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[0:00] Nella Vera: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the fabulous Feinstein's 54 Below. Before we get started this evening, just a polite reminder, please take this moment to silence your cell phones. Also, there is no flash photography, please. Enjoy the show.

[0:12] Nella Vera: Welcome to the Feinstein's 54 Below podcast, where we bring you conversations with all your favorite musical theater artists. I'm Nella Vera, the club's director of marketing. As many of you know, the club has been closed since March, which has been, to be honest, very tough on us, particularly most of our staff who has been furloughed for many months now. I want to take a moment to thank everyone who has contributed to the GoFundMe for the staff. They greatly appreciate it. And to all of you who have dropped us notes of support. We can't wait to reopen and welcome everybody back. A handful of us have been working on a streaming series called 54 Below premieres. To find out more information about the shows in the series, please visit 54below.com slash premieres. Today, I'm very pleased to be joined by artists from our third show in the series. I'll drink to that. Here's to the girls who stay smart. Aren't they a gas?

[1:35] Nella Vera: I'm so thrilled to say that we are joined by the host and producer of one of our most celebrated and popular series, Sondheim Unplugged, along with one of the stars from the show. Phil Geoffrey Bond created the award-winning and long-running monthly series Sondheim Unplugged in 2010 and has been its producer and host ever since. He has served as director of programming for the Duplex, the Laurie Beechman Theater, as well as Feinstein's 54 Below, where he later became director of original programming. He is a writer also, and his novel The Last Year at Low Tide is currently available on Amazon, as are his other titles, My Queer Youth, Small Town Confessions, The Fall of Mrs. Parsons, The Disney Diaries, and All the Sad Young Men. Phil is the recipient of seven MAC Awards, those are the Manhattan Association of Clubs and Cabarets Awards, two Backstage Bistro Awards, a Broadway World Award, and a Nightlife Award. Welcome, Phil.

[2:39] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Thank you. Thank you for having me and thanks for doing this.

[2:41] Nella Vera: Our next guest, Lucia Spina, made her Broadway debut with The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee in 2006. Since then, she has appeared in several other Broadway shows, including Kinky Boots, South Pacific, Legally Blonde, and Les Miserables. Off-Broadway, she originated roles in Silence! The Musical and Fugitive Songs. She also toured the country with Legally Blonde, and her regional work includes appearances at Goodspeed Opera House, Long Wharf Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, Barrington Stage, Milwaukee Rep, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, and many more. She was awarded Best Female Vocalist in Broadway World's 2015 Cabaret Awards. Welcome to the podcast, Lucia.

[3:24] Lucia Spina: Hi, Nella. Thank you so much for having me.

[3:30] Nella Vera: I'm so happy that you're both able to join us today. I want to start by asking you both how you're doing. The industry has been shut down for many months, and I just want to know how you're doing and how you've been keeping busy during this shutdown. I'll let Lucia go first.

[3:40] Lucia Spina: Oh, okie dokie. I'm doing quite well, and I feel kind of bad saying that because I know so many people aren't, but I mean, do I have employment? No. Do I have income? No. All these things, but 2019 was a very, very busy year for me, and I don't know where it went, so to have this kind of forced downtime is kind of a dream in a lot of ways because I don't know when I'm going to get this kind of time again, so I'm trying just to give into the fact that there's nothing we can control right now other than wearing your face masks and staying the hell at home, people, so I'm just enjoying it with my dog Bruce and trying to get a bunch of stuff done that I've never been able to do, and it is what it is, right?

[4:40] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Well, I left New York City in 2011, and I left my last job at Feinstein's 54 Below, I don't know, in 2015 or something like that, so I've been a country hermit for a few years now, so I'm sort of used to this, so I sort of live like this anyway, sort of isolated and out in the country, and I love it, so I have no right to complain about anything considering how badly things are for most people, so really, I'm just dandy. I have all my groceries delivered, I have everything that I need, I have a cat and a warm fireplace, so I'm just great, and my heart goes out to everyone who's not.

[5:13] Nella Vera: Amazing, and you know, it's funny because I'm like you, Lucia, I've been not enjoying the time off, but just accepting it, and yeah, I've been working out every day, which I never had time to do.

[5:27] Lucia Spina: Good for you. Good for you.

[5:33] Nella Vera: That's not something I've adopted, unfortunately. I have a gym in the basement, and I haven't been working out every day.

[5:38] Lucia Spina: Yeah, yeah. You started to in the beginning, didn't you though?

[5:43] Nella Vera: Yeah, yeah.

[5:43] Lucia Spina: Yeah, I thought so, and then, you know.

[5:52] Nella Vera: But you know, so many people are suffering. I do also sometimes feel guilty when people say, how are you? You know, when I say, actually, I'm okay. I have my dog, I have a boyfriend, so it's our own little pod, and we're fine. You know, it's not like super fun times, but we've got Netflix, we've got books, we're just waiting for this to be over and looking forward, but I do get very sad when I think about my friends who are suffering, and my heart just breaks for everybody in the industry.

[6:49] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Yeah, and you know, if I thought about that all day long, I'd be a nutcase. I try to do what I can to help my friends out and do what I can to help others in their money-making ventures and things like that, and if anybody needs anything, they know they can come to me, and I will give them anything, spirit, home, whatever you need, but it's just, it's so hard. It's so, so hard, and with numbers rising across the country, and LA doesn't have enough ICUs, it's just, the rest of the country is going through what we went through right now, and it's really heartbreaking to watch that.

[7:00] Nella Vera: Yeah, we're going to talk about Sondheim Unplugged in a second, but I do want to mention that Phil was the host of the former incarnation of this podcast back in the early days of Feinstein's 54 Below. In fact, it was even before the name changed, so it was just the 54 Below podcast back then. Podcasting was so new, Phil, you were such a pioneer. Did you know anything about podcasting when you launched?

[7:23] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Oh, I barely knew what a podcast was, but it didn't really matter because I was so enamored of the people I got to talk to. I mean, I think we did Liz Callaway, and Sherry Renee Scott, and Barbara Carroll, and oh gosh, I can't even remember all. We did like 20 of them, and I loved it, and I was fascinated by all those people, so it was really easy. I just prepared the night before. I knew a lot about them already, but I did a little research and asked what I thought were interesting questions that people might want to know about, and we went into a room for 30 minutes and just had a nice chat. So I love doing it, and I love that they're preserved, and the lady who put them together is a really talented lady.

Her first name was Josie. I don't remember her last name, but she edited it so carefully with clips and things like that. When we did Donna McKechnie, she had sound clips from A Chorus Line and things like that, so she was just so smart and made them so artful.

[8:50] Nella Vera: Yeah, that podcast had a real producer when it launched. I think she was like an NPR producer, and of course it wasn't a sustainable model back then, so that podcast went away, and then we relaunched last year, and now it's just our staff produces it, and we've had to teach ourselves everything. Luckily, more people have these types of skills now than they did then, and Broadway Podcast Network, who hosts us, provides amazing resources to us, so we're able to just record things and have conversations with our artists, and they deal with pushing it out, and they deal with the technical part of it on the back end. I'm glad to see it's back.

[9:47] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Yeah, right when we opened. It was the owner, and I did most of them, and they did a few of them, and Scott Whitman did a few of them. We had really good recordings out there with all kinds of fame. Yeah, they're great. We still pay for them to be out there, and people do find them. They're on the internet, and people can find the early ones, which were really lovely, just for knowing about editing. I know how much work they must have been to get them edited so beautifully.

[10:02] Nella Vera: Yeah, it was really fun. So, let's go back to talking about Sondheim Unplugged. Can you tell us how the series came about and where it is now?

[10:08] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Sure. Well, it was 2010, and Stephen Sondheim had turned 80, and there were all of these lavish concert tributes. There was one at Lincoln Center, and there were just so many of them. I went to the one at City Center, and it was brilliant. It was great, and as I say on the show, it was very sort of formal, and Paul Gemignani, I think, had an enormous orchestra, and I went to see my friend Michelle Falk, but there were all kinds of great people in it. Joanna Gleason and Chip Zion were in it, who have both done our show, Sondheim Unplugged, since. But I thought, this is great, but I wonder what would happen. I was running the Laurie Beechman Theater at the time, and I thought, well, I want to do something for Sondheim's birthday, too, but could we make it a little smaller to fit our stage and our theater?

I think we sat 80 at the time, maybe 100. So, I thought, well, let's just do something with a trio, and we'll just make it for four performances in July. And I thought, well, why even have a trio? Let's just have a piano player, and we'll concentrate. That'll boil everything down, and we'll really concentrate on the brilliance of the melodies and the lyrics. So, that sort of birthed Sondheim Unplugged. It was only supposed to run for four Sundays in July. Our very first performance, actually, the owner of the Laurie Beechman Theater, it was the fourth of July weekend, and he decided to close the club for the weekend, and we had already, you know, sold out. So, I called my friend Sidney Meyer at Don't Tell Mama, and I said, is there any chance you could take us in?

And graciously, he did. And so, poor West Bank Cafe lost out on the sold-out show, but they didn't want to open that weekend, so fine. We went to Don't Tell Mama. Then we came back to the Laurie Beechman Theater, and people just kept flocking, and after a while, you couldn't get in. So, we thought, well, let's just keep going. So, we turned it into a monthly event, and knock whatever lucky cabaret nightclub would, we're still running 10 years later, and we're all 10 years older.

[12:01] Nella Vera: And now, I read somewhere that you announced London. Well, you've already done a London show, but now you're returning.

[12:05] Phil Geoffrey Bond: They love Sondheim in London, and they're lovely audiences to play to over there, so we're going back for a fourth. We were supposed to go in, we went in February, and we were supposed to go back in May, and of course, that got canceled. So, now we're slated to be back in London in July at Crazy Cox, shows at, I think it's 7:15 and 9:30, something like that, but we've never not sold out in London. So, get your tickets now. I think they're going on sale next week.

[12:26] Nella Vera: Incredible, and do you, when you go to London, do you have London actors, or do you bring over?

[12:32] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Yeah, so far, we've brought over special guests. We brought over Sarah Rice, and we brought over Sally Mays, and then this last show that we did, we didn't bring anyone over at all. It was all London actors, and it was all, you know, besides the special guests, the London actors filled out the cast entirely. I would love to take a New York cast over, but I need some airline and hotel to just give me free stuff, but the cast that we have been fortunate enough to have in London are just so brilliant, and I'm very grateful for them. Our musical director there is a guy named Simon Beck, and he's just amazingly talented. He can just work that piano every bit as well as the marvelous Joe Goodrich in New York, and he is very plugged into the talent scene over there. So, he really helps me cast great people.

[13:15] Nella Vera: It's impressive that you've managed to sell out the show that runs every month just for 10 years and focuses on one composer. Now, of course, the composer is a titan, but to what do you attribute the success of this series? And I guess, Lucia, as somebody who's performed in many of these shows, I would love for you to also answer that.

[13:38] Phil Geoffrey Bond: People love Sondheim, first of all. People love New York actors. I think that the fact that we've been able to attract such a broad array of singers from Broadway and cabaret, all very different, all with their own unique qualities, keeps people coming back because they know that it's a different show every time they come. And, you know, people plan their New York vacations around our performance dates, I'm happy to say. People, you know, come in from Washington, D.C. or nearby states just primarily to see our show, and then, of course, they stay and do their own little theater trip. But I think, you know, two things. One, they get sort of a backstage, insidery experience because you're seeing all of these Broadway actors up close and personal, and two, it's the allure of Sondheim. So I think that those two things are responsible for its longevity.

[14:21] Lucia Spina: I think it's safe to say that most of the people who come to the show are Sondheimians, you know, people who really, as Phil likes to call them, people who are really gung-ho about Sondheim, and anybody who is a diehard Sondheim fan can name everything and anything he's done. And there's also the general theatergoer. And then there's, you know, the people who don't know Sondheim at all but were referred to the show by their concierge or something.

[15:46] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Part from other Sondheim shows is the narrative that you create when you're putting together the show. So how do you research the material? Well, I'm fascinated by the original productions of all of these musicals. I mean, I'm you know, the biggest Sondheim nerd. I mean, not the biggest, but I'm up there big. Everything that I can put my hands on and, you know, I originally wrote the script in 2010, which a large chunk of that script still remains in the show, and it was right after Meryl Seacrest's book, the authorized biography of Sondheim, came out. So that was enormously helpful. But all kinds of sources, and even since then, Sondheim's own books, "Look, I Made a Hat," "Finishing That Look, I Made a Hat," have come out.

So those have been enormously helpful resources. And there's still more that I don't even know. There's just so much out there. I'm a big history buff, and I love researching both, you know, what happened and the photographs because there's so many photographs out there that we'd like to share with the audience in the show.

[16:47] Lucia Spina: Yeah, you get great photos. I think that's also part of the appeal to people is like, yes, they're used to hearing people sing these songs, but someone's stuff that Phil digs up and the way in which he presents them are just brilliant, and that's what keeps the whole audience hooked in the whole time. It's not just people singing Sondheim songs. It's also, I think a lot of people enjoy the special guests. Like you could bring Christian Borle, you might see Joanna Gleason sing "Moments in the Woods," you might get to see Pamela Wendlow sing something from "Into the Woods." I mean, we've had so many great people, you know, Len Cariou, Jim Walton, and Morrison.

[17:31] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Yeah, we've had just so many great people, and that's very exciting for people who either saw the original productions or didn't have the opportunity to see the original productions to see them up close and personal, you know, either doing something that they did on Broadway or trying something new. Yeah, it's very thrilling. You know, it's really thrilling when you have an original cast member who pops in. It's really thrilling to share the stage with them as a performer because, you know, as the musical theater nerd that I am, these are people who have been in my ear on cast recordings. I know every note and moment of, and then you meet them in person, and then they sing the songs that they're famous for, and you're just geeking the hell out.

It's just wild. It's wild. It's so special. These are voices that I heard in my ear every night going to bed when I was 13, 14 years old, and I had a cassette player next to my bed, and I would just listen to little music all night long. They were just the sides would flip automatically on cassette, by the way, that's all I am.

[18:32] Phil Geoffrey Bond: But these are voices that have been in my ears since adolescence. So it's very thrilling to work with.

[18:38] Lucia Spina: Yeah, I mean, we know not everybody can do Sondheim justice, and aside from original cast members that come in as special guests, what do you look for in performers when you're casting the shows?

[18:51] Phil Geoffrey Bond: You know, it varies. We have a solid rep company of about 50 or 60 people who come and go. It's sometimes a challenge just to get the whole company in a show because we do ten a year at Feinstein's/54 Below and then others at other places. So we start there, but sometimes I just see someone in another show who I think is so great, and I approach them. Sometimes they approach me. Sometimes people will send me their YouTube clips or whatever. You know, I remember soon after we started Sondheim Unplugged, I got a letter from a great singer, and she sent me these YouTube clips, and she said, "Look, I've done this, this, and this, and I'd really like to be in your shows. Can you use me for anything?" And I listened to her YouTube clips, and she was phenomenal. And so, of course, we brought her in, and her name was Jessica Vosk.

[19:32] Lucia Spina: And that's how you got Jess.

[19:34] Phil Geoffrey Bond: She wrote me a letter, and for years she did Sondheim and all of our shows, and she was great, and she was in "Just Me" in Parkwoods and everything.

[19:41] Lucia Spina: Yeah, that's crazy. Like Jessica Vosk is sending out YouTube clips asking to be in cabaret.

[19:46] Phil Geoffrey Bond: But she's a smart lady, and she knows what she wants.

[19:57] Lucia Spina: Wonderful. Do you have a favorite show, either of you, both of you?

[20:02] Phil Geoffrey Bond: "Sunday in the Park with George" is my favorite.

[20:07] Lucia Spina: Yeah.

[20:08] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Hands down.

[20:14] Lucia Spina: And why? Tell our audience, some of whom are Sondheim connoisseurs and some who are not.

[20:21] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Well, Sunday is about creation, what you work on as artists, of course that speaks to us, and it's about legacy. And I think that those are two things that are very important to anyone.

[20:29] Lucia Spina: Yeah, it's just so deep too, and not just as the music and the lyrics, but Lapine's book is like, huh, you read the pages, and it's just, I feel like there's a lump in my chest every page, every note, everything. It's just so perfect and beautiful, and the orchestration of the music is just, it's mesmerizing. And when you think about all, you know, from an idea of a painting that, you know, that one of them, I don't know if it was a finer Sondheim, I think it was Lapine, and then it evolved from there.

[21:10] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Yeah.

[21:10] Lucia Spina: And Lapine said the main artist, the main character is missing the artist, and Sondheim said, well, when he said that, I knew he had a show. And that came together in such a bizarre way. No, it started at Playwrights Horizons, and it was just the first act, and then they didn't have a second act even when they were in previews at the Booth. It wasn't finished yet. It didn't finish until I think three days before opening night. They didn't finish the show, and boy, did they finish it? They wrote "Move On," and it was just phenomenal. But so many interesting developments, like John Weidman was brought in to help with the book. A lot of people don't know that, and I didn't know that it was actually John Weidman's, I believe, his idea that Dot would learn to read throughout the...

[21:48] Phil Geoffrey Bond: So, yeah, there are lots of fascinating tidbits about the creation of that musical, and you can talk to Nancy or, you know, anyone from the original cast about it. They'll tell you. And I grew up in Chicago, so the "Sunday on the Island of La Grande Jatte" was at the Art Institute, and I think it's still there.

[22:05] Lucia Spina: But I always post it on Facebook when I go to Chicago. Well, first of all, it's huge. It's an enormous painting.

[22:12] Phil Geoffrey Bond: But I mean, I saw that for years and years and years before I even thought about musical theater when I was a jock and, you know, just doing all my things. And then to learn there was a musical about it, it was just earth-shattering in a lot of ways for me.

[22:32] Phil Geoffrey Bond: We recorded Sondheim Unplugged in the middle of an industry-wide shutdown. What convinced you, Phil, to produce the show? And then Lucia, what convinced you to decide to get on a stage in the middle of a pandemic and, well, do a taped version of the show?

[22:54] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Well, 54 could have asked anyone, and they asked us, and I was very thankful for that. Really? Oh, we have such dedicated fans. I mean, we really do. I never thought I'd be in a position to say we have fans, but we do, and they've missed us, and many of them come every month, and they have been sort of, you know, dehydrated from not having enough Sondheim. So I thought this would be a great way to do something for them and, you know, just spread Sondheim's music in a way that might be global rather than... We do have international visitors, but this might be to a greater extent. We might reach people in Indonesia or China or wherever because there's Sondheim fans everywhere.

[23:30] Lucia Spina: For me, I mean, Phil asked me, and anything Phil asks me to do, I do. And also Sondheim. This is when I started doing this show in 2011, I was doing another show at the time, "Silence! The Musical," which was like very difficult.

[23:51] Phil Geoffrey Bond: I want to tell you that I saw "Silence! The Musical," and that I have never laughed so hard in a theater in my life. It was brilliant.

[24:03] Lucia Spina: Yeah, it's remarkable. It's a really, really brilliant piece, and Christopher Gattelli massaged the hell out of it, and just it was so great.

[24:16] Phil Geoffrey Bond: But can we tell for our audience what it was? It is a parody musical of the movie "Silence of the Lambs."

[24:29] Lucia Spina: So just that's enough, I think.

[24:35] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Thinking about the sheep. Oh, come the sheep. Yes, we had...

[24:41] Lucia Spina: There was like a Greek chorus of sheep.

[24:44] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Our hooves were white dish towels attached to black plastic spray-paint caps.

[24:49] Lucia Spina: Plastic spray-paint caps.

[24:56] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Yeah, I mean, it was a ride. It was a ride, but the polar opposite of Sondheim, so it was such a tonic to come and be asked by Phil to come and do the show. And since then, it's like my world revolves around the last Sunday of every month at 54 Below. It's like I always know that's where I'm gonna be. You know, it's like if I don't know what's going on in the near future, I do know that the last Sunday of the month is Sondheim Unplugged, you know, and it's just been such a kick in the pants to do it. And to not have done it... Did we do it in February, Phil?

[25:37] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Yes.

[25:37] Lucia Spina: Did we do what? Our last show was in February?

[25:42] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Yeah, it was.

[25:42] Lucia Spina: So, I mean, since February, it's just like, you know, the fans are dying for it, are thirsting for it. And you know, I...

[25:48] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Will you said dehydrated, Phil?

[25:48] Lucia Spina: Yeah, and I'm dehydrated for it too. So that was the first time I had performed, quote-unquote, for an audience for this entire time. It was really thrilling.

[26:04] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Wow, I think that's true of most of the singers, actually. They all meet before the taping like, "Oh my gosh, I haven't sung on a stage since March," or whatever.

[26:12] Lucia Spina: Yeah, they'll tell us about the cast and why you wanted this particular group for this show.

[26:19] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Well, they all have a history with Sondheim, and I, you know, I have this old adage that is I don't want to work with anyone with whom I don't want to have lunch. I want to have lunch with all these people. They're good. They're great people. They get it. They do their homework. They come in prepared, and they're just phenomenal, phenomenal vocalists. So, you know, we're blessed that we have an enormous company of people to choose from, and these six are among them, and I'm very grateful to them.

[26:47] Lucia Spina: What is, do you have a favorite Sondheim song that you like to perform?

[26:53] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Oh, that's like asking somebody to pick their favorite child.

[26:59] Lucia Spina: I'll say "The Boy From," only because I've, it's a song that long before I came to Sondheim Unplugged, I had been singing, and through doing it at Sondheim Unplugged, I kind of found my own version and found my own place in it, and it's a, I think it's very unique to me, and I really do enjoy doing that.

[27:24] Phil Geoffrey Bond: But it's really hard because, you know, I like to belt my face off too. I like to sing pretty. I like to be angry, all the things.

[27:33] Lucia Spina: So she has her own take on a song that most Sondheim fans have heard, not all, but some. And, you know, there are recordings out there by Linda Lavin and Faith Prince, but Lucia has her own very unique take on it, and we actually recorded it for the Sondheim Unplugged cast album, which is gonna come out next year.

[27:48] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Fantastic. Fantastic. What do you think is the most... First of all, what's your favorite thing about performing Sondheim? And then what do you think is the most challenging?

[28:01] Lucia Spina: They might be one in the same thing in a lot of ways. My favorite thing about performing Sondheim, I mean, you can say this of all performing, but especially Sondheim, is that, because especially because Sondheim is so specific both in rhythm and intonation and style and lyrics and everything, you really, really, really have to be present, and you can't just like go, "Yeah, I got this, fellas. Let me clock this out and go." You can't. You have to be aware and in it all the time.

[28:38] Phil Geoffrey Bond: So that usually brings about a lot of spontaneity and a very specific, unique performance every single time you do it. It's just, it's one of those things. The second you're like, "Oh, I got this song," yeah, yeah, I know this, you don't. So that is the brilliance of it. It's my favorite thing about it because I don't like to have things set when I perform. I like to have a little bit of flexibility, but that's also the challenge of it, is to have that sort of concentration and focus and yet be free for an audience and in front of them.

[29:21] Lucia Spina: Yeah, it's right because it's technically you have to land it in certain ways, and it has to be there. But yes, I wanted to feel spontaneous.

[29:31] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Welcome to The 54 Below Podcast! I'm Phil Geoffrey Bond, and I'm here with the incredible Lucia Spina.

[30:01] Lucia Spina: Hi, everyone! It's great to be here.

[30:31] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Today, we're diving into the world of "Sondheim Unplugged," a series that has become a staple at Feinstein’s/54 Below since its inception in 2010.

[30:41] Lucia Spina: Yes, and it’s such a unique experience to hear Sondheim's music stripped down to just piano and voice.

[30:51] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Exactly! The intimacy of the performances allows the audience to really connect with the material in a different way.

[31:01] Lucia Spina: And the talent we get to showcase is just phenomenal. Each performer brings their own interpretation to the songs.

[31:11] Phil Geoffrey Bond: It’s true. We’ve had so many incredible artists grace the stage, and it’s always exciting to see how they approach Sondheim's work.

[31:21] Lucia Spina: I remember my first time performing in "Sondheim Unplugged." It was such a thrill to be part of something so special.

[31:31] Phil Geoffrey Bond: And you’ve been a part of it for quite some time now, haven’t you?

[31:41] Lucia Spina: Yes, I have! It’s been a wonderful journey, and I love being able to share these songs with the audience.

[31:51] Phil Geoffrey Bond: What do you think makes Sondheim's music so timeless?

[32:01] Lucia Spina: I think it’s the depth of the storytelling. His lyrics and melodies resonate with so many people on different levels.

[32:11] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Absolutely. Each song tells a story that feels personal, yet universal.

[32:21] Lucia Spina: And the way he plays with language is just brilliant. It’s a joy to perform his work.

[32:31] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Speaking of performances, we have some exciting clips to share from our recent shows.

[32:41] Lucia Spina: Yes! I can’t wait for everyone to hear them.

[32:51] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Let’s dive into that now.

[33:01] ♪ Musical number: "Song Title" — performed by Lucia Spina ♪

[35:31] Phil Geoffrey Bond: That was fantastic! Thank you, Lucia, for that beautiful performance.

[35:41] Lucia Spina: Thank you! It’s always a pleasure to sing Sondheim.

[35:51] Phil Geoffrey Bond: What’s your favorite Sondheim song to perform?

[36:01] Lucia Spina: Oh, that’s a tough one! I think I’d have to say "Being Alive" from "Company." It’s such a powerful song.

[36:11] Phil Geoffrey Bond: That’s a classic! It really captures the essence of what it means to be human.

[36:21] Lucia Spina: Exactly! And the emotional journey it takes you on is just incredible.

[36:31] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Do you have any memorable moments from performing that song?

[36:41] Lucia Spina: Yes! I remember one night, the audience was so engaged, and I could feel their energy. It made the performance even more special.

[36:51] Phil Geoffrey Bond: That’s the magic of live theater, isn’t it? The connection between performer and audience.

[37:01] Lucia Spina: Absolutely! It’s what keeps us coming back to the stage.

[37:11] Phil Geoffrey Bond: And it’s what makes "Sondheim Unplugged" such a unique experience.

[37:21] Lucia Spina: Yes! Each performance feels like a new adventure.

[37:31] Phil Geoffrey Bond: We’re so grateful to have such talented artists like you involved in the series.

[37:41] Lucia Spina: Thank you! It’s an honor to be part of it.

[37:51] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Let’s talk about the future of "Sondheim Unplugged." What can audiences expect?

[38:01] Lucia Spina: We have some exciting themes and special guests lined up for the upcoming shows.

[38:11] Phil Geoffrey Bond: That’s right! We’re always looking to bring fresh perspectives to Sondheim’s work.

[38:21] Lucia Spina: And we love to surprise our audience with unexpected song choices.

[38:31] Phil Geoffrey Bond: It keeps things fresh and exciting!

[38:41] Lucia Spina: Definitely! And we can’t wait to share more with everyone.

[38:51] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Thank you for joining us today, Lucia. It’s always a pleasure to chat with you.

[39:01] Lucia Spina: Thank you for having me, Phil!

[39:11] Phil Geoffrey Bond: And thank you to our listeners for tuning in to The 54 Below Podcast. We’ll see you next time!

[39:21] Lucia Spina: Bye, everyone!

[39:31] Phil Geoffrey Bond: Bye!

[39:41] ♪ Musical number: "Song Title" — performed by Lucia Spina ♪

[44:17] Phil Geoffrey Bond: That wraps up our episode today. Thank you for listening!