Johnny O Will Step Down as Host of 'Backstage'

Pictured: John Ozerhoski of 'Backstage with Johnny O' All photos courtesy of Mr. Ozerhoski

John Ozerhoski, well-known by his nickname Johnny O, will be stepping down as host as the popular ‘Backstage with Johnny O,’ the radio program that has been a staple of Saturday morning programming on FM 97.3 WZBG since 2002. His final broadcast will be March 24, 2018 and community theatre actor Eric Lindblom will be taking over the microphone the following Saturday.

Mr. Ozehoski is retiring from the hosting duties that he has performed for almost 16 years in order to spend more time with his young family. He and his wife Rebecca Russo will celebrate their eleventh wedding anniversary in June, and the couple are parents to Hadley, age three and Ilaria, age one.

I recently had the opportunity to interview Johnny O for the second time; in this email exchange I asked him probably too many questions about his long-time run with the beloved radio program. I began by asking the veteran broadcaster what inspired him to pitch his idea for a program that has supported local theatres for so many years.

“I had been working at the station for a few years before I approached the general manager and program director,” he explained. His theatrical career was in its seventh year and he had learned that WZBG is a very community oriented station. “So I thought it made perfect sense to pitch a show that would bring my knowledge of theatre and my newer radio skills together and host a show that highlights all the great community theaters in Litchfield County.”

Both of the “powers that be” at the station were intrigued, so Mr. Ozerhoski recorded a mock show, presented it, and they were sold. ‘Backstage with Johnny O’ made its debut on May 11th, 2002.

I only became aware of ‘Backstage’ when I began writing theatre reviews in 2012, so I asked its host if the format has been the same since its inception. “The format of Backstage has not changed much over the years,” he told me. The biggest change was when he branched out into regional theatres and Broadway interviews in 2007. The popular “What's the Buzz” segment at the half hour mark, a list of productions opening in the Litchfield area and beyond in the near future, has always been part of the show, as well as all-music editions when there was no guest scheduled for the 9:00am broadcast.

Mr. Ozerhoski had worked at a number of theatres when he began the program, so he was able to use the contacts he made when it came to booking guests for the show. He has interviewed an impressive number of local actors and directors, as well as the press representatives for the local regional theatres. Elisa Hale with Goodspeed Musicals has traveled from East Haddam for an interview about the upcoming season at the iconic Equity theater for many years.

When I asked Johnny O for his best estimate of how many guests he had interviewed during his tenure on ‘Backstage,’ he replied that he would have to look through the files to give me an exact number, “but between the locals and professionals, a good estimate is over 1,500 guests. By the time I finish up on March 24th, I will have done over 800 broadcasts.” What an incredible body of work he has left for theatre lovers that have tuned in faithfully every weekend.

I then followed up by asking if the retiring host could share a few favorite interviews that he had recorded for ‘Backstage,’ knowing that this would be a probably my toughest question. “I love interviewing friends,” he began, “and some favorite Broadway folks are Douglas Sills (3 times,) Donny Osmond, Laura Benanti (twice,) Laura Osnes (twice,) and Idina Menzel. I will admit that I shared with him that my favorite of the years I have been listening would have to be that one with “my girl,” the star of my beloved ‘Wicked,’ the one and only Idina Menzel.

I shared with Mr. Ozerhoski that I have always enjoyed the low-key feel of his weekly broadcast that made his guests feel at ease. It certainly worked for me when I did my first interview with him when I appeared on ‘Backstage’ to some questions about his directorial debut with the Goshen Players, Inc. production of ‘Sylvia.’ I was also always very impressed with his vast knowledge of all things theatrical. I wondered how he keeps current with everything going on in the world of theatre. “A lot of it is just me being involved for over 20 years,” he told me. “I've read a ton of scripts and been in as many shows. I log onto each theater's website to keep up, as well as Playbill.com for the Broadway stuff.”

Some of the shows that I personally appreciated greatly were those hours that were in memory of theatre community members we had lost. I asked Johnny O if it was it important to him to honor these people for their families and the audience members who knew them. He told me that he considered these heartfelt programs very important.

“One of the goals of my show was to give the spotlight to those who may never have gotten it otherwise. I've been extremely fortunate to play many lead and dream roles over 20+ years. I wanted others to get that same feeling of being in the spotlight. That naturally led to me wanting to celebrate their gifts and accomplishments after they've gone. Unfortunately, I've had to do too many of those shows.”

Looking to the future, I asked if he planned to continue serving as a director with local theatre companies. “I would love that,” he answered. “Directing has recharged the creative and artistic part of my brain.” In keeping with his desire to devote more time to his family, the production would have to be the right piece at the right time. I followed up with asking him if he would consider appearing on the stage again if the right role became available. “Whereas I do feel that I have a few roles left in me, on-stage roles will be fewer and fewer. It takes so much time, often three times a week and then on my own time that I no longer have. My focus right now is parenting, and I think that's where it should be.”

My favorite role of the small fraction of his performances that I have reviewed remains Eddie Carbone in ‘A View from the Bridge’ by the Warner Stage Company at the Nancy Marine Studio Theatre. When I asked another tough question of naming a few all-time favorite roles, I was surprised and disappointed at how many of them I had missed. “As far as straight plays, definitely Eddie Carbone, Bif Loman in ‘Death of a Salesman,’ Jamie Tyrone in ‘Long Day's Journey Into Night,’ ‘Greater Tuna (in which he had 10 roles,) and Charlie Baker in ‘The Foreigner.’ Musicals would include ‘Little Me (7 characters,) Sparky in ‘Forever Plaid,’ Percy in ‘The Scarlet Pimpernel,’ Panch in’ The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Hook in ‘Peter Pan.’ So many to choose from!”

It was such an honor when Mr. Ozerhoski agreed to let me post the identity of the new host of ‘Backstage’ when he first announced his retirement. I was curious as to what made him first think of Eric Lindblom as his possible replacement. “Eric has a love of theatre as well as a knowledge of it that made him a great candidate,” he explained. “Not to mention he has a wonderful gift of natural conversation. His work ethic was nothing short of impressive. He's worked really hard for this and I couldn't be prouder of him.”

While the retiring host has made it clear that Mr. Lindblom will make the show his own, I inquired if he has shared any advice with his replacement. “Eric will be keeping the show as it's been (minus the regional and Broadway guests) for the 2018 season,” he answered. “If he and station management want to change things up after that, that's their call.”

“We all felt that keeping it the same for this first year was important for Eric, especially during the breaking-in period. We have talked a lot about the show, how I approach interviews, how I run the show in general. He's been very receptive to all of it and his willingness to learn has been wonderful.”

I personally was thrilled to hear that Mr. Lindblom is definitely interested in keeping up the podcast of the weekly broadcasts. On Saturdays I have to be on the road and travel out of the WZBG signal range during the broadcast, I hate missing the end of the interview. I frequently listen to the podcast even when I catch the entire show, and I must admit that I listened to my appearance on Backstage more than once.

On behalf of every one of the more than 1,500 guests who have been a guest on ‘Backstage with Johnny O,’ a sincere thank you to the man who started it all for your unfailing support during your impressive run. We will miss hearing you on the air, but wish you nothing but the best with your beautiful family.