Max von Essen Talks About His RADIO FREE BIRDLAND Concert and More on Backstage LIVE With Richard Ridge

Nothing can stop BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge from bringing you interviews with your favorite Broadway stars! On August 13, he chatted with the multi-talented Max von Essen!

The interview kicked off with Max discussing his experiences since the health crisis began, how some of his concerts were cancelled before Broadway shut down, and the toll it all took on his mental health.

Max also talked about his recent concert as part of the new Radio Free Birdland series. The concert had not yet premiered at the time of the interview.

"I will say, the first two or three songs, it did feel awkward," he said. "Not that I do this for applause, but when you do concerts, that is part of it. Or a little bit of laughter if you've developed a story that you want to share."

"You just have to trust that someone is on the other side," he said, referring to the audience, who are only able to see the show online. "I was looking into the camera for a lot of it and imagining the audience was there, and I started to really enjoy it."

"It felt good," he said of getting back on stage. "It's one of the things that's really lifted me during this time and given me something to hold on to and look forward to. It's been really needed after all these months."

Max then went on to talk about the song selection for the show, and what fans can expect.

"It essentially is what I've been doing at Birdland recently. It's my album as well. I wanted to add in some surprises for people who have my album or people who have seen my Birdland show," he said. "It's all stuff that feels like a bygone era, the real golden age variety show time. We were inspired by some old arrangements."

Throughout the rest of the interview, Max talked about highlights from his career, the importance of voting, Black Lives Matter, and more!

Watch the full interview here.

Tony nominated leading man, Max von Essen, embraces his love of the golden age of Broadway and the American Songbook in this Birdland Theater solo show. Inspired by an era long past, Max works his leading man charm and breathes new life into music we've loved for decades. From the Gershwins to Lerner and Loewe, From An American in Paris to Jersey Boys. He's joined by Grammy winning songwriter and famed musical director, Billy Stritch, as well as very special guest, Nick Adams.

Max von Essen is a Tony nominated singer and actor best known for his role as Henri Baurel in the award winning production of An American in Paris on Broadway. He recently finished a year long run in the Broadway production of Anastasia as Gleb Vaganov and then toured the United States as Marvin in Lincoln Center Theater's revival of Falsettos. Other Broadway credits include Evita, the revivals of Les Misérables and Jesus Christ Superstar, Dance of the Vampires, and the closing company of the original Les Misérables. Additional New York credits include Yours Unfaithfully for the Mint Theater, Death Takes a Holiday for the Roundabout Theater Company, The Jerry Springer Opera at Carnegie Hall, Hello Again (Drama League nomination) for The Transport Group, Finian's Rainbow for the Irish Repertory Theater, The Fantasticks at the Sullivan Street Playhouse, and many others. Tours include Xanadu, Chicago and West Side Story. TV & Film include Law & Order: SVU, Elementary, Boardwalk Empire, The Good Wife, Royal Pains, Gossip Girl, Seven Lovers, Sex and the City 2, and the webseries Submissions Only.

Max's concert work has brought him all across the country and Canada, including Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, and a recent sold-out solo run at the famed Birdland Jazz Club in New York City. Recordings include An American in Paris (earning Max a Grammy nomination), Evita, Death Takes a Holiday, Finian's Rainbow, Love Songs of Andrew Lloyd Weber, Broadway by the Year: 1928, Broadway Unplugged and his debut solo album, Call Me Old Fashioned: The Broadway Standard, now available on iTunes.