December 6, 2024 • 21 mins
Adam Lambert stops by the Mercedes Benz Interview Lounge to talk about "Cabaret".
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Live from the Mercedes Benz Interview Lounge.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Hi ad them, Hello, Hello, making its way into my brain.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
I've got coffee up stairs. I didn't bring it down.
This is all decaffinated. Well, welcome to the day.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Are you at the beginning of your day?
Speaker 4 (00:19):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Yes, this is this Broadway schedule. You know I got
home less night at midnight from my show.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
So Hello, you're amazing.
Speaker 4 (00:27):
I saw it a couple of weeks ago.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
You can't.
Speaker 4 (00:29):
Oh, yes, I thank you amazing, Thank you, I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
I'm loving it. It's so much fun and it's such
a it's challenging. The schedule is crazy, but like the
theater is full of people that want to have an
experience and it's such an important piece of theater.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
We got to talk about the experience before you even
see the show. Yeah, Like, first of all, you walk
in and it says KitKat Club, and then they give
you a piece of tape to put over your phone
so you're not allowed to take any videos anything. And
then it's like your really there in the KitKat Club.
There's all these different performances going on. There's like it's
like a speakeasy where you can get alcohol, and then
(01:07):
you go into the theater and some people get to eat.
If you get those expensive seats.
Speaker 4 (01:12):
Oh, I can sit in the back.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
It's just the coolest experience before the show even starts.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
If you're in the back, you're gonna bring your own food.
I'm sure. I just don't see the Kitkit Club having
people with bags of Wendy's and things. I don't know, but.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Anyway, I know if you're allowed in there with Wendy's.
But we'll come in with here.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
Why not? Come on? I love being some nugs, some
nugs with barbecue sauce during cabaret.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Maybe a discount if you bring your own fast food.
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Let me just bring everyone up, just beed in case
you're just what are they talking about? Of course Adam
Lambert starring in Cabaret absolutely and this role you're playing
the MC, I mean, it goes all the way back
to Joel Gray from the nineteen sixties who won an
Oscar for the film. As a matter of fact, that
Alan Cumming who weren't won a Tony in nineteen eighty eight,
and the Neil Patrick carry Michael C. Hall and you
(02:01):
know what in every one of them made the MC
role their own, and I've yet to see you Danielle
has did he make it his own? Danielle did Adam make.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
It his own?
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Hundred recent and you know, going into it, I said, uh,
if anybody's gonna do this, well, it's gonna be.
Speaker 4 (02:16):
Our boy, Adam.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
I knew it And I was so excited to see
you because I've seen it before. And uh and I
actually played Sally in college, which is crazy.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Yeah, but it.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
Was it was everything and more.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
And it's such a serious I mean, it's a fun show,
but there's so much seriousness to the show. But it's
also sexy and you make it sexy and it's just
it's fantastic.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
I just love I love the like the big dramatic
shift that we have from Act one to Act two.
That's that's what's so crazy about the show is that
in Act one everything is you know, about freedom and
expression and debauchery and you know, being a bit you know,
naughty and poking fun and everything, and then it just
takes such a sharp left turn. And I think it's
(02:57):
it's so meta. It's like meta upon meta because it
is about sort of like what's going on politically and
socially in this country. I mean, it's so kind of
like in line with some of the things that we're
all talking about. And and you know, we in the
club that you know, the rug sort of gets pulled
out from under us, you know in that act to
all the story that happens in Act two, because back
(03:20):
in thirties Germany, where this story takes place, that's sort
of what happened. People didn't really see it coming. And
we're downplaying it. We're in denial and going, oh, it's
it's it'll blow over, it'll blow over, and then all
of a sudden it just didn't wow.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
You know, of course, arguably one of the most important
pieces of history in our world since the planet began spinning.
But this is from the entertainer's point of view. This
is a show going on when the world is just
coming to a stop. But as far as a role
goes as the MC for you, Adam, I mean this
this is different than anything you've ever done. How fun
(03:56):
is fun? The word? I don't think funds of the
word stretching, challenging, what's the word?
Speaker 2 (04:01):
The moments of it that are absolutely ridiculously fun. There's
a song in the show called Two Ladies. That's just
a basically a big German orgy on stage and we're
and it's so silly, and it's so ridiculous, and we're
all laughing the whole time. And I get off stage
for that number every night just giggling. It's it's so
funny like and we're just all just being nuts. So
(04:24):
there's lots of fun to be had in the show.
And then yeah, and like I said in the second
actden it gets it gets heavy. And so for this role,
it's definitely like a big range. You know, I have
to go from ridiculous to very dramatic by the end.
And I'm doing a German accent. That's the first time
I've ever done that.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
How'd you roll into that?
Speaker 2 (04:44):
It was a dialect coach, Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 5 (04:48):
I don't teach ussh. I don't know how accurate it is.
Sometimes it sounds French, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes I sound
like I'm from the.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Up.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
It doesn't work and it verts with a V. Its Yeah, yeah,
is a V.
Speaker 5 (05:20):
Yeah, that was the first thing she told me.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Yeah, but it's you know, it's it's it's great too
because I get to get a lot of like leeway
to sort of improv in the first few scenes that
I'm in, because basically the MC is a narrator. He's
the host of the night, so he's talking to the
audience the whole time and sort of guiding them through
the show. So I break the fourth wall. I get
to look at people, I get to call people out
(05:44):
and react to things that that are happening. And it's
that looseness is really fun.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Danielle, you played Selly Bowls. Maybe you could understudy.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Oh yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and say probably not.
But the girl who is I never get her name.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
Ali Ali.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
She is Mawana in Mawana and she was fantastic too,
and she's amazing.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
I didn't realize she's not really British.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
At first. I was like, her accent's brilliant.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
Ye, her accent's great.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
She blew my mind. We got into rehearsals together because
we were the replacement cast going in at the same time,
and she's just like, she's so mad talented, it's crazy.
And you know, I thought when that I heard, Oh
it's the girl Pemuan, I went, oh, that's interesting, Like
you know, a Disney princess in this show.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
I don't.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
I literally in my head went hm. Day one of rehearsal,
I was like, oh, okay, this girl's the real deal.
And she's so multifaceted, like you wouldn't watching her, you
wouldn't go, oh, she just did the voice of a
Disney princess. It's like it's bananas how she transformed.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
Technically Mawana is not a Disney princess.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
But okay, well, the guy in the first movie he did,
he has that same argument with her, and he says
that she is a princess. She's in a dress, and
she comes from the tribe, the tribal leader, so she
is a princess.
Speaker 4 (06:52):
And in the second one, oh, they refused. They and
the second one they actually say still not a Disney princess.
And then and then they say, well a lot of
people think you are.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
I love it.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
I love this argument between Danielle and Adams by Adam Lambert,
just turning us on. Adam Lambert's here starring, of course
as the MC in Cabaret. I don't know if you
know this, but there's another production that's going on. It's
kind of huge right now. Adam, is it true you
traveled with Wicked.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
Is this true? Yeah, I was in the first national
tour cast, so I was an understudy for Fear. Oh
and I was in the ensemble and so that was
in two thousand and five, I think it was. Have
you seen the film yet?
Speaker 4 (07:30):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (07:30):
It was beautiful. I even wore my green today sea Alpha.
Yeah it was. The movie was stunning. It was absolutely beautiful.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
You know, something that you would love if you knew
Daniel every day, like we do know Daniel every day.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
She is I've taken note yes, of the witch nutcracker
on her station and the green nails. I noticed that.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
Yes, actually my Wicked nails.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Thank you. I see, I knew it. I knew.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
I will tell she's very enthused about Broadway in and
of itself. As a matter of fact, she goes to
at least you do at least three shows a month.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Oh yeah, a lot, I mean.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
And so she's always out on the town. And that's
why we love having you come by to talk about Cabaret,
because we want more and more people to get back
into the theaters, because there are some people who still
haven't gotten back since the pandemic of all things, they
haven't gone back into the habit of filling up the house.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
You know, I gotta say too. It's interesting because you being,
you know, on stage every night, and and cabaret is
sort of an intimate setup. It's it's theater in the round,
which is really interesting. We have audience on all sides
of us, which is challenging and really cool. And it's
interesting because there's always like one or two people in
the audience that think they're in their living room and
like just talking. They're like, and I'm like, we can
(08:43):
hear you, yes, yes, this is live theater. So you know,
I think there are some people that still don't know
the etiquette, but those are just a few exceptions. Most
people are just and our audiences are incredible. They're so interactive,
they're so excited to be there and witness something like that.
And I think in this day and age, when most
people do sit at home and watch TV, it's like
(09:04):
live entertainment is so special. There's something so immediate about it,
and it's like anything can happen and it's never the
same twice. It's really cool to be a part of that.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
You know, when you're on the stage, either at a concert,
at your own concert, or on a Broadway production, a
lot of.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
People in the audience don't know.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
You usually don't see people in the audience that well.
But if you're doing it in the round, like you
guys are doing, you see them as you're saying, you're
there right there. Yeah, do you interact with the audience
very much? Do you do a club it's a club scene,
it seems like you would.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Well, yeah, in this role sort of That's how he's
sort of intended to be. You know, he's talking directly
to them. He's breaking the fourth wall as we say,
like you know, the other scenes that are going on,
they're supposed to be taking place like in different rooms
and environments, so they don't, you know, acknowledge the audience
because it's a story that we're all watching. But the
MC is basically this like Svengali that kind of takes
(10:01):
you through the story. So he you know, he looks
at the audience a lot, and yeah, if someone you
know makes a comment or laughs at something or I
will call them out, you know, and in the best way.
And it's so fun. And then in the second act,
when it gets a little bit more serious, there's moments
where I won't go into too much detail. But what's
very complicated and heavy about this show is when we
(10:23):
do get into the subject matter of anti Semitism and
the Nazis coming into Germany. There's a number that I
do that's basically like political social satire about inter people
dating that are out of their religion. So there's a
German woman that's dating a Jewish man and the challenges
(10:44):
that come from that and what society says about it
at the time. And I'm basically doing a number with
a gorilla, yeah, which is supposed to be like a
satire of how the Germans and anti Semitic people would
view a relationship like that. And there's a line at
the end where I say, you know, she you know,
if you could see her through my eyes looking at
(11:05):
the gorilla, she wouldn't look Jewish at all. And because
the number is supposed to at first it's supposed to
feel like this kind of silly vaudeville campy thing, people
are kind of laughing at the beginning of it, and
when we get into this monologue, it's actually quite serious
and some some people maybe they had too much snaps
at the bar, maybe they're not quite listening or paying attentions.
(11:28):
Every once while you get someone that's like not with
me on that, and they'll laugh at that line, which
is very not funny, you know, it's very sad what's
actually saying. And there have been a few times where
someone's laughed in a very inappropriate way at that punchline
where everyone else is quiet, and I just stop and
I look at them in the audience and I get
(11:49):
very quiet, and I point at them and I asked
the question again, or I'll laugh back at them with
like like mimicking them, and you know, it's very confrontational.
But that's what's so brilliant about Cabaret is that it
is confrontational. That's what the show's about. It's about saying, hey,
are you paying attention or are you complicit and ignorant
to the things that are going on around you.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
Well see, that's what's so refreshing about Cabaret in the
round in the kick Kat Club is you can do that.
And that was a big story in page six.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
By the way, Yeah you stare so one.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
Down and go hello, yeah, are you listen listening what
we're talking about? When you're laughing here at something you
don't understand.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Well, It always cracks me upcause I'm like, you saw
the swastika earlier, Like you know where we've gone now, right,
it's gotten real. But that's what I love about Cabaret
is it makes you think. It is not just like
a little silly you know, both in the bucket of
popcorn that you walk away with. It really stays with
you and it makes you go huh. By the end.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
I feel like at the end of the show, like
you said, everyone's having a great time Act one and
then we take a turn. I feel like when I
was there, it was after everyone clapped and we were
standing ovations and everything, it was kind of silent when
everybody was leaving, Like people weren't like Hooton and hollid
and like they do from a lot of shows. I
think you're right where you're thinking about it and going wow.
You know that was that was kind of heavy at
(13:06):
the end. That was a lot of stuff tackled in there.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
You get your takes of drama and comedy in this one.
Speaker 3 (13:11):
Yeah, we need to think, we need things to think about.
This show gives you home.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
The abortion is a big theme. It's very right now
in so many ways. You know, in fascism and the
economy and all the things that sort of we're talking
about in society right now are are in this piece.
And it's interesting because it was written in the sixties,
so it's it's just it continues to be relevant, you know.
And we met We got to meet John Kander the
(13:36):
other night, the original composer of Cabaret A raally.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
What did he say about the show?
Speaker 2 (13:41):
He loved it. He was so supportive. They were celebrating
sort of an anniversary of how many years this thing
has been going. And he was lovely. It was really
nice to talk to him.
Speaker 4 (13:50):
And when are you in it? Until I'm in the
show util the end of March okay, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
And then what Okay, let's talk about and then what
and then what? I don't see I don't know yet.
I want to, you know, get back to my own
music too, you know, I love making my own stuff.
So I think I'll have some music out and hopefully
some shows coming up, and you know, get me the
people as me again. Take the Maybe a track and away.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
Trip to a beach would be nice. I mean, I mean,
you gotta take time.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Definitely take a vacation.
Speaker 4 (14:17):
Do you get off at all for the holidays or no,
because in the show, you're in the show.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
Okay, let's talk about Broadway. Folks work are butts off.
Let's talk about serious.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
And a lot of people don't understand what goes into
being a part of a Broadway production. I mean, how
many how many performances per week? You're doing? So all right,
how many are you doing?
Speaker 2 (14:34):
And I'm doing seven a week? Wow? Okay, yeah, one
day on I get one. Yeah, there's well technically there's
eight shows a week and I get a little extra
bonus show off every week, which is very generous of them.
But we all as a whole cast aet one day
off a week, which is Mondays, and then it's announced
online and casan he's wondering, but like which shows that
(14:54):
I have off? But it is full time. And that's
the thing that's so beautiful about Broadway. I missed it.
I missed working with theater people. Theater people are not
there to get rich. The people performing on stage or
all of our incredible crew, they're doing it because they
love it. They you have to love it to come
into work every day. And it's so you're working with
people that genuinely want to be there that love the
(15:17):
art of theater, and that is like, oh, that's such
a great family to be a part of.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
You know, you meet up with a lot of actors
who do these big movies and films and they make
a lot of money off this and that and off
the back end this and that, and then they'll go, Okay,
I made my money. I need to go do some
Broadway for a while. No, no one's no one's doing
Broadway to become a billionaire. You're doing it because you
love the art of what you're doing. What's up, Nate?
A turn of my cons He's got questions? Yeah, borrow Adams. Mike,
(15:45):
So I have a question. When you were talking about
doing seven shows a week. Yeah, okay, is it like football?
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Right? Like, let's say you twist your football football in there.
Speaker 6 (15:56):
When I was trying to get to okay, let's say
you twist your ankle getting off stage and you can't
do this show for three days. Do you go on
like the injured reserve list and they still pay you
and you just sit at home and eat bon bonds, or.
Speaker 3 (16:09):
Like, okay, sorry, Adam, you're not doing the show.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
You're not gonna pay check? How does that work. No,
were there were very well taken care of. If there's
injuries and stuff, yeah, I mean the theater Union's pretty badass.
Equity does a good job. So there's understudies for everybody.
I have two understudies. All the main roles have understudies.
And then there's what they call swings, which are basically
in the ensemble they learn three or four different people's
traffic and parts, so everything's always covered. It's a very
(16:34):
finely oiled, well thought out system for that good I
mean the people. There's stories of people that like, oh,
you know, someone got injured, you know, in the first
month and they're still on medical leave and still being paid.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
Yeah, I want one of those.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Everyone's very well taken care of. Yeah, which is standing
ovation to Nate for the use of the term bon bonds,
and I went, ooh that sounds tasty. Ye God, I
wish wishing a twist by ankle and set out for
a couple of nights and need some bond bonds.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
That sounds like a lot of freaking fun. Scary is
a question too, what's your questions when someone's made it
in another medium first, like doing music or TV or
film and then they come to Broadway. How are they well, well,
how is it? How are they received? How are you received?
Are you taking seriously as a Broadway actor?
Speaker 2 (17:23):
They think? I think everybody that's in the community probably
raises an eyebrow and go, okay, is this sort of
stunt casting just to sell tickets? Is it? Can this
person cut it? I'm lucky that I started in theaters
so like it. It took a second and I went, oh, yeah,
this is what it what it's about, and this is
what's required, and so like, I think I had an
advantage that way. You know, I'm not like a newbie.
(17:45):
It had just been fifteen years since I had a show.
But but it's yeah, I mean I think there's some
people that that sign up for it and probably get
into a run and go, oh, shoot, this is a lot. Yeah,
you know this, it is a lot. And you have
to learn how to pace yourself, and you have to
learn how to take care of your voice and take
care of your body and get your rest. And I've
definitely gone out maybe a total of four times in
(18:06):
the past four months. I mean, do you miss it?
You just go into the clubs. You know, I got it.
I got it in over the summer, so im so
I'm good. I'm really good.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Yeah, I feel like at the end of the night.
It's especially that show. It takes so much out of
you emotionally. I can't even imagine how you do it
twice in one day, two.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
In one day is hard. Yeah, it's hard because you
have to I tend to want to nap in between,
to kind of reset a little bit and to kind
of go, okay, let's do this again. But I guess
it's wild. It's wild, and it's a lot of work.
But again, the minute the audience starts applauding, it's like, yeah, okay,
this is why we're here, and that's it.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
We heard that from all of our friends who do
Broadway and do other show, do other forms of media
as well, entertainment as well. It's that interaction and live
energy from that audience. We cannot get it anywhere else.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
You can all know, and I mean I get definitely
when I'm on tour, you know, with my music or
with Queen. It's it's a similar type of response. It's great,
but you know it's funny. I got out of theater
back in right before I did American idol, and my
desire at the time was, oh, you know, what I
really want to do is I want to be me
and I want to make art from my point of
(19:19):
view and as as Adam and I wanted that type
of freedom. And now after having done that for a
long time, there's actually a lot of freedom in getting
to dive into and get lost into a character. It's
like the opposite, Like now I'm like, oh, now I'm
finding the freedom in the other way of getting to
play this bizarre little eurotrash German guy. You know, it's
(19:40):
like it's it's it gives me permission to sort of,
you know, explore certain things that I don't get to
explore as a pop star.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
So doing a Broadway play and a musical that's a
reset in and of itself. Absolutely absolutely, I got to
play I don't care much. I think that's the one
we should play. Is that the one we should play?
Speaker 2 (19:59):
That's the one we have, Yeah, the only one we
can play. It ain't an album, it's a single, that's
the answer. But it's this is really exciting, you know.
We sorry, we decided to get into the studio and
record a version of one of my songs in the show.
(20:21):
It's my last song that I get sing in the show,
and it's it's it's really it's like a torch song.
It's really beautiful. And this is again in the second
act when things are sad, and it's a song about
indifference and sort of just kind of saying I give up,
like you know, and and look, I don't know, depending
on your your political affiliation, I won't go too far
(20:42):
into that, but you know, the day off day election,
I know we all felt some kind of way, and
those of us that didn't feel great about it, we
recorded this like right around election week and an accompanying video,
and I kept going back to like how I felt,
how a lot of the people that I know in
my community felt. And it's this feeling of like you're
kind of like, I don't know what else to do
(21:04):
except I just say I you know, I don't. I
guess I don't care now as a coping mechanism. So
it's it's it's this is a very bittersweet, melancholy. Jazzy's
little tune could.
Speaker 3 (21:16):
Be applied to many, many things and manifests in your life.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Absolutely, and there you go.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Adam Lammer, d MC and cabaret,
Live from the Mercedes Benz Interview Lounge.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Hi ad them, Hello, Hello, making its way into my brain.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
I've got coffee up stairs. I didn't bring it down.
This is all decaffinated. Well, welcome to the day.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Are you at the beginning of your day?
Speaker 4 (00:19):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Yes, this is this Broadway schedule. You know I got
home less night at midnight from my show.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
So Hello, you're amazing.
Speaker 4 (00:27):
I saw it a couple of weeks ago.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
You can't.
Speaker 4 (00:29):
Oh, yes, I thank you amazing, Thank you, I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
I'm loving it. It's so much fun and it's such
a it's challenging. The schedule is crazy, but like the
theater is full of people that want to have an
experience and it's such an important piece of theater.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
We got to talk about the experience before you even
see the show. Yeah, Like, first of all, you walk
in and it says KitKat Club, and then they give
you a piece of tape to put over your phone
so you're not allowed to take any videos anything. And
then it's like your really there in the KitKat Club.
There's all these different performances going on. There's like it's
like a speakeasy where you can get alcohol, and then
(01:07):
you go into the theater and some people get to eat.
If you get those expensive seats.
Speaker 4 (01:12):
Oh, I can sit in the back.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
It's just the coolest experience before the show even starts.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
If you're in the back, you're gonna bring your own food.
I'm sure. I just don't see the Kitkit Club having
people with bags of Wendy's and things. I don't know, but.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Anyway, I know if you're allowed in there with Wendy's.
But we'll come in with here.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
Why not? Come on? I love being some nugs, some
nugs with barbecue sauce during cabaret.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Maybe a discount if you bring your own fast food.
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Let me just bring everyone up, just beed in case
you're just what are they talking about? Of course Adam
Lambert starring in Cabaret absolutely and this role you're playing
the MC, I mean, it goes all the way back
to Joel Gray from the nineteen sixties who won an
Oscar for the film. As a matter of fact, that
Alan Cumming who weren't won a Tony in nineteen eighty eight,
and the Neil Patrick carry Michael C. Hall and you
(02:01):
know what in every one of them made the MC
role their own, and I've yet to see you Danielle
has did he make it his own? Danielle did Adam make.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
It his own?
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Hundred recent and you know, going into it, I said, uh,
if anybody's gonna do this, well, it's gonna be.
Speaker 4 (02:16):
Our boy, Adam.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
I knew it And I was so excited to see
you because I've seen it before. And uh and I
actually played Sally in college, which is crazy.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Yeah, but it.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
Was it was everything and more.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
And it's such a serious I mean, it's a fun show,
but there's so much seriousness to the show. But it's
also sexy and you make it sexy and it's just
it's fantastic.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
I just love I love the like the big dramatic
shift that we have from Act one to Act two.
That's that's what's so crazy about the show is that
in Act one everything is you know, about freedom and
expression and debauchery and you know, being a bit you know,
naughty and poking fun and everything, and then it just
takes such a sharp left turn. And I think it's
(02:57):
it's so meta. It's like meta upon meta because it
is about sort of like what's going on politically and
socially in this country. I mean, it's so kind of
like in line with some of the things that we're
all talking about. And and you know, we in the
club that you know, the rug sort of gets pulled
out from under us, you know in that act to
all the story that happens in Act two, because back
(03:20):
in thirties Germany, where this story takes place, that's sort
of what happened. People didn't really see it coming. And
we're downplaying it. We're in denial and going, oh, it's
it's it'll blow over, it'll blow over, and then all
of a sudden it just didn't wow.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
You know, of course, arguably one of the most important
pieces of history in our world since the planet began spinning.
But this is from the entertainer's point of view. This
is a show going on when the world is just
coming to a stop. But as far as a role
goes as the MC for you, Adam, I mean this
this is different than anything you've ever done. How fun
(03:56):
is fun? The word? I don't think funds of the
word stretching, challenging, what's the word?
Speaker 2 (04:01):
The moments of it that are absolutely ridiculously fun. There's
a song in the show called Two Ladies. That's just
a basically a big German orgy on stage and we're
and it's so silly, and it's so ridiculous, and we're
all laughing the whole time. And I get off stage
for that number every night just giggling. It's it's so
funny like and we're just all just being nuts. So
(04:24):
there's lots of fun to be had in the show.
And then yeah, and like I said in the second
actden it gets it gets heavy. And so for this role,
it's definitely like a big range. You know, I have
to go from ridiculous to very dramatic by the end.
And I'm doing a German accent. That's the first time
I've ever done that.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
How'd you roll into that?
Speaker 2 (04:44):
It was a dialect coach, Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 5 (04:48):
I don't teach ussh. I don't know how accurate it is.
Sometimes it sounds French, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes I sound
like I'm from the.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Up.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
It doesn't work and it verts with a V. Its Yeah, yeah,
is a V.
Speaker 5 (05:20):
Yeah, that was the first thing she told me.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Yeah, but it's you know, it's it's it's great too
because I get to get a lot of like leeway
to sort of improv in the first few scenes that
I'm in, because basically the MC is a narrator. He's
the host of the night, so he's talking to the
audience the whole time and sort of guiding them through
the show. So I break the fourth wall. I get
to look at people, I get to call people out
(05:44):
and react to things that that are happening. And it's
that looseness is really fun.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Danielle, you played Selly Bowls. Maybe you could understudy.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Oh yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and say probably not.
But the girl who is I never get her name.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
Ali Ali.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
She is Mawana in Mawana and she was fantastic too,
and she's amazing.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
I didn't realize she's not really British.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
At first. I was like, her accent's brilliant.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
Ye, her accent's great.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
She blew my mind. We got into rehearsals together because
we were the replacement cast going in at the same time,
and she's just like, she's so mad talented, it's crazy.
And you know, I thought when that I heard, Oh
it's the girl Pemuan, I went, oh, that's interesting, Like
you know, a Disney princess in this show.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
I don't.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
I literally in my head went hm. Day one of rehearsal,
I was like, oh, okay, this girl's the real deal.
And she's so multifaceted, like you wouldn't watching her, you
wouldn't go, oh, she just did the voice of a
Disney princess. It's like it's bananas how she transformed.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
Technically Mawana is not a Disney princess.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
But okay, well, the guy in the first movie he did,
he has that same argument with her, and he says
that she is a princess. She's in a dress, and
she comes from the tribe, the tribal leader, so she
is a princess.
Speaker 4 (06:52):
And in the second one, oh, they refused. They and
the second one they actually say still not a Disney princess.
And then and then they say, well a lot of
people think you are.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
I love it.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
I love this argument between Danielle and Adams by Adam Lambert,
just turning us on. Adam Lambert's here starring, of course
as the MC in Cabaret. I don't know if you
know this, but there's another production that's going on. It's
kind of huge right now. Adam, is it true you
traveled with Wicked.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
Is this true? Yeah, I was in the first national
tour cast, so I was an understudy for Fear. Oh
and I was in the ensemble and so that was
in two thousand and five, I think it was. Have
you seen the film yet?
Speaker 4 (07:30):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (07:30):
It was beautiful. I even wore my green today sea Alpha.
Yeah it was. The movie was stunning. It was absolutely beautiful.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
You know, something that you would love if you knew
Daniel every day, like we do know Daniel every day.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
She is I've taken note yes, of the witch nutcracker
on her station and the green nails. I noticed that.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
Yes, actually my Wicked nails.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Thank you. I see, I knew it. I knew.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
I will tell she's very enthused about Broadway in and
of itself. As a matter of fact, she goes to
at least you do at least three shows a month.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Oh yeah, a lot, I mean.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
And so she's always out on the town. And that's
why we love having you come by to talk about Cabaret,
because we want more and more people to get back
into the theaters, because there are some people who still
haven't gotten back since the pandemic of all things, they
haven't gone back into the habit of filling up the house.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
You know, I gotta say too. It's interesting because you being,
you know, on stage every night, and and cabaret is
sort of an intimate setup. It's it's theater in the round,
which is really interesting. We have audience on all sides
of us, which is challenging and really cool. And it's
interesting because there's always like one or two people in
the audience that think they're in their living room and
like just talking. They're like, and I'm like, we can
(08:43):
hear you, yes, yes, this is live theater. So you know,
I think there are some people that still don't know
the etiquette, but those are just a few exceptions. Most
people are just and our audiences are incredible. They're so interactive,
they're so excited to be there and witness something like that.
And I think in this day and age, when most
people do sit at home and watch TV, it's like
(09:04):
live entertainment is so special. There's something so immediate about it,
and it's like anything can happen and it's never the
same twice. It's really cool to be a part of that.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
You know, when you're on the stage, either at a concert,
at your own concert, or on a Broadway production, a
lot of.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
People in the audience don't know.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
You usually don't see people in the audience that well.
But if you're doing it in the round, like you
guys are doing, you see them as you're saying, you're
there right there. Yeah, do you interact with the audience
very much? Do you do a club it's a club scene,
it seems like you would.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Well, yeah, in this role sort of That's how he's
sort of intended to be. You know, he's talking directly
to them. He's breaking the fourth wall as we say,
like you know, the other scenes that are going on,
they're supposed to be taking place like in different rooms
and environments, so they don't, you know, acknowledge the audience
because it's a story that we're all watching. But the
MC is basically this like Svengali that kind of takes
(10:01):
you through the story. So he you know, he looks
at the audience a lot, and yeah, if someone you
know makes a comment or laughs at something or I
will call them out, you know, and in the best way.
And it's so fun. And then in the second act,
when it gets a little bit more serious, there's moments
where I won't go into too much detail. But what's
very complicated and heavy about this show is when we
(10:23):
do get into the subject matter of anti Semitism and
the Nazis coming into Germany. There's a number that I
do that's basically like political social satire about inter people
dating that are out of their religion. So there's a
German woman that's dating a Jewish man and the challenges
(10:44):
that come from that and what society says about it
at the time. And I'm basically doing a number with
a gorilla, yeah, which is supposed to be like a
satire of how the Germans and anti Semitic people would
view a relationship like that. And there's a line at
the end where I say, you know, she you know,
if you could see her through my eyes looking at
(11:05):
the gorilla, she wouldn't look Jewish at all. And because
the number is supposed to at first it's supposed to
feel like this kind of silly vaudeville campy thing, people
are kind of laughing at the beginning of it, and
when we get into this monologue, it's actually quite serious
and some some people maybe they had too much snaps
at the bar, maybe they're not quite listening or paying attentions.
(11:28):
Every once while you get someone that's like not with
me on that, and they'll laugh at that line, which
is very not funny, you know, it's very sad what's
actually saying. And there have been a few times where
someone's laughed in a very inappropriate way at that punchline
where everyone else is quiet, and I just stop and
I look at them in the audience and I get
(11:49):
very quiet, and I point at them and I asked
the question again, or I'll laugh back at them with
like like mimicking them, and you know, it's very confrontational.
But that's what's so brilliant about Cabaret is that it
is confrontational. That's what the show's about. It's about saying, hey,
are you paying attention or are you complicit and ignorant
to the things that are going on around you.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
Well see, that's what's so refreshing about Cabaret in the
round in the kick Kat Club is you can do that.
And that was a big story in page six.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
By the way, Yeah you stare so one.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
Down and go hello, yeah, are you listen listening what
we're talking about? When you're laughing here at something you
don't understand.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Well, It always cracks me upcause I'm like, you saw
the swastika earlier, Like you know where we've gone now, right,
it's gotten real. But that's what I love about Cabaret
is it makes you think. It is not just like
a little silly you know, both in the bucket of
popcorn that you walk away with. It really stays with
you and it makes you go huh. By the end.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
I feel like at the end of the show, like
you said, everyone's having a great time Act one and
then we take a turn. I feel like when I
was there, it was after everyone clapped and we were
standing ovations and everything, it was kind of silent when
everybody was leaving, Like people weren't like Hooton and hollid
and like they do from a lot of shows. I
think you're right where you're thinking about it and going wow.
You know that was that was kind of heavy at
(13:06):
the end. That was a lot of stuff tackled in there.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
You get your takes of drama and comedy in this one.
Speaker 3 (13:11):
Yeah, we need to think, we need things to think about.
This show gives you home.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
The abortion is a big theme. It's very right now
in so many ways. You know, in fascism and the
economy and all the things that sort of we're talking
about in society right now are are in this piece.
And it's interesting because it was written in the sixties,
so it's it's just it continues to be relevant, you know.
And we met We got to meet John Kander the
(13:36):
other night, the original composer of Cabaret A raally.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
What did he say about the show?
Speaker 2 (13:41):
He loved it. He was so supportive. They were celebrating
sort of an anniversary of how many years this thing
has been going. And he was lovely. It was really
nice to talk to him.
Speaker 4 (13:50):
And when are you in it? Until I'm in the
show util the end of March okay, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
And then what Okay, let's talk about and then what
and then what? I don't see I don't know yet.
I want to, you know, get back to my own
music too, you know, I love making my own stuff.
So I think I'll have some music out and hopefully
some shows coming up, and you know, get me the
people as me again. Take the Maybe a track and away.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
Trip to a beach would be nice. I mean, I mean,
you gotta take time.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Definitely take a vacation.
Speaker 4 (14:17):
Do you get off at all for the holidays or no,
because in the show, you're in the show.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
Okay, let's talk about Broadway. Folks work are butts off.
Let's talk about serious.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
And a lot of people don't understand what goes into
being a part of a Broadway production. I mean, how
many how many performances per week? You're doing? So all right,
how many are you doing?
Speaker 2 (14:34):
And I'm doing seven a week? Wow? Okay, yeah, one
day on I get one. Yeah, there's well technically there's
eight shows a week and I get a little extra
bonus show off every week, which is very generous of them.
But we all as a whole cast aet one day
off a week, which is Mondays, and then it's announced
online and casan he's wondering, but like which shows that
(14:54):
I have off? But it is full time. And that's
the thing that's so beautiful about Broadway. I missed it.
I missed working with theater people. Theater people are not
there to get rich. The people performing on stage or
all of our incredible crew, they're doing it because they
love it. They you have to love it to come
into work every day. And it's so you're working with
people that genuinely want to be there that love the
(15:17):
art of theater, and that is like, oh, that's such
a great family to be a part of.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
You know, you meet up with a lot of actors
who do these big movies and films and they make
a lot of money off this and that and off
the back end this and that, and then they'll go, Okay,
I made my money. I need to go do some
Broadway for a while. No, no one's no one's doing
Broadway to become a billionaire. You're doing it because you
love the art of what you're doing. What's up, Nate?
A turn of my cons He's got questions? Yeah, borrow Adams. Mike,
(15:45):
So I have a question. When you were talking about
doing seven shows a week. Yeah, okay, is it like football?
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Right? Like, let's say you twist your football football in there.
Speaker 6 (15:56):
When I was trying to get to okay, let's say
you twist your ankle getting off stage and you can't
do this show for three days. Do you go on
like the injured reserve list and they still pay you
and you just sit at home and eat bon bonds, or.
Speaker 3 (16:09):
Like, okay, sorry, Adam, you're not doing the show.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
You're not gonna pay check? How does that work. No,
were there were very well taken care of. If there's
injuries and stuff, yeah, I mean the theater Union's pretty badass.
Equity does a good job. So there's understudies for everybody.
I have two understudies. All the main roles have understudies.
And then there's what they call swings, which are basically
in the ensemble they learn three or four different people's
traffic and parts, so everything's always covered. It's a very
(16:34):
finely oiled, well thought out system for that good I
mean the people. There's stories of people that like, oh,
you know, someone got injured, you know, in the first
month and they're still on medical leave and still being paid.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
Yeah, I want one of those.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Everyone's very well taken care of. Yeah, which is standing
ovation to Nate for the use of the term bon bonds,
and I went, ooh that sounds tasty. Ye God, I
wish wishing a twist by ankle and set out for
a couple of nights and need some bond bonds.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
That sounds like a lot of freaking fun. Scary is
a question too, what's your questions when someone's made it
in another medium first, like doing music or TV or
film and then they come to Broadway. How are they well, well,
how is it? How are they received? How are you received?
Are you taking seriously as a Broadway actor?
Speaker 2 (17:23):
They think? I think everybody that's in the community probably
raises an eyebrow and go, okay, is this sort of
stunt casting just to sell tickets? Is it? Can this
person cut it? I'm lucky that I started in theaters
so like it. It took a second and I went, oh, yeah,
this is what it what it's about, and this is
what's required, and so like, I think I had an
advantage that way. You know, I'm not like a newbie.
(17:45):
It had just been fifteen years since I had a show.
But but it's yeah, I mean I think there's some
people that that sign up for it and probably get
into a run and go, oh, shoot, this is a lot. Yeah,
you know this, it is a lot. And you have
to learn how to pace yourself, and you have to
learn how to take care of your voice and take
care of your body and get your rest. And I've
definitely gone out maybe a total of four times in
(18:06):
the past four months. I mean, do you miss it?
You just go into the clubs. You know, I got it.
I got it in over the summer, so im so
I'm good. I'm really good.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Yeah, I feel like at the end of the night.
It's especially that show. It takes so much out of
you emotionally. I can't even imagine how you do it
twice in one day, two.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
In one day is hard. Yeah, it's hard because you
have to I tend to want to nap in between,
to kind of reset a little bit and to kind
of go, okay, let's do this again. But I guess
it's wild. It's wild, and it's a lot of work.
But again, the minute the audience starts applauding, it's like, yeah, okay,
this is why we're here, and that's it.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
We heard that from all of our friends who do
Broadway and do other show, do other forms of media
as well, entertainment as well. It's that interaction and live
energy from that audience. We cannot get it anywhere else.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
You can all know, and I mean I get definitely
when I'm on tour, you know, with my music or
with Queen. It's it's a similar type of response. It's great,
but you know it's funny. I got out of theater
back in right before I did American idol, and my
desire at the time was, oh, you know, what I
really want to do is I want to be me
and I want to make art from my point of
(19:19):
view and as as Adam and I wanted that type
of freedom. And now after having done that for a
long time, there's actually a lot of freedom in getting
to dive into and get lost into a character. It's
like the opposite, Like now I'm like, oh, now I'm
finding the freedom in the other way of getting to
play this bizarre little eurotrash German guy. You know, it's
(19:40):
like it's it's it gives me permission to sort of,
you know, explore certain things that I don't get to
explore as a pop star.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
So doing a Broadway play and a musical that's a
reset in and of itself. Absolutely absolutely, I got to
play I don't care much. I think that's the one
we should play. Is that the one we should play?
Speaker 2 (19:59):
That's the one we have, Yeah, the only one we
can play. It ain't an album, it's a single, that's
the answer. But it's this is really exciting, you know.
We sorry, we decided to get into the studio and
record a version of one of my songs in the show.
(20:21):
It's my last song that I get sing in the show,
and it's it's it's really it's like a torch song.
It's really beautiful. And this is again in the second
act when things are sad, and it's a song about
indifference and sort of just kind of saying I give up,
like you know, and and look, I don't know, depending
on your your political affiliation, I won't go too far
(20:42):
into that, but you know, the day off day election,
I know we all felt some kind of way, and
those of us that didn't feel great about it, we
recorded this like right around election week and an accompanying video,
and I kept going back to like how I felt,
how a lot of the people that I know in
my community felt. And it's this feeling of like you're
kind of like, I don't know what else to do
(21:04):
except I just say I you know, I don't. I
guess I don't care now as a coping mechanism. So
it's it's it's this is a very bittersweet, melancholy. Jazzy's
little tune could.
Speaker 3 (21:16):
Be applied to many, many things and manifests in your life.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Absolutely, and there you go.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Adam Lammer, d MC and cabaret,
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