Backstage Babble

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Ken Page Jul 01, 2021

Show notes

For the last episode of Backstage Babble’s Pride Month, I welcome Broadway legend Ken Page, star of Cats, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Guys and Dolls, and more, as well as a regular actor at the St. Louis MUNY for over 25 years. His on-screen appearances include The Nightmare Before Christmas, Torch Song Trilogy, and Dreamgirls. On July 1 (because Pride should continue to be celebrated throughout the year), hear him share some beautiful words about his coming out journey and what the concept means to him. Plus, lots of showbiz stories: the moment in Cats that he created, what was missing in the revival of Ain’t Misbehavin’, the joke that Abe Burrows taught him how to land, how a cabaret medley got him a role in The Wiz, getting an early lesson on how to cry, the favorite award he’s ever won, being introduced by Gillian Lynne, plus Harvey Fierstein, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Nell Carter, and more!

Steven Brinberg Jun 27, 2021

Show notes

For the penultimate installment in Backstage Babble’s Pride Month, I could not be more thrilled to welcome the amazing Steven Brinberg. As the premiere Barbra Streisand impersonator, he has performed in such venues as the Kennedy Center and Avery Fisher Hall, plus on Broadway with the concert of Funny Girl. Today, he joins me to tell some of the stories of his amazing career: how he edited Terrence McNally, making quips and eating ice cream with Marvin Hamlisch, competing offers from Barbra and Bette, a disappointing appearance with Rosie O’Donnell, writing a song with Stephen Sondheim, how Barbra sometimes takes his suggestions, what his dream show would be (hint: in Las Vegas, and directed by the lady herself!), and what makes Barbra a gay icon. Plus: Diana Rigg, Lainie Kazan, Jerry Springer, and more!

Jason Graae Jun 25, 2021

Show notes

Today, I am so excited to welcome the extraordinarily funny Jason Graae to the podcast. He has put smiles on the faces of anyone who’s ever seen him perform, be it on Broadway in Stardust and Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up, off-Broadway in Forever Plaid and Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh, or on screen! Tune in to hear him talk about his legendary career, including: a cryptic comment from James Lapine, his two favorite Friends, getting comedy advice from Jerry Herman, how Jose Ferrer messed up his debut, the show that Vicki Lewis misjudged, teasing Thommie Walsh, imitating Ken Jennings, changing the plot of Camelot, and more! Plus his imitations of William Finn, Karen Morrow, and Valerie Cherish!

Lawrence Leritz Part 2 Jun 21, 2021

Show notes

I am so happy to be joined again by the legendary Lawrence Leritz. In the second part of our conversation, he discusses his choreographic and singing career, including getting career tips from Patti LaBelle, a call from Jimmy Carter, being manipulated by Berry Gordy, speaking Hebrew with Herschel Bernardi, setting up a dance between Beverly Sills and Peter Martins, and doing comedic dancing with Harvey Keitel and Carly Rae Jepsen! Lawrence is a man of the theater through and through, and you can’t miss his enthusiasm about or dedication to his craft.

Lawrence Leritz Part 1 Jun 20, 2021

Show notes

I am so happy to be joined today by the amazing dancer, choreographer, actor, and producer Lawrence Leritz. With the amount of varied and prestigious projects he has been a part of, it’s no wonder that our conversation turned into two parts! Tune in today to discuss the movie that Bob Fosse got him, his brief involvement with the American Dance Machine, Alvin Ailey’s wild lifestyle, yawning in front of Alexandra Danilova, the problem with the Uris/Gershwin Theater, getting picked from a dance class by Sir Frederick Ashton, bonding with Tommy Tune, and more!

Tony Sheldon Part 2 Jun 17, 2021

Show notes

Here it is: Part 2 of my conversation with the brilliant Tony Sheldon! Tune in today to hear him discuss his New York career, including roles in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Amelie on Broadway, Charles Busch’s Cleopatra, and The Band Wagon at Encores. Stories abound: A false promise from the Weisslers, giving suggestions to Charles Busch, how Beth Leavel helped him at the Tony Awards, his cut number from Priscilla, an odd backstage visit from Cloris Leachman, the Encores! show he had to turn down, why he thought Amelie on Broadway was a mistake, and living in Audra McDonald’s basement. Plus: Roger Rees, Jordan Roth, Jerry Mitchell, Shirley MacLaine, and more!

Tony Sheldon Part 1 Jun 15, 2021

Show notes

I am so happy to be joined for the latest installment in Backstage Babble’s Pride Month series by international musical theater star Tony Sheldon. His immense body of work in Australia including starring roles in productions of TORCH SONG TRILOGY, I HATE HAMLET, INTO THE WOODS, PRIVATE LIVES, FALSETTOS, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, COMPANY, THE SISTERS ROSENSWEIG, NOISES OFF, ONCE IN A LIFETIME, and more. Today he talks about all of that and more in Part 1 of the in-depth conversation. Hear him talk about singing on TV at the age of 7, growing up with performing legends Toni Lamond (his mother) and Helen Reddy (his aunt), how he accidentally exposed the homophobia of a major casting agency, why it took a bomb scare to meet Harvey Fierstein, Cyd Charisse’s unexpected shortcoming, why The Producers was “a nightmare,” the basic history of Australian musical theater, plus stories about Yvonne DeCarlo, Bob Fosse, Mel Brooks, and more.

Peter Harvey Jun 12, 2021

Show notes

For the second episode of Pride Month, I welcome the designer of the original production of one of the most seminal gay works, The Boys in the Band. Among his numerous other credits include Dames At Sea, The Mad Show, Johnny Johnson, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, and more. Tune in to hear him talk about why Lotte Lenya wouldn’t fire Jose Quintero, how Joe Papp ruined a show in Philadelphia, how Shelley Winters tried to sabotage Carol Kane, how Mart Crowley came to appreciate his set, creating the iconic design for Dames at Sea, the hardest Broadway theater to design for, why Lee Strasberg had no creative vision, plus stories about Richard Gere, Tallulah Bankhead, Bernadette Peters, and so many more.

Celebrating 500 Episodes of BEHIND THE CURTAIN Jun 07, 2021

Show notes

Today, I am honored to present to you the interview I did with Rob W. Schneider and Kevin David Thomas, hosts of the hit theater podcast Behind the Curtain (https://broadwaypodcastnetwork.com/podcast/behind-the-curtain/) to celebrate their amazing accomplishment of having over 500 episodes now available for listening. They are certainly masters in the field of podcasting, so I was a little intimidated to turn the tables on them, but it turned out to be a LOT of fun! Listen to the episode above or on their podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/podcast-crossover-backstage-babbles-charles-kirsch/id1080144159?i=1000524446082

And then go hear their interviews with Nathan Lane, Lainie Kazan, Matthew Broderick, Charles Strouse, Victor Garber, and so many other musical theater legends.

Grover Dale Jun 04, 2021

Show notes

This is the first episode of Backstage Babble’s Pride Month, a series of enlightening conversations with LGBT artists whose careers span over 60 years of gay Broadway history. And what better way to kick it off than an interview with a legend like dancer/choreographer Grover Dale. He has lent his talents to such shows as West Side Story, Sail Away, The Magic Show, Li’l Abner, Rachael Lily Rosenbloom, and more and he discusses it all today on Backstage Babble. Hear him talk about dancing with Gene Kelly, the Broadway hit he almost turned down, the Jerome Robbins’ Broadway that never was, volunteering to swim with Esther Williams, getting a dressing room visit from Noel Coward and Marlene Dietrich, playing poker with Tommy Steele, plus his relationships with Elaine Stritch, Anthony Perkins, Anita Morris, and Larry Kert. You won’t want to miss this.

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