Broadway's Nicholas Rodriguez Explores Sondheim through his Letters and Songs

EDGE: You're traveling to Provincetown.

Nicholas Rodriguez: Yes. I have been there, but I've never played there before. It's been 15 years since I vacationed there. We've always been looking forward to an excuse to come back as it's not that easy to get to. And here we come.

EDGE: How did you get the gig?

Nicholas Rodriguez: John McDaniel happened to see my show in Florida. Afterwards, he asked me to come do the summer show in Ptown. He and I have known each other for a long time socially, and he's a very good friend of my husband. When he asked me if I would come do it, it was, 'Yes, please, more.' It's really a blessing.

John was actually my introduction to Broadway. Growing up in Texas, I would watch him on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show." (McDaniel was the musical director on the show.) She had a lot of Broadway shows on. She would always ask him what he did last night, and he would say, "Oh I went to the Oak Room and saw Nancy LaMott." He would introduce all these artists, and I would run out and buy their records. It's how I learned about cabaret.

EDGE: What can we expect in your show?

Nicholas Rodriguez: We basically got access to a lot of letters that Sondheim wrote to people, and people wrote to him. He was a vociferous letter writer. There are some punchy ones, some catty ones, some bitchy. It's fun to see that side of Steve. We used the songs to weave everything together. Ninety percent of the of show is written by Steve, but we also have some Lin-Manuel Miranda, Oscar Hammerstein, and Jerry Herman. It's a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to it. I've been touring the country with it this year. The timing of this couldn't be better.

EDGE: How did you come to do a show of Sondheim music?

Nicholas Rodriguez: My manager reached out and asked if I could do a Sondheim show. I did, and it's one of those things that, if you build it, they will come. It's taken on a life of its own. You don't realize how many fans of Steve's there are. It doesn't get played as much as you'd think. It's fun to see the audience reaction when you play their favorite song. It's not so fun when it's over and I didn't sing their favorite song. You can see their disappointment.

EDGE: What's your favorite Sondheim song?

Nicholas Rodriguez: Mine changes, sometimes daily. I think today it's "Marry Me A Little." I sang it on an album called "Sondheim Unplugged." We got nominated for a Grammy. We didn't win, but I got the nomination certificate and framed it.

EDGE: You were in the recent Broadway revival of "Company."

Nicholas Rodriguez: "Company" was always my dream show. Playing Bobby was my dream. I wasn't going to be able to do it here, but just to do it was incredible. What a dream to work with Patti LuPone and Katrina Lenk. Talk about a master class. I was a standby for five of the men.

EDGE: How did you keep all of that in your head?

Nicholas Rodriguez: Perpetual rehearsal, every day. Great colleagues. I was on quite a bit, because we were in the height of COVID, then Omicron; so, if someone was out, they were out for ten days. That was the rule. It was fun playing all of the guys, fun to live with all of the cast. Working with Patti LuPone and playing her husband was never even on my bucket list. And singing "Getting Married Today" to another gay man and watching the audience respond to it, erupting. As a gay man it was so special, something I can relate to. It hits a little deeper. I'm very fortunate. I do not take it for granted.

EDGE: Can you explain the gender switch in this production?

Nicholas Rodriguez: The gender switch in the production was the genius creation of the show's incredible director Marianne Elliott. The character Bobby was turned into Bobbie, a woman. His original three girlfriends became Bobbie's three boyfriends. David and Jenny had their roles reversed, and Amy, who sings "Getting Married Today," became Jamie, a gay groom with cold feet. It was amazing to watch it all. It hits a little differently when a 35-year-old woman is asked, "Why aren't you getting married today?" The power dynamics of all the relationships were swapped.