How Ragtime’s Drummer Built His Broadway Career: Rich Rosenzweig Part One

A deep look at Rich Rosenzweig’s early training, his path into the New York scene, and how he worked his way toward full-time Broadway drumming.

I’m bringing back a Classic Broadway Drumming 101 interview today. This conversation with Rich Rosenzweig was recorded in 2021, long before he stepped into his current role as the drummer for Ragtime at Lincoln Center. A lot has changed for him since then, which makes revisiting this talk even more valuable.

Rich talks about how he got started, how he practiced, and how he slowly found his way into the New York music scene. He grew up in a musical home, fell in love with jazz, and spent hours in his parents’ basement trying to match the feel of the records he loved. He walks through his time at UNC Chapel Hill, his early bands, his fascination with film scores, and the moment he realized he needed to take a real shot at becoming a professional musician.

What I’ve always appreciated about this conversation is how honest it is. Rich didn’t jump straight into Broadway. It was years of weddings, club dates, horn bands, rehearsal studios, and learning from every opportunity. He explains how he first connected with Broadway, how subbing under conductor Eric Stern changed his approach, and why watching Ray Marchica play The Will Rogers Follies helped him understand what high-level theater drumming requires. He eventually earned his first chair on State Fair and built from there.

If you are serious about building a career as a musician in theater, this episode gives you a clear look at what the process actually feels like. It’s the mix of preparation, timing, relationships, discipline, and experience that makes the difference.

Part Two of this Classic interview will be released next week.

If you want tools that can help you build your own path, I put together a few resources. My book Broadway Bound and Beyond lays out the full structure of building a long-term career in musical theater. www.broadwayboundbook.com

The Broadway Sub Playbook is available at SignatureBrandWorks.com and breaks down what it takes to sub successfully and get called back.

And if you want a free resource, you can download my “Twenty Questions to Ask Before You Take Any Gig” PDF at
https://www.broadwayboundbook.com/book-launch-checklist

For now, enjoy Part One of my 2021 conversation with Rich Rosenzweig. It still holds up.

Clayton Craddock is the drummer for the upcoming Broadway revival of Cats: The Jellicle Ball, opening at the Broadhurst Theatre on April 7th. He is also the founder of Broadway Drumming 101 and the author of the forthcoming book Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career.

His Broadway and Off-Broadway credits include tick, tick…BOOM!, Memphis, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Ain’t Too Proud, and The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical, along with extensive subbing on shows such as Rent, Motown, Evita, Avenue Q, and the Hadestown tour.

Clayton is currently on tour with The Rock Orchestra and has appeared on The View, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and the TONY Awards, and has performed with artists ranging from Chuck Berry and Ben E. King to Kristin Chenoweth and Norm Lewis.

www.claytoncraddock.com