April 2, 2025 • 16 mins
Inside Broadway podcast host Christine Nagy sat down with Tony Award-winning actress Beth Leavel, marking her 15th Broadway show with Sondheim’s Old Friends.
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
iHeartRadio Broadway presents Inside Broadway, the podcast about everything theater.
It's where you hear what happens from the ticket window
to the stage door, with the stars and creative forces
that make it all come alive. Here's your host, Light
FM's Christine Neggy.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
All right, we are thrilled to welcome a true Broadway goddess,
a legend Tony Award winning actress, Beth Level. Now she's
about to star in Sondheim's Old Friends. It's true. You
deserve this, trust me, marking her fifteenth Broadway show. Beth,
You've been nominated for three Tony Awards, most recently The
Prom which I loved, love you in that so so much,
(00:44):
and also your unforgettable performance in The Drowsy Chaperone, which
of course you were incredible. So welcome to Inside Broadway.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Oh, thank you so much, Christine, Thank you for that
lovely intro.
Speaker 4 (00:55):
Absolutely thank you, BA Broadway goddess.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
You are Broadway Goddess. Yes, I am so.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Getting a hoodie with that on it. Beth Level, Broadway goddess.
Clear please I want you to wear it.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Absolutely so you are now, I know, just opening your
in previews for Sondheim's old friends. Can you tell us
about this shows? It's a musical review, It's Sunheim. How
did it all come together?
Speaker 4 (01:19):
It's so.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
I think theater goers are going to lose their minds
with this show.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
It's the best of Stephen.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
Sondheim in one musical that goes from his greatest hit
to his greatest hit, to oh my gosh, I didn't
know he wrote that, to what an interesting song choice
this is? And it's kind of a review and elaborately
and deliciously produced beautiful sets and costumes, and you just
(01:52):
sit back, fasten your seat belt and enjoy Stephen Sondheim
with this amazing cast of some of the most talented people,
led by Bernadette Peters.
Speaker 4 (02:02):
You know, I've heard of her.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Bernet Atte Peters and Leah Salanga and the rest of
us storytellers singing and celebrating Steven Sondheim and his brilliance.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
I mean, it sounds wonderful. And you had the opportunity
to start working with him. Did this start to come
about during the pandemic? Like working with him on this
show in particular?
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Now I know, sadly, sadly, sadly, I never worked with him.
It started in London as a gala, I think right
after the pandemic, so he does have his DNA all
over it.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
In addition to it being his music.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
And then they did it in London and it was
such a hit that our producer, Cameron McIntosh, decided to
bring it to the States. So half of our company,
which I just love, is from the UK and the
other half are our New York storytellers. And we just
finished a six week run in Los Angeles to great acclaim,
and we had a week off and we came back
(02:57):
and now we're at the Samuel Friedman Previews and we
open April eighth.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Incredibly exciting. I know in LA you've been getting standing ovations.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
Isn't that what? Well beautiful what we get to sing?
Speaker 3 (03:11):
And yes, and again it's like, oh my gosh, that's
the greatest hit there here.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
Let's have a little Sweeney, have a little weekend in
the country. It's just.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
I feel like I am swimming in a Sondheime pool
that I never want to get out of, and to
the point where even when I'm not singing, I like
to be in the wings just listen and feel his music.
Speaker 4 (03:36):
And we have a huge.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Orchestra and that doesn't always happen on Broadway, and they're
on stage with us, so it's just it's a singular
special event of son.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Time and you're doing the Ladies Who Lunch.
Speaker 4 (03:49):
I get to sing the Ladies who Lunch.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
So tell us about your interpretation of that please.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
I know people going, oh my gosh, well, how did
you come to this or what you know? It's been
done so brilliantly by so many wonderful people, starting with
a Lane Stretch and Patty Lapone, and I just I
don't have an approach.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
I just get out there.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
And because I'm not in the show company, the boundaries
of storytelling.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
Are a little blurred.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
So this is just Beth Level's interpretation with my audience
of Ladies who Lunch, and you're just gonna have to
come see it.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Yeah, we would love to do that.
Speaker 4 (04:30):
About that?
Speaker 2 (04:31):
That sounds good to me. It's interesting. It seems like,
you know, this is the time of year where the
Broadway season gets incredibly busy and there's all these wonderful,
exciting shows opening. There's like six degrees of Beth Level,
maybe one degree. You're attached to a lot of these shows.
From what I'm understanding.
Speaker 4 (04:50):
Isn't that cool?
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Yes, yeah, it really is, Like I we should all
meet in this in Times Square. You know, Brooks and
from Prom is doing Smash, Chris Sieber is over there,
and Death becomes her Bob Martin, I mean, who wrote
Drowsey Chaperone and Prom. It's just, you know, we're all
six degrees of storytelling.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
And I'm sure like it's such a beautiful community where
you all for each other as well.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
It's so funny Wednesday, we haven't had many We're not
on a show show schedule yet, but Wednesday, you know,
it's two shows and I walked out on Ninth Avenue
and there's all these people coming from Gypsy. I'm like,
I forget how wonderful it is walking the streets of
Hell's Kitchen in between shows you can get catch up
(05:37):
with a lot of people in our community.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
You played Mama Rose.
Speaker 4 (05:42):
I did.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
I played it at one time when I was in
grad school, when I was probably nineteen.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
Probably not best started by Mama Rose.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
But then I also played it at a very intimate
theater called the Muni in Saint Louis, which I think
seats eleven to twelve thousand people. Yeah, there's a picture
of it back there that if you could see me,
you'd see the poster for the show. It was spectacular
and my husband Adam Heller was my Herbie and Julian Knightel,
who is in Dead Outlaw played my.
Speaker 4 (06:12):
Daughter Gypsy rose Lee. It's another six degrees.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
So is that I don't know how you could choose
a favorite, But is that like a standout experience for
you just in your absolutely?
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Yeah, absolutely a because you know it's such a daunting
role and you want to do it justice and you
don't want to mess it up.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
And I'm really proud of that performance.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
And it was directed Robert Guerro and it was just
one of those moments in my career that I'm really
glad I had the courage to say yes.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Has there ever been anything that you said no to?
Or are you always just brave and go yep, I
can do that.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
I try not. You know opportunities, why would you say no?
Who is that?
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Wayne the hockey player said you miss one hundred percent
of the shots that you never take. It was like, just,
you know, put on your big girl pants and just
say yes.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
Just do it, do it?
Speaker 2 (07:08):
So can we revisit the prom for a moment, please,
because I.
Speaker 4 (07:11):
Love yes, please so much.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Can we bring it back like right now?
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Call your people and yeah, you know, even though we
closed way too early. What brings my heart joy is
that it is being done everywhere. It is being done
in my hometown right now where I am. I went
and gave a little Q and A to the high school,
(07:39):
and so that message is being sent everywhere that the prom,
you know, the love that prom represents the acceptance. And
I'm thrilled, I mean, and now it's going like around
the world.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
I'm just so happy.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
It's one of those shows that I'm so proud to
have been a part of, so proud, and yes, I
would love I don't know if I could climb up
those stairs and belt like I did, you know, six
years ago, But let's don't say no exactly exactly.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
I've got faith in you. I know you could do it.
That role was written specifically for you, correct it was.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
And I remember sitting around the table and it's like, oh, Beth,
we wrote this role just for you, this bitchy narcissistic
actor that has been It's like.
Speaker 4 (08:26):
That, thank you. Yeah, and you know I climbed it.
I owned it. D d Allen.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
I love her and all her flaws and her glory.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
You're just so much fun, so absolutely bringing us back
to Sondheim's old friends. How does this feel for you
the people that you're working with? Is this revew like
inner circle?
Speaker 3 (08:49):
It's like going to school every day just listening, and
you know, I always I feel like I'm a perpetual student,
and each show I learned something, and this is just
I'm learning so much about Sondheime and music and.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
What I love about the show.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
It has every ensemble member is a principal and it's
been a long time since I've had to learn a
second alto line and it's good for me, and I'm
learning it in Stephen Sondheim's music, and it's just I
just sit around and go, I am so privileged to
be in this DNA with this glorious music in this cast,
(09:29):
and the audience, oh my gosh, they just go cuckoo
for it. And we feel that it's such a shared
experience of love of musical theater and Sondheime and Broadway.
Speaker 4 (09:44):
I don't think it gets much better.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Yeah, it's I mean, it's so nice to hear because
it does feel like such a strong community and that
you feel the energy from the audience, you feel the
love from the audience.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
Gosh, yes, and this music, just his music touches us,
you know, to get up there and sing the end
of Sunday in the Park.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
Oh, it's like church, it really is.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
I can imagine when you come out the stage door.
I'm sure there are people waiting to meet you. How
is that for you? Does it feel overwhelming or are
you good with this? And I'm sure you want to
meet everybody, but you're just on a show.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
You know, it's again and people need to tell me
how they feel. And that's so wonderful. It's so interesting
this stage door experiences. People are like thank you, this
show meant blah blah blah, where like drowsy and proms
like yes, people are still in the zone in the
(10:53):
stage door, and you know, it's like, yes, we did
experience that together.
Speaker 4 (10:58):
Thank you and telling me.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
You know, Sweety Todd was the first musical I ever
saw and it changed my life.
Speaker 4 (11:04):
It's again, Sondheim. He's kind of magical.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Yeah, it sounds like an incredible experience, so we don't
want to miss it. So once again, Beth Level is
back on Broadway Sondheim's Old Friends I Must See. The
production is running through Sunday, June fifteenth, at the Samuel J.
Friedman Theater. Tickets are on sale telecharge dot Com and
of course at the Samuel J. Friedman Box office. It's
(11:29):
such a pleasure to talk with you, Beth.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
Thanks Christein.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Now, please stay with us because we're going to keep
Beth a little bit longer. Go behind the scenes with
Beth Level on Inside Broadway.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
Don't go away. Let's spend a little extra time with
our guest, Christine Nagy takes you behind the scenes on
Inside Broadway.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
And welcome to behind the Scenes where we get up
close and personal with some of Broadway's biggest stars. Today
we are chatting with Beth Level. Beth has been nominated
for three Tony Awards, most recently for the prom she
won for her unforgettable performance in The Drowsey Chaperone, which
is fantastic, Beth. Our audience is always curious about the
unique routines and inspirations of our favorite performers, so we
(12:13):
have a few questions for you, kind of behind the
scenes questions. If that's okay listening Okay, here we go.
Do you have any pre show rituals or superstitions.
Speaker 4 (12:24):
I don't.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
Well, you know I say that, but because we're in previews,
we're discovering. Each show presents new rituals. And I get
to share a dressing room with three fabulous other women,
so we're all trying to fit our rituals in together
in one dressing room.
Speaker 4 (12:40):
I like to go before my big song.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
I like to go in a very quiet place, put
my fingers in my ear and go over my lyrics.
I like once, I know at five minutes, I have
to warm up. And like I said, I'm discovering this ritual,
which is very exciting. But each show it's a new ritual.
Oh but you know, I know I have to warm
you know, vocal stretch a little bit, and but sometimes
(13:05):
it's just being quiet and just kind of plugging in.
And I'm still discovering that at the Samuel J. Friedman Theater,
which is very exciting.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
For Someheimes old friends. We should we should you mentioned that? Yes,
who are you sharing a dressing room with?
Speaker 3 (13:21):
Oh, Kate uh, Kate Jennings, Grant, Joanna and Bonnie Langford.
So you know, two Brits and Kate and I the Americas.
But at the end of the night, I'm actually tolking
like this. It's like, no, I can put the kids
along because we're going to have some tea.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
That sounds like fun. What's the best piece of advice
that you've received in your career?
Speaker 4 (13:44):
Oh my gosh, and I still get it, you know,
I still look like I said, I'm a perpetual student.
Speaker 3 (13:48):
But I think the best piece of advice I ever
got is your singularity is your biggest gift. So never
trying to imitate be someone else, and just try to
find your authenticity in your own self and learn and
grow from that.
Speaker 4 (14:08):
That's kind of takes a lot of like, phew, I
don't have to be anything else.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
But me, right. I think that's beautiful advice to share
with everyone. And something about being a theater performer that
maybe people don't realize.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Oh I love it when people say, oh my gosh,
you just come to work and you're just three hours
a day. I'm like, oh, hang on, you have no
it's eight shows a week.
Speaker 4 (14:31):
Is kind of all you can do, you know.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
I commute, so on Wednesdays and Saturdays, I'm at the
show pretty much fourteen hours a day, and when you're
not at the show, say, if I have an eight
o'clock call, I have to be there at seven thirty.
But one of my rituals, I guess, is being there
at least an hour before, and that means I can't
(14:56):
have normal dinners.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
It's it's taking.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Care of yourself and doing eight shows a week is
so exciting and it's all I can do. I would
imagine my dow say hello, my husband and my kids
and my cat Malcolm.
Speaker 4 (15:12):
But it's you know, you have to get enough sleep,
you have to eat this, you don't eat that, you
have to go to bed, do you have to get up?
Blah blah blah blah.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
It's that is my ritual, taking care of myself and
doing the best I can eight shows a week.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
I'm so glad you're doing it. Beth is back on
Broadway again, Sondheim's old Friends. It is running through June fifteenth,
twenty twenty five, of course, at the Samuel J. Friedman Theater.
Tickets on sale at telecharge dot com and at the
Samuel J. Friedman box office. Beth, I mean this has
been wonderful talking with you. Thank you for bringing us
back having the scenes on Inside Broadway. Thank you really
(15:46):
for taking the time. Law, Thank you so much, and
thank you for listening. Make sure you follow iHeartRadio Broadway
on all your favorite social media platforms. Check out the
iHeartRadio Broadway channel to hear all your favorite Broadway hits
on the free iHeartRadio app and add it to your presets.
Until next time, I'm Christine Naggy. This is Inside Broadway.
iHeartRadio Broadway presents Inside Broadway, the podcast about everything theater.
It's where you hear what happens from the ticket window
to the stage door, with the stars and creative forces
that make it all come alive. Here's your host, Light
FM's Christine Neggy.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
All right, we are thrilled to welcome a true Broadway goddess,
a legend Tony Award winning actress, Beth Level. Now she's
about to star in Sondheim's Old Friends. It's true. You
deserve this, trust me, marking her fifteenth Broadway show. Beth,
You've been nominated for three Tony Awards, most recently The
Prom which I loved, love you in that so so much,
(00:44):
and also your unforgettable performance in The Drowsy Chaperone, which
of course you were incredible. So welcome to Inside Broadway.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Oh, thank you so much, Christine, Thank you for that
lovely intro.
Speaker 4 (00:55):
Absolutely thank you, BA Broadway goddess.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
You are Broadway Goddess. Yes, I am so.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Getting a hoodie with that on it. Beth Level, Broadway goddess.
Clear please I want you to wear it.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Absolutely so you are now, I know, just opening your
in previews for Sondheim's old friends. Can you tell us
about this shows? It's a musical review, It's Sunheim. How
did it all come together?
Speaker 4 (01:19):
It's so.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
I think theater goers are going to lose their minds
with this show.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
It's the best of Stephen.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
Sondheim in one musical that goes from his greatest hit
to his greatest hit, to oh my gosh, I didn't
know he wrote that, to what an interesting song choice
this is? And it's kind of a review and elaborately
and deliciously produced beautiful sets and costumes, and you just
(01:52):
sit back, fasten your seat belt and enjoy Stephen Sondheim
with this amazing cast of some of the most talented people,
led by Bernadette Peters.
Speaker 4 (02:02):
You know, I've heard of her.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Bernet Atte Peters and Leah Salanga and the rest of
us storytellers singing and celebrating Steven Sondheim and his brilliance.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
I mean, it sounds wonderful. And you had the opportunity
to start working with him. Did this start to come
about during the pandemic? Like working with him on this
show in particular?
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Now I know, sadly, sadly, sadly, I never worked with him.
It started in London as a gala, I think right
after the pandemic, so he does have his DNA all
over it.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
In addition to it being his music.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
And then they did it in London and it was
such a hit that our producer, Cameron McIntosh, decided to
bring it to the States. So half of our company,
which I just love, is from the UK and the
other half are our New York storytellers. And we just
finished a six week run in Los Angeles to great acclaim,
and we had a week off and we came back
(02:57):
and now we're at the Samuel Friedman Previews and we
open April eighth.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Incredibly exciting. I know in LA you've been getting standing ovations.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
Isn't that what? Well beautiful what we get to sing?
Speaker 3 (03:11):
And yes, and again it's like, oh my gosh, that's
the greatest hit there here.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
Let's have a little Sweeney, have a little weekend in
the country. It's just.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
I feel like I am swimming in a Sondheime pool
that I never want to get out of, and to
the point where even when I'm not singing, I like
to be in the wings just listen and feel his music.
Speaker 4 (03:36):
And we have a huge.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Orchestra and that doesn't always happen on Broadway, and they're
on stage with us, so it's just it's a singular
special event of son.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Time and you're doing the Ladies Who Lunch.
Speaker 4 (03:49):
I get to sing the Ladies who Lunch.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
So tell us about your interpretation of that please.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
I know people going, oh my gosh, well, how did
you come to this or what you know? It's been
done so brilliantly by so many wonderful people, starting with
a Lane Stretch and Patty Lapone, and I just I
don't have an approach.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
I just get out there.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
And because I'm not in the show company, the boundaries
of storytelling.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
Are a little blurred.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
So this is just Beth Level's interpretation with my audience
of Ladies who Lunch, and you're just gonna have to
come see it.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Yeah, we would love to do that.
Speaker 4 (04:30):
About that?
Speaker 2 (04:31):
That sounds good to me. It's interesting. It seems like,
you know, this is the time of year where the
Broadway season gets incredibly busy and there's all these wonderful,
exciting shows opening. There's like six degrees of Beth Level,
maybe one degree. You're attached to a lot of these shows.
From what I'm understanding.
Speaker 4 (04:50):
Isn't that cool?
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Yes, yeah, it really is, Like I we should all
meet in this in Times Square. You know, Brooks and
from Prom is doing Smash, Chris Sieber is over there,
and Death becomes her Bob Martin, I mean, who wrote
Drowsey Chaperone and Prom. It's just, you know, we're all
six degrees of storytelling.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
And I'm sure like it's such a beautiful community where
you all for each other as well.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
It's so funny Wednesday, we haven't had many We're not
on a show show schedule yet, but Wednesday, you know,
it's two shows and I walked out on Ninth Avenue
and there's all these people coming from Gypsy. I'm like,
I forget how wonderful it is walking the streets of
Hell's Kitchen in between shows you can get catch up
(05:37):
with a lot of people in our community.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
You played Mama Rose.
Speaker 4 (05:42):
I did.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
I played it at one time when I was in
grad school, when I was probably nineteen.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
Probably not best started by Mama Rose.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
But then I also played it at a very intimate
theater called the Muni in Saint Louis, which I think
seats eleven to twelve thousand people. Yeah, there's a picture
of it back there that if you could see me,
you'd see the poster for the show. It was spectacular
and my husband Adam Heller was my Herbie and Julian Knightel,
who is in Dead Outlaw played my.
Speaker 4 (06:12):
Daughter Gypsy rose Lee. It's another six degrees.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
So is that I don't know how you could choose
a favorite, But is that like a standout experience for
you just in your absolutely?
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Yeah, absolutely a because you know it's such a daunting
role and you want to do it justice and you
don't want to mess it up.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
And I'm really proud of that performance.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
And it was directed Robert Guerro and it was just
one of those moments in my career that I'm really
glad I had the courage to say yes.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Has there ever been anything that you said no to?
Or are you always just brave and go yep, I
can do that.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
I try not. You know opportunities, why would you say no?
Who is that?
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Wayne the hockey player said you miss one hundred percent
of the shots that you never take. It was like, just,
you know, put on your big girl pants and just
say yes.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
Just do it, do it?
Speaker 2 (07:08):
So can we revisit the prom for a moment, please,
because I.
Speaker 4 (07:11):
Love yes, please so much.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Can we bring it back like right now?
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Call your people and yeah, you know, even though we
closed way too early. What brings my heart joy is
that it is being done everywhere. It is being done
in my hometown right now where I am. I went
and gave a little Q and A to the high school,
(07:39):
and so that message is being sent everywhere that the prom,
you know, the love that prom represents the acceptance. And
I'm thrilled, I mean, and now it's going like around
the world.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
I'm just so happy.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
It's one of those shows that I'm so proud to
have been a part of, so proud, and yes, I
would love I don't know if I could climb up
those stairs and belt like I did, you know, six
years ago, But let's don't say no exactly exactly.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
I've got faith in you. I know you could do it.
That role was written specifically for you, correct it was.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
And I remember sitting around the table and it's like, oh, Beth,
we wrote this role just for you, this bitchy narcissistic
actor that has been It's like.
Speaker 4 (08:26):
That, thank you. Yeah, and you know I climbed it.
I owned it. D d Allen.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
I love her and all her flaws and her glory.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
You're just so much fun, so absolutely bringing us back
to Sondheim's old friends. How does this feel for you
the people that you're working with? Is this revew like
inner circle?
Speaker 3 (08:49):
It's like going to school every day just listening, and
you know, I always I feel like I'm a perpetual student,
and each show I learned something, and this is just
I'm learning so much about Sondheime and music and.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
What I love about the show.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
It has every ensemble member is a principal and it's
been a long time since I've had to learn a
second alto line and it's good for me, and I'm
learning it in Stephen Sondheim's music, and it's just I
just sit around and go, I am so privileged to
be in this DNA with this glorious music in this cast,
(09:29):
and the audience, oh my gosh, they just go cuckoo
for it. And we feel that it's such a shared
experience of love of musical theater and Sondheime and Broadway.
Speaker 4 (09:44):
I don't think it gets much better.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Yeah, it's I mean, it's so nice to hear because
it does feel like such a strong community and that
you feel the energy from the audience, you feel the
love from the audience.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
Gosh, yes, and this music, just his music touches us,
you know, to get up there and sing the end
of Sunday in the Park.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
Oh, it's like church, it really is.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
I can imagine when you come out the stage door.
I'm sure there are people waiting to meet you. How
is that for you? Does it feel overwhelming or are
you good with this? And I'm sure you want to
meet everybody, but you're just on a show.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
You know, it's again and people need to tell me
how they feel. And that's so wonderful. It's so interesting
this stage door experiences. People are like thank you, this
show meant blah blah blah, where like drowsy and proms
like yes, people are still in the zone in the
(10:53):
stage door, and you know, it's like, yes, we did
experience that together.
Speaker 4 (10:58):
Thank you and telling me.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
You know, Sweety Todd was the first musical I ever
saw and it changed my life.
Speaker 4 (11:04):
It's again, Sondheim. He's kind of magical.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Yeah, it sounds like an incredible experience, so we don't
want to miss it. So once again, Beth Level is
back on Broadway Sondheim's Old Friends I Must See. The
production is running through Sunday, June fifteenth, at the Samuel J.
Friedman Theater. Tickets are on sale telecharge dot Com and
of course at the Samuel J. Friedman Box office. It's
(11:29):
such a pleasure to talk with you, Beth.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
Thanks Christein.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Now, please stay with us because we're going to keep
Beth a little bit longer. Go behind the scenes with
Beth Level on Inside Broadway.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
Don't go away. Let's spend a little extra time with
our guest, Christine Nagy takes you behind the scenes on
Inside Broadway.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
And welcome to behind the Scenes where we get up
close and personal with some of Broadway's biggest stars. Today
we are chatting with Beth Level. Beth has been nominated
for three Tony Awards, most recently for the prom she
won for her unforgettable performance in The Drowsey Chaperone, which
is fantastic, Beth. Our audience is always curious about the
unique routines and inspirations of our favorite performers, so we
(12:13):
have a few questions for you, kind of behind the
scenes questions. If that's okay listening Okay, here we go.
Do you have any pre show rituals or superstitions.
Speaker 4 (12:24):
I don't.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
Well, you know I say that, but because we're in previews,
we're discovering. Each show presents new rituals. And I get
to share a dressing room with three fabulous other women,
so we're all trying to fit our rituals in together
in one dressing room.
Speaker 4 (12:40):
I like to go before my big song.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
I like to go in a very quiet place, put
my fingers in my ear and go over my lyrics.
I like once, I know at five minutes, I have
to warm up. And like I said, I'm discovering this ritual,
which is very exciting. But each show it's a new ritual.
Oh but you know, I know I have to warm
you know, vocal stretch a little bit, and but sometimes
(13:05):
it's just being quiet and just kind of plugging in.
And I'm still discovering that at the Samuel J. Friedman Theater,
which is very exciting.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
For Someheimes old friends. We should we should you mentioned that? Yes,
who are you sharing a dressing room with?
Speaker 3 (13:21):
Oh, Kate uh, Kate Jennings, Grant, Joanna and Bonnie Langford.
So you know, two Brits and Kate and I the Americas.
But at the end of the night, I'm actually tolking
like this. It's like, no, I can put the kids
along because we're going to have some tea.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
That sounds like fun. What's the best piece of advice
that you've received in your career?
Speaker 4 (13:44):
Oh my gosh, and I still get it, you know,
I still look like I said, I'm a perpetual student.
Speaker 3 (13:48):
But I think the best piece of advice I ever
got is your singularity is your biggest gift. So never
trying to imitate be someone else, and just try to
find your authenticity in your own self and learn and
grow from that.
Speaker 4 (14:08):
That's kind of takes a lot of like, phew, I
don't have to be anything else.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
But me, right. I think that's beautiful advice to share
with everyone. And something about being a theater performer that
maybe people don't realize.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Oh I love it when people say, oh my gosh,
you just come to work and you're just three hours
a day. I'm like, oh, hang on, you have no
it's eight shows a week.
Speaker 4 (14:31):
Is kind of all you can do, you know.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
I commute, so on Wednesdays and Saturdays, I'm at the
show pretty much fourteen hours a day, and when you're
not at the show, say, if I have an eight
o'clock call, I have to be there at seven thirty.
But one of my rituals, I guess, is being there
at least an hour before, and that means I can't
(14:56):
have normal dinners.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
It's it's taking.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Care of yourself and doing eight shows a week is
so exciting and it's all I can do. I would
imagine my dow say hello, my husband and my kids
and my cat Malcolm.
Speaker 4 (15:12):
But it's you know, you have to get enough sleep,
you have to eat this, you don't eat that, you
have to go to bed, do you have to get up?
Blah blah blah blah.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
It's that is my ritual, taking care of myself and
doing the best I can eight shows a week.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
I'm so glad you're doing it. Beth is back on
Broadway again, Sondheim's old Friends. It is running through June fifteenth,
twenty twenty five, of course, at the Samuel J. Friedman Theater.
Tickets on sale at telecharge dot com and at the
Samuel J. Friedman box office. Beth, I mean this has
been wonderful talking with you. Thank you for bringing us
back having the scenes on Inside Broadway. Thank you really
(15:46):
for taking the time. Law, Thank you so much, and
thank you for listening. Make sure you follow iHeartRadio Broadway
on all your favorite social media platforms. Check out the
iHeartRadio Broadway channel to hear all your favorite Broadway hits
on the free iHeartRadio app and add it to your presets.
Until next time, I'm Christine Naggy. This is Inside Broadway.
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