Laura Heywood Interviews

If Broadway had a poster child for living out loud, it would be Lesli Margherita, currently starring as The Princess of Emojiland in Emojiland: The Musical. Never had there been a fiercer, more outspoken advocate for living your truth, owning your weirdness, and ruling your own kingdom. There's a reason her social media accounts are all called Queen Lesli! Known for Zorro: The Musical (Olivier Award), Matilda, and Dames at Sea, Lesli Margherita is one of a kind.

Jim Caruso made his Broadway debut alongside none other than Liza Minnelli in Liza's At The Palace in 2008, which won a Tony Award for Best Special Event and also earned a Grammy nomination. He has performed at the White House, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and in Times Square for a crowd of 100,000 theater fans. He is the winner of multiple MAC awards, BroadwayWorld Awards, BackStage Magazine Bistro Awards, and a NightLife Awards. And on top of all of this, he is MOST beloved for his acclaimed weekly series' "Broadway at Birdland" and "Jim Caruso's Cast Party."

Jennifer Wheeler Kahn is the founder of Scenery Bags, a sustainable fashion company that uses reclaimed curtains, backdrops and stages from Broadway and touring shows to create purses, clutches, totes and other accessories beloved by theatre fans and fashionistas alike. A portion of every sale goes to TDF's Introduction to Theatre and Accessibility for Students programs, making the enterprise responsible for making the world a better place on both the front and back ends of the process. www.SceneryBags.com

Two-time Tony Award winner Norbert Leo Butz has appeared on Broadway in My Fair Lady, Catch Me If You Can, Wicked, Rent, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Big Fish, Dead Accounts, Enron, Is He Dead, and Speed the Plow. The Last Five Years off-Broadway provided an equally pivotal role.

In addition to his legendary career on the stage, Norbert Leo Butz is a wildly talented songwriter, and his album "The Long Haul" is the first full-length album he has written entirely by himself.

"The Long Haul" is a country/ blues record that has a deep, beautiful sadness running through it along with a sense of perseverance and a heart determined to keep on loving.

It would be easy to believe this record was written by a long-haul trucker with a million miles behind him and thousands more to go — which is why "The Long Haul" is the perfect name for this heartbreaking, hardy collection of songs.

Mykal Kilgore has appeared on Broadway in Motown, The Book of Mormon, and Hair; on TV, in The Wiz and Jesus Christ Superstar; and in the gorgeous City Center production of Jason Robert Brown's Songs for A New World, which you can find on all music streaming services. After growing up in Florida and then moving to Nashville, he was discovered by Billy Porter, who shepherded him to New York City. Mykal's new album, A Man Born Black, out now, is a little bit R&B, a dash of reggae and country, and ALL soul.

Jamison Stern is a life-long actor who works constantly and puts everything he has into his characters. From one-man onstage triumphs like his recent "Fully Committed," to full-body transformations such as his turn as Tracy in "The Legend of Georgia McBride," Jamison commands an audience. His current role as "Paul #1" in the Emmy-winning Amazon series "After Forever" is particularly special, as it's clear that the cast loves each other as much as the characters do, and audiences fall in love with a slice of New York that is unique and familiar at the same time. Jamison also has a gorgeous singing voice — just enter "Jamison Stern" into a youtube search for songs from Stephen Sondheim to Jule Styne. It was important to me to have Jamison on the show because he is so clearly DOING THE WORK — being an actor is hard and he has put in years. For those of you out there who want to really do this, Jamison can offer insight into the persistence, tenacity and resolve required to make it as a performer.

Sam Maher is one of the most passionate, dedicated, informed consumers of theatre in New York. His website, YesBroadway.com, is designed to help you sort through the noise that's prevalent on other sites — it's quality, not quantity, of articles & features that matter.

Two of the website's biggest sections — "saw it, loved it" and "hype alert" — focus on Sam's personal favorites, and the upcoming shows with the most buzz. And he would know — in addition to being a professional audience member (like Laura!) — he is also a savvy marketing expert, who runs influencer marketing campaigns for shows like Be More Chill — on which he was also a producer — and Emojiland: The Musical.

Lin-Manuel Miranda. Leslie Odom, Jr. Phillipa Soo. Daveed Diggs. Renee Elise Goldsberry. Christopher Jackson. Okierete Onaodowan. Anthony Ramos. Alex Lacamoire. David Korins. Javier Muñoz. Rory O'Malley. Mandy Gonzales. James Monroe Iglehart. Daniel Breaker. Morgan Marcell. Lexi Lawson. Welcome to an eight-hour marathon of HAMILTON interviews! The quintessential one-stop-shop for interviews with the stars of Broadway's most celebrated musical, with "Broadway's most influential fan," Laura Heywood, aka @BroadwayGirlNYC.

Daryl Roth is one of the most prolific, influential producers in the history of New York theatre. Her mission is to champion thought-provoking, inspiring work onstage, and she is honored to hold the singular distinction of producing 7 Pulitzer Prize-winning plays: Anna in the Tropics; August: Osage County (2008 Tony Award); Clybourne Park (2012 Tony Award); How I Learned to Drive; Proof (2001 Tony Award); Edward Albee's Three Tall Women; and Wit. Recorded live at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre's 2019 Fall Conference, this interview focuses on the past, present and future of musical theatre from a producer's point of view. Roth has produced over 90 productions on and off Broadway, many with political or activist content.

Tony Vincent is a Rock/Broadway hybrid creature, having charted six songs before making his Broadway debut in RENT. He went on to appear in the film and Broadway revival of Jesus Christ Superstar, We Will Rock You in London, American Idiot both pre- and on-Broadway, and Rocktopia. He was also a fan favorite on NBC's The Voice, and headlines "The Music of David Bowie" international symphony tour. He has just launched PCG Theatrical, a customized, full-service artist development program specifically designed for aspiring musical theatre performers, featuring personalized curricula rather than a one-size-fits-all program. Find out more about Tony at www.TonyVincent.com!