Interview: Robert Driemeyer of BROADWAY BARFLY at 54 Below

They say that, when life offers you lemons, you should make lemonade.  When life offered the Robert Driemeyer a global sized lemon in 2020, he made a Manhattan.  Actually, it was a different cocktail but to tell which one would spoil the story Robert tells in his interview below.  Suffice it to say, the show business proficient spent his quarantine doing a deep dive into mixology and musical theater and what he ended up with was a YouTube channel with thousands of views.  Now that online network goes to Broadway's Living Room, as BROADWAY BARFLY LIVE prepares to hit the stage at 54 Below.

On September 6th, Robert Driemeyer and special guest Bianca Marroquin will present a brand new type of cabaret show, one overflowing with mirth, music, and mixology.  Fans of Broadway and booze are certain to want to catch the unique cabaret outing that is making its first public outing, one that the creator of the popular YouTube series is hoping might light up the clubs like a Flaming Mame.

As the days dwindle down to the September 6th debut of Broadway Barfly, Robert Driemeyer took some time out of his busy schedule to exchange some emails with Broadway World Cabaret for a q&a about the creation of Broadway Barfly, the translation of a YouTube series to the live stage, and the best drink and drama pairing since Cole Porter matched up Ethel Merman with an Old Fashioned.

This interview was conducted digitally and appears without edit.

Robert Driemeyer, Welcome to Broadway World!

Thank you and thank you for taking the time to chat with me, I appreciate it.

You are getting ready to present BROADWAY BARFLY LIVE at 54 Below, and I believe this is the first live version of your video series.

Mostly yes. The upcoming performance at 54 Below on Sept 6 will be the show’s public debut but I did do it last year for an audience of invited guests.

I’ve also done a couple live presentations for private events at Rockefeller Center. I called them my Broadway Barfly “watch parties.” They were more similar in style and tone to the YouTube videos.

The show at 54 Below is structured like a traditional nightclub act with live music but it still features mixology demonstrations and a cocktail tasting for those who want to partake.

Put me in the picture of the creation of your YouTube series from having the initial idea to having 154 videos with thousands of views.

Broadway Barfly started as my COVID project. I knew I needed something to keep myself busy and remembered an idea I had for a podcast I never pursued. That weekend in early 2020 when everything was shutting down, I acted on impulse and made a video. I talked a little bit about AUNTIE MAME, highlighting the scene where she’s hung over and asks for her breakfast, “black coffee and a Sidecar,” and I made a Sidecar.  I posted the video on Facebook and a lot of my friends shared it. It racked up nearly thousand views in short order, so I was off and running.

As I made more videos, a little Broadway Barfly community formed. This was still early in the pandemic when things were uncertain, and I think people took the time to watch them and interact because it was a way of connecting. They would comment and share pictures of the drinks they made themselves. It was a nice diversion for me, and hopefully others too.

About six months in, I migrated to YouTube because it was a better platform for what I was doing, and I broadened the scope of the videos. I typically posted three videos a week. The first was a show and cocktail pairing. The second was a peripheral cocktail video. I often demonstrated how to make a homemade version of a liqueur we used in the cocktail. Then finally, I’d post a clip from the show discussed. If the videos were watched in sequence, there was a narrative to follow which I think kept people coming back to the channel. Now nearly three years later, here we are.

What will be the secret to translating the success of minutes-long YouTube videos into a full-on cabaret show?

The key will be entertaining the audience with a good show, and I think we have a great one. The videos mostly focus on one cocktail and its Broadway connection, but the show is wider in scope and far more theatrical.  There’s a section I call the “Ladies of Gin” section. In sort of a vaudevillian style, underscored by Cole Porter’s song “Say it with Gin” from THE NEW YORKERS, I cover three gin cocktails all inspired by theatrical ladies from the turn of the 20th Century.

There is also the “hotel” section, which is a rundown of cocktails with theatrical connections, created in hotels. For example, the Rob Roy was created at the old Waldorf-Astoria and first served in 1894 at the opening night party of the operetta ROB ROY – and no, I don’t sing anything from it.

The fun part for me is sharing seemingly unrelated little bits of trivia and tying them all together so that the audience has the reaction of, “wow, who knew?!” Sometimes I feel a little bit like Cliff Clavin from CHEERS but I think, and I hope the audience will too, that it’s cool to discover how a cocktail is connected to history, especially when there’s one sitting right in front of you for you to taste.

You obviously have a good deal of knowledge about mixology.  Is it something you studied or a personal hobby that developed with time?

I’ve had an interest in cocktails for a long time, but only as an enthusiast, never a professional. Most of what I know, I taught myself and learned over the course of doing the channel. 

Once I started traveling again, I visited some distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. I toured Beefeater when I was in London last fall. A friend and I have also been making weekend trips to the distilleries here in New York, and there are more than one might realize. I always learn something new and interesting at each place I visit.

I’ve had the good fortune to connect with a group of other YouTubers with cocktail channels, most of whom are professional mixologists, or work in hospitality or food and beverage in some way. I’ve learned a ton from them and their video content.  We all participate in a Discord group, so it’s been fascinating for me to follow along with those conversations as well.

On the topic of studying versus personal hobbies, the Broadway portion of Broadway Barfly is filled with history and trivia.  There are those who carry such stories in their hearts because of their passion for the art and those who pick up their knowledge while following a course of study at University.  What's your personal relationship with the history of Broadway?

Relationship is absolutely the right word for it. Broadway, and theatre in general, is my field. I’ve studied all its aspects from performing to producing, both formally and informally since I was a teenager. I was in a lot of musicals in school and community theatre; and whenever I was in a show, I was driven to learn all I could about its history and creation, etc. I’d listen to cast recordings, read original sources if the show was based on a play or novel, etc.

I’m dating myself, but this was before the internet, so I’d spend hours and hours poring over books and recordings from the library. I accumulated a headful of trivial knowledge that I took for granted until now. I’ll be working on a video script and recall some little anecdote or other I remember reading. I always fact check myself and when I do, I usually fall down the rabbit hole all over again.

Honestly, I can’t get enough of it, whenever anyone has a backstage story to tell, I’m all ears.

You have worked in show business in many different capacities, in front of audiences and behind the scenes, and now you have this new corridor of your work.  In my youth they called that being a Renaissance Man; these days they call it being a multi-hyphenate.  Which of those titles do you think is more appropriate for you?

“Jack of all trades,” maybe? I’ve been a lot of things at different times; an actor, a comic, a producer, etc. There’s demonstrable evidence to back up each of those claims but I prefer to refer to myself only as whatever it is I’m doing at the moment, or on a specific project.

I usually only allow myself to wear one hat at a time. There are a few exceptions, obviously I’m both the writer and performer of Broadway Barfly but I chose to not be the producer as well. For that, I’m fortunate and grateful to have Tommaso Cartia and David Parr of Boundless Theater assuming that role.

You have a special guest for BROADWAY BARFLY LIVE, the exciting Bianca Marroquin.  Will you and Bianca be mixing drinks together, like on a morning show, chatting about your favorite liqueurs, or making a little music together?  

I’m thrilled Bianca is my guest, she’s fabulous! We’ll save the chatting for YouTube. In person, people want to see her do her thing and they won’t be disappointed. She’ll be doing a couple of her own numbers, and then she’ll be joining me for a signature number written especially for the show. I call it the Broadway Barfly “Drinking Song.” In fact, the whole audience will want to join in! It was written by my friends Michael Conley and Brad Vieth, who is also my musical director. It’ll be a highlight of the evening. I promise.

Anyone with a knack for whipping up cocktails enjoys a good party.  What are the surefire success tips for throwing a successful cocktail party?

It may seem a little counterintuitive for a cocktail party, but I usually serve a good sangria. It appeals to a wide range of people and it’s easy on the host. You make it once and everyone serves themselves.  You can also make a non-alcoholic version for non-drinkers.

If you serve alcohol, always serve food. If you’re a great cook, then good for you, but if not, do a charcuterie board. It requires no culinary skills to speak of, and if you put a little thought into choosing your items and take care putting it together, it makes a great impression.

Are there cocktails you like to serve less for the drink and more for the stemware and presentation?

One of the things I taught myself to do, and love to do because it impresses people, is flame an orange peel. You heat an orange peel with a match, and when you give it a pinch at just the right moment, the citrus oil sparks a flame. It’s theatrical and people love it. Plus, it adds a depth of flavor to the drink. I mostly do it with Manhattans and Boulevardiers, but it can work well with a lot of different spirit-forward, whiskey cocktails.

What is the Broadway play (or film version thereof) that absolutely requires a cocktail to enhance the enjoyment thereof?

Ha! I’m sure booze made the CATS movie better for a lot of people!  

Robert, thank you for chatting with Broadway World Cabaret today and I hope your first live outing of Broadway Barfly is a cheerful event. 

Thank YOU for making the time for me, and I hope this live outing will be the first of many!

Broadway Barfly Live will play 54 Below on September 6th at 9:30 pm.  For information and reservations visit the 54 Below website HERE.

THIS is the Broadway Barfly YouTube channel.

Test and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia?	Play the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
How well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends.	Can you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!