Interview: Nicolas King & Seth Sikes of THE NEW BELTERS at The Green Room 42

The nightclub industry is about to get double the fun when, on October 29th, the new boy-boy act of Nicolas King and Seth Sikes storms the town. Two of the most popular boy singers in the industry, Misters Sikes and King are always able to fill a room and always spoken of with praise. King, a master crooner and swing king from an early age, and Sikes, a Broadway Baby if ever there were one, have tested the duo waters with performances in two of Seth's shows this year and, having extremely positive feedback, the gentlemen have joined forces with THE NEW BELTERS, which have its premier at seven pm at The Green Room 42 (secure reservations HERE.)

As Seth and Nicolas prepare for their premiere party with rehearsals and last-minute details, the twosome took some time out for a chat with Broadway World Cabaret.

This interview has been edited for space and content.

Nicolas King and Seth Sikes, welcome to Broadway World!

N- Well, hi there, friend!

S - Oh, hey!

Gentlemen, you recently announced your first duo show together, and it is happening in record time! I think, from announcement to performance there was only about a month (ish) of time. What is the secret to putting together a club act so quickly?

N- Chemistry, I think? We don't really have to try too hard, the ideas seem to come quite easily. It's narrowing down the material that's the hard part- there's so much we want to do!

S - He's right: the hardest part is deciding what not to do. We, essentially, have the same taste. But I think we've both done enough acts, by now, that we know the process of building a show, and we can share that burden by dividing it up.

Nicolas you recently sang in Seth's Streisand show and the two of you brought the house down. What was your first clue that you would make a good singing duo?

N- We'd met in passing, maybe once? But when we connected for the first time over the summer, we learned, right away, that we grew up listening to the same music, the same artists, loving the same material, having the same affinity for showmanship, humor and showbiz. We realized we knew a lot of the same people - it was weird that we hadn't connected before! We hit it off, right away, as if we'd known each other for 86 years. It just felt like a no-brainer.

S - I'd heard Nicolas's excellent singing online, and I knew that he had a professional connection with Liza Minnelli, who I worship and have paid tribute to, so I thought he'd be a swell addition to my Judy Garland's 100th Birthday Concert at 54 Below. We stitched together a medley over the phone and rehearsed it, once, during sound check and I thought: Oh, this guy and I speak the same language.

Seth, you have a long history of doing solo shows in which all the responsibility rests, squarely, on your shoulders - how does it feel, having a partner to help balance the load?

S - When I had Nicolas and four other guest stars for my Judy's 100th, it was such a great relief to not have to carry the entire show on my own. I thought, "Jeez, I don't want to ever do a solo show again!" And teaming up with someone like Nicolas, who already knows how to put an act together, really makes it easier. He's had to bear the brunt of the development of the act, mainly because I've been so busy with other things (like the new Barbra tribute show a few weeks ago), and, usually, I would be reluctant to let someone else take the reins, but Nicolas has extremely good taste. It's hard to imagine building an act with someone else, to be honest.

Fellas, your show is called THE NEW BELTERS. Is that because of the new-ness of your partnership? Or is it because you're both Young And Healthy?

N- We actually came up with the title jokingly, as we were tossing around ideas. It comes from a comment made on the Judy Garland Show by Ethel Merman when she's remarking on a young Barbra Streisand's talent, calling her "the new belter," and after some giggles the title kind of stuck!

S - Yes, and then Ethel, later, tells Judy that they're the last of the belters... When Nicolas suggested the title, I got the reference right away and thought it was hilarious and appropriate. I've been belting since I was a little kid. At church I'd be singing hymns, and the congregation would turn around and look back because they thought Ethel Merman had showed up! I've been a little surprised that certain people haven't immediately gotten the reference. But - just to be clear - we won't be screlting (is that what the kids call it?) at the audience for the entire evening.

Seth, had you ever considered doing a duo show before?

S - Nope! It never crossed my mind before Nico.

Nicolas, you have had a series of collaborative productions in your club career - shows with Marilyn Maye, Sandy Stewart, and you and Mike Renzi were, essentially, a duo act. What is it about collaboration that fulfills you, so?

N - The aforementioned pairings were hardly collaborations. With the exception of Mike, who was my right arm and creative partner for 14 years, every singer I've 'paired up' with has done their own thing, and I, mine, just happening to be on the same bill. There was little to no partnership. Working with Seth is an entirely different scenario. We've built this act together, and although we have our own solo moments in this show, it is very much a collaboration in that we create together- duets, stories, moments, medleys, specialty lyrics - he's truly the first performer I've ever done this with! To be honest, doing a duo act never much interested me, but I love Seth's talent and trust his instincts implicitly. I love the way he thinks and creates, he has a terrific work ethic, and building this show with him has been a dream. Losing Mike last year was devastating, I didn't know what to do, I felt creatively dormant. But Seth is such a lightning bolt of talent and energy- he has put that spark back in me.

Boyz, was there a defining moment at which each of you looked at one another and said, "Let's put on a show?"

N- We literally ran into each other at 1am one night in June on 9th Ave, and Seth asked me to perform a duet with him at his Judy Garland Centennial show at 54 Below that weekend. I'd known of him for years, but we had never seen each other in concert before, and never exchanged more than greetings, I think? I was a bit surprised he asked me, but I figured if my friend Max von Essen was appearing on the show too, then it couldn't be that bad! Hah! So we started coming up with ideas for the duet over voice memos and I immediately felt a creative chemistry with him - fun and effortless. I performed with him at his show, and, honestly ,my jaw sat on my lap for 65 minutes. I was totally blown away by his talent and wondered why it took me so long to see him in action. We hung out soon after, and, after a late night of watching YouTube videos, listening to music, singing at a piano, we said "We need to do a show"- it just seemed so obvious.

S - Yeah, what he said! When we sat at the piano and Nico started to play Maybe This Time, and I sang it through with him, I think that was the beginning of THE ACT. Later we got up at an open mic night and, without rehearsing it, sang the "Happy Days/Get Happy duet," and it was obvious that we'd make a natural team. (We won't do that number in our show, by the way!)

Nicolas, what is something in your artistic vision that Seth has opened up, for you, a broader viewpoint of?

N - Seth is teaching me so much - he really puts in the work to give 110% of himself, onstage and off. I'm blown away and inspired when I watch him work. There's not a detail that goes unnoticed, everything is done with purpose and precision - every lyric, punchline and statement means something. I admire him tremendously, and I think he simply makes me strive to be better.

Seth, Nicolas has been a performer since the age of four, and you, quite famously, began your cabaret career eight years ago - what are some show business lessons that you think he can teach you?

Nicolas has been at this for so, so much longer. He's an extremely versatile singer, of many genres, while I have much more finite limits. Jazz is really his wheelhouse, but he can sing anything. So, while I'll never have his vocal agility or musicality, I'm learning a lot from listening to how he phrases material, and he's very helpful when he says, "You know, you could sing this note instead of that one," or, "You can sing any song in any key if you just do acrobatics, like this," and then he demonstrates vocal somersaults, and it's incredible. He, like me, has a keen interest in how a show should be structured. His instincts for what feel a song should have, and for key changes and transitions are spot on. But he learned from the best: Liza Minnelli directed his early cabaret acts. So, sometimes I feel like I'm getting coached by Fred Ebb, through Liza, through Nicolas. How about that!?

He insists I can learn how to scat, but there's no chance in hell that'll ever happen.

Guys, which of you is more likely to make the other laugh in the middle of a number?

N- Oh, I think it's fair game for both of us! I'm laughing now just thinking about it!

S - I think I'm more likely to make Nicolas laugh, because I am, in general, an unpredictable, loose cannon and will probably take him by surprise a few times when I get lost and improvise something absolutely ridiculous!

Seth, to date, what is your favorite thing to hear Nico sing?

S - Very hard to answer, but his "COME BACK TO ME" is absolute, incredible dynamite, and I just might be able to talk him into sharing it with me as a duet - we'll see!

Nicolas, what is a song you would love to see Seth add to his repertoire?

N- Seth has exquisite taste, so, if anything, I want him to help me add great material into my repertoire!

S- Oh, shut up and give me a song, you whore.

N- Well, we all know Seth can sell a showstopping song from here to Timbuktu, and, of course, I love that about him. But I do love when you pull it back and simply deliver a lyric on a gut wrenching ballad. The couple I've seen you do absolutely level me, they're so powerful and effective, and I'd love to see you do more of that in your show. Aside from being a belter, you're secretly an actor!

Belters, I am so happy that you've made this partnership. As a fan of both of yours, I see great things coming out of it. Thanks for chatting with me today, and may you take this act all the way.

S - All the way to where? The Palace!? Ha! Who knows! It's higher in the sky than it used to be.

N - (laughs) Thank you!

S - Thanks, Stephen, it's always a delight.

Seth Sikes and Nicolas King will play THE NEW BELTERS at The Green Room 42 on October 29th at 7 pm. For information and reservations click HERE.

THIS is the Nicolas King website and HERE is the Seth Sikes website.

Photos by Stephen Mosher

Visit the Stephen Mosher website HERE.

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