Matt Tamonini (4:08)

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Unnamed Speaker (4:52)

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Matt Tamonini (5:25)

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James Marino (5:51)

All right. With us today we have a very special guest. Oliver Roth is with us. Typically, you hear Oliver joining us on Broadway radio with Matt Tamonini because Oliver is a award winning Broadway producer and a good friend of Matt's. But since Matt was away, I thought I'd steal in and say, hey, Oliver, come help me out here with today on Broadway. Oliver, thanks for joining us.

Oliver Roth (6:15)

Thanks for having me. I was, I was so pleased to hear your voice on Monday and I'm excited that you're including me on your big special guest starring week.

James Marino (6:25)

Well, you know, going out with a bang, that's what we do. It's as if we'd never said goodbye.

Oliver Roth (6:32)

Yes.

James Marino (6:33)

Which reminds me, you are one of the producers of Sunset Boulevard. So tell us how you got involved in Sunset.

Oliver Roth (6:42)

Sunset, which is a truly special project. Sunset. Friends of mine, don't pick.

James Marino (6:48)

It's hard to pick among your children. Don't pick a favorite child.

Oliver Roth (6:51)

It is. But it's really one of my favorite projects that I've seen as an audience member even. And actually this is part of the story. So friends of mine, who I produced a lot with in London, who produced with ATG a lot, who were the lead producers of Sunset in London, said, hey, we're doing this project. It's Sunset Boulevard. It's Nicole Scherzinger, it's Jamie Lloyd in London. Would you like to take a look at it? And to be honest, I just done Doll's House, but I'd seen all Jamie Lloyd stuff and I really loved it. And I'd seen Sons of Boulevard before and I really did not love it. And, but, but Jamie has this way that I, I remember seeing several other Jamie Lloyd productions of properties that I wasn't totally obsessed with that just blew me away. And so it was, it was a very rare thing. I don't do this often, but I said to my friends, I said, I sort of took a look at it and I said, yeah, I'll do it with you. And this was the first time I saw the production. You know, I mean, I knew a little bit about what they were doing over there. This was happening in London. I was in New York. But the first time I actually sat through the production was opening night in London. And it was one of the very rare times in my life and career where I'd ever signed on to produce something, to be financially involved in something to have my name above the title on something and have not seen it, seen a version of it before the opening night of the performance. And I sat there on opening night and 10 minutes. But I got the gist. I believed in the. In sort of the alchemy of it in Jamie Lloyd plus Sunset plus Nicole. And I sat there on opening night and I turned to my husband, who produced it with me, actually. And 10 minutes into the production, I turned to him and I was like, that was probably the best 10 minutes of musical theater I've ever seen. And so that was really. It's a sort of funny origin story because I. I was so uninvolved in it. It's on set, but it's such a magical production. And I'm so grateful that they had me on at that early stage. And then when it came to New York, I said, of course I want to keep with it. And I'm super happy because now I get to see. I pop into the theater as often as I can to watch, you know, some of the magical moments, especially the top of Act 2. And it's. It's just one of my favorite productions I've ever experienced. As an audience member, I won't pick a favorite production I produce, but as an audience member, it really is one of my favorite.

James Marino (9:54)

You're just walking down 44th street and you're like, hey, there's my Show Walking down 44th Street.

Oliver Roth (10:00)

You know.

James Marino (10:01)

You know, I can't even imagine what the insurance is like for that.

Oliver Roth (10:05)

You know, it's funny you say that. I've seen the production. I can't even count how many times between London and New York. I've seen the production a lot of times. And I'm kicking myself about even saying this out loud. I've never seen it from the outside. And I keep. Really, I keep. Yeah, because I don't know, I just. I love seeing it from inside, but I keep thinking to myself, I've gotta go do like I watch. If you've seen the show, you know that in the tumble Dr. There's this live outdoor moment. And every time I see it, from the first time I saw it in London, where it was at the Savoy, and there was this great pathway around the back, and there was a pub there, and there was always people at the pub hanging out. And it was just this amazing thing of watching some suspecting and some unsuspecting people on the street watch the moment happen. And every time I sit in there and I see the production, I think, oh, my God. I would love to watch this from out there. And I've never done it, and I have to do it. Maybe I'll do it this week. Now that you've put it in my.

James Marino (11:10)

Brain, that was some feature in the New York Times when they did the feature on the outside aspect of it down 44th Street. Your press reps got good placement there.

Oliver Roth (11:26)

It's amazing. I mean, you know, like I said, I just. I'm in total awe of what they've accomplished. And my jaw was on the floor the first time. I, you know, like, really. There was like, that opening night. I would say about 10 minutes in. I just was. Nicole hadn't even entered the stage, and I just thought it was amazing. And then Nicole obviously blew my socks off. And then. And then when I saw that moment, I was like, this is just, as you can tell from the way I'm talking about it, I really have not had an experience like that in the theater in a long time. And I think that it was probably. I'm sure it was not as easy to place as I'm saying, but I think it's a press piece worth telling. It's an amazing feat of theatrical accomplishment. I know close to zero about how they get it done every night. Well, I know as much as was published in that article, and if you haven't given it a read, you really should. It's a really, really amazing piece about all the people and logistics involved in doing a full Broadway number. I think it's. James. It's something like eight minutes or something outdoors. It's a really amazing theatrical moment.

James Marino (12:49)

I'll dig it up and put it in the show notes for today's episode. But you sitting there and opening night and never having seen the production in full yet and being financially involved above the title, it's like you went all in on it.

Oliver Roth (13:12)

Yeah, it's true. Queuing up another production title on there. It's true. Like I said, I really rarely do that. I have a really, really beautiful relationship with the producers in London, ATG and Wessex Grove. I do a lot of shows with them, and I have a lot of. Of trust in them because I've done a lot of work with them. And so that. And having been a fan of Jamie's for so long, was how I decided to do that. But then it's harder for me to do that for a show in New York because I sort of have no excuse to not find some way in. Of being. Relating to the material. Of finding the material. Going to a reading or going to or at least reading the script beforehand. But boy, am I glad I actually have to give props to my husband. I was a little hesitant and my husband said, I really think this is going to be a special production. And it is so All In.

James Marino (14:23)

A comedy about love. You guys are rotating that cast out like you're the Weisslers.

Oliver Roth (14:29)

Yeah, exactly. All in has been really amazing. I will say, having seen the cast that's in it right now, Annaleigh Ashford, Tim Meadows, they just went in. What does it say? Thursday on Tuesday. So I haven't seen this current cast yet, but I've gotten to see all the iterations so far and it's a great show. I appreciate the self promotion you've allowed me on the episode so far, but All In's a great show. You have until February 16th to see that. That and Romeo and Juliet close on the. So talking about. We were talking before we started recording about all the shows that I have running sort of simultaneously. And it's. I have trouble keeping track of the schedules, but I know that February 16th, all in closes and Romeo closes. And so both of those happen on the same date, which has been easy to keep track, rotating those casts. The casts have been great, seeing the same person play all these roles. The show, if you haven't seen it yet, is various comic sort of dramatic readings of humorous pieces by Simon Rich. And seeing different comic actors and comedians take on these stories has been just really inspiring as like a theater lover, just seeing the, you know, in rapidity, like, you know, I've seen replacements going to a show before, but just seeing the different takes that they have so quickly and then working with the same people has been amazing. It's something that I did on the show Downtown, which was not a comedy, but similar concept of rotating casts this summer in pre existing condition. And there's something really special that reminds you about why this art form is so unique and so special in returning to the same place on the same script in, you know, just like, you know, a night or two apart or a week or two apart and seeing a completely different version of the same piece.

James Marino (16:53)

Pulling from comedy to drama to musicals. Those are just three of your 20 some odd Broadway credits as a producer. I mean, all over the map here. We're really very, very excited about all the new things that are coming up for you. Yeah, I don't know if you can. If you can tease anything.

Oliver Roth (17:22)

So I'll say is on sale right now. That's not open. We've got the last five years, which we're excited about with.

James Marino (17:29)

Oh, yeah.

Oliver Roth (17:29)

Which is going to be at the Hudson right after all in I can tell you, I just came back from a press event for the Nightingalek and so I guess this will release in the morning and by then the cast should be released and we're really excited about that. It's gonna be really amazing. I will tell you also the Winter Garden, which I haven't really been to that often, that's where good night and good luck is. It's usually like a musical house. Back to the Future was just there and obviously Mamma Mia. Was there for a long time. The music Man. Every scene in that house is amazing. And so I really implore everyone to get in there and buy tickets early because there are some affordable ish tickets on sale right now and I don't know how long those will be there. That's what I have coming up most imminently. I would say stay tuned. I'll probably have more and I'll probably. If you're subscribing to the Broadway radio Patreon or if you're listening to Broadway radio every morning, you'll be one of the first to hear. There's some stuff coming up that I'm not quite ready to tease.

James Marino (18:45)

All right, well, Oliver, I want to thank you for quickly joining us on Broadway radio and today on Broadway. And I knew that you've been very kind to me this week while I've been stepping in and understudying Matt Tammanini. But he'll be back next week.

Oliver Roth (19:02)

I don't know why Matt should come back. I think even he should stay on his cruise or wherever he is.

James Marino (19:06)

Oh, no, no, no, no, no. I could never do this. In fact, every time I do it today on Broadway, I have more and more respect for Matt Tamina. They would not be a Broadway radio without Matt Tamineni.

Oliver Roth (19:23)

I do like hearing your voice after many. I don't know how many. I think you did an episode recently, but it's been a bit since you're. Since you were amazed. Yeah.

James Marino (19:33)

All right, well, Oliver, I just have four words for you. Good night and good luck.

Oliver Roth (19:42)

Good night, good luck, James. Five words. But I have them for you too.

James Marino (19:46)

I'd like to thank the listeners for putting up with me this week. Matt will be back on.