Backstage Babble

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.

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.

The icon that is Brenda Braxton joins Backstage Babble today to discuss her legendary career from replacing in the 1976 revival of Guys and Dolls all the way up to the pandamndemic (as she refers to it). Hear her talk about mass fainting during the filming of The Wiz, learning valuable lessons from Vinnette Carroll, spending her birthday with Tom Hanks, serenading Peter Allen, the moment when she realized she was becoming a cat, and the impetus and interviews for her amazing book The Little Black Book of Backstage Etiquette. Plus: Harvey Fierstein, Mike Nichols, Usher, George C. Wolfe, and more! Ms. Braxton was a total joy from start to finish, and her sparkling wit and charm never fail to come through.

I am so thrilled to announce Part 2 of my episode with the amazing Broadway legend Karen Morrow. Tune in to hear her talk about a cryptic conversation with Michael Bennett, singing a love song with Gordon MacRae, how Ed Kleban begged her not to quit a show, being thrown a birthday party by Joseph Papp, watching Howard Keel flub an important line, last-minute fixes in The Selling of the President, what advice she would give looking back at her older performances, meeting with Sid Caesar under a table, duetting with Joanne Worley and James Brown, asking John Raitt for money, and why she decided to leave the business. Plus stories about Loretta Swit, Jerry Herman, John Kenley, Carl Reiner, Ron Moody, and more.

Today, I am thrilled to be joined by Broadway legend Karen Morrow, star of I Had a Ball, The Grass Harp, I’m Solomon, A Joyful Noise, The Selling of the President, Edwin Drood, and more. Tune in to hear her talk about holding hands with Nat King Cole, dating John Davidson, how Buddy Hackett broke her up onstage, having Frank Loesser as her agent, why she blames herself for Lloyd Richards’ firing, replacing Celeste Holm, watching Charles Strouse helicopter out of the MUNY, and her advice to musical theater students today!! Plus, stories about Richard Rodgers, Luba Lisa, Charles Nelson Reilly, Claibe Richardson, Dick Shawn, and more.

Today, I am honored to be joined once again by the luminous Christine Andreas. In Part 2 of our conversation, she discusses her much-lauded cabaret career as well as her stage performances in The Scarlet Pimpernel, Fields of Ambrosia, La Cage Aux Folles, and more. Hear her talk about collaborating with Frank Wildhorn, overestimating the British, sharing a dressing room with Veanne Cox, embodying Judy Garland, how she crafts a cabaret show, the meaning behind “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head,” plus stories about Terrence Mann, Kelsey Grammer, and her husband Martin Silvestri.

Today, I am honored to be joined by the radiant Christine Andreas. In Part 1 of our in-depth interview, hear her discuss her legendary career as a Broadway star—you’re sure to fall under her spell and see why she was one of the pre-eminent stars of the 1970s and 1980s, leading the revival movement with such shows as My Fair Lady, Oklahoma!, and On Your Toes. She tells never before heard stories about the backstage politics at Rags, why she dreaded going to work as Eliza every day, turning down George Abbott and Billy Hammerstein, finding chemistry onstage, why she believes in mystical presences, rolling out the red carpet backstage, plus stories about Agnes De Mille, Peter Allen, Radie Harris, and more.

Today, I am honored to welcome to the podcast as the second installment in our Memoirs and Rising Stars week, the fabulous Martin Milnes! Martin is the author of the new memoir Wild Card: How I Learned to Have a Friend, Be a Friend, and Finally Love My Birthday, which can be purchased here: https://www.martinmilnes.com/product-page/wild-card-signed-copy. Tune in today to hear many of the stories of Martin’s life and friendships with older legends: the secret he learned from Stephen Sondheim, why Sandy Wilson could be “very tricky,” getting guidance from Leslie Bricusse and Gyles Brandreth, meeting your idols, and the “divine madness” of the Thursford Christmas Shows!

Today, I am honored to be joined by Samantha Hahn, author of On The Roof, the recent book about Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish. In addition to playing Beylke in that production, she has also appeared in Nella the Princess Knight, and the virtual Mystery of Edwin Drood. Tune in today to hear her talk about all things Fiddler, why Joel Grey was very smart, the most exciting celebrity visit she had, learning Yiddish phonetically, plus stories about Jackie Hoffman, Sheldon Harnick, and more! Buy her book here: https://www.amazon.com/Roof-look-inside-Fiddler-Yiddish/dp/1784658642/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=on+the+roof+Samantha+hahn&qid=1618858466&sr=8-1

Today, Backstage Babble is not crazy for YOU but crazy for the wonderful Karen Ziemba, today's guest! Tune in to hear her talk about her legendary career including her long professional collaboration with Susan Stroman, how Jerome Robbins made her cry, the compliment Woody Allen gave her, playing a nun, being directed by Hal Prince, the off-Broadway show she wishes could have transferred, plus stories about John Kander, Debra Monk, Michael Bennett, and more.