It is so great catching up with Tony Award winning Actor Paulo Szot, after interviewing him back in 2021 as he celebrated his 10-year anniversary of performing concerts at 54 Below.

Since then, I have been lucky enough to see Paulo back on Broadway in & Juliet, and more recently at the Lincoln Center South Pacific Reunion Concert.

I am thrilled to have had a few moments to speak with Paulo about his latest return to 54 Below, which begins this Friday February 28, 2025!

In this NEW interview, Paulo once again answered my call, but this time around he shares:

• What he's looking forward to most about his upcoming 54 Below concerts
• What audiences can expect from this new show
• How the intimacy 54 Below allows someone to get to know him
• How he likes to let loose when not on stage
• So much more

Connect with Paulo: Website, Instagram

Paulo will be performing at 54 Below from Friday, February 28, 2025-March 5, 2025. All shows are at 7pm EST! Click here for tickets!

Paulo's concerts will be a musical journey filled with the most romantic and touching songs from the Broadway stage and beyond! 

Paulo Szot performing at 54 Below
Photo Courtesy of Peter Wender's Social Media

1. At the end of February/beginning of March you will once again be returning to 54 Below. What are you looking forward to most about your return to Broadway's Living Room? It has been too long since my last show at 54 Below in the Fall of 202!! I was involved with many concerts and of course with & Juliet for the last two years that it was impossible to come back, but I missed 54 Below very much and I am glad I will be back in a few days.

2. What can audiences expect from this show that they have not seen in one of your previous 54 Below concerts? There’s nothing really exactly new, quite the opposite. I am bringing back some of the great standards from Broadway, but of course with a few new songs. Also, I am bringing back the amazing musicians from the American Pops Orchestra conducted by the brilliant Luke Frazier as MD.

3. What was the first song you knew had to be in this new show? "Some Enchanted Evening" is always part of my shows. It has always been there.

Paulo Szot, 2008 Broadway Revival of South Pacific
Photo Credit: Joan Marcus

4. Why does that song mean so much to you? Well, it is the first song that I sang for Broadway audiences, as my debut on Broadway during the 2008 revival of South Pacific.

5. For someone who has only seen you on Broadway and never seen you in concert before, what is one reason they should come see you at 54 Below? What I can say is that, we will present a tour de force with Broadway ballads, with the most delicious and refined arrangements, and in company of a String quartet, bass, guitar, drums and Luke on the piano.

We are going to fill every inch of 54 Below with good music, that’s for sure! If you like good music, come!

Paulo Szot as Lance in Broadway's & Juliet
Photo Courtesy of Paulo's Social Media

6. For the past two years, you were starring in the smash hit Broadway musical & Juliet as Lance. Do you feel your time in & Juliet opened up any new ways in which you want to perform your concerts going forward? I humbly do consider myself a very open performer. I have been doing Opera, Broadway, Symphonic performances, Cabaret acts, and why not add to that a Jukebox musical like & Juliet! 

The love for the stage was the main reason I first wanted to be in South Pacific, Evita, My Fair Lady, Chicago and of course & Juliet.

My time with & Juliet was very precious and will remain forever in my mind and heart and every experience on stage changes me as a person and as a performer.

7. You have graced the cover of numerous magazines and I would love to play with some of the article titles to find out more about you.

• The January 2014 Issue of Opera News was titled The Life of the Party: How do you like to let loose when you are not on stage? I like the peace and quiet of the days I can stay home, to recharge. I do like nature and I feel at peace when I have the time to admire it. When possible, I like to do gardening, to touch the soil and plants and be in contact with nature as much as possible. Being on a beach helps too :)
• The November/December/January 2011/2012 issue of The Singer was titled Wonderful Guy: What do you look for in someone you want to date? Omg, I have not thought of this for so long, I wouldn’t even know where to start…but I guess that some things never change; I always look to have around me someone who is genuine and honest, I guess what impresses me the most is kindness and how nice that person is, instead of success in life. But that’s just me:)
• On the actual article page of The Singer magazine, the page was titled In Conversation with Paulo Szot: What are some of your favorite places in NYC to have conversations? During the Spring and Summer or on a nice Autumn day, anywhere in Central Park or Riverside Park, which is closer to my place in town.

8. Your feature story in the March 2021 Issue of Opera News was titled The Idea of Intimacy. I'm going to split this into 2 questions, so we can end our interview back at 54 Below.

• How does someone capture your heart? When I feel someone being honest and generous, not exactly to me but in general, it kind of makes me want to be closer to that kind of person more and more. Kindness really melts and captures my heart, it really does.
• How does the intimacy of performing at 54 Below allow someone to get to know you in a way a larger venue or Broadway show would not? Excellent question:
  • On a stage of a Broadway or Opera theatre we usually play a character with as much truth as possible. The actor’s job is to make that character feel real for the audience, so they can believe in it.
  • In a cabaret show, there’s no character. It is only the artist opening up to a very intimate audience. It is up to that artist to create an immediate relationship of trust. It is not easy and scary at times, but I believe that the key is always to leave all the walls and barriers in the dressing room.
  • A Cabaret is, in a way, a kind of a therapy session, where you get to explore the human connections, you get to laugh, to listen and also cry in these 70 minutes we share together.

More Paulo Szot Interviews:

2021 (Listen Here): Paulo Szot Podcast Interview: An Enchanted Evening at 54 Below

Paulo Szot

More on Paulo Szot:

Paulo Szot won the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Theatre World Awards for his Broadway debut as Emile de Becque in Lincoln Center Theater's South Pacific, and was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for the same role for his West End debut.

Several opera seasons: Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Paris, Rome, Madrid, Bayerische. Concerts: NY Phil, Barcelona and Chicago Phil, The New York Pops (Carnegie Hall).

Recently: Chicago (Broadway and Brazil), Street Scene (Monte Carlo), M. Butterfly (Met), Evita (Australia), My Fair Lady (Brazil).