trending on the socials, when you hold out this insane note. How do you prepare for a moment like that in the show? Like, what do you do to prepare?

[10:52] Nicholas Christopher: You don't. Like, you don't. It just, it happened one night and then they told me to cut it and then they were like, wait, wait, wait, put it back in. So, it's just, it's the culmination of like the two and a half hours before that moment of like not feeling heard, not feeling like I had a, I have a voice, you know, being told what to do, everybody's influence on Anatoly and finally that pressure gets the best of him and he ends up breaking and basically having a nervous breakdown, which is all a Ben game. It all happens in his head. So, finally getting the moment of just being able to shut all the voices up for just a second or, you know, 20 seconds is really what that moment's about. It's not something, I feel like if I tried to think about it, then I wouldn't be able to do it. But if you ride the wave of the show and of this person and you try to connect with, you know, Anatoly's humanity.

[11:55] Shoshana Bean: Really how to feel about all of it, yeah I'm just kind of taking it moment to moment and enjoying being able to talk about the show that I love and being able to talk to interesting people and you know being able to see interesting people. It's really, I feel very grateful.

[12:26] Robert Bannon: That's absolutely incredible. Thank you so much for your time and congratulations on all the success. It's a pleasure. Thank you. So you know today we are here honoring the incredible composer Stephen Schwartz and among other people, is there a particular composer or maybe Broadway-related songs that inspired you especially on your journey to Broadway?

[12:44] Shoshana Bean: Oh man, there's so many to name. Stephen Sondheim is of course a big one. Into the Woods was so important to me growing up. Also, Jason Robert Brown. I listened to Last Five Years over and over and over again. We did that as a high school show and both of them, I mean I have the pleasure to actually know Jason now and that's so wild to me.

[13:06] Robert Bannon: That's incredible. Now Steve is honored not just for his musical work but he's also done a whole bunch of mentoring for the next generation of artists and musicians. Who was that mentor for you?

[13:19] Shoshana Bean: Oh yeah, there's this woman who was in my hometown, Sabrina Post. She did all the community theater in our town. She also was my voice teacher and so she was the one who gave me all the Stephen Schwartz songs to sing and we would sing from vocal selections from all the different musicals. We sang a lot of Wicked and like it was she really fostered my artistic life.

[13:44] Robert Bannon: Now you know I have to mention we're two weeks out from the Tonys. How are we feeling?

[13:48] Shoshana Bean: Oh man, you know it doesn't even feel like it's really happening yet but I think rehearsals are gonna start soon and so then it will start to maybe feel real but it doesn't, I don't know, it's all such a blur. I'm taking it day by day.

[13:59] Robert Bannon: Yes, I hope you enjoy. Have a great day today. Thank you so much for your time.

[14:07] Bryce Pinkham: Hi, I'm Bryce Pinkham and I'm in Chess the musical. The chess is popping off. It is an incredible show, so congratulations on that success. You know, but today we're here honoring the great Stephen Schwartz. Is there kind of a composer or maybe Broadway songs that kind of inspired you on your journey to Broadway?

[14:26] Bryce Pinkham: Well, yeah, I mean I remember listening to cast albums as a kid, you know, Godspell included. That made me think, oh I want to go to where those people are and do what they're doing. And so yeah, I would say Stephen is definitely among the Mount Rushmore of Broadway composers. And in recent years, he's become a friend as well. So you know, these are the little kid and the adult, you know, having both opportunities to know him through his work but also just through him as a person is pretty special.

[15:07] Robert Bannon: You know, he's also known for his mentorship, bringing in this next generation of artists and musicians. Was there kind of a mentor in your life and who was that for you?

[15:16] Bryce Pinkham: Yeah, I've been lucky to have several mentors. There are a few that come to mind. Ron Van Lou, my acting teacher at the Yale School of Drama, and as well my clown teacher at the Yale School of Drama, Chris Bays, were both mentors to me as I was trying to become a serious actor. I guess they probably feel like they failed, you know, now that I'm not a serious actor now. But and then additionally like a mentor from my early high school days, Lindley Hall, he was my choir teacher in high school and he plucked me away from sports and put me in choir and I'm sure glad he did.

[16:03] Robert Bannon: Thank you very much. It's a pleasure meeting you.

[16:07] Ana Gasteyer: Well now it's time for some Schmigadoon, everybody! That's right, Ana Gasteyer is here and also we kick it off with the one and only Sara Chase. How are you feeling today?

[16:23] Sara Chase: 100%. You know, today we're honoring the legendary incredible composer Stephen Schwartz. For you, who is there like a composer, maybe a Broadway song or songs that kind of inspired you on your journey? What was that for you?

[16:33] Sara Chase: I mean obviously Liz Callaway singing "Meadowlark" on her album, it's like I don't think it gets more stunning and gorgeous than that.

[16:47] Robert Bannon: Yeah, that's absolutely incredible. Now Stephen is also very well known for his mentorship. Who was there kind of a mentor in your life that kind of got you here? Who was that for you?

[16:54] Sara Chase: Oh wow, actually you know what? I just remember, so my first Broadway show was First Date and he was the mentor to our composers and I just remember him being around a lot. So I mean I think that speaks more about him than my experience in mentorship but yeah, he is the best.

[17:13] Robert Bannon: Absolutely incredible. Well congratulations on all the success. Thank you so much for your time. So you know today we're here honoring the great Stephen Schwartz. My question for you is who is a composer or maybe what's a Broadway song or song that kind of inspired your journey to Broadway?

[17:30] Ana Gasteyer: Well, Stephen Schwartz, you know, is responsible for my true arrival on Broadway because if I hadn't been able to sing Elphaba, I probably wouldn't have made it in musical theater. So to be honoring him really does feel like it's a very special, I don't know how to quite put it, but to be on personally to be honoring him is very meaningful because you know that you can sing that composer and to know that you can bring, he's such a brilliant combination of emotion and lyric in his writing that I felt like once I sort of, once I accomplished being able to sing Elphaba, I deserved to be here 100%.

[18:14] Robert Bannon: Yeah, I absolutely love that. You know he's also not just known for his music but like his mentorship and his help of bringing this new generation to musical theater. My question for you is who is your mentor who kind of helped you on your journey? Who do you want to shout out?

[18:26] Ana Gasteyer: Well there's a million of them. I mean the writer-performer tradition is obviously what got me going because that's how my career began. So any number of those, you know, any Saturday Night Live woman cast member, you know, Gilda Radner, Lorraine Newman, all the original, Jane Curtin, all the way up there, Lily Tomlin, Carol Burnett, any of the great writer-performer comedians are the people that sort of being put in my head, oh I might be able to do that when I grow up.

[18:59] Robert Bannon: That's absolutely incredible. Now we're two weeks away from the Tonys. How are we feeling? Any nerves?

[19:04] Ana Gasteyer: Really, I mean it is, it sounds like a cliché before it happens to you but being nominated is kind of the point and the rest of it is gravy. It's so, I've been working in theater, I mean that's what's crazy is to take stock and look back and go oh my god it's been almost 25 years. I love theater, I love musical theater and I'm so grateful that I've even considered a part of this community. So it's been very fulfilling and validating in that regard.

[19:28] Robert Bannon: That's absolutely incredible. Thank you so much for your time and congratulations on all the success.

[19:30] David Hornsby: Hi, I'm David Hornsby. I'm co-writer of the musical The Lost Boys.

[19:35] Chris Hoke: Hi, I'm Chris Hoke. I'm the co-writer of Lost Boys the musical.

[19:40] David Hornsby: Now I saw the show twice already. This show I have friends that have seen it way more and I'm working on getting there again. Absolutely incredible. You know now today we're honoring the incredible Stephen Schwartz. Is there a composer or maybe a song that kind of inspired you on your journey to Broadway?

[19:55] Chris Hoke: We talked about Stephen Schwartz a lot. I mean in terms of, I mean we definitely in terms of Defying Gravity, like when at the end of the first act, I mean like it has a, you know, a rise and then you know like as opposed to, you know, we're gonna bring her down, he actually comes down and goes through the window. But yeah, I, we think we went to Carnegie Mellon so Stephen Schwartz is kind of our North Star a lot. Yeah, he came to our school I think back when we were students and I think Colors of the Wind was even played at one point to listen to the lyrics and how he used lyrics again. It is so, he's a big inspiration obviously.

[20:31] David Hornsby: Wow, that's absolutely incredible. Now we are two weeks away from the Tonys. How are we feeling?

[20:34] Chris Hoke: We're terrified but also humbled and super excited. Obviously this is an experience of a lifetime that maybe once in a lifetime we'll find out. Well let's hope not. I hope to see more from you guys. Thank you so much for your time. Congratulations on all the success.

[20:54] Susannah Flood: Thank you so very much. I'm Susannah Flood. I was in Liberation. Absolutely incredible. Now today we are here honoring the incredible Stephen Schwartz. Now is there a composer or maybe song, probably songs that inspired you on your journey to Broadway?

[21:08] Susannah Flood: Well, I mean it is true though this is those Stephen Schwartz didn't write it that I went to the original cast of Into the Woods when I was like five years old and the whole thing, like the Baker's wife in particular, like I remember being completely absorbed like what is gonna happen to her and I asked like my parents at the intermission, I was like nothing's gonna happen to that Baker's wife, right? I don't know why I put it that way but I just sort of knew and they're like no, no, no, no, no. And then after I was like what?

[21:43] Robert Bannon: That heartbreak must have been horrible.

[21:45] Susannah Flood: Very real, yes, yes.

[21:47] Robert Bannon: That's so, oh wow. Now you know Stephen Schwartz is also known for his mentorship aside from his music. Was there a mentor in your life that kind of got you to where you're at and who would that be?

[21:58] Susannah Flood: Oh god, well I've had a number of like excellent teachers, acting teachers that you probably wouldn't have heard of. But I do have to say that like, you know, our show that we're all nominated for, Liberation, that was a real group effort and it really taught, reaffirmed for me that like no matter how hard you were, you're still beholden to other people that kind of like lifts you out of yourself and inspire you to try something that you wouldn't have thought of yourself. You know, we're really connected in that way no matter if we like to think that we can come up with everything on our own. So I'll say that like, you know, our playwright Bess Wohl and our director Whitney White really inspired sort of like new courage in me and that felt like mentorship even though what it really was was collaboration.

[22:46] Robert Bannon: I absolutely love that. One last question for you.

[22:48] Susannah Flood: Yeah, we're two weeks out from the Tonys. How are you feeling? Excited? Nervous?

[22:51] Susannah Flood: Oh, I mean I'm totally thrilled that look this is beyond anything that I expected for myself and I am honored, truly honored to be nominated and called into community with so many people I've been admiring and I'm just really thrilled to be a part of it.

[23:09] Robert Bannon: Thank you so much.

[23:11] Susannah Flood: Thank you.

[23:12] Robert Bannon: Congratulations on all the success.

[23:13] Susannah Flood: Thank you so much.

[23:14] Robert Bannon: Thank you. How are you doing today?

[23:15] Susannah Flood: How are you doing?

[23:16] Robert Bannon: I'm doing fantastic. Now you know we're here honoring Stephen Schwartz, the incredible composer. Was there a composer or maybe song, a Broadway song that inspired you on your journey to Broadway?

[23:26] Susannah Flood: So many of Stephen's have been so epically inspiring, endlessly. I actually, believe it or not, I loved Godspell. It was one of my first shows back in the day in high school and just kept me in line with the magic of theater and coming back every time.

[23:50] Unknown speaker: Was there a mentor in your life that kind of, you know, helped you get to where you're at? You know, I feel like every teacher that I've had has had an impact on me, whether or not it was positive or negative or their intention was positive or negative. But another actor who I just admire so much is Stephen McKinley Henderson. I did a show with him a couple of years ago and I still carry him in my cells. Absolutely incredible. We're two weeks away from the Tonys. How are we feeling? Excited. I mean, yeah, we'll see. You know, BALLISTERS is one of my favorite plays that I've ever done. And I love David Lindsay-Abbeyer. The writing is just so incredible and embodies all of what it is to be human and messy and move forward with grace and empathy. So I deeply love it and I'm excited to see and celebrate everybody. Really, it's really about celebrating the entire community. Congratulations and thank you so much for your time. Appreciate it. Have a good day.

[24:43] Unknown speaker: Hello. How are you? Good to see you. How excited are you feeling to be here? I'm really excited. I'm so honored to be in the same space that's honoring Stephen Schwartz today. So it's very cool. Now, you know, like you said, we're honoring Stephen Schwartz. Is there a composer or a song that kind of inspired you on your journey to Broadway? Oh, that's a good question. Well, you know, the way I'll answer it is when I was a kid and everyone would leave the house and I'd be at home by myself, I would blast the overture of Wicked and just pretend to conduct it. And I remember just like being like, and I never had like conductor ambitions, but it was just like, that's what you want to do with that song.

That's amazing. Now, you know, Stephen's also not just being honored for his music, but he's done a lot of mentorship. And I'm just curious, has there been a mentor in your life that kind of helped you get here? And who was that for you? Yeah, I mean, I have mentors from Louisiana where I'm from, but I'm still very close to mentors that were college professors. I would say in the field, even though she probably wouldn't want to be called this, I would say Rachel Chapkin probably was as close to a mentor that she can stomach. I love that. Awesome. Cats is amazing right now. It's incredible. It's popping off. Congratulations on all the success. Thank you so much for your time. Nice to meet you.

[26:04] Unknown speaker: I'm good. How are you? You know, we're here honoring the great Stephen Schwartz. Is there kind of a composer or maybe a song that's kind of inspired you on your way to turn into an artist? Oh my goodness. I mean, I was born and bred on Sondheim, of course, but I was fortunate enough to work with David Yazbek for the last couple of years on Dead Outlaw. And I really fell madly in love with him. And I think he may be our generation's Sondheim in his ability to tell story through song. And so I've just really been absorbing his collection of songs and just in awe of him. Absolutely incredible. You know, Stephen's also known for his mentorship and bringing in this new generation of musicians. Who was that mentor for you that kind of brought you to where you're at now?

Oh, that's such a beautiful question. I'm very lucky. My parents run a community theater in New Jersey. And so I grew up doing shows twice a year in Fairlawn. Oh, not far from me. I'm in Bergen County. Oh, yeah. Which theater is it? It's called St. Ann Stages. It started in the basement of a church. Yeah. And so I sort of they were my mentors, but I've been very, very lucky throughout my career to have incredible people sort of take me under their wing, especially, you know, casting directors who believed in me before I had any credits to my name. And I've just been very, very lucky. That's absolutely incredible. Well, thank you so much. And thank you for the success. Congratulations on all the success. Thank you. Thank you for your time.

[27:35] Unknown speaker: So, you know, today we're here honoring the incredible Stephen Schwartz. Was there kind of a composer or maybe Broadway songs that kind of inspired you on your journey to Broadway? 100%. He's a living legend. We absolutely adore his writing. I can't imagine there are many people who weren't seriously influenced by his writing. I mean, he's been just in terms of the extreme broadness of his output from Disney to, you know, musical theater. And also, from my perspective, it's like I'm lyrics and Jim's music for the most part. It's extraordinary when somebody can do both and do both in a really unique way to the point where sometimes you hear a lyric and you know it's Stephen Schwartz. I love that.

I just I think he's so inventive and playful. He's got it all. Yeah, that's absolutely incredible. Now, you guys are two strangers. This show for me is kind of like a breath of fresh air. It's absolutely incredible to Broadway. And how has it been, you know, bringing this amazing show from the West End to the Broadway scene? Well, it's come even further than that. It started in the English regions in 2019. It's now been in six theaters, Northampton, Ipswich, London, London, Boston, New York. And so because of that iterative process, we've been able to kind of get our heads around how much it's had to grow. I suppose it's a bit like having a child and recognizing, oh, wow, you're all grown up now and you can be pushed out into the world and experience theater at the highest level.

We could never have imagined that this would happen back in 2019. But it's had just so much expertise from other people have flowed into it. It's had the opportunity to kind of greet this moment or something. Yeah, absolutely. I think, as Kit said, it's really only been possible because so many incredible creatives have sprinkled their magic dust. I listened to the cast album on repeat since the New York cast one came out. It is absolutely incredible. Thank you guys so much. Congratulations on all the success. Thank you so very much. It's a pleasure meeting you.

[29:38] Unknown speaker: How are you? I'm Mike. Nice to meet you. I'm with the Roundtable. How do you feel about today? You know, we're here honoring Stephen Schwartz. How are you feeling today? I am so honored to be here. I'm so proud to be here. I'm the co-director of Cats the Jellicle Ball. And, you know, our show, of course, by Andrew Lloyd Webber has definitely been influenced by so many movements in the musical theater, including all the great work by Stephen Schwartz. Yeah, Cats is popping off right now. I didn't get to see it yet. I'm working on that. You better. I have friends that saw it. They have said nothing but great things about the show. Oh, I'm happy to hear that. Now, is there a particular composer or maybe songs, Broadway songs, that kind of inspired you, especially on your journey to Broadway?

You know, I would say Stephen Schwartz, Stephen Sondheim, and Andrew Lloyd Webber. All three. All three. That's amazing. Congratulations on all the success. Thank you so much for your time. Enjoy today. Thank you. All right, plan on it.

[30:41] Samuel D. Hunter: Yes, my name is Samuel D. Hunter and I'm a playwright. All right. Now, you know, we're here honoring Stephen Schwartz and all these other amazing people. My main question for you is, is there a particular composer or song, Broadway songs, that kind of inspired you on your journey to Broadway? Well, I've never written a musical before. Okay. I've only written street plays. Okay. All right. Has there ever been like kind of songs, like a soundtrack, that's kind of helped shape that kind of show for you? I think music has always been a big part of my life. You know, even though I've never worked in musical theater before, I always think of playwriting as kind of score. You know, it's like you're writing for time and space and I think there's a musicality to plays that I've always tried to embrace in my own writing.

Awesome. Now, you know, Stephen Schwartz also not just an amazing composer, but he's also done a lot of mentoring for the next generation of artists and musicians and so on. Who is that mentor for you that kind of helped you on your journey? Oh boy, there's been so many people over the years. I think probably Tony Kushner really comes to mind. I've developed a friendship with him over the years and he's just been, he was such an important writer to me when I was coming up and the fact that I could have a personal relationship with him now is really meaningful to me. That's absolutely incredible. Well, thank you so much for your time. I really hope you enjoyed today and thank you so much. Congrats on your success.

[32:01] Steve Barganetti: Steve Barganetti, I'm up for a composer for Broadway shows. Very, very nice. Glad to be here. Awesome. So, you know, today we're here honoring Stephen Schwartz and Drew Cohen and all these amazing composers and artists. And I'm glad to be in the same company. Is there a particular composer or song that inspired you on your journey to Broadway? Ah, that's very hard to say. My first job playing Broadway was with Lena Horne. I got straight out of school. Long story short, I majored in astrophysics at Columbia University, got bitten by the music bug. They had a joint program with Juilliard. So I started, you know, I was part of that and decided that I was going to play music for a living. My parents freaked out, of course.

And it happened that a gentleman who was playing chorus line needed a sub, had heard a band that I had at Columbia University, who, by the way, Obama was following, the group that I had. And he said, you know, you're in really good company and I'd like to bring you into Broadway. And so I started subbing chorus line. One thing led to another. I got recruited by Lena Horne to audition for her show, Lady and Her Music. And that was it. From then on, I was bitten by the Broadway bug. And if I had to name one song, I guess I would say Watch What Happens, which Lena Horne had played during her show, which I loved playing. And that kind of inspired me on the path. I love that. How are you feeling about being here?

How excited are you? I'm honored. I love it. And I feel that part of this is that the Theatre League is actually helping forward blues music because the music for Joe Turner's Come and Gone is all blues that basically takes place 1911. Debbie Allen, who's the director, wanted to make sure that we stuck to storyline. And so I had to do a deep dive into understanding the music of the time. And I feel that this is helping honor that. I love that. Awesome. Thank you so much for your time. Congratulations.

[34:00] Unknown speaker: Thank you very much. How are you feeling today? Feeling very excited. This is always a highlight of the season. It truly is. Well, you're receiving an award today, if I'm not mistaken. Yeah, we're receiving the Carnegie Award for service to the theater. That's absolutely incredible. Now, you know, you're also being honored alongside of Stephen Schwartz. And my question for you, you know, he's done a lot of work with mentorship. Who kind of was a mentor for you in the Broadway scene? Or maybe not even in the Broadway scene? Yeah, well, for me, it was, you know, the co-chairman of MTI, Freddie Gershon, and his business partner, Cameron McIntosh. I've known them both for over 30 years. And they instilled in me kind of the values that they instill in MTI, which really is about serving people like Stephen and his work, and all the authors we represent.

And that always comes first. And the more we can get their work out there, the better the world will be. That's absolutely incredible. Well, congratulations on everything. And thank you so much for your time. It has been a pleasure. Thank you so much. Thank you.

[35:01] Unknown speaker: Well, there you have it. I am so excited about the season on Broadway, these incredible stars. From all the big old shows, from Titanic, to Lost Boys, to Two Strangers, to everything and everyone that was there. Woo! I loved Ballisters. What else? Liberation. What a year. What a year on Broadway. Thank you for being here. The best is yet to come. And I will see you again real soon, every day, right here on the Broadway Podcast Network, iHeart, Spotify, wherever you listen to your podcast. Bye, everyone.