This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Jeff Malone: Welcome to Half Hour with Jeff and Richie. I'm Jeff.

[0:02] Richie Grasso: And I'm Richie. And today on our Spotlight Series, we are welcoming a very special guest, Tony Award-winning Broadway producer, Sean Nyberg. Sean, welcome to Half Hour Podcast with Jeff and Richie.

[0:13] Sean Nyberg: Thank you for having me on. I've been a fan for a long time.

[0:16] Jeff Malone: Yay. Well, I'm going to read your bio. So, we are thrilled to have Sean Nyberg here. As I said earlier, a Tony Award-winning Broadway producer who's earned an incredible five Tony nominations last season alone. Alongside his husband, Sean, he's been involved in more than 70 productions across New York and London. His Broadway credits include The Lost Boys, Catch the Jungle Balls, After the Salesman, The Rocky Horror Show, and Every Brilliant Thing. In London's West End, his work includes Paddington the Musical, The Hunger Games on Stage, and Jamie Lloyd's revival of Odita. His off-Broadway credits include Heated Rivalry, the unauthorized musical parody, Heathers, the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Kenrex.

Sean has also produced cast recordings for The Lost Boys, Heated Rivalry musical parody, Catch the Jungle Ball, and the most recent revival of Cher's. Looking ahead, Sean is involved in a dynamic slate of upcoming productions, including West End revivals Into the Woods and Rent, UK productions of Silence of the Lambs, High School Musical and The King's Speech, and the off-Broadway musicals The Heart and Todrick Hall's Midnight and pre-Broadway runs of Alice in Neverland, Gloria Esteban's Zosura, and Begin Again, a new musical featuring songs by Pamela Han of Train. And right now, Sean's focus is on expanding Heated Rivalry's musical parody throughout the United States and internationally, preparing for the Broadway transfer of Patton to the musical this spring, and an exciting soon-to-be-announced revival set for next year. So I don't think you're busy at all, Sean.

[1:34] Sean Nyberg: I know, I have to keep that list in front of me to remind me what's still out there and what's going on, I know.

[1:41] Richie Grasso: I bet, I bet. So I want to just kick things off, you know, a lot of our listeners don't always, I think a lot of our listeners know what actors do, what designers do, what directors do, but not all of them really know exactly what Broadway producers do. So I'd love if you could start us off a little bit about how did you find this world and get involved in the Broadway producing space and get started?

[1:58] Sean Nyberg: Yeah, thanks. Yeah, then I do think one of the issues that I think sometimes we have is that there's not more clarity into what all the different roles do. And so there's a lot, when there's mystery, people kind of fill it in with like, you know, that there's clearly some stuff going on that's not right. But no, it's, I am a lawyer, I practiced for a while, I went through a period of my life where I got sober 11 years ago. And during that time, my dad got sick, my mom got sick, I was really their caretaker. And that was really where my focus was, was getting sober, taking care of both my parents. And when they passed, I was kind of at this point in my life where I was in my early 40s. I had money and I was like, what's next?

Right. And I didn't love practicing law. And I would have had so many, you know, you have so many investment opportunities that are so boring, you know, the stock market, real estate, there's just a lot of places that are safe. But so we stayed there. But we should we should start putting some stuff in things that we actually love and kept my husband, Paul and I that we actually love and we care about. And it's exciting that we can be involved in more. And so that's when we decided to start investing in shows. And what I did, and it's so funny, because it's so simple, but it's so cringy for our generation and younger is I went and I looked up the producers who do shows I like, and I called them.

It's like, you know, like a phone call and be like, Hi, I don't know how this works. Could you talk to me for an hour? And it's amazing how many people in the industry, if you like, say, tell me everything you do, we kind of all have egos. And so we love talking about ourselves. And so I got a handful of really big producers who took time to talk to me. And I say that because, you know, sometimes it's off, you know, it's we're talking on the phone these days is a little bit. Please be my friend, you know, but I got some great advice and got some great connections and we just started rolling hard. And it's interesting, you know, there's a lot of people who need a lot of money and need a lot of producing help.

And so one thing I learned early is you have to really learn how to say no to some things, because there's a lot that is out there and it's easy to get overwhelmed. And you can see kind of from my list. It took me a while to figure that out. But yeah. So what do we do? So really, there's two things that the co-producers, they raise money through investors. But what's different with myself and my husband is that we don't raise money. I just can't. I can't reach out to someone and be like, hey, this is a really risky bet. Can I have your money? And then I'm going to give it to the show that I don't have really a lot of control over. And then and then turn to you and have to tell you, you know, one point to 10 percent of the time that you lost all your money.

And so we are in a fortunate position where we can we invest. We fully fund all the rate, all the money we raise. We don't have to go out to outside people. And the problem with that is it's risky. You know, so when we lose it, we lose our own money. But at least I know what I'm getting myself into. And so and then it's like, so what? So is it just you guys are like a bank basically? But it's not. It really depends on the show. Right. So some shows that you just want your check and you'll get an opening night tickets, you get a pair of open tickets and you get house seats and that's it. And you get a Tony if it wins. But in some shows like Heat of Rivalry and some of these other ones, if you get in early enough, you really can have some say and you can kind of help sway some of it.

And so it just depends on like the size of the show, when you get into the show, because there's some of these shows are raising money like during previews. So you know, there's really no opportunity to have much say. And then and then there's who you know, where the show is, if it's off Broadway, if it's, you know, in a workshop phase and and also who the director is. Some directors are really open. I feel like the ones who've had the most success tend to be the ones who are more open to hearing you out because they respect your investment and they respect your opinion. And I feel like some of the younger ones who aren't haven't had some of the bigger successes tend to be the ones who feel like they have to like be to have an attitude and be like, you know, I'm saying like, yeah, they try to act as if, you know, and so the ones who have more success tend to be the ones who are more collaborative. So, yeah, that's basically it. And it has opened up a lot of opportunities and a lot of really cool experiences that I would have never guessed would have come from this.

[6:17] Richie Grasso: Yeah, it's cool to kind of hear this, too, because it makes it kind of go into like choosing projects next. And like, what do you feel like makes you choose a project that comes across your desk?

[6:28] Sean Nyberg: Really good question. OK, so we have three, basically three criteria. One, does it financially make sense? So, like, for example, I might not be really excited about the tour of Spamalot like that might not like, but the U.S. tour of Spamalot is going to make money. Right. It's one of the more guarantee type things. The second one is one. Is it something we really care about? So when we and this has been recorded when we went into Jellicle Ball, of course, we had a lot of high hopes, but we really thought of it as almost like a donation because we cared so much about the community that it was representing that we were just kind of already OK with it before it even opened that it didn't turn out.

We would still be OK with what we did. And then the third thing is and this is a little petty, but it's sometimes to join a project with an opportunity to work with people we really respect. So like, you know, some of these bigger producers and directors, we really want to have a relationship with them. So maybe we'll get into some small project they're doing on the side just so we get an opportunity to meet them and not just meet them like, oh, get a picture with me, but like meet them and then work on stuff later. And that's really worked in some of our projects we're doing now. Like the reason I got into Pat, we got into Paddington when I was in London. They weren't taking U.S. investors.

And Sonya Friedman, they were really just focusing on their their U.K. investors that have been with them since with a lot of smaller stuff. But I've made some good connections earlier in the year and that helped me, you know, kind of work my way in. And so, you know, it's all about connecting. And so basically it's doesn't financial and it doesn't have to be all three, just one of the three. Does it financially make sense? Is it a project that we care about like socially or is it something that, you know, we have an opportunity to work with people we really respect?

[8:06] Richie Grasso: So in that line of talk, it sounds so interesting because like if I use two of your bigger shows right now, you have Lost Boys and Paddington, which are two big, big, big shows, both about completely different things. And so I think I really respect you as a producer. Some producers only invest in revivals or only invest in new works that are family friendly or that are rock or whatever. And I like the diversity of your portfolio. So when you're looking at Lost Boys and Paddington and you're kind of rowing those two boats at the same time, are you seeing the same challenges, different challenges? Like when you have these two mega shows, what could you say about those two being that they're so different?

[8:46] Sean Nyberg: Yeah, I mean, but in a way I would argue they're kind of similar if you take one big step back, like they're both previous unknown IPs. They're both big musicals. They both have a studio somewhere behind them, you know, Studio Canal for Paddington and Warner Brothers over at Lost Boys. But I do know, I would say like the bigger ones would be like, I mean, some of the plays, you know, one time a producer asked Paul, my husband, to list his favorite shows and he was so perplexed. He's like, there's not a through line between any of these shows. And so that's kind of, you know, and that's what's kind of fun about it is I don't know if I would only want to be like a Jamie Lloyd investor, just Jamie Lloyd stuff or just, you know, the star-led plays.

But so like with Paddington and Lost Boys, I will say that the biggest difference there is like Paddington's transferring and so it's coming with so much expectation and so much love and hype. Lost Boys did like the opposite of transferring in that it wasn't even off-Broadway, you know, or out of town. Like it literally opened up on the stage. And so in that sense, like Paddington's going to come basically done. You know, I think they're making some tweaks, but it's coming done where Lost Boys, we were at that first preview and like what it did for now and that is like 45 minutes shorter, you know, and that was really cool to just watch. So I think that would be the biggest thing. And also Paddington before it even opened in the UK, it was workshopping for like four years.

So it was, and a lot of times you workshop it to death and by the time it gets there, it's done, like it's, it does not work and it's overworked. And that was our biggest concern about Paddington. But yeah, so I hope that kind of explains that a little bit. And every show, sorry, go on, yeah.

[10:45] Sean Nyberg: I think Paddington's probably one of the most, I mean, knock on wood, but I do think it's one of the most sure bets, probably almost since Hamilton. Not that it'll be bigger, but I'm just saying like in terms of, I think there's a lot of people concerned about it coming to America, but I think you guys have seen it and I've sent probably 40 different Americans to it and it's their favorite show in the last 20 years, all of them. But yeah, other than those like once-in-a-generation shows, no, you have no idea. And I think we saw that this last season with something like Fear 13 with Adrian Brody, where on paper that should have done great, just because it's an Oscar-winning actor, it's a play, so it's not that expensive, and it didn't work. And it didn't work, I can tell you, it did not work. And so, yeah, you don't know, but I wish I could, I wish I could tell you.

[12:50] Sean Nyberg: Well, it is such a risky investment. And it's interesting, you said earlier, like, yes, people invest in real estate, people invest in the stock market, people invest in startup companies. Then you look at this, and I've talked to some people and said, would you ever produce in Broadway? And usually people that maybe are not the most knowledgeable of Broadway, the first thing they say out of their mouth is, oh no, too risky, too risky, I could lose my money, too risky. So when you hear that and yet you're the one taking the risk, I guess, why theater as an investment for you, even with the risk? Is it because of the passion you have for the art form? Yeah, yeah. And it's funny, because there's always these decisions, this show or that show, because you have pools of money, right?

And so we do have to make decisions. It's not just endless, right? And we keep a really deep moat between stuff in retirement accounts and in the stock market. And while the stock market ebbs and flows, there's never been a 10-year period, even during the Great Depression, where the stock market didn't grow, right? So it's a safe place to kind of store your money. So we have that. Then we have this stuff that we can play around a little bit more with, but it's risky. But I think Ken Davenport in one of his books, The Producer, I will say about Ken, he's very, if you look at a lot of his material, he does a great job of explaining it to people. So if you're out there, I don't have any shows with him, so I'm not speaking for his office, but he has some great resources if you want to learn more about producing.

And I think he's the one that pointed out, if you invest in small businesses, like a new restaurant or whatever, like a new auto mechanic, it's the same recruitment ratio as a Broadway show. And all shows are individual LLCs. So in a way, it's the exact same thing. You have to think about it, you're investing in a small company. Now, yes, it's not a great place. So if you need your money for rent, or your cell phone bill, I would not recommend it. But one other thing my husband and I think about too, is even if a show doesn't fully recoup or something, the experience, the ability to fly out to London and go to Paddington and go to the opening night and get to meet some really nice people. And again, it's not even the stars, it's just meeting these creatives and Liv Fletcher, who's the director, and you can add that into some of the benefit you get.

It's not just dollars and cents, right? And like, for example, Sunset Boulevard, we were not invested in that, but all our friends were. It did not recoup. And it's actually, I mean, it's not a place to say, but I think it recouped less than what people are reporting. But I know everyone who's involved with it, we're so excited to be a part of something that was such a moment, you know, and the Tony win. And then remember the two months after the Tony win, when it was just crazy at the stage door, and it was like, God, I wish this could go on for another year. So they may not have got all their money back, but no one left that feeling like upset that they had invested in it. That said, I do want to nip one thing in the butt.

You hear it all the time, people online will say, well, they love theater, and so they're not really doing a further return. So it's okay if a show doesn't recoup or loses everything, because, you know, they just love theater. That's not a way to think. If people want to support theater and they don't care about a return, there's about 200 nonprofit theaters that people donate to, and you get to see amazing shows. So I think we need to change that perspective, because not me, I don't care about me, but the other investors, like we need to think about making sure that they are, you know, they're being taken care of in a way that they want to keep investing in these shows, because if that spigot turns off, it's done. And I'm not saying they're poor investors, I just think we need to stop with that idea of, eh, they do it for the love of theater, so who cares if they get their money back.

[16:37] Sean Nyberg: Yeah. And from your perspective right now, too, what do you feel like the biggest financial pressures producers are navigating today, especially in the Broadway space? Yeah, good question. I think my biggest always concern is the weekly operating costs. I mean, the budgets are big, but the way I look at it is something like Lost Wars or Paddington, you're not going to squeak by and recoup. So we're also in Two Strangers, Carrot Cake. That show is so cheap to run that we can adjust our advertising pay and thread the needle to be profitable every week. But some of these bigger ones, it's either going to be a grand slam or you're going to strike out. And so I just think if they can keep the weeklies down, and they can just have a show that runs for 10 years, then no matter what that budget is, they'll eventually recoup, especially with the tour and with the transfer and with the licensing and the movie and all that stuff.

So my biggest thing is just those weekly costs and trying to figure out where we can cut. But the problem is, there's not one easy, there's not like a bad guy at the end of the movie that we just need to kill and all the vampires back. I think everybody involved, all the chess pieces need to make a change. And that's the problem. No one's the villain, and even the theater owners, I'm sorry, but they're not like the outright villains. The union, the producers, the theater owners, the city, the way we fund our art, everybody needs to make a little bit of a change. And the problem is that that's harder to do versus just taking down one bad guy. And that's why I'm a little bit worried. Does that make sense? I don't know if I'm making sense.

[18:12] Jeff Malone: No, totally, Noren. It's interesting. This summer, we were off Broadway, and then we went to London, and we saw Hunger Games in Paddington. We've seen all of these, but the last three we've seen, all three very different. Loved all of them. Paddington, no joke, think about every day. I'm blown away by that show. Hunger Games, the epicness of it, and the extreme comedy of Yeeted Rivalry, all three very different shows. But summer in West End, summer Broadway. Everyone heard the statement from Angeloid Weber recently, which was, Broadway's too expensive. I have to produce in West End first, or whatever he said. I'm paraphrasing, but he said, Broadway is too expensive, and that needs to change. Are you seeing that West End is cheaper, or maybe not cheap, but cheaper than Broadway? Is it easier to start in West End? What are the differences you're really seeing now with West End versus Broadway?

[19:00] Sean Nyberg: Yeah, and I don't know if you see, I sent you guys my list, and we're not going to post it or anything, but if you look at what we're doing in the upcoming season, it's about 85% West End, or UK, like the tours. I did see, yeah. Because it is significantly cheaper, and that's what I'm talking about, is that it's cheaper in the sense that the weeklies are like, I mean, you guys saw, I can't get enough, but like Hunger, the running cost of Hunger Games is probably a third of the cheapest musical. Like, it's so cheap, and then you know it doesn't look cheap. I mean, it's a big spectacle. We were like, this has to cost a lot. I mean, it's expensive for West End, but yes, so yes, the costs are significantly, it's not just people saying that, it is significantly cheaper, but what I'm finding interesting is that even when I go to a West End show, like a West End premiere, and we're talking at the parties, Broadway's still that, it's still the shining city on the hill, where people are like, always, it's always when they're going to transfer.

You know, even though it's still like, the place where shows go to die, it still has that, like, that's the goal. It's funny, because when I'm talking to investors about tours or off-Broadway, and they say, and our plan is to come to Broadway, I'm almost like, don't tell me that. Because like, that almost to me is like, just post up like a little shop of horrors and run for 20 years, you know?

[20:40] Sean Nyberg: Yeah. Right? I mean, that's a great model. It's like, never gonna close, so like, why not? Yeah, and it's not that it's a, and it's not like a cheapy show. Like, it's great. I went and saw Betsy Wolf the other day, and it was great. And so, not every show could do that, but I just think, so yeah, it is significantly cheaper. Yeah, it is, and I don't know how we can change it. But I do know that a lot of the cost cuts come from, you know, some of the actors being worked harder than they are on Broadway. You know, they don't have quite as much protections, and I fully support the union. But what I'm saying is, if anything, I could see London getting more expensive because the actors there are going to start demanding what they deserve.

And it's not even like we're treating the actors on Broadway great. You know, if anything, they deserve more too. But I would watch any statement from some of these people who have been around for 40 years who are worth a billion dollars. Sometimes they've got revivals coming up in the following season, and their last two revivals never recouped. And so maybe they're trying to get ahead of the headlines.

[21:31] Sean Nyberg: I say it to Richie a lot. A lot of stuff can just be clickbait, but who knows? What advice would you give someone who wants to get into theater producing but doesn't know where to begin? Yeah, I would just, again, like I did, almost reach out to some of these people, especially, I mean, like, I'll say, like, Ken Davenport was one I reached out to. What I did is I was actually, I took the playbill from Maybe Happy Ending and I went to the back, and I literally just googled everyone and just called and emailed, and about 80% got back to me. I would also say, like, learn, like, grab, like, a text, like, I almost read some of these, like, the business of Broadway, like a textbook, and I just really dove deep into it.

And then just do it. Like, there's nothing, like, it's, go, do something that you might think is, quote, below you. This whole business is so tight that it's like two steps between, like, Andrew Lloyd Webber and, like, starting out on your first show off-Broadway. Like, it's amazing how, unlike Hollywood, where they're, you know, like, it's the big gulfs between, like, you know, Broadway's very accessible in the sense of you can find yourself in a pretty big show pretty easily that you wouldn't do maybe in Hollywood or you couldn't do on any other business like, you know, like tech or anything. Just get there and get to meet people and make relationships, and it's amazing what can happen.

[22:57] Sean Nyberg: And when you look forward to the future of theater, as you're looking at your projects coming up, you're looking at what's coming down the road in this year, next year, five years, however far ahead, what are you seeing and, well, what are you hoping you're seeing in terms of the stories that are on stage, the artists that are telling the stories, the audiences? Where do you think this industry goes in the next few years, in your opinion? Yeah, one thing I do see, and not just to bring it back to Paddington, but I think with Paddington and with Happy Feet, I think we're going to start seeing Disney be challenged a little bit with some of the family entertainment. I feel like, you know, as someone who's got friends with kids, you know, I get that call, we're going to New York, what should we see?

And you're like, I mean, Lion King and Aladdin, that's really it on certain ages. And it's like, oh, well, just toured in Seattle, like, last month. I'm like, yeah. So I think that's one thing we're going to start to see, which might be good to help revitalize, because we did see that when, like, Lion King was a big hit, it kind of helped everything. And I could see Paddington and Happy Feet in some of those. I also think, I don't think we're going to get away from this idea of the star-led plays. I do think that that's going to be around. And I don't think there's anything wrong with that. They plug in, you know, plug in nicely, and then they can go for three months. And, you know, you can't deny that people go to them, right?

And so it's not they're forced to go to them, people choose. Yeah. And then I think we're going to start seeing more stuff like Masquerade, Hunger Games in London, more of these, not so much, they're not like a sweet, no more necessarily for all of them, but more just creative ideas. And we're starting to see them and being pitched at this level, you know, early level. But I do need to also say, I think there's a big generation of directors and producers who are kind of stuck in that 90s model that we're seeing that, like, doesn't work anymore. And they talk a big game, but then the minute they pitch you something, it's like, oh, it's literally like the recruitment charts the same. It's like, this doesn't work, but this will be different this time.

So I do, I fear we have to like flush, not flush it out, like we have to force them out. But I think they just need to retire eventually. The problem with that is I just hope it doesn't turn away some investors. I mean, I'll tell you what, I know some people, a lot of people who put money into Queen of Versailles, and this is back before it was like, done, like, so they just heard Kristen Chenoweth, Steven Schwartz, and they put in their first time investing. And then I was involved, but I know people who were, and they would never, they won't invest in the show again, just with how that whole thing shut down and how, and they were like, oil money. Like, there are people who had some stuff. And so that's one of the biggest problems when we have these wipeouts, a little bit like Cats was, is that they bring in first time investors, and then they're like, I'm out. And so that's something we need to watch.

[25:41] Richie Grasso: Well, that was another thing with Queen of Versailles. Like, like you say, on paper, it was stacked to be something successful, and then it just didn't. So.

[25:52] Sean Nyberg: It's so interesting with the industry. And we do have, we do, we're almost out of time. Two fun questions I want to ask you, and we're going to start, we'll, you know, get the light in the mood, because I know this, this conversation is over. But again, I mean, the works you're, you're producing are wonderful, and I just love to see what's coming up. But I have to ask, because you had mentioned you and your husband both work together in this world, right? Producing. Do you ever disagree about what makes a great project? And honestly, who wins those debates?

[26:25] Sean Nyberg: We do, we do. I win, I win in the sense that like, I'm the one that does all the meetings. So he, but in a way, it's almost like he wins, because when I force a show, and then it flops, that's almost worse than not getting, you know what I mean? They're not going for the show, like, so all the ones, yeah. But we're pretty good about it. We have to agree on them. But they're, I won't say what they are, because they're, they're coming next season and stuff. But there were some where we disagreed, and we just, it's one of those, like, if it's, if it's a negative and a positive, we go, we just don't do it. You know, it's both our money and, and, but then between us, between us and everyone else listening, like, when you're the one getting the pitches, you can filter what gets shared, you know?

[27:12] Richie Grasso: That's awesome. And now for your upcoming projects, what are you able to share with our listeners about what you're most excited for?

[27:21] Sean Nyberg: Yeah, that's, I would say the kind of things that were in that intro, I will say, I'm really excited with what's going on with Heated Rivalry. I think it's, it's gonna be written about, like, Dylan, Dylan, the guy who wrote the music and the book, and how fast he turned it around, and how brilliant with the framework of having it be with, like, through the fans' perspective. And it's in Edinburgh right now, and it is selling out every night. We're going to London, we've been in Canada at two, at two different festivals, we're gonna, there's some stuff more in Canada, we're talking about Australia, like, it just shows what, like, a really good quality show can do. And when I came on board, like, I came on board really early, and the biggest thing I said, I don't want, we're, I will, I will not be part of this if we go to theatres with more than 400 seats.

Like, let's, let's multiply, rather than grow, you know, let's have two tours going instead of trying to hit these big houses. So I, that's what I'm really excited, but also I think Paddington, and I, and just in the sense that I think it could be something that could be like a, like a revitalizing for, for Broadway. It could bring a whole bunch of people from Ohio who normally don't come that could then help all the shows. And so that's just something I'm really looking forward to. Yeah, really off Broadway is exciting. Not just, I know you guys know that from going to shows and stuff, but like, it's exciting on the producing end too. And you know, it's about one, one ninth the cost, and the shows are just as good, and if not even more exciting in ways. So yeah, that's what I'm really looking forward to.

[28:52] Richie Grasso: I love that. The off-Broadway stuff is so, so amazing. We get to that as much as we can. We see everything in the Broadway season. And even what you were saying earlier, like the star-studded stuff, like Death of a Salesman revival, I walked out of there and I was like, this, this is, I looked at the, I, right Jeff, I looked at the billboard, I said, this is how you do Death of a Salesman. I have no doubts. Like this is literal, and that was a star-studded cast too. And it was like, I've seen that show a million times, and it was like, mind-blowing. And then yes, like, I totally agree with you on the Paddington stuff. Like that could totally resurge so many things, especially with family-friendly theater, because it was just, it's such an open space.

We talk about it all the time that like, no one really is coming in with the family shows. And we're like, why? And like, Disney has been so radio silent for so long with putting new works on after Frozen really kind of flopped. I mean that like, what, what are they doing? So when you have something like Paddington coming, it's like, yeah. When I left Paddington, my first thought was, they out Disney, Disney. Like that was the magic Disney always had, that you could rely on in the 90s. And I was like, oh, that's what I used to remember when I was a kid. And another thing too, that we are seeing with The Lost Boys, I know you guys were like mixed on it, but from behind the scenes, I can tell you, it is drawing a really big men in their 40s and 50s, straight men in their 40s and 50s, which I think anything they can bring in like different demographics, I think is helpful for a lot.

And which is kind of cool too. So like the Gen X, it's kind of a really great drawing that crowd, which I think is great. So any of these shows that can bring in new audiences, I think helps everyone.

[30:18] Sean Nyberg: That's a really good point. And even like Rocky Horror that has the older generation of the original too. And Lost Boys definitely have some mixed reviews, but I tell you that is going, like that is, that is an epic. So like, good for that. Like, you know what I mean? Like, I always say like, my, my job here is to just talk these shows and go to them and live them and say, maybe I would have done that differently, but like you go and sell those tickets. Cause you know, I love that part of this industry. It's not like night or day. It's just so there could be so many mixed thoughts, but then you all want to see the success of it. Cause we love this art form so much. And I love that. It's good stuff. Yeah. Yeah. I wish, I wish they posted the advances cause you'd be, you'd be pretty impressed.

[31:02] Richie Grasso: Oh, I'm sure. Sure. Yeah. Yeah. Well, listen, I mean, again, I have to have you back. Cause we're gonna have to do this again. Talk about your next year shows and whatnot, but that is all the time we have for today. Where can people find you, by the way, if they want to see more about what you're doing on the internets?

[31:17] Sean Nyberg: Yeah, I think I'm just really Instagram, just Sean Nyberg, S C A N N Y B E R G. I mean, I have Facebook and stuff, but that's more like where I go and you'll see me lingering in the back of the heat of rivalry and just like, you know, that whole space we, you know, we want to turn, like get the restaurant back up on top. And like, I think we're going to revive that building too.

[31:39] Richie Grasso: So yeah, you should linger in the shadows.

[31:41] Sean Nyberg: All the time we have for our spotlight series episode of Half Hour today. And we thank you all so much for listening.

[31:48] Richie Grasso: Yes. We hope you enjoyed our conversation with Sean Nyberg in this description. We'll share all information on where you can learn more about Sean and how you can get tickets to more of his shows for future interviews. We'd love to hear if you can connect with us on Instagram and TikTok at Half Hour Podcast.

[32:08] Sean Nyberg: So thanks so much for joining us today, Sean.

[32:10] Sean Nyberg: Thank you.

[32:11] Richie Grasso: Yay. And signing off for now. I'm Richie.

[32:13] Jeff Malone: And I'm Jeff.

[32:15] Richie Grasso: Bye.