Video: Broadway Performer Robert Hartwell Talks Renovating 200-Year Old Home in BREAKING NEW GROUND

Broadway performer Robert Hartwell stopped by CBS MORNINGS on Wednesday to discuss his Max series Breaking New Ground, which chronicles his journey of renovating a 200-year-old house in Massachusetts.

Hartwell told CBS that he immediately felt a personal connection to the home and its history: "When I stepped on the property for the first time, I knew that it's where I was supposed to be. It was spiritual and every part of me said 'This is where you belong.'"

He added, "When I think of the home being built in 1820, at that time there were 450,000 Black enslaved people in Virginia. Those are my ancestors. That's where my family was born... 200 years later, to be able to come to this home and fill it with love [is] a blessing."

Breaking New Ground debuted Thursday, June 27 on Max.

Watch the full interview! 

Breaking New Ground follows Broadway performer, entrepreneur, and educator Robert Hartwell as he takes on the challenge of transforming a 200-year-old house with a complicated history into a home filled with love. It's a renovation story that celebrates the resilience of Robert's journey as well as those who came before him. 

Robert Hartwell has been seen on Broadway in Memphis: The Musical, Cinderella, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Motown: The Musical, and the Tony Award Winning Revival of Hello, Dolly! starring Bette Midler. He is also the Founder and Artistic Director of The Broadway Collective and creator of Broadway's online academy Hello Broadway. 

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