I’m excited to share that a new Broadway Drumming 101 podcast episode with Larry Lelli will be re-released soon. I originally sat down with Larry back on December 16, 2021, and since then, his career has kept growing in remarkable ways.
Larry isn’t just a veteran Broadway drummer—he’s now also a Broadway producer. He’s gone on to co-produce Water for Elephants (opened March 21, 2024), Gutenberg! The Musical! (opened October 12, 2023), and most recently Waiting for Godot (opened September 28, 2025).
Before stepping into producing, Larry built a career most musicians dream of. He’s played drums and conducted for over 40 Broadway shows, including The Producers, Assassins, How To Succeed In Business, and Million Dollar Quartet. His list of collaborations is just as impressive—Melissa Etheridge, Josh Groban, Audra McDonald, Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters, Nick Jonas, Vanessa Williams, Jerry Lee Lewis, and even the New York Philharmonic.
Larry is also a clinician with Yamaha Drums and Sabian Cymbals, and you can currently catch him performing in the Tony Award-winning hit Come From Away.
In our conversation, we dug into:
Growing up in the Midwest playing in baton and drum corps
Touring with country star Doug Stone after moving to Nashville
How a jazz cruise changed his life and led him to New York City
Why subbing for Michael Hinton on Miss Saigon was his big break
Learning from legends like Paul Gemignani
How he approaches learning an entire Broadway show
Larry’s story is a masterclass in building a long, versatile career in music—and now he’s added producing to his list of achievements.
Stay tuned for the re-release of this edited Broadway Drumming 101 episode. It’s one you won’t want to miss.
