Welcome to the Deep Dive, where the place you
come to get the real story, digging through stacks
of info so you don't have to. That's right. And
today we're tackling someone really fascinating,
Titus Burgess. An actor, a singer. I mean, his
career path is something else. It's like he lives
in two worlds at once. Well, yeah, it's almost
more than duality, isn't it? It feels like a
deliberate mashup. You've got this powerhouse.
Broadway talent, you know, originating roles
in huge shows. Like Disney shows, yeah. Exactly.
And then, boom, he becomes this massive TV star,
five Emmy nominations. It's incredible. And our
mission, really, is to look at how he uses that
incredible voice, that trained skill, to keep
messing with our expectations of what roles should
look like. Okay, so that's the plan. We're zeroing
in on that arc. Titus Burgess, born February
21st, 1979. He's 46 now, which is wild considering
everything he's done. And we're kind of framing
it around the two roles people probably know
best. First, originating Sebastian the Crab on
Broadway in The Little Mermaid. A huge musical
theater achievement. And then, of course, Titus
Andromedon from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. You
couldn't get two more different characters. Vocally
or culturally? Not at all. And yet he absolutely
nails both. So how does he do that? How does
he navigate those worlds? Well, that's what we
need to unpack. I think the key is that classical
training. It's the bedrock, you know. It gave
him the chops to succeed even in mainstream comedy.
Right. The foundation was solid. Exactly. So
to really get it, we got to go back to the beginning.
See how he built that foundation. Okay. Let's
start there. Athens, Georgia. That's where he
was born and raised. And the sources are pretty
clear. He was into theater early on, like really
active at Cedar Shoals High School. Yeah, this
wasn't just a hobby. It sounds like he was focused
even back then. And then he took it to the next
level, University of Georgia. Right. He got a
Bachelor of Art in Music. Yeah. An AB01 specifically.
Which is important, right? We talk about charisma
and performers, but that technical skill. Oh,
it's everything for longevity. That degree. That's
the deep knowledge. Music theory. Breath control,
how to place your voice. That's how you survive
singing demanding roles eight times a week on
Broadway. Okay, so he graduates. This next step
is interesting. He doesn't go straight to New
York. No, he doesn't. He makes a really calculated
move. Orlando, Florida. Disney World. Walt Disney
World, yeah. And this is often kind of skipped
over, but it's crucial. Why Disney World specifically?
Well, he got hired as a vocalist. Festival of
the Lion King at Animal Kingdom. Okay. And why
is that job, you know, a theme park gig so important?
Yeah. Because it was his way in, his path to
professional recognition. You mean the equity
card? Exactly. The actor's equity card. For anyone
listening who doesn't know the theater world,
you need this card. It's the union membership.
It lets you work professionally on Broadway,
big regional theaters. It's hard to get, right?
Notoriously hard. I mean, actors can spend years
doing non -union gigs just hoping for that break
that shows. that'll get them their car. But Burgess.
He got his pretty quickly using that Disney contract.
It's smart strategy. Think about it. Instead
of grinding away auditioning in New York without
the union status, he gets the credential while
doing high level professional work every single
day. In front of huge crowds, honing his skills.
And ticking that essential docs. It's practical,
professional, and it's set up everything that
came next. It's like the perfect first step.
Use the system to get what you need to beat the
system later. Pretty much. And just before we
jump to Broadway, there's a personal detail we
should mention because it feels relevant to his
career choices later. Okay. Our sources note
he's openly gay. And this isn't just... you know,
a biographical fact. It seems to feed into the
kinds of roles he takes later, the unconventional
ones, the ones that play with gender. Ah, interesting.
Like it informs his artistic choices. Yeah. It
suggests an early commitment to being authentic,
which maybe translates into how he challenges
theatrical norms down the line. We'll definitely
circle back to that. So he's got the equity card.
He's got the training. He's got the experience.
The move to Broadway happens pretty fast after
that. It really does. 2005, he makes his debut.
Good Vibrations playing Eddie. And then right
after that, same year, Jersey Boys. Hal Miller.
Yeah. He's working. Consistently moving between
shows. That's the life of a working Broadway
actor. But 2007 feels like the big one. Oh, absolutely.
Originating Sebastian the Crab, The Little Mermaid
on Broadway. That's huge. Originating a Disney
role. Yeah. you're basically setting the standard
forever you are and what's interesting is how
his sebastian was different from the movie version
right samuel lee wright in the film has that
very specific kind of gravelly voice exactly
but burgess brought his trained tenor that powerful
belt he had to hit these incredibly demanding
notes capture all of sebastian's anxiety and
you know Under the sea alone. Oh, yeah. That
takes serious vocal agility, serious projection.
Doing that eight times a week, that cemented
him as a top tier Broadway singer right there.
And the cast was amazing, too. Sierra Boggess,
Sean Palmer, Norm Lewis as King Triton. Yeah.
And keep Norm Lewis in mind, because like you
said, these Broadway connections, they tend to
pop up again later. It's a small world. So even
while he's landing these huge, defining roles,
he's already sort of. pushing buttons you could
say that look at 2009 he plays nicely nicely
johnson in the guys and dolls revival why was
that significant the sources flag it well nicely
nicely is traditionally played by a white actor
often you know a larger guy more of a broad comic
type okay casting burgess shifted the focus it
became about the voice the comedic timing not
about sticking to some outdated racial or physical
typecasting. So the industry was already seeing
that his talent was bigger than the usual boxes.
I think so. Yeah. It was like saying his skill
dictates the role, not what we expect the role
to look like. Okay. So Broadway's humming along.
He's versatile. He's breaking molds. How does
he end up crossing over into Tina Fey's world?
Ah, the D -Fuan era. 30 Rock. Right. Seasons
five and six. This was his first hookup with
the Faye Carlock team. He had that recurring
role, DeFuan, part of Angie Jordan's entourage.
DeFuan was hilarious. So over the top. Completely.
But beyond just being funny, that role was crucial.
How so? Well, first, screen time. experienced
in front of the camera. But maybe more importantly,
it built that relationship with the showrunners.
Ah, they got to see him work up close. Exactly.
They saw his timing, how he could deliver those
fast lines, his whole energy on camera. It proved
he could take that big stage presence and make
it work for TV. It was basically like a long
audition. A multi -season audition that obviously
paid off later. Big time. And all this time,
he's still doing stage work too, diversifying,
regional stuff like The Wiz. Jesus Christ superstar,
keeping those chops sharp. There was that little
blip too, right, with Wonderland? Oh yeah, good
point. He was cast as the Caterpillar in that
Broadway musical, Wonderland, back in 2010 for
the 2011 run, but then he dropped out like a
month later. Interesting. Yeah, it just shows,
you know, not every project is the right fit.
Sometimes making a quick exit is the smart move,
sticking to what really aligns with where you
want to go. And he stayed connected to the theater
community too, doing benefit concerts. Definitely.
Broadway for Obama in 08. Broadway After Dark,
same year. Lots of those kinds of things. But
the one performance that really stands out from
that time. Yeah. Broadway Backwards, 2013. Yes.
Performing, and I'm telling you, I'm not going
from Dreamgirls. Wow. OK, that's Effie White's
song, one of the biggest, most demanding female
solos in musical theater history. Exactly. And
for him to take that on, I mean, it's pure vocal
power, pure drama. What message does that send?
It sends the message that underneath the funny
guy emerging on TV, there's this absolute vocal
beast, a dramatic heavyweight with serious technical
skill and emotional depth. It was like a reminder
to everyone, don't forget what I can really do.
That performance feels like the perfect setup
for what happened next. It really does. He was
ready for the main event. And that main event
arrived March 6, 2015. Netflix, Drox, unbreakable
Kimmy Schmidt. And suddenly the whole world knows
Titus Burgess, or rather, Titus Andromedon. Kimmy's
roommate. Flamboyant, hilarious, always chasing
stardom. Just an unforgettable character. And
the critics went nuts. The New York Times literally
called the role tailor -made. for him. Which
it felt like. It wasn't just that he was good
in the role. It felt like the role was built
from his specific DNA. Absolutely. And you have
to look at how it used his skills. The character
is this huge comedic creation, right? But it
all leans on his background as a trained singer.
Explain that a bit more. Well, think about Titus's
reactions. Big, theatrical. He bursts into song
constantly. He projects like he's still on a
Broadway stage, even in that tiny apartment.
Take Pinot Noir. The song itself is a joke, right?
This ridiculous ode to trying to rhyme things
with Pinot Noir. Iconic. An absolute classic.
But to make that joke land season after season,
you need serious vocal control. Perfect diction,
even when being absurd. You need that commitment,
that technique he got from UGA and Broadway.
So the comedy works because of the serious skill
behind it. Precisely. The technical precision
makes the absurdity even funnier. And that's
why it was instantly memeable, why the critics
loved it. And the awards followed. I mean, the
sheer volume. It's staggering. Five primetime
Emmy nominations. Five. Just for Kimmy Schmidt.
Four for the main series, Outstanding Supporting
Actor in a Comedy Series, and then another one
for the interactive movie, Kimmy vs. the Reverend.
Wow. That's huge for one character. Career -defining.
And that's just the Emmys. He won a Webby for
Best Actor, a Gold Derby TV Award, nominated
for Critics' Choice Awards multiple times. Didn't
he win Black Reel Awards, too? Yep. 2017 and
2019, outstanding supporting actor, comedy series.
It was just this wave of recognition. From a
career standpoint, what does that kind of success
mean, going from niche Broadway respect to mainstream
global fame? It validates everything, really.
It shows that the discipline, the technique honed
in musical theater isn't just for the stage.
It translates. It works everywhere, even in a
hit streaming comedy. His skills were universal.
And during this Kimmy Schmidt peak, his voice
became instantly recognizable. So voice acting
naturally followed. Oh, yeah. Perfect fit. His
voice has so much character. He did Photog in
the Angry Birds movie in 2016. Okay. And then
Vanity Smurf in Smurfs, The Lost Village in 2017.
Vanity Smurf. That makes perfect sense, actually.
Right. He can just inject personality using only
his voice. It's specific skill. He also started
popping up elsewhere, like as a guest judge.
RuPaul's Drag Race All -Stars. Yeah, season three
in 2017. That felt like such a natural fit, didn't
it? The intersection of comedy, theater, pop
culture, drag. Right. It was perfect. He was
really becoming part of the cultural conversation.
Definitely. And he did other guest spots, too,
showing range beyond Titus and Dramadon. Like,
he played God's brother in Miracle Workers. Oh,
yeah. And a lawyer, Wade V. In the good fight.
Both in 2019. So different kinds of roles, different
tones. But even with all this TV success, he
didn't forget Broadway. That Hollywood Bowl concert.
Yes. 2016, The Little Mermaid live in concert.
He went back to Sebastian. Alongside Norm Lewis
again, right? And Sir Braille's Ariel. Exactly.
And this wasn't just like a fun little cameo.
It was a major high profile event. It showed
everyone, hey, I'm a huge TV star now, but I
can still step onto a stage and kill it in the
role that started it all. Keeping those stage
doors wide open. Absolutely. Smart move. He knew
he'd be back. So Kimmy Schmidt ends its main
run. What happens next? It feels like his career
gets even more unpredictable. experimental yeah
that's a good way to put it yeah he really started
leaning into projects all over the map embracing
the weird and wonderful like the ratatouille
thing oh my god yes ratatouille the musical we
have to pause on this this started as a tiktok
meme right just random people making songs based
on the movie It was pure internet chaos. Total
chaos. And then somehow it becomes this actual
online benefit concert presentation in 2021.
And who do they get to star as Remy the Rat?
Titus Burgess. Titus Burgess. I mean, what does
that tell you? A major star jumping headfirst
into a project born from, like, collective Gen
Z absurdity? It shows he's got zero ego about
this stuff, right? Yeah. And he's super media
savvy. Totally. He took this viral joke and gave
it his professional stamp, turning it into something
real and successful. That's understanding the
modern entertainment world. But he didn't just
do viral memes. He also did big traditional TV
events. Annie Live. Right. Later in 2021, he
played Rooster Hannigan. The villain. Totally
different vibe from Remy. Completely different.
Classic musical theater bad guy. Stepping into
that kind of role for a big NBC Live special
shows his range in a more traditional way. He
can deliver for that big family audience, too.
And all the while, the voice work keeps getting
bigger. Oh, yeah. He landed another Emmy nomination
for it. For Central Park. Yep. The animated musical
series. He was a regular from 2020 to 2022. Voiced
Cole Tillerman. And also, Calif Van Beesler.
And the Emmy nom was for a specific episode.
Yeah, outstanding character voiceover performance
for the episode, A Fish Called Snakehead. Again,
it just highlights that pure vocal acting skill,
conveying everything with just the voice. That
UGA training isn't just for singing. His voice
is everywhere now. Didn't he narrate the Teletubbies
reboot too? He did. 2022 on Netflix, which is
just amazing. From Central Park and Kimmy Schmidt
to Teletubbies. Talk about range. Effortless
pivots. And it's continuing. He's got more animation
coming. Spellbound in 2024, voicing Sonny, the
Oracle of the Sun. And he's playing Bashful in
the new live action Snow White for 2025. Bashful.
Okay. Is that just voice? Voice and facial motion
capture. So blending performance with new tech.
But let's get back to the stage. Yeah. Because
this recent period is really defined by his return
to Broadway. And the kinds of roles he's choosing.
Exactly. It feels very deliberate, very strategic.
First, he dipped his toe back in with Schmigadoon
on Apple TV. Plus, season two, 2023, he played
the narrator. Which has that musical theater
vibe. Totally. Then, a proper Broadway run. Moulin
Rouge, the musical. As is Harold Zidler. Yep,
replacement role, limited run, October to December
2023. Big, flashy, host -type role, high energy,
and he got nominated for a Broadway .com Audience
Award for it. Showed he still had the stage stamina.
And that leads us to... Oh, Mary. Oh, Mary, playing
Mary Todd Lincoln. On Broadway. On Broadway.
Scheduled runs in March, April, and June, August
2025. This... This feels like the ultimate Titus
Burgess role choice. Gender -bent historical
figure. It's provocative. It's completely provocative,
and it ties back to what we mentioned earlier,
right? His identity, his history of pushing boundaries.
Also, connect those dots. Okay, well, think about
it. He's built this career on defying typecasting.
playing nicely traditionally white, playing the
witch into the woods in a 2015 production traditionally
female. Now he's playing Mary Todd Lincoln. It's
not just a gag. It's using his platform, his
talent, to challenge our assumptions about who
gets to play what role. It forces you to focus
on the performance itself, not on whether the
actor looks like the historical figure or fits
some old convention. So it's about the essence
of the character, not the external package. Exactly.
The pattern is undeniable. He consistently chooses
roles that break rules about race, gender, type.
He's actively reshaping how we see these characters,
how we see history on stage. It's a powerful
use of his fame and his skill. OK, we've hit
Broadway, TV, voice work, the boundary pushing
stage roles. Yeah. But there's more in the catalog.
Let's talk film. We need to see if he can dial
down the tightest energy for the camera in dramatic
roles. That's a key skill, right? Shifting from
stage projection to screen intimacy. He definitely
did that. He was in Dolomite Is My Name back
in 2019 with Eddie Murphy, played Theodore Tony.
Okay, ensemble piece. Yeah, comedy drama. But
the big one dramatically was probably Respect,
the Aretha Franklin biopic from 2021. Who did
he play? James Cleveland. The gospel legend.
Huge influence on Aretha. Wow. That requires
a totally different energy. Gravitas. Completely.
And different singing, too. Gospel singing, not
musical theater belting. It draws on different
techniques, different emotions. That's where
that formal music training really shows its depth.
You can just pivot. Broadway tenor, pop comic,
gospel singer. He was also Julian in a 2018 film.
Then came you. But, okay, beyond acting, he's
also become a host. Yeah. Reality TV host. Which,
again, feels like a smart way to use his personality.
Definitely leverages the charisma. Hosting takes
energy, wit, managing chaos. He did Dishmantled.
Remember that cooking show where they get blasted
with a dish? Vaguely. How many episodes? 10 back
in 2020 and same year he hosted sing on that
netflix singing competition so when he hosts
is he like a generic game show host or is he
bringing the titus's energy oh he brings the
energy sources suggest he's not just standing
there reading prompts he's witty he's quick he's
part of the fun makes sense he'd also pop up
on panel shows like match game and he's got new
hosting gigs too yeah last bite hotel listed
for 2024 and he's done named that tune he just
has that theatrical flair that makes him a really
engaging host not a boring Okay, time for the
deep cut. The detail that separates the real
fans. We've done stage, screen, hosting, video
games. Yes. This is my favorite piece of trivia
about him. You think five -time Emmy nominee,
Broadway star. You don't usually think Grand
Theft Auto. He's a GTAV. He is. Provided voice
work for the 2013 game. Played a character named
Bob Moulet. Oh, Moulet. Okay. But wait, it gets
better. His most memorable bit, it's on the in
-game radio station, WCTR, on a show called Chakra
Attack. Go on. He's credited, or at least known,
as the potato water guy. The potato water guy.
The potato water guy. Discussing coconut water,
apparently. It's this tiny, probably uncredited
voice cameo on a fake radio show inside a massive
video game. That is absolutely amazing. What
does that tell us? It tells us everything. It
says his commitment is total. He uses that instrument,
his voice everywhere. Big stage, small screen,
even weirder corners like being the potato water
guy. The same care he put into Sebastian, you
bet he put into that weird little radio bit.
It shows incredible range, but also maybe a great
sense of humor about his own career. Exactly.
It's about applying the genius no matter how
small or strange the platform. Okay, and just
to round out the musical evidence, the... Right.
Obviously, he's on the original cast recordings
for Jersey Boys from 2005 and The Little Mermaid
from 2008. Essential Listening. And solo albums.
Yep, two of them. Here's two that came out way
back in 2006, even before Mermaid. And then St.
Titus in 2019. So he's always maintained that
identity as a recording artist too. It all comes
back to the music, doesn't it? Always. That's
the engine driving this whole incredible, unpredictable
machine. Yeah. Hashtag, tag, tag, outro. Connecting
the dots and final thought. So wrapping this
all up, this deep dive really shows that Titus
Burgess' career isn't some happy accident. It's
built on smart choices right from the start.
Definitely. That music degree from UGA, the practical
move to Disney to get the equity card that laid
the groundwork. And that solid theater foundation
gave him the chops not just for Broadway, but
then to totally conquer TV comedy, especially
leveraging that Tina Fey connection for Titus
Andromeda. Yeah, a role that felt made for him.
And his success comes from having the confidence,
the skill to take that power vocal and presence
and just pour it into roles that brick the mold.
Nicely, nicely. The witch, Mary Todd Lincoln.
It's a pattern of challenging expectations. He
shifts effortlessly. High art, pop culture, stage,
screen, voice acting. He does it all. Okay, so
we've seen him master basically every medium.
Broadway legend, Emmy -nominated TV icon. But
here's the final thought for you listening. What
does it really tell you about an artist's range,
about their legacy, when a tiny, almost hidden
role like the potato water guy in a video game
feels just as... well, Titus Burgess, as the
massive role that made him famous worldwide.
Right. Does that obscure little credit maybe
reveal more about his versatility than anything
else? I think it tells us that real range isn't
just about the big roles. It's about the willingness
to bring your unique talent to everything, no
matter how weird or small. It proves the most
defining work sometimes hides in those unexpected
choices. So the question for you is, what's your
potato water guy skill? What fundamental talent
do you have that's so strong you could apply
it anywhere, even the most surprising corner
of your world? Some talk to think about. Definitely.
Thanks for joining us on this deep dive into
the amazing career of Titus Burgess. We'll catch
you next time.