Transcript
Heath Saunders (0:00)
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Matt Tammani (0:35)
Welcome.
Unknown (0:35)
To Today on Broadway for Friday, May 9, 2025. I'm Broadway Radio's Matt Tammani. I'm coming to you on my own today because today's going to be a hybrid episode where I have a little bit of news and then we will dive into a fantastic interview that I had last week with Heath Saunders, who has been on Broadway in Natasha Pierre and the great comedy of 1812 and company, as well as done a ton of other shows in New York and around the country, and is always a favorite on the cabaret scene. He's getting ready to play Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Oslo Rep in Sarasota, Florida, coming up later this month. And what's so interesting about Heath doing that role is that one, he was in Jesus Christ Superstar live. He was in the ensemble, and he was Brandon Victor Dixon's understudy for Judas, obviously was one I'd only don't really need an understudy, hopefully. But he also played the role of Jesus in an acclaimed production of the show in Chicago, which is the production that led to this most recent national tour that went off. It was the same staging based off of the Regent's Park Open Air Theater production in London. So he has been a disciple, he has been Jesus, and now he's going to be Judas. So we had a great conversation. We talked about his history with Jesus Christ Superstar, how he approaches the show, the work that his incredible family does, his sisters Alana and Claire and his brother Trent. I just saw Trent in Dead Outlaw on Broadway, so some wonderful stuff in there. So stick around for that. But before we get into that, let's dive into some news. And it's not often that I can say on this show that CNN is reporting something that we're going to talk about. And this has to do with the fact that President Donald Trump is planning to be in attendance for the June 11 national tour stop for Les Miserables at the Kennedy Center. According to cnn, unnamed sources have confirmed to the news organization that the company Managers have given the cast and other members of the company the option to not perform for the day that Trump is there. And as of now, at least 10 to 12 are planning to sit out. And CNN says that this is, quote, both major cast members and members of the ensemble. We don't know at this point who those are or if there are more than that, but that is currently the plan. Les Mis is scheduled to play in Washington, D.C. from June 11. That'll be the first performance when President Trump is supposed to be there through July 13th. Obviously, this stems back to the story that we've been covering quite a bit over the past few months about this administration's handling of not only the Kennedy center with booting all of the arts focused administrators and taking them over themselves, as well as the cutting of the National Endowment for the Arts and many other outreach programs that the federal government has been giving that so many arts organizations around the country rely on. So, you know, I do find it funny that in a show that is about revolution, is about students and in some cases even artists going against the encroaching authoritarianism of the ruling class, that this is going to anger some people. But media literacy has never been the the hallmark of fascist and authoritarian governments. So we'll see what happens. Will Trump actually show up? Who knows? Will there be anybody to do the show if he does show up? That still remains to be seen. All right. Speaking of national tours, yesterday we got the full cast for the upcoming 25th anniversary production of Beauty and the Beast that is going to be setting out on a national Tour beginning on June 25th in Schenectady, New York, before it officially opens in Chicago in July. We already knew that Kira Bell Johnson will be playing Belle. It's in her name there. She was like born for that role. And then the always wonderful Fergie Phillipe is going to be playing Beast. Now we know that Stephen Mark Lucas will be playing Gaston. Danny Gardner will be playing Lumiere. Kathy Voitko will be playing Mrs. Potts. Javier Ignacio will be playing Cogsworth. Harry Francis will be Lafu. Kevin Lagann is going to be Maurice. Holly Ann Butler will be Madame Cameron. Monroe Thomas will be Babette and Beatrice Goddard Beggs and Levi Blaze Coleman will.
