Interview: BACKSTAGE BABBLE LIVE Brings Song & Never-Told Stories to 54 Below

Charles Kirsch, the 18-year-old host of the theater podcast Backstage Babble, is getting ready for an all-new live show at Midtown Manhattan’s 54 Below on Monday July 7, 2025 at 7 pm. Kirsch has been conducting in-depth interviews with some of Broadway’s best, including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Carol Burnett, Harvey Fierstein, Chita Rivera, and Kelli O’Hara, since his podcast started in July 2020. At this special one-night-only live show, Kirsch will gather some of his favorite former guests to share never-before-heard anecdotes and recreate some of their Broadway performances. The evening will be musically directed by Broadway’s music man Michael Lavine, and is sure to be, like the podcast, a joyous celebration of Broadway and the legends who shaped it.

Read a conversation with Kirsch about the podcast.

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What are you most looking forward to about this edition of Backstage Babble Live?

Just like every edition of the show, this is a collection of highlights: Broadway legend Annie Golden singing “River Deep, Mountain High” backed by a full girl group! Tony winner Len Cariou singing a song from the one-night Broadway flop Dance a Little Closer! The one and only Sara Gettelfinger recreating her role in the off-Broadway premiere of Grey Gardens! Anna Zavelson singing from The Light in the Piazza before she stars in Masquerade! The all-star cast also includes Tony nominees Karen Akers, Craig Bierko, Meg Bussert, and Penny Fuller, among many other superstars, accompanied by Broadway’s music man Michael Lavine.

You're approaching the five-year anniversary of this podcast. How do you feel about it looking back over the course of it and how you've grown with the podcast?

The most obvious answer is that my voice used to be a lot higher! In all seriousness, I can’t believe it’s been five years since I started the podcast. It’s brought me so many unforgettable, joyous moments and the chance to learn from and connect with some of Broadway’s best. I’ve also been able to record invaluable stories from theater veterans. I still feel a flutter of nervous excitement every time I get on a Zoom with a guest, and I’m happy to say that the podcast is going strong five years in. Upcoming guests include four-time Tony winner Jerry Zaks, Broadway legend Lenora Nemetz, and actor-director John Benjamin Hickey.

How would you pitch this show for someone who might be unfamiliar with your podcast?

This show is great for any theater fan, not just listeners of Backstage Babble, because it will give them the rare opportunity to see some of Broadway’s best performers recreate songs they originated in shows between 1959 and 2023. Some of these stars are performing material for the first time since they delivered it on a Broadway stage! Audiences can also expect never-before-told stories about the making of iconic shows like Gypsy, Nine, and Grey Gardens. 

What’s some of your favorite feedback or responses you’ve gotten about previous Backstage Babble Live shows?

I’ve been incredibly lucky to get some wonderful responses from audience members and critics alike. Stephen Mosher of BroadwayWorld called the very first edition, back in 2022, “one of the starriest, most entertaining, and most magical nights of the theater season.” That’s certainly a compliment I’ll never forget! Once, as I was walking out of 54 Below, two women stopped me to say that they loved that I gave the performers a chance to tell interesting stories about the shows they were part of during the evening. One of them added—“I brought my husband, who usually hates this stuff—and he had a great time!” But by far my favorite response is from an actress who performed in one of the shows, who I’ll leave nameless. After the show, she sent me an email saying that the show “opened a door for her to come back home.” It doesn’t get much better than that.

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Learn more about Backstage Babble podcast here.

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