The Roundtable with Robert Bannon

We love Rupert Holmes. He has inspired us to keep going and keep working! Rarely, if ever, will you find someone with a Best Selling Novel on the NY Times Best Sellers List, a new show about "RBG" set to go on tour, Tony Awards, Platnium Selling albums, TV shows, and more going on at the same time, but then again that is Rupert Holmes!

We have a great deep chat about his connection to Ruth Bader Ginsberg and what moved him to write his new show on tour, how that Pina Colada song came to be, and how he manages to literally do it all! This is a chat not to be missed!

Make sure to catch "RBG" on the road and if you are having a rough day, just stream some Rupert and I promise you, a smile will be on that face! Cheers to getting "caught in the rain!"

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Check out “The Roundtable with Robert Bannon” everyday right here on The Broadway Podcast Network!

www.RobertBannon.com

Follow on IG @RobertMBannon or @theroundtablewithrobertbannon

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All award season long, we have been predicting, reviewing, and kiki-ing about award season! Well the big one is here! The Academy Awards, the Oscars, movie's biggest night is here! We are talking all of our favorite movies, what we think should and will win, and what all the word on the street is in regards to fashion, presenters, Jimmy Kimmel, and more!

Adrienne Garzillo is back and we are joined by our Movie Brain Mike Melfa for his hot take as well! This is a must for all the movie lovers in your life! Join us next week for the full Oscar recap of all the highlights!

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Check out “The Roundtable with Robert Bannon” everyday right here on The Broadway Podcast Network!

www.RobertBannon.com

Follow on IG @RobertMBannon or @theroundtablewithrobertbannon

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You have read the book. You have seen the movie. Now the classic American tale of "The Outsiders" comes to Broadway and "The Roundtable" is there to cover it all! We have the cast and creative team for you sneak peek at what to expect when this show roars into NYC this Spring!

The cast is led by Brody Grant as Ponyboy Curtis, Sky Lakota-Lynch as Johnny Cade, Joshua Boone as Dallas Winston, Brent Comer as Darrel Curtis, Jason Schmidt as Sodapop Curtis, Emma Pittman as Cherry Valance, Daryl Tofa as Two-Bit Mathews, Kevin William Paul as Bob Sheldon and Dan Berry as Paul Holden. The company also includes Jordan Chin, Milena J. Comeau, Barton Cowperthwaite, Tilly Evans-Krueger, Henry Gendron, RJ Higton, Wonza Johnson, Sean Harrison Jones, Maggie Kuntz, Renni Anthony Magee, Sarah Grace Mariani, Melody Rose, Josh Strobl, Victor Carrillo Tracey, Trevor Wayne. We chat with them all!

So get your Ponyboy Curtis on, and brush up on the book or movie, and grab your tickets at www.OutsiderMusical.com to not miss a moment!

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Check out “The Roundtable with Robert Bannon” everyday right here on The Broadway Podcast Network!

www.RobertBannon.com

Follow on IG @RobertMBannon or @theroundtablewithrobertbannon

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We are such fans of Natalie Douglas! That voice! Those arrangements! All she stands for- we are FANS! We had the chance to have a special in-depth chat about her new album "Back To The Garden" now streaming!

Back to the Garden is a potent mix of golden age standards, pop gems of the Woodstock generation, and special surprises. Highlights include a vivacious big band arrangement of the Cole Porter classic “Begin the Beguine;” a tender, lilting version on the ballad “You’ll Never Know,” with a sensuous string arrangement; a charming jazz age take on the Kern, Hammerstein and Harbach gem “Who?;” and a driving rock-inspired interpretation of Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock.”

The emotional centerpiece of the album is “Love Is the Power That Heals Me,” a soaring anthem written just for Natalie by Club44 label co-founders Wayne Haun and Joel Lindsey. “The lyrics feel so very me,” Natalie reflects. “This song is brand new and sounds completely 21st century, but it has some of that mid-century flavor that I first heard in my parents’ record collection. I will always be an unabashed fan of clear, full-throated singing and direct, romantic lyrics.”

The album’s buried treasure is “He Lives in a World of His Own,” a majestic song with the seductive build of a vintage James Bond theme, written by Lionel Bart, the Tony Award-winning creator of the stage musical Oliver! Natalie discovered it while researching her tribute to the iconic Dame Shirley Bassey. Bart wrote this as special material for Bassey’s audition for Oliver!’s tragic heroine, Nancy. Even though the role ultimately went to to Georgia Brown, history has left us with this showstopper for Natalie to unearth.

“Trust in Me” originates from the beloved Disney movie The Jungle Book. “I was obsessed with The Jungle Book as a child!,” Natalie recalls. “I swear I drove my parents batty singing the songs incessantly! When it came time to create this album, I couldn’t resist the chance to take ‘Trust in Me’ in a whole different direction. I love how the lyric promises safety and comfort, but the music lets you know there’s an undercurrent of danger. That’s what brings out the sex in this song – even though it’s meant for children. Genius!”

Natalie’s version of “Work Song” is an homage to Nina Simone, whom she previously honored with a full album. “Nina is my inspiration in all things,” she comments. “She was brilliant, ferocious, resilient, utter genius, so I’ll never tire of singing her material. I was all in when Wayne suggested re-recording this, which I first sang on the 2005 recording of my Nina Simone show at Birdland. I will always love that live performance – we had such a blast! And now it makes me so happy to re-record a brass-centric version of this song all these years later.”

Back to the Garden closes with her heartfelt rendition of “True Colors,” popularized by Cyndi Lauper in the ‘80s. “This song means so much to those of us who’ve felt unseen or unwelcome in this world,” Natalie concludes. “Cyndi Lauper is that fusion of artist and activist that is vital to creative life. The world has made progress in the almost 40 years since this song came out, but there are forces working overtime to return us to the Dark Ages, when anyone not straight, not white, not cis or not gentile, wasn’t truly safe or fully a citizen. It feels important to record our version of this song right now.”

Stream the album wherever music is heard!

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Check out “The Roundtable with Robert Bannon” everyday right here on The Broadway Podcast Network!

www.RobertBannon.com

Follow on IG @RobertMBannon or @theroundtablewithrobertbannon

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We love our Jennie Kwan! She was here earlier this year to talk about the "California Dreams" reunion that came thru NYC! She is back to talk about a brand new project coming to NYC this month! It is a Murder Mystery Who Done It coming to the Actor's Temple!

PLUS we talk about how her California Reunion went, what is the Avatar: Last Airbender fandom like, and what is it like to be a comic con superstar! Jennie gives the best chat and the best energy! Take a listen! I promise it will brighten up your day!

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Check out “The Roundtable with Robert Bannon” everyday right here on The Broadway Podcast Network!

www.RobertBannon.com

Follow on IG @RobertMBannon or @theroundtablewithrobertbannon

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We have a good one for you today! Do you want to know what a director does? Well Gordon Greenberg is here to tell you! Gordon has directed on Broadway, Off-Broadway, in London’s West End, written for television and stage, and developed, directed and produced new works for arts institutions across America.

Current Directing/Writing projects include The Heart of Rock and Roll , which opens on Broadway at the James Earl Jones Theatre in April, 2024, following its record breaking run at The Old Globe, the hit Off-Broadway show Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors , a new musical about Picasso, the NBC television series Most Talkative, Crime and Punishment, A Comedy for the Old Globe, a London revival of The Baker’s Wife, Single White Female, The Wedding Banquet, Ghost Tour, The Play, and the new comedy podcast series Rolling Calls starring Julie Halston & Richard Kind.

His acclaimed revival of Who’s Afraid of Virgina Woolf starring Calista Flockhart and Zachary Quinto at the Geffen Playhouse won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for Best Revival.  His West End revival of Guys and Dolls was nominated for six Olivier Awards at the Savoy Theatre and then transferred to the Phoenix Theatre (starring Rebel Wilson.) Greenberg co-wrote and directed the Broadway stage adaptation of Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn at Studio 54.

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Check out “The Roundtable with Robert Bannon” everyday right here on The Broadway Podcast Network!

www.RobertBannon.com

Follow on IG @RobertMBannon or @theroundtablewithrobertbannon

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three Second Chances is indie-pop ear candy with a dash of Broadway from a trio of 40-somethings filling the generation gap with fun and FUN we had! Yes! The band is here to talk their new EP, how they came to be, their secret talents, and how to describe their fun, fresh, familiar sound! You have to stream it to get it! This is a fun chat with a group you need to see in-person! Hey! You may even get some hummus out of the deal!

For More Info: www.threesecondchances.com

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Check out “The Roundtable with Robert Bannon” everyday right here on The Broadway Podcast Network!

www.RobertBannon.com

Follow on IG @RobertMBannon or @theroundtablewithrobertbannon

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We love up and coming artists especially ones not afraid to take a stand! That is where Amber Akhtar comes in! She wrote a new short called "Cycle" that is getting raves!

Cycle is a short film written by Amber Akhtar, a 22-year-old filmmaker who grew up in Michigan. She just finished her BFA in Dramatic Writing with a minor in Producing at NYU Tisch. During her time at NYU, she wrote two features and many short films and worked on a thesis film selected for Tribeca 2022. She has interned for companies such as The Gotham Film and TV, Cinetic Media, and The Producers Guild.

When asked what motivated her to write this film, Amber said, “Cycle touches on issues of reproductive rights, sexual assault, generational trauma, and substance abuse. Centering around abortion, the short explores the shame of such a stigmatized topic and the struggle for women to be seen and heard authentically. I hope it serves as a reminder that it’s okay to ask for help, and women are not alone at their most vulnerable moments. It’s a lesson I am still learning myself and intend to put into practice for the rest of my life.”

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Check out “The Roundtable with Robert Bannon” everyday right here on The Broadway Podcast Network!

www.RobertBannon.com

Follow on IG @RobertMBannon or @theroundtablewithrobertbannon

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you listen to our show, you know we love the Vineyard! We come to you from the red carpet where we speak to Tony Winner, Emmy Nominee, Star of "Modern Family" Jesse Tyler Ferguson! He gives marriage advice, talks theatre, and flying in from the SAG awards!

Plus his friends are here! We have Bros/Hallmark Star Luke Macfarlane, Tony Winner Celia Keenan-Bolger, Broadway Star Montego Glover, Talk Show Icon Rolanda Watts, Star of "Law & Order" Kathryn Erbe, "Shucked" Star Kevin Cahoon, and more! 

We had such a good time! This is such a fun chat! Listen up and support www.VineyardTheatre.org

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Check out “The Roundtable with Robert Bannon” everyday right here on The Broadway Podcast Network!

www.RobertBannon.com

Follow on IG @RobertMBannon or @theroundtablewithrobertbannon

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am in the midst of "Mean Girls" Mania at NJPAC! I have the pleasure and privilege of directing the JR. version for this year! Well, we love the movie, the show, and we love Jaquel Spivey! He wowed us in "A Strange Loop," and he came out giving us all the Damien realness! We were here for it!

We are so honored to have Jaquel on the show. He gives us his thoughts on Broadway, his journey to the movies, and so much more! This is a special one with a future superstar! Do not miss this one at all!

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Check out “The Roundtable with Robert Bannon” everyday right here on The Broadway Podcast Network!

www.RobertBannon.com

Follow on IG @RobertMBannon or @theroundtablewithrobertbannon

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices