Feature: Meet Charles Kirsch: Broadway's BFF With A Mission... And With Shows - Part One

The stars will align and combine their talents, tales, and tunes on Monday, August 28th when Broadway veterans, most of whom were nominated for Tony Awards over the years, take over the stage at 54 Below in Manhattan's theatre district. Returning to the venue to happily host will be the industrious, inquisitive, informed, indispensable, indefatigable interviewer who does similar querying for “Backstage Babble,” a terrific theatre-centric podcast: Charles Kirsch, the subject of this profile-with-a-preview.  The show promises Promises, Promises’ original leading lady, Jill O’Hara; Austin Pendleton (who made his Broadway debut in the original Fiddler on the Roof and was Tony-nominated later, as a director); Lee Roy Reams (42nd Street, Applause); Penny Fuller (also from Applause); Anita Gillette (Mr. President);  Martin Vidnovic (Brigadoon); Willy Falk (Miss Saigon); Virginia Seidel (Very Good Eddie); Jane Summerhays (Me and My Girl); and John-Andrew Morrison (A Strange Loop). Also on the bill are Damon Evans, Elena Bennett, and a film appearance by Tony winner Daisy Eagan (The Secret Garden). There will be big songs, memories that loom large, and little fun facts (Tony Trivia Time). At the piano will be the splendid musical director Alex Rybeck, who’s no stranger to the club himself. 

In a series of in-person meetings and a flurry of e-mails this month, I found out more about what makes the very energetic Charles Kirsch tick and what causes the eyes behind his spectacles to glow when the subject turns to Broadway.  It turns out that it isn’t high-voltage batteries after all. Our conversation began with the subject of the upcoming Tony-themed event. Considering his refreshing enthusiasm, it seems appropriate to print some of his comments in boldface type:    

“The lineup is pretty special to me for a few reasons.”

Having seen and reviewed his July show at 54 Below (not his first), and knowing he’s interviewed over 150 theatre people for his podcast and other programs, it’s great to know that the in-the-know guy is in no danger of becoming blasé – but, of course, this interviewer wanted that interviewer to elaborate. He did, obligingly, smilingly:  “I’ve always been a fan of Austin Pendleton, and I remember that he was one of the nicest people to me at the stage door for a show he was in. So, it’s a thrill to be working with him. Also, after seeing the recent off-Broadway production of Becomes a Woman, I remember really liking a song that was used in the show and seeking out recordings. It’s called ‘Left All Alone Again Blues,’ and it’s one of the songs Virginia Seidel sang in Very Good Eddie, which she was Tony-nominated for! Elena Bennett is going to perform it to celebrate her. One of my favorite musicals of the last 20 years is absolutely A Strange Loop.  It’s the only show I’ve ever been to on its closing night because I was such a fan and, even though my podcast centers on the Golden Age and slightly older performers, I love to be able to work with Broadway stars of today, too. That’s why I’m thrilled that John-Andrew Morrison, one of the ‘Thoughts’ from the Broadway production, is singing in this concert.” In his preparations for the event, Charles sought little-known stories. He’s expecting Jane Summerhays to share some “funny insight she got about her Tony race with Frances Ruffelle.”  And he’s asking Lee Roy Reams (seen in photo with him here) to include, in the talk about his history with the stage version of the musical 42nd Street, his tale of meeting Ruby Keeler, a star of the 1933 movie,  on a TV show. 

I asked Jennifer Ashley Tepper, who books 54 Below events, to tell me about the decision to bring aboard kinetic curator Kirsch to the club for a series of group shows. She recalls: “When Charles Kirsch asked me to do an interview with him for his ‘Backstage Babble’ podcast, I knew immediately that I'd met a kindred spirit. His knowledge about and passion for Broadway history, including its lesser-known nooks and crannies, impressed me to no end, and I knew this would translate well to creating concerts for 54 Below. His shows have received rave reviews at our venue, with performer lineups chock-full of Broadway legends and song lists chock-full of gems. We are so lucky to have him producing a special night for us celebrating Tony Awards history, and I'm excited that we also have a few other new shows in the works with Charles!”

“I like hearing peoples' history.”

Charles has always had an affinity for, comfort level with, and appreciation of older people and entertainment from earlier decades. He is grateful for time spent with his maternal grandparents with whom he shared a strong affection for such fare, piquing his natural curiosity.  He was motivated to read and research (and, later, to binge on) Broadway cast recordings and attend the theatre while still in elementary school. Before too long, he was finding ways to meet folks involved in show business, seeking to sate his great appetite for knowledge and insight. Such goals have been very much achieved as he began extensively interviewing those who’ve been part of Broadway history, with one contact leading to the next, starting in 2020.  

New York-born-and-raised Charles Kirsch has become an increasingly masterful Master Of Ceremonies for live and online gatherings of theatre figures —  just one feather in the cap of this fine-feathered friend of Broadway (and its legacy) – its booster and blessing.  To quote a line from The Fantasticks: “You wonder how these things begin.” Well, I do. So, I asked him, although I suspected he’d made his way out of the womb already humming a great song from the Great White Way such as something from 1929’s Sweet Adeline (“Here I Am” or “Why Was I Born?”), “It’s Good to Be Alive” from New Girl in Town (or the same-named song from Texas, Li’l Darlin’), or maybe just a few choruses of  “Broadway Baby.”

“I like the Golden Age musicals best.”

Immersed in musical theatre from the mid-20th century, C.K. knows it well, even though he wasn’t born until THIS century. But he didn’t waste time in catching up on the past or getting a running start on his future. Although he’s played theatre roles “just for fun,” he’s serious about wanting a career as a director, being more interested in “the big picture” of putting a show together. And he takes in good advice from those he meets.

 “One piece of advice I’ve had is to see as much theatre as you can because, especially as a director, you’ll get a better sense of what works and what doesn’t. Also, the happiest people are the ones who end up pursuing what they love their whole lives. I’ve also learned that the ones who start early often have the most success.”

Well, he’s had success and certainly started early! By the age of eight (!) he was doing theatre reviews, having applied and been chosen as one of BroadwayWorld.com’s “Kid Critics,” a short reporter filing short on-camera opinion pieces about Broadway shows (then “graduating” to“Teen Critics” status when he filed a film review for the website, which makes him a fellow staff member with me — but he has seniority (as far as years of employment). Then there’s involvement with the prestigious Drama Desk Awards, the J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company, and a program called NextGen at Classic Stage Company, plus he wrote one chapter for the book Fifty Key Stage Musicals. And then there’s his ongoing series of live variety shows with hosting, producing, curating, and interviewing duties on his “To Do” and “Been There/ Done That” lists. Not a bad set of accomplishments to get checked off and checked out while still in high school! 

“I feel lucky.”

Those three words are how Charles Kirsch sums up his being able to meet and work with the professionals he’s admired. He especially loves bringing to audiences performers who haven’t been seen in New York City in years, the Broadway original cast members revisiting their history-making numbers and bringing along their history in tales of how shows came together (or, in some cases, fell apart). He’s found that watching an artist find the way back to a character’s key song and its memories can become quite a memorable experience for those witnessing it, including himself. One experience that comes to mind is when Beth Fowler, in his 2022 presentation, was “slipping back into performance mode,” absorbed in the intense introspective song “Patterns” which she’d first handled almost 40 years earlier when cast in Baby. (Theatre mavens know it was cut from the score, but reinstated in later productions.)  

“When Penny Fuller and Anita performed ‘Once Upon a Time’ from one of my favorite musicals, All American, I actually cried, which I don’t often do in the theatre!” 

That reaction happened to happen when Charles was in the audience for an event presented by others, once upon a time. But he was especially gratified to have both women accept his invitation to be in his August 28, 2023 show at 54 Below, as well for their time as interviewees for his “Backstage Babble” podcast series. The podcast takes its name from a song in the 1970 musical Applause, which featured Miss Fuller, with a score by the same men who wrote the songs for All American: the lyrics are the work of Lee Adams, working with another man who happens to be named Charles — Charles Strouse. The somewhat younger Charles set up an online reunion of some cast members of Applause, and his live shows and individual interviews have featured two other alumni of that cast: Len Cariou and Lee Roy Reams.

And yet another Applause actor with whom Charles connected is Brandon Maggart. When he received my e-mailed request for a comment, he responded this way:  “Just seeing the name Charles Kirsch makes me smile! What that young man is doing for Broadway theatre keeps those of us who have trod the boards over the years alive and remembered. So many shows, castmates, directors, lyricists, choreographers, press folk — hits and flops –- the understudies and the stars, all live on. Charles Kirsch is the breath of fresh air needed to keep Broadway past and present alive and well. – Yes, this old fart so appreciates this vibrant young man of New York theatre!”

THE STORY OF CHARLES KIRSCH CONTINUES IN PART 2 OF THIS PROFILE.   

All photos courtesy of Charles Kirsch. (Seen here: Charles at Sardi's, onstage at a past show with Michael Lavine at the piano,  with Lee Roy Reams, and in his very early days on the scene with Kelli O'Hara).

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