PARADE is by no means a "happy musical." But the way it has aged not only with audiences but within our culture has given it a happier ending than when it first opened in the 1999 Broadway season. This week, actor Max Chernin (Broadway's PARADE, BRIGHT STAR, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE) takes a moment from playing "Leo Frank" in the show's current national tour to discuss how the wounds from the original 1913 trial continue to fester today and how important it can be to "de-role" from it all....
Jun 29, 2025•1 hr 16 min
"They're creepy and they're kooky," but they also mean a lot to so many of you! THE ADDAMS FAMILY, a musical based on the beloved characters by Charles Addams is one of the most performed musicals in the United States. Today, we look at why that might be. Joining us is one of Broadway's "Wednesdays," the amazing Rachel Potter (EVITA, WICKED), whose new album "Stages" features one the musical's most popular songs. Follow Rachel on Instagram at @therachelpotter . Listen to her new album STAGES now...
Jun 04, 2025•1 hr 11 min
SMILE, a musical by Howard Ashman and Marvin Hamlisch about a teen beauty pageant may not have won the crown when it premiered on Broadway back in 1986, but it was the winner of this year's "Flop Shop" PATREON! poll. We're hoping now a few more people will know just how important this musical is! Director, podcaster, and educator Robert W. Schneider joins us just having finished directing a production of this lesser-known gem. Tune in to hear all about the original production and how the show wa...
May 20, 2025•1 hr 18 min
Just as DEATH BECOMES HER celebrates 10 Tony nominations, we're thrilled to celebrate our new episode dedicated to this brand-new Broadway hit! Joining us is one of the nominees, the hilarious book writer himself, Marco Pennette (TV's Ugly Betty & Mom ), and one of hard-working cast members keeping the show going 8 performances a week, Kaleigh Cronin ( Cabaret , A Bronx Tale , Jersey Boys ). Marco is an open, pardon the pun, "book," and you'll love his insider look at how this musical came t...
May 04, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 143
"Let me give you the lowdown, we're K-razy for 'Lew!'" This week we're covering a game changing musical based on a game changing musical (get ready for Jeff's "Expired Ketchup" metaphor) featuring the Broadway debut of a performer who's now enjoying her Broadway debut as a choreographer! It's CRAZY FOR YOU with Shannon Lewis! Shannon (JUST IN TIME, FOSSE, CURTAINS, SWEET CHARITY, and so many more...) never forgets a count of choreo, so there's nobody better to talk about this "dance-tastic" musi...
Apr 12, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 142
Beetlejuice...Beetlejuice...Beetle-just kidding, we're not that crazy. Today, we're talking about "you know who," and we're doing it with original Broadway cast member and current dance captain on the BEETLEJUICE national tour, Ryan Breslin! (NEWSIES, THE BOOK OF MORMON, CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY) Join us as we delve into the history of this fan favorite musical, the lore of the Netherworld, and what happens when Congresspeople are escorted out of your show. Follow Ryan on Instagram at @...
Mar 29, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 141
This week we're the luckiest people in the world as "funny girl" Ruby Karp joins us to discuss the legendary musical FUNNY GIRL. Throughout the conversation there is plenty of love for Babs, plenty of "not love" for Nicky Arnstein, and even a hypothesis regarding who Fanny Brice's third husband would have been in the 2020s. Follow Ruby on Instagram at @rubykarp and don't miss her show I DON'T TRUST ADULTS playing Soho Playhouse from March 26-May 3. If you enjoyed this episode, check out our epis...
Mar 15, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 140
Be careful when you open the loop... A STRANGE LOOP is a musical outlier in many ways: it's one of the few Broadway shows to include book, music, and lyrics by one individual. It also won pretty much every award it could have (including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama) during its New York runs. But maybe most impressive is the sheer number of conversations one can have about it. This week we welcome Tony nominee L Morgan Lee (A STRANGE LOOP) to open as many of those loops as we can in about an hour...
Feb 28, 2025•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 139
This week we wrap our three-episode series on recent entries into musical theatre history with one of today's biggest Broadway hits! THE OUTSIDERS became standard reading for young people in the United States following its novel debut in the 1960s, and now the story has become essential viewing for all musical theatre fans. Joining us to discuss how and why this show became a certified blockbuster is an expert in "musical gangs" and one of the stars of the hit revival of GYPSY, Kevin Csolak! Bro...
Feb 15, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 138
It's beyond privilege to record an episode about a musical with the writers of said musical, and that is exactly what we have this week! To celebrate last season's WATER FOR ELEPHANTS debut in the licensing world, Tony-nominee Rick Elice (JERSEY BOYS, PETER AND THE STARCATCHER, SMASH) as well as three members of innovative theatre team PigPen Theatre Co. (THE OLD MAN AND THE OLD MOON) join us to spend a little more time "under the Big Top" of their epic show. Their decade's long journey of imagi...
Jan 25, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 137
New for 2025: new episodes of "A Musical Theatre Podcast" will drop on Saturday mornings! Also new for 2025, we're spending the first episodes of the year discussing some of the newest entries into our musical theatre canon. First up is a "flop" from the 2024 Broadway season with a larger cultural and emotional impact than shows with three times as many performances. LEMPICKA is a musical that introduces us to an icon too few know by name: Tamara de Lempicka. Special guest and "president" of the...
Jan 11, 2025•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 136
We're celebrating the end of the year this week with the musical A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD. And just like the musical itself, this week's episode is filled with much more than you'd expect: A salute to the Midwest musical theatre contributions that made this groundbreaking show possible? Check. Perspectives from the show's original Broadway choreographer? Check. Real talk on the successes and pitfalls of Theatre for Young Audiences? Check. A deep dive into the earnest yet sophisticated stories o...
Dec 31, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 135
In 1964, Carol was bringing down the house as Dolly, Barbra was blowing the roof off as Fanny, and for 9 performances only, Angela Lansbury belted out Sondheim as Cora Hoover Hooper in ANYONE CAN WHISTLE. It's no surprise to hear that "flop" is not a curse word on "A Musical Theatre Podcast," but that goes double for a show with an incredible score and some of the biggest storytelling swings in musical history. (Some of which are brilliant!) Join special guest Mike Meaney (off-Broadway's Do Re M...
Dec 22, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 134
"Come and meet those dancing feet!" Why? Because those feet have been through a lot! Karen Prunzik originated the role of "Anytime Annie" in one of Broadway's biggest hits 42ND STREET. This 1980 stage adaptation of the 1933 film gave birth to musical theatre lore we still talk about to this day, and Karen had a front row seat for it all. Join us as we discuss the plot twists both onstage and off that came together to create a classic. Special thanks to Jonathan Blake Flemings for making this epi...
Nov 25, 2024•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 132
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA enjoyed 13,981 performances on Broadway, the most of any musical of all time, but now it finally gets its true crowning glory: its own full episode of "A Musical Theatre Podcast." This week, Jeff is joined by actress, author, and public speaker Sandra Joseph who has a record-breaking title of her own: "the longest running leading lady in the longest running Broadway show of all time." With over 1,500 performances as Christine Daae under her belt, Sandra brings deep under...
Nov 18, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 131
Are you "Team Cathy" or "Team Jamie?" Exploring the arc of a five-year relationship from beginning to end (or end to beginning?) is no small feat, and this week we do it thanks to Jason Robert Brown's THE LAST FIVE YEARS. Singer/songwriter and social media star Grace Yurchuk joins Jeff to discuss this musical that has broken hearts and devastated audition accompanists since it's off-Broadway premiere in 2002. What did we get right? What did we get wrong? Let us know on social media! Follow Grace...
Oct 27, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Season 1Ep. 130
THE PROM is an original musical that very much connected with audiences when it first premiered on Broadway in 2018. It features great characters, clever dialogue, and energetic songs. But those things don't write themselves, do they?! This week we sit down with the show's lyricist, and half of its book writing team, six-time Tony nominee Chad Beguelin! (THE WEDDING SINGER, ALADDIN, ELF) Chad takes us to "the prom" by way of exploring colorful characters like the Dee Dee Allen, inspirations from...
Oct 13, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 129
"Here she is boys! Here she is world! Here's... one of the best written musicals of all time!" GYPSY is part of Jeff's top three, and we have a top tier guest this week to celebrate it. Two-time Tony nominee Alison Fraser (THE SECRET GARDEN, ROMANCE/ROMANCE, IN TROUSERS) was a close friend of writer Arthur Laurents and played the role of Tessie Tura in the famous 2008 Broadway revival. Join us as she helps us explore the striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee, her tragic monster of a mother, and how t...
Sep 22, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 128
This week's episode may have one of the all-time great backstories in musical theatre history: a woman composes a new Broadway score with her husband during the Great Depression while he works with the US president, and she falls in love with one of the biggest composers of all time. FINE AND DANDY is much more than its title implies, but it sure does have one humdinger of a "fine and dandy" score. Join producer and musical theatre historian Jennifer Ashley Tepper (54 Below, BE MORE CHILL) this ...
Sep 08, 2024•58 min•Ep. 137
Few musicals have captured the hearts of audiences quite like Disney's ALADDIN. But did you know the beloved stage adaptation of the classic animation almost never came to be? This podcast pulls back the curtain on the untold story of ALADDIN's journey from conception to Broadway triumph. Join 11-time Emmy Award winning entertainment journalist for NY1 and NY1OnStage host Frank DiLella on an in-depth exploration that begins with the initial spark of a stage adaptation. We'll delve into the chall...
Aug 25, 2024•17 min
ANASTASIA is a musical based on a rumor that has stood the test of time and is a testament to the stories we tell during our "darkest Decembers." Joining us this week to discuss it is a young man who's just beginning to tell his own story, and he's earned quite the platform to do so. Damson Chola Jr. won the Jimmy Awards earlier this year and, thanks to incredible performing arts support in his Texas hometown, already has this epic musical on his resume. Don't miss this conversation filled with ...
Aug 18, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 136
We've got our first "musicologist" and first Gershwin brothers musical in the same episode! This week we welcome William A. Everett to discuss George & Ira's first full collaboration LADY, BE GOOD! Not only did this musical star the Astaire siblings, but it also landed in 1924, a year you'll soon realize was one of the most important in all of Broadway history. Don't miss this jam-packed episode that in under an hour manages to include both HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL references and highbrow words l...
Aug 11, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 135
We had "Some Kinda Time" creating an episode all about the terrific musical DOGFIGHT. This off-Broadway offering from Pasek & Paul (pre-Evan Hansen) was both critically appreciated and feared for its unusual premise when it premiered in 2012, but this week's conversation with the talented Frankie Errington (San Diego Critics nominee for DOGFIGHT) reveals how that premise allows for a deep dive into all things human. This episode is one that just might make you a fan of a show you didn't know...
Jul 28, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 134
Send out the call! We're not on strike, but we are covering the biggest hit to start out as a bigger flop (not a bad word). NEWSIES meant a lot to those of us who grew up in the 90s and, thanks to the stage adaptation that fouette'd all over Broadway in 2012, it will continue to mean a lot to future generations. The story of unity and speaking truth to power is timeless, and that's one of the reasons this week's guest has played Jack Kelly so many times. Dillon Klena (Nick in JAGGED LITTLE PILL)...
Jul 14, 2024•1 hr 29 min•Season 1Ep. 132
"A spoonful of comedy helps the feminism go down," says this week's guest, the musical comedian and TikTok sensation Sarah Hester Ross. Sarah's personal blend of music and comedy makes her a perfect guest to discuss the musical AVENUE Q. Filled with puppets, paradoxes, and porn, this controversial 2004 Best Musical winner used comedy to help adults navigate life beyond Sesame Street. Enjoy this engaging discussion that examines what's changed since its debut, what remains the same, and the role ...
Jun 23, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 131
We're feeling a lot of pride (see what we did there?) about covering the musical FALSETTOS this month. Jeff calls this show the "M word," and our guest calls it "twelve years of his life." Tony-winner Michael Rupert (SWEET CHARITY, LEGALLY BLONDE, ON THE TOWN) began playing the role of Marvin off-off-Broadway in 1980 when MARCH OF THE FALSETTOS (or Act 1 of FALSETTOS) first premiered, and he continued on with the character through the full show's Broadway bow. It earned him his second Tony nomin...
Jun 09, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 130
"The musical of a generation! The show that changed musical theatre forever! The last musical to top the pop charts!" There's always plenty of hyperbole surrounding HAIR. This week, we're getting to the heart of it, and you might be surprised by how relatable it feels. Jordan Dobson (HADESTOWN, A BEAUTIFUL NOISE, BAD CINDERELLA, WEST SIDE STORY) joins us from the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia where he's currently starring in HAIR as Claude. Together, he and Jeff discuss the context of...
May 26, 2024•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 129
BARE: A POP OPERA was edgy and (dare we say) groundbreaking when it took Los Angeles by storm in 2000. Twelve years following that electric debut, the show was retooled to become BARE: THE MUSICAL. Despite both versions having loyal fans, both were unable to thrive in the New York theatre scene. Still, that hasn't stopped BARE from being one of the most requested titles by our podcast listeners. This week, we welcome the smart, funny, and glamorous Natalie Wachen (little "wa", big "CHEN"), on he...
May 12, 2024•1 hr 25 min•Season 1Ep. 128
FOLLIES is a Stephen Sondheim musical about looking in the mirror. What might you see? A theater? Or a parking lot? Here to discuss this complex show is the very definition of a multi-hyphenate. Jack Viertel is a producer-writer-artistic director who was not only the force behind hit musicals like Smokey Joe's Cafe and The Prom but oversaw twenty years at New York City Center Encores! He's seen more theatre than most of us put together, and today he brings context and life experience to a show f...
May 02, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 127
Once a year, we share a PATREON! preview on our main feed to showcase the amazing bonus content you might be missing by not being a subscriber! It may only be April, but today's episode was too good not to share. In celebration of over 75 years of Tony Awards excellence, the American Theatre Wing recently commissioned the creation of a new book about the biggest awards ceremony in theatre. Here to discuss the book as well as the history of the Tony Awards is the book's writer, Eila Mell, and the...
Apr 21, 2024•17 min
