The Book of Mormon star's monthly show features “the best of Broadway, drag, standup, burlesque, circus, and more – all in one vaudevillian extravaganza!”
Stage Time is a monthly show Saturdays at the Slipper Room in the Lower East Side that features “the best of Broadway, drag, standup, burlesque, circus, and more – all in one vaudevillian extravaganza!”
We spoke with Stage Time founder PJ Adzima about the show.
What made you decide to start running Stage Time?
I decided to start running Stage Time because I'm a Broadway actor who's lived in New York City for 14 years. And in that time, I realized that all the most talented, interesting, amazing artists from every single category of entertainment all live here. But they're incredibly siloed. If you want to go see a Broadway performer, you’ve got to go spend $200 to see a Broadway show. If you want to see a drag queen, you’ve got to go to a drag show. If you want to go to see a comedian, you're going to go to the Comedy Cellar and catch a comedy show. But I had this idea that if in the spirit of old-school vaudeville, we brought back a classic variety show and got you the best of every single one of these categories – drag, stand-up, burlesque – put them all together and made one show, I thought we might have something special.
And we did. So I called it Stage Time, because the one thing that you need to make it in any single one of these different industries is more time on stage. We have so many similarities as performers here in New York City and bringing us all together is an incredible showcase of these dynamic and similar but incredibly different industries. And it makes for a thrilling night out.
What has been one of your favorite moments from your time running these shows so far?
My favorite moments from the shows is the people that I meet, the friends that I make along the way. There's people who I have on the show because I'm such big fans of them and now they're some of my best friends in the city. It really is an excuse to make some incredible friends and to really build this community.
It feels like New York City and the art scene is so social and yet siloed at the same time. It can be really isolating to be pursuing your grind and feeling like you're one of many. By doing this, I've really been able to meet so many people who remind me that this is a team sport and that this is a community of artists who are all working to pursue their So yeah, an example is when I saw Cats: The Jellicle Ball, I fell in love with Robert Silk Mason, the magical Mr. Mistoffelees, and I was like, I need to have this performer on my show. I am so struck by their artistry. And so I reached out and invited them to have them on and they were the most lovely person to work with and they just absolutely blew us away in the performance and they stayed for the after party and they stayed and hung around and we started talking and now they're a dear friend and we collaborate together all the time.
So I went from being an audience member and going, “Wow, that person's so talented and cool” from afar to now being able to collaborate and work with them as a peer and as a fellow artist. That is the most fulfilling thing. And then after getting to work with Silk and becoming their friend, they have their own dance company and most recently, for one of my last big gigs, we hired their entire dance troupe to come and do a number for us. So that's what I mean by building this community. It's like not only then have I met one person, but I've met their entire family of artists now because of it. And we get to work together, and it really is building this incredible network and incredible community of artists here.
You're currently balancing Stage Time with a role in the Book of Mormon. What are some of the challenges of that?
So, I'm currently performing eight shows a week as Elder McKinley in the Book of Mormon. It is my dream job and a dream come true.
And I do eight shows a week on Broadway and then I've built my own show that I do every Saturday night at midnight on top of it. So, it can be pretty challenging. I do every weekend a three-show Saturday. So that is a matinee at two, a night show at seven, and a midnight Stage Time downtown before going to bed, waking up and doing a two-show Sunday because we've got five-show weekends. We always have five-show weekends at the Book of Mormon; the worst part of a very good job. So yeah, it's crazy. I'm crazy. But you have to be crazy And I think that that hustle and that hustle muscle and that endurance is a point of pride for me.
I worked for 10 years in this town before I got my break. I used to work three jobs just to pay rent. And so now I'm working just as hard as I was then, but now I'm doing it for me. This is really not hard work at all when it is compared to the work I used to be doing. I'm not driving a truck anymore. I'm not working in a warehouse anymore. I'm not a cater waiter anymore. I'm a Broadway actor and a nightlife performer. My life is so hard. This is the most fun I've ever had. So when people say “you're crazy,” I'm like, you're crazy not to.
I moved here in New York City to get as much stage time as possible. And that is exactly what I'm here doing now. This voice is a muscle, baby. I should not be smoking as much cigarettes as I am right now. That's a problem. The voice is a muscle, right? Like anything. I mean, I've been yapping since before I could walk. And so like anything else, I've been singing these songs and I've been singing professionally and I've been speaking professionally for my entire life. And so like anything else, like a swimmer has the muscles to maintain the endurance of an Olympic level of swimming, I have the endurance of an Olympian to speak and sing. I think about the performing arts like sports. There are less people on Broadway than there are on the Olympics every four years. I'm a pro athlete.
And people ask me that all the time. They're like, how do you do this? And how do you do that? We're like, don't you get tired? And I'm like, you're not asking Michael Phelps if he's tired of swimming in the pool. He's up in the pool and you're like, well, he's an Olympian. And it's like, no, I'm making another show and I'm getting on stage because I'm a Broadway actor. Because I want to be the best at what I do. And because that fulfills me.
Where do you hope to take this series in the future?
Oh, Stage Time is going to the moon. The first variety show on the moon, for sure. No, this is a nightlife. This is a medium of variety performance that really is connected with. We're looking to scale. With Stage Time, the sky's the limit. In addition to that, I've met the most interesting, talented, amazing people in the world. And I think the world needs to know more about them. Because of this, we're starting the Stage Time podcast, we're starting a StageTime digital channel where we can really let the world in on the exciting, amazing,dynamic art that's happening on the Lower East Side right now. I think access is a big problem in the live performing arts, and I think that the world is worse off for it. I really do see Stage Time being a place where we can be discovering the next talented performer.
I'm really passionate about discovering talent. I'm really passionate about seeking out the best people I can find. And holding auditions and really giving an opportunity and giving Stage Time to people who are deserving of it, and who might not have that access to a showcase like that. I'm really passionate about discovering talent and then sharing that talent with other people. It's like, to get back to Robert Smith Mason, when I saw them, I was like, “Oh my God, you're amazing and everyone needs to know who you are. Come with me.” And then the whole show is me going, I found this person. You're not going to believe it. And then behind the red curtain is the next star rising.
And we've had incredible people on the show that are going on to amazing careers. And that's really the joy of having this company is watching people's stars rise in real time. Because the next Chappell Roan is pouring coffee right now and looking for the next big break. And it could be at Stage Time. Oh, and it will be at Stage Time. But this gets back to the point; we're at the Slipper Room on the Lower East Side. It's a historic venue. It's an intimate venue. It's where Lady Gaga got their start playing gigs back when they were just Stephanie. You don't know who that next person is going to be. And without these rooms and without these places and these opportunities to be shepherding and fostering rising talent, that's a key part of the evolution of this industry and of the food chain.
We need to be investing in these vehicles to be discovering and fostering rising talent.
Who should come see Stage Time?
Everybody should come see Stage Time. The audience for Stage Time is anybody who loves the live performing arts in New York City. I mean it. We have the best of Broadway, drag, comedy, burlesque. If it takes place on a stage between 5 pm and 5 am I want it on Stage Time. So it really is a true variety show for anyone who loves the live performing arts and is the most exciting night of entertainment. It's the most exciting night of entertainment in New I'll say it. I'll say it. I'm not afraid. You won't be bored once. And that's kind of the point, right? I think we deserve to have a little bit more variety in our nights out. And I haven't seen anything new in nightlife in a while. And this is my answer for that. I'd like to add that I think that this is a renaissance for the live performing arts. I think that with the rise of AI and this oversaturation with hyper entertainment and streaming and everything, people are really hungry for authentic, intimate, in-person experiences. And they can be really hard to find at high quality.
And what we are striving to be as a brand and as a show is the place to go for a great night out to remind you that you live in the greatest city in the world. And you can find out more on our Instagram and you can like and follow for more. It's about getting in those rooms with people, about looking at each other and about really rediscovering our artistic community and our humanity at these challenging times. I think we have an opportunity to do all of that good and have as much fun as we possibly can. We'll never waste your time at Stage Time. The biggest crime you can commit is to be boring. Our time is so precious to us. Everybody's overworked. Everybody's overstimulated. If you're going to take the time and commit to getting dressed up and leaving your house and going out, you want a sure thing. And by curating a night of all of these different genres, and the best of all these different genres, I'm aiming to give you a sure thing every single time. So you know you're going to have a great night out, guaranteed.
You can see STAGE TIME monthly at the Slipper Room on Saturday nights at 11:45 pm – for tickets and more information click here.
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