Hey, Roberto. How are ya?
Hey, T. Oliver! How are you?
I'm doing well, thank you.
Thank you for joining us on Elevator Pitch.
My pleasure. I'm looking forward to it.
All right. Let's get started.
Okay.
So you are stuck in a deserted island and you can only bring one Broadway cast
recording with you.
Which do you bring?
I bring Once on This Island.
Original cast?
I’m gonna have to say the revival cast, but the original cast
has a very special place in my heart.
What musical theatre song, that you haven't performed on stage,
do you know all the words to?
I know all the words to f”Finishing the Hat”.
Mm hmm.
What was the first Broadway show you ever saw?
First Broadway show ever saw
was the national tour of Annie in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Do you remember who was in the cast?
I don't remember who was in the cast.
That's a very good question.
I mean, the eight year old me
would probably know some of the names now, but clearly knew none of them yet.
Whose Broadway performance has impacted you the most?
Impact me the most.
That's that's hard, honestly, I say it's a lot of that original cast of Ragtime.
So Brian Stokes Mitchell, Audra McDonald, Marin Mazzie, all of them that show
was so instrumental in and helping make me the artist that I am.
So now we've arrived to the wall of posters. Yes.
If you could choose any role in any of this posters...?
See this?
This is hard because I look away, I'm looking around.
It's like there are so many.
Like, I can look right here at Hedwig and say that at some point.
I would love to be able to like dive into Hedwig.
Also like Frank-N-Furter from Rocky Horror, I look over here
Company, clearly Bobby in Company.
At some point, you know in the long distant future, Edna in Hairspray.
Because why not?
I love that. Okay.
So if you could travel back in time,
what past Broadway performance would you see?
That's an easy one.
I would love to see Melba Moore in Purlie.
Amazing. Only seconded by seeing
Hello Dolly!
At any point with with any and with anyone.
I would love to see Pearl Bailey.
You and me both.
I mean, I cannot.
I cannot even imagine what what that energy was like in the theatre.
But, you know, whether it's Carol Channing or.
Or Pearl Bailey. Yes. Pearl Bailey. Yes.
First thing you do when you get to a theatre for your Broadway show.
First thing I do is scream at stage management.
All right.
So what is your favorite thing about being in a Broadway show?
Favorite thing about being in a Broadway...? Honestly, everything.
It's it really is.
The audience is the the biggest part of that, because it
is that immediate sort of reaction and response
and energy from them that really makes makes us all do theatre.
What is the first thing you do when you get home from your show?
Have a drink. - Nice! What is your drink of choice?
My drink of choice is a it's officially a skinny margarita, but it's tequila,
fresh lime juice, a little agave syrup shaken 30 seconds,
because apparently you need 30 seconds to really get the tequila cold.
Do you like mezcal?
I like mezcal.
I'm definitely a for a margarita.
It's just an easy blanco.
No need. Don't need too much extra flavor.
You should try a hibiscus margarita.
Okay. I will do that. Yes.
Okay.
So what TV show do you think everyone should watch?
Everyone should be watching right now. Abbott Elementary.
It is so funny. It is brilliant.
So I watch that.
I watch Only Murders in the Building.
That's also another one. That's hilarious.
Okay.
So if you had a choice between two superpowers,
what would that be?
I think my superpower. I think flying.
Yeah, that's a good one.
I thought I thought about the- would I want invisibility?
But my thing is this.
In a city like New York, when there are more than 8 million people,
being invisible is possible. Careful.
There's a table right. There on you.
You saved my life.
I would do it for you any time.
So tell me,
do you have a book that you can read over and over?
I don't.
I mean, I tend to like biographies, autobiographies and most times, once
you've read them once, it's kind of okay.
I'm not a big fiction person who's like, I need to watch, read that over and over.
I do have a couple of movies that I love, and I know that's a question
that's coming up, so I'm not going to say anything too soon.
So tell me, what's a movie that you can watch over and over?
Do not hate me for this people.
I could watch National Treasure with Nicolas Cage
six times a day if it's on, because there's something
about that movie that if it's on, I have to sit down and watch it.
So when you are flying on a plane.
Window seat or aisle seat?
Aisle seat.
Dogs or cats? Neither.
How long have you lived in New York City?
I have lived in New York longer than some of my cast members have been alive.
I've been here for... since 1998.
When vacation, do you vacation
on the beach or in the country?
Both.
I mean, I prefer...preference for city, you know, a London, a Paris or wherever.
But I love I love the ocean, love the trees
in the country, love the food in the city.
Do you see yourself living in New York City forever? - No.
New York City is not for old people.
And as soon as I get to that place, we're getting out of here!
In many, many years.
In many, many years since I'm only 16 right now.
Exactly.
So tell me if you had two comps for your 54 Below show, who would you give them to?
I would give one to George Faison and the other to Chita Rivera.
Oh, I love that.
I'm going to have to buy a ticket for that performance.
So what are you going to sing for us today?
I'm going to sing “I Can't Make You Love Me”.
That is one of the songs in my upcoming 54 Below show: That Sunday, That Summer.
It's going to be this Sunday, July 24th at 7 PM.
and with my wonderful musical director, Lawrence Yurman.
Excellent.
Take it away.
Turn down the lights
Turn down the bed
Turn down these voices
inside my head.
Lay down with me.
Tell me no lies
Just hold me close.
Don't patronize me.
’Cause I can't make you love me
If you don't
And you can't make your heart
something it won't
Here in the dark,
in this final hours.
I will lay down my heart
And I'll feel the power.
But you won't
No, you won’t.
And I can't make you love me.
If you don’t.
I'll close my eyes,
then I won't see
The love you don't feel
When you are holding me.
Mornings will come and I'll do what's right
Just,
just give me till then
to give up this fight.
And I will
give up this fight.
'Cause I can't make you love me
if you don't
And you
can’t make your heart feel something
it won’t.
Here in the dark
in these final hours
I will lay down my heart
And I’ll feel the
power.
But you won't No you won’t.
And I can’t make you love me
If you don’t.
T. that was beautiful.
Thank you Roberto.
Thank you so much for sharing that with us. And when can we see your show?
Oh, you can see my show this Sunday, July 24th, at 7 PM
here at 54 Below.
You can also see me and Hadestown
any day of the week over at the Walter Kerr Theatre.
But Sunday night here at 54 Below.
Thank you so much, T! - Thank you.