Paul Pizzuti - Broadway Drumming 101 Classic Interview

Originally posted November 2021

Paul Pizzuti has over fifty years of experience playing shows, making him one of the most seasoned and respected drummers on Broadway. He’s a musician everyone should listen to when it comes to understanding what it takes to build and sustain a successful career playing Broadway musicals.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Playing the musical Candide

• Landing the original Godspell

• Handling a performance during the 1977 New York City blackout

• Working on the original Evita

• Why Merrily We Roll Along closed quickly but became a classic

• How a chain of small connections led to a seven-year run on Cats

• Sight-reading the TONY Awards show

• Leaving the business altogether for a short period of time

• Being the China Club house drummer on Wednesday nights

• Recording the cast albums for Assassins and Crazy For You

• Working on Gypsy with Patti LuPone

• Observing the transition from no monitors in Broadway pits to personal monitoring systems

Partial list of Paul’s Broadway and concert credits:

• She Loves Me

• Far Away Places: Live at 54 Below w/ Patti LuPone

• The Other Duke: Tribute to Duke Pearson

• How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

• Merrily We Roll Along

• Another Monday Night

• The Lady with the Torch w/ Patti LuPone

• Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific, in Concert from Carnegie Hall

• Pacific Overtures

• Big Band Blues

• Into the Woods

• The Frogs / Evening Primrose

• Kiss Me, Kate

• Fifteen-Year Anniversary w/ Betty Buckley

• Big

• A Christmas Carol

• Crazy for You

• Assassins

• Cats

• …and many more

I just released a free PDF every working musician needs—and it’s not just for drummers.

It’s called “20 Smart Questions to Ask Before Saying Yes to Any Gig,” pulled straight from my upcoming book Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career. This book is packed with tools, insights, and real-world advice to help you navigate the ups and downs of a music career.

This checklist will help you:

• Avoid gigs that aren’t worth your time

• Spot red flags before you commit

• Make sure the money, the people, and the music are right

• Say no with confidence—or yes with clarity

Grab your free copy here:
👉 https://www.broadwayboundbook.com/book-launch-checklist

Sign up to be notified when the book launches this fall. Paid subscribers will get an advance copy, a signed edition, and a big discount.

Clayton Craddock founded Broadway Drumming 101, an in-depth online platform offering specialized mentorship and a carefully curated collection of resources tailored for aspiring and professional musicians.

Clayton’s Broadway and Off-Broadway credits include tick, tick…BOOM!, Altar Boyz, Memphis The Musical, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations, Cats: The Jellicle Ball, The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical, and The Gospel at Colonus (featuring Kim Burrell). As a skilled sub, he has contributed his talents to notable productions, including Motown, Evita, Cats, Avenue Q, The Color Purple, Rent, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical, and the national tour of Hadestown, among many others. He has also appeared on major shows including The View, Good Morning America, Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and the TONY Awards. He has performed with legends like The Stylistics, The Delfonics, Mario Cantone, Laura Benanti, Kristin Chenoweth, Kerry Butler, Christian Borle, Norm Lewis, Deniece Williams, Chuck Berry, and Ben E. King.

Clayton is the author of the forthcoming book Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career, the only guide you’ll need to succeed in the competitive world of musical theater.

Sign up to be the first to know when the book drops: www.BroadwayBoundBook.com

He proudly endorses Ahead Drum Cases, Paiste Cymbals, Innovative Percussion drumsticks, and Empire Ears.

Learn more about Clayton Craddock at www.claytoncraddock.com