Interview: Robert Driemeyer Brings BROADWAY BARFLY LIVE to The Green Room 42

This Sunday December 1, at 1 pm, catch Broadway Barfly at the Green Room 42. The show will be a zesty afternoon with comedian, actor, singer, and YouTube creator Robert Driemeyer (Caroline’s on Broadway, “Comic Strip Live”), on Sunday, December 1 at 1 pm. The show is presented in association with NY Boundless Theater and producer Tommaso Cartia. 

“Broadway Barfly” takes the audience on a stimulating musical adventure through Broadway’s fabled nightlife, stirring up spirited songs and saucy stories of classic cocktails and their connections to the Great White Way. As part of the show, you’ll have the option to indulge in a tasting flight of heady concoctions set to tunes from Cole Porter to Katy Perry. You never know when a surprise guest star will show up to lead a rousing chorus of the “Broadway Barfly Drinking Song!” This intoxicating combo of music and mixology is a show like you never drank before. Driemeyer is joined by music director Brad Vieth on piano. A livestream options is available.

“Broadway Barfly” is inspired by Driemeyer’s YouTube Channel, where he celebrates Broadway and cocktails. Since its launch in 2020, the channel has attracted Broadway and cocktail enthusiasts from around the world, amassing over 300k views.

Below, read a conversation with Driemeyer about this week’s show.

How do you feel about your upcoming show at The Green Room 42?

I’m ready and raring to go! We debuted the show about a year ago and I’ve been eager to do it again ever since. I’m thrilled to be doing it at Green Room 42. This show is inspired by my Broadway Barfly YouTube channel where I celebrate Broadway and cocktails, but doing a live cabaret show is a lot more exciting for me.

Out of all your “Broadway Barfly” cocktails so far, do you have a personal favorite?

I prefer the classics and a Manhattan is my “go-to”. Many of the cocktails I feature on YouTube come from vintage cocktail books and I’ve discovered a few I really love – the Hanky Panky, for instance.  It was created by Ada “Coley” Coleman, who was the head barmaid at London’s Savoy Hotel in the early 20th century. She created it for a famous actor and playwright, Charles Hawtrey, who was a regular at her bar, as well as Noël Coward’s mentor. The cocktail is equal parts gin and sweet vermouth with a small amount of Fernet-Branca, an Italian bitter liqueur. For me, drinking one is like stepping back in time. On my last trip to London, I went to the Savoy and ordered a one. They were quite surprised that I knew its history, maybe even impressed, because they gave it to me on the house! That will forever be one of my favorite cocktail experiences.

The cabaret show is built around the stories of vintage cocktails with theatrical origins, and my favorite cocktail in the show is probably the Cabaret. Most people have never had a Cabaret cocktail, or even heard of it for that matter. There’s a good reason for that, but you’ll need to come see the show to find out!

How do you come up with the recipes for these cocktails?

Most of the drinks I feature on stage and on YouTube are vintage cocktails I research and present, but I do occasionally create originals. I’m relatively new to mixology, so as when learning any craft, I build on the basics. One original is my “Black Forest” Manhattan. I started with a standard Manhattan, rye and sweet vermouth, then added Cherry Heering and chocolate bitters to suggest the flavors of a Black Forest cake. It’s really good, if I say so myself.

Recently, I found inspiration at IKEA of all places. I picked up some bottles of their drink concentrates and experimented using them as syrups. I came up with a pretty good Blueberry Margarita and a Lingonberry Smash. I featured them in videos and upload them with #IKEAHack!

I also participate in online challenges presented by my colleagues on YouTube. Someone will give a theme with a list of requirements, then we all come up with our own creations based on the criteria. They’ve been fun to do. My entries for the holiday challenges were some of my better efforts. A Boozy Shamrock Shake for St. Patrick’s Day, a Chocolate Covered Cherry for Valentine’s Day and a Poisoned Apple for Halloween are ones I especially liked.

Can you give us any hint of what type of music you’re including in the setlist for this show?

As you might expect, much of the show features Broadway songs from the 1920s and 1930s by Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porter and Kurt Weill, among others, but they’re used in fun ways as framework for the stories. I do a couple of pop tunes too. My musical director Brad Vieth collaborated with lyricist Michael Conely to write two fantastic specialty numbers. One is a theme song which explains what a Broadway Barfly is, and how to tell if you are one. The other is “Raise a Glass to the Great Leading Ladies,” but I call it the Broadway Barfly drinking song. It’s a lot of fun and everyone can sing along, so it’s a real showstopper!

What else have you been up to lately?

Lots! Creating the video content for YouTube and keeping up the Broadway Barfly social media pages always keeps me busy. In addition to the cabaret show which is produced by Tommaso Cartia and Boundless Theater, we also work together on what we call Broadway Barfly “Watch Parties.” They’re mixology events where we serve tasting flights of cocktails featured in musicals, and films, and the evenings are rounded out with fun video clips and a trivia game. We’ve been doing them for corporate events and private parties, but in the future we hope to offer them as public events. Our next one is at the Spiral in Hudson Yard just days after the Green Room 42 show.

I’m also working with Boundless Theater on one of their other projects. I recently appeared in a backer’s audition for an upcoming play written by David Parr, one of the company’s co-founders.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Yes, of course, I’d love everyone to join us at Green Room 42 on Sunday, December 1. It’s a 1 pm boozy brunch and who doesn’t love a boozy brunch?! But for those who can’t attend, it’s also available for livestream – and everyone’s always welcome to spend time with Broadway Barfly on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

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Find more information to follow Robert Driemeyer on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok at broadwaybarfly.com.

Tickets to Broadway Barfly this Sunday, December 1 are available on the Green Room 42’s website.

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