Interview: Nick Cartell Celebrates A THOUSAND SPOTLIGHTS Album Release at 54 Below

Broadway star Nick Cartell, currently starring as Jean Valjean in the national tour of Les Misérables, is celebrating the release of his upcoming new album at 54 Below on Sunday July 14th at 7 pm. The show, A Thousand Spotlights, which shares the album's name, will be an intimate evening filled with humor and heart bringing him back “home” to NYC. The new album, which features a delightfully diverse mix of Broadway standards and movie classics and boasting a full orchestra, will be available on CD and in streaming and digital platforms on Friday, July 26 from Club44 Records.

The show features a collection of Cartell’s never-before-heard stories of his time on the road with Les Miz, Broadway runs of the 2012 revival of Jesus Christ Superstar, Scandalous: The Musical, and Paramour, interwoven with songs from the album: Broadway, Disney, some jazz, and even some songs that didn’t make the cut.

We spoke to Cartell about what it was like recording the album, what to expect from the show this week, and more.

How are you feeling about your upcoming album release?

I am so excited for this album – and it comes out on my birthday! I cannot wait for everyone to hear it. It’s a collection of some of my favorite songs, and the arrangements by Brian Eads and Wayne Haun from Club44 Records are absolutely stunning.

What was the song selection process like for the album? What went into your choices?

As we started this process, we were originally thinking it would be a collection of all Disney songs. However, I get asked nearly every Monday during my “Travel Day Q&A” on Instagram: when are we getting a recording of the Les Mis tour cast OR when are you recording “Bring Him Home”? And from there things started to take shape.

These songs are a reflection of where I’ve been (a performer for three years with Tokyo Disney, regional productions, etc.), where I am now in my life and career and where I hope to go in the future. There are songs that represent dream roles and some that I just plain love to sing.

Additionally, the title A Thousand Spotlights comes from the song “Never Enough” and the fact that I’ve played the role of Jean Valjean over a thousand times now.

As someone who does musical theater, what do you enjoy the most about cabaret and getting to sing exactly what you want to sing? Do you feel like it informs your work in musical theater, and vice versa?

I love doing cabaret because I get to collaborate with my wife [Christine Cartell], who is also a performer and she writes my shows, and sometimes parody lyrics. I love the intimacy of the feedback with the audience and breaking the fourth wall, the personality and the funny that you don’t always get to have – or that I haven’t gotten to perform, at least not yet – in the big, grand musicals I’ve been a part of.

I do find that it informs my work because it lets me try things out that I don’t ordinarily get to do, or haven’t yet, and that gives me new ideas and confidence going into new projects or new rooms.

Are you doing anything differently at the album release party show than you did for the album recording?

Yes! I have two very special guests joining me for the album pre-release concert at 54 Below in Miss Phoenix Best, my friend and colleague from Les Mis, and Mr. Casey Likes (who is also my godson). We will be singing songs not on my album but that are still connected to it. And there will be a few other numbers in the concert that didn’t make the cut for the album, plus we’ll get to have some fun sharing stories I haven’t told before with the audience.

What have you been listening to lately?

I have a 4-year old, so there’s a lot of Disney, Paw Patrol and Gabby’s Dollhouse played in the car when we’re driving on travel days. Aside from that, I love the Toni & Ryan Podcast; Samara Joy and Beyonce, and Floyd Collins has come back into rotation.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Just that the album is available for pre-sale now on all digital streaming platforms and officially drops on my birthday, July 26! The 54 Below show on Sunday, July 14 at 7 pm will be a blast and I follow that up with two concerts in Scottsdale, AZ at the Kerr Center on July 26 and 27 at 8 pm.

I hope everyone streams and enjoys the album. Come see us on the barricade in a city near you soon!

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Tickets to the July 14th show are available at 54 Below’s website.

You can pre-order or pre-save the album at c44.lnk.to/AThousandSpotlights

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