I hope you're ready for a deep dive on Team Music because Manny Schvartzman is here! Manny is the music director, conductor, and keyboard one player on Hamilton's Angelica Tour.

In his first episode, Manny walks us through the early stages of his career, which started at around eight years old, when he started teaching himself to play piano and read music with the goal of being a classical pianist. By the time he was a freshman in high school, the word was out in Miami about kid from Buenos Aires who could play piano like nobody's business. Manny was like Schroeder - all about the classical music - and he couldn't be bothered with musicals like Fiddler on the Roof. But once he got a taste of the collaboration and storytelling involved in the theatre world, he never looked back. 

Being his high school's music director at 14 years old was a formative experience and then you combine it with Manny's inherent curiosity, kindness, and relentless work ethic? He's unstoppable. 

Manny was summoned to New York to work on On Your Feet (with the legendary Gloria Estefan) and was simultaneously making history in 2014 when he was part of the team that brought Cuba its first Broadway musical in 50 years: RENT.

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"Revolution Rent" Documentary directed by Andy Señor, Jr. 

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Robbie Rozelle wraps up his episodes with the moment we've all been waiting for: Stephen Sondheim stories!! Robbie talks about extensively working so closely with the legend he calls a "deity" and why you always, always (always!) sing what Sondheim wrote on the page. 

Robbie also takes us through creating his cabaret shows and explains why it's all about storytelling. Celebrities? Boring. What do YOU have to say? Let's find out what that is and then find ways to lift people up and make good art with and for the ones we love.

Oh and we are all over the place so buckle up! We're talking Housewives, Taylor Swift, Scandoval (Team Ariana!), The Traitors (Gabby Windey 4eva we heart you Gaggy), the invisible string theory, and our TikTok FYPs.

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Robbie Rozelle - Songs from Inside My Locker (Live at Feinstein’s/54 Below)

Gabby Windey on TikTok - Gaggy to u

Fairuza Balk

Taylor Swift - tolerate it

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Robbie Rozelle is back for round two and I think it's safe to say that we are officially off the rails. After passing up lottery tickets to Hamilton at the Public in 2015, Robbie eventually saw it in previews and promptly had an out of body experience, prompting a StubHub debacle the very next day (remember those days?!). Robbie was the creative director of Playbill at the start and eventual astronomical height of Hamilton, so we take a look back on some of the insane fervor of that time and why some of it was probably not very cool (it's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me).

Plus, we share stories about being in the room for some very famous on-stage mishaps: breaking the fourth wall in Wicked and Gypsy, a drunk Richard Burton furious that they gave him the curtain during Camelot, Bette Midler mugging with a purse in Hello Dolly!, and the famous Emily Skinner/Linda Eder situation for that one night only performance of Jekyll & Hyde.

Robbie Rozelle

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Robbie Rozelle - Songs from Inside My Locker (Live at Feinstein’s/54 Below)

Original Cast Album: Co-Op

Nobert Leo Butz - Girls, Girls, Girls: Live at 54 Below

Emily Skinner Finally Confirms That Rumor About Jekyll and Hyde

Flight of the Conchords Season 2, Episode 7: “Prime Minister”

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Robbie Rozelle is a beloved cabaret artist, director, producer, housewives aficionado, and my friend. He identifies as a Charles Nelson Reilly with a Paul Lynde Rising. And guess what?! We're going back to basics! Robbie joins me in person, in my living room, and we talk about his Hamilton experience as well as pretty much everything else. 

As a kid, Robbie fell in love with classic movie musicals (The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, Annie (1982 ONLY), Bye Bye Birdie, Damn Yankees) and became transfixed. By the time he was cast as Scarecrow his freshman year of high school he knew he was going to be a performer. As a young gay kid in the middle of the AIDS crisis, Robbie found hope, joy, and a sense of belonging in theatre, which is why he's made it his life goal to preserve musicals through producing cast and artist albums. 

This week, Robbie talks about his journey to New York City by way of upstate New York with a quick stop in Pennsylvania, how he became the Creative Director of Playbill, his transition to Center Stage Records, and how wise words from Jan Maxwell led to his "second life" as a cabaret icon. 

Robbie Rozelle

@DivaRobbie 

Robbie Rozelle - Songs from Inside My Locker (Live at Feinstein’s/54 Below)

Original Cast Album: Co-Op

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Vanessa Magula wraps up her episodes by taking questions from the Patreon Peeps! This week, she talks about her connection to all three Schuyler sisters including having such a soft spot for Eliza and why performing Satisfied is like playing Hamlet. From owning the room as Angelica, to accessing love through Eliza, and slayingggg that red dress as Maria, Vanessa absolutely LOVES being a standby.

Vanessa also talks about her amazing husband Andrew, her newfound love of handbags and their trends, more NYC improv stories (Shitzprobe and Story Pirates), we once again bring it back to Warriors, and we beg the question IS IT TIME FOR AN IN THE HEIGHTS REVIVAL YET OR WHAT?!

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In her second episode, Vanessa Magula talks about what it was like to join the Philip tour as a Hamilton superfan, including learning harmonies she didn't know existed and doing her best *not* to sing Burr's part in Non-Stop.

But now she's in Hamilton and as a friend told Vanessa: time to dream a new dream. She booked her dream job, and now she's gotta figure out how to live it in a healthy and fulfilling way. From imposter syndrome, to having to learn the show, to giving herself grace, and the added stress of coming out of lockdown? Yeah, there was a lot to navigate.

Vanessa's episodes are total lovefests, but that doesn't mean we can't pay tribute to the biggest hater of them all: Kendrick Lamar. And we do! Oh, and quick reminder that you can be a hater without being a bully. FYI.

Mermaid (Brittany Campbell and Candace Quarrels have a band! Get into it!)

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Vanessa Magula went from being a Hamilton superfan studying pre-health at UCLA to being cast as the standby for all three Schuyler sisters on the Philip tour. No, for real. Vanessa has always been a self-described theatre kid, evidenced by the fact that Deaf West's Spring Awakening is what inspired her to minor in Disability Studies, but it took her a while to take the leap and be a full time performer. After going to an open call for Hamilton in 2016 and being given a literal golden ticket for a callback, everything changed as Vanessa realized that - whether she booked Hamilton or not - this is what she wanted to do.

In between yearly Hamilton auditions, Vanessa thrived in the New York City improv comedy scene and even ended up collecting Yondr pouches during Freestyle Love Supreme's Broadway run.

Come join our instant bff vibes as we talk about our love of Hamilton (Vanessa saw it in September of 2015 hello!), Anessa Folds, Utkarsh Ambudkar (UTK), Lin's Warriors, and tons of other stuff.

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In their third episode, Paul Louis Lessard reflects on their one year anniversary playing King George III on Hamilton's Philip Tour. Booking the show was a surreal experience, but Paul is having the time of his life and has never felt more beautiful than when he's wearing those *perfectly tailored* KG3 costumes.

Paul also opens up about the unnecessary shame around vocal injuries and explains that has "vocal athletes", acknowledging issues and taking care of your voice is all part of the gig.

Plus, while answering questions from the Patreon Peeps, Paul discusses the value of barbershop quartets, his time making Rent quizzes online in high school (hi Adam Pascal and Daphne Rubin-Vega!), how his King George channels the Queen of Genovia, and why he's a synth pop fan for life.

Paul Louis Lessard

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Paul Louis Lessard currently plays King George III on Hamilton's Philip Tour and this week they tell us about how playing King Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar helped them get there.

Paul was admittedly one of those people who had an "aversion" to Hamilton back in the 2016 era, but eventually he was listening to (and falling in love with) select songs like "Take a Break" and "Wait For It." But it was "You'll Be Back" that led him to write a Facebook post way back in 2016 letting the world know that one day he will be playing King George III. It didn't hurt that almost all of Paul's King Herod reviews mentioned a KG3 vibe, which Paul made sure casting knew about when he was auditioning for Hamilton almost eight years later in 2023.

Paul Louis Lessard

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Paul Louis Lessard (he/they) is currently King George III on Hamilton's Philip Tour and this week is all about authenticity. Starting from a very young age, Paul describes the allure of performing as a siren song that was calling to them, even down to the intoxicating smell and feel of the show programs he'd pore over on the way home. Remember that smell?? And the feeling of staying up late on a school night going to a show?! The best.

Early in their career, Paul talks about how they truly felt their queerness was used against them, and once you hear about the shortsighted, close-minded jerks he had to deal with I'm sure you'll agree. After some time traveling the world he came back to New York City with a mantra that changed his life: fuck everyone and everything, I'm showing up authentically 100%." And that's when the gigs started rolling in.

Paul Louis Lessard

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