But not all of them.

When the Billy Elliot-like Warren Carlyle danced over to the US from the West End (after appearing in a ton of big-time shows), he didn’t even think twice about wanting to tread the boards as a performer.

He dove right into creating the steps, instead of dancing ’em.

With that kind of focus and drive, it’s no wonder that he now has about a dozen credits on Broadway, from his Tony-nominated turns this season on Kiss Me Kate to his direction and choreography of Chaplin, Finian’s Rainbow, and more.

Warren is a big part of the Tony race this season (and my money is on him), but he still took time out of his busy rehearsal and cocktail party schedule to sit down with me and talk about:

• How he was a real-life Billy Elliot and why his Mum got him started on his journey.
• What made him hang up his dance belt and turn to a life of choreography.
• The process of creating a number . . .  and how he knows when it is working and when it isn’t . . . .
• How he got “Too Darn Hot” from an 8 to a 10!
• What it’s like working with stars like Hugh Jackman and Bette Midler.

Click above to listen to the wisdom of Warren now!

Listen to it on iTunes here. (And if you like the podcast, give it a great review while you’re there!)

Download it here.

I put a little something new into the podcast this week:  music.

You’ll start hearing a bit of a tune from one of my guests’ shows in every episode going forward.

And Paul Gordon was the inspiration.

We were talking about his gorgeous tune, “Forgiveness” from Jane Eyre, and I so wanted to hear it right then I said, “We’re putting this in the damn podcast!”  So you’ll hear a bit.  (And if you want to hear more, go here to get the dang song.)

Paul‘s melodies are why I produced Daddy Long Legs.  Music is the root word of musical, so if you don’t have great music, you should hang a poster on the wall at Joe Allen’s right away.

Click above for my podcast with Paul!

Listen to it on iTunes here. (And if you like the podcast, give it a great review while you’re there!)

Download it here.

“You have a candy machine in here???”

If you saw or know 13 the musical (my first Broadway producing credit), then you know that this line got one of the biggest laughs on Broadway that entire season. (It was shouted in utter disbelief by a 13-year-old male character who burst into the girl’s bathroom to talk to his girlfriend, only to be distracted by a certain type of feminine product vending machine mounted on the wall.)

The line was written by book writer Robert Horn, who is now getting even bigger laughs at his Tony-nominated musical Tootsie, which is being heralded as one of the best movie-to-musical adaptations . . . evah.

We talked about Tootsie, as well as 13, and . . .

• • What makes something funny — and how he finds it.
  • How he got his start writing by selling monologues to actors for $20 (you art-trepreneur, you!).
  • How his success in TV helped him crack the code on Broadway — which is what he has wanted all along.
  • Could a writer’s room work on Broadway (you’ll be surprised to hear this response)?
  • When to cut something and when NOT to.

Enjoy!  And then go see Tootsie!

Josh Bergasse’s life could be a musical.