"God, I Hope I Get It!" It's a big one, kids...a huge one...a one...singular sensation, if you will! That's right, it's A CHORUS LINE!!! The mother of all Broadway transfers. Fellow BPN'er Robert Peterpaul (The Art of Kindness) stops by the Breakdown to discuss with Matt the Pulitzer Prize winning, Tony sweeping musical that defined the 70's. The two also discuss the beauty of not-pretty singing, sh*tty teachers, and how Zach would be on the Equity "Do Not Work For" list. Don't pop the head, Cas...
Mar 02, 2023•2 hr 14 min
"Everything in life is only for now..." Sex! Racism! PUPPETS! It's Avenue Q kids!!!!! Friend of the Breakdown Sam Simahk (INTO THE WOODS, CAROUSEL) stops by to discuss the controversial, deceptively complex musical that deals with existentialism, hopelessness and porn. The two also discuss a person's sexuality, the trickiness of Christmas Eve and why Christine Daae is dumb. It's a FINE LINE!
Feb 23, 2023•2 hr 16 min
"One never knows...DO one?" This week we're covering the jukebox musical to end all jukebox musicals. The golden musical revue that launched a dozen careers: Ain't Misbehavin'!!! Matt is joined by André Jordan (DIANA: THE MUSICAL) to discuss the show's origins, dangerous choreography, and the glory of celebrating Black artistry. This joint is JUMPIN!
Feb 16, 2023•2 hr 4 min
"This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius..." Good morning, Starshine! Broadway says "Hello"! Friend of the Breakdown Robbie Rozelle returns to discuss the American Tribal Musical that defined a generation and begrudgingly brought Broadway to the rock era...if only it stayed. It's HAIR!!! Robbie and Matt talk about an album with almost No Skips, the infamous nudity of the show, and how the show's classic status had a rough journey. BE IN!!!
Feb 09, 2023•2 hr 6 min
"I am sick to death of straight people. Tell the truth, aren't you?" Broadway Breakdown is BACK!!! After our hiatus, we return with the Tony winning Terrence McNally play LOVE, VALOUR, COMPASSION! Breakdown Friend James Crichton comes back to talk with Matt about the beauty of Joe Mantello's direction and the magnificence of the original cast. The two also talk about toxic relationships, the double edged sword of gratitude and being a ghost.
Feb 02, 2023•2 hr 22 min
"And THAT is Feminism." Breakdown alum Jessie Field is BACK to discuss the Pulitzer Prize and Tony winning hit play that gave Wendy Wasserstein her Broadway debut and made a slew of Boomers go "It Me." It's THE HEIDI CHRONICLES!! Believe it or not, this pay was a big deal and very groundbreaking in its time and, luckily, still holds up today! Matt and Jessie discuss equality, humor, and why no one will ever have it all. Choose happiness, kids!
Dec 22, 2022•2 hr 7 min
"History has its eyes on you..." HAMILTON! Ever heard of her? In case ya haven't we go in deep and niche for this week's take on the blockbuster phenomenon that made history cool again. Music Director Extraordinaire and good Judy Brian Nash stops by the Breakdown to discuss with Matt the show's origins, its influence, and why Matt has a major problem with the Ham4Ham lotto. Don't throw away your shot!!!
Dec 15, 2022•2 hr 58 min
"Helen is always willing..." What has sex, wall to wall music, and a golden apple? Why, THE GOLDEN APPLE! Alex Weisman (HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD, SESAME STREET) stops by the Breakdown to discuss with Matt the first Off-Broadway musical to transfer to the Great White Way. Alex also introduces Matt to a new Broadway game and the two talk about musical theatre tropes, Sally Murphy, and what makes something FEEL like an Off-Broadway musical. GET INTO IT!
Dec 08, 2022•2 hr 34 min
"I've always been shy!" Broadway Breakdown goes into the 1950's with the Golden Age wunderkind Charles Kirsch (host of Backstage Babble)! Matt and Charles discuss the rowdy "not your typical fairy tale" musical ONCE UPON A MATTRESS. Both wholesome and rowdy, the musical has been popular for decades but has only had one Broadway revival...and Matt thinks for a good reason! The two also discuss the importance of casting, Mary Rodgers, and why attractive people are rarely funny. NORMANDY, KIDZ!
Dec 01, 2022•2 hr 14 min•Ep. 154
"It's a privilege to pee..." What is URINETOWN? Is it the end? A lie? Or a brilliant musical that spawned a generation of meta-spoof musicals? All the above! Breakdown alum Marc Tumminelli (Little Me, Broadway Workshop) returns to the pod to discuss with Matt the power of the ingenue, the importance of timing your Broadway opening, and illegal productions. FOLLOW YOUR HEART!!
Nov 24, 2022•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 153
"Yeah, it's alright..." It's nonstop to the REAL!! Returning guest Marcus Scott comes back to the Breakdown to discuss with Matt the unclassifiable masterpiece that is PASSING STRANGE. The two discuss Rock n Roll on Broadway, BIPOC narratives in theatre, the show's connections to a Pulitzer Prize winning musical and perhaps why 2008 audiences chose IN THE HEIGHTS over PASSING STRANGE. Can you deal with the real??
Nov 17, 2022•2 hr 16 min•Ep. 152
"I care a great deal. But not enough..." The 4 hour epic that launched Harvey Fierstein and finally made gay men palatable to many Americans...it's Torch Song Trilogy. Matt's mom, the iconic Dani Ticktin Koplik, stops by the Breakdown to discuss with Matt the relationship between a mother and gay son, the humiliations of love...and Matt divulges some personal details that mirror some of the play's storylines. Now we're dancing!!!!
Nov 10, 2022•1 hr 51 min•Ep. 151
"Viva La Vie Boheme..." Broadway Breakdown is BACK with the new series "The Big Move," covering select Off-Broadway to Broadway transfers. First up and in no particular order...RENT! Guncle of the pod Adam Elsberry (@adamels) is back to discuss with Matt all things Bohemia. The two also discuss toxic fandoms, the power of musical theatre, and a reappraisal of the character Benny. WELCOME BACK! Got a light?
Nov 03, 2022•3 hr 27 min
"A pretty, pretty girl..." We're finishing "Underestimated" with the musical that gave the series its namesake...DIANA!!!!! A massive flop that is quickly turning around into becoming a cult classic. And Matt has brought back Breakdown's very own John Wascavage to come and discuss the brilliantly bonkers show in all of its glory! Snap, Click INDEED! PLUS! Broadway Breakdown has now launched a Patreon!!!! To help support the pod you can subscribe via the link: https://www.patreon.com/BroadwayBrea...
Aug 02, 2022•2 hr 34 min
"What you want is ME!" Omigod you guys! We're talking LEGALLY BLONDE! The musical that was doubted, praised, maligned, then praised again! Breakdown alum Abby Goldfarb (HARMONY, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF) comes back to discuss with Matt all things Law school, high belting, and female power! It's fun, funny and Matt NEVER shuts up. BEND AND SNAP KIDS!
Jul 20, 2022•2 hr
"Just THINK!" Oh the thinks you can think....and the flops that can flop...and come back again and again! We're talking about SEUSSICAL! The costly Broadway embarrassment that was plagued by creative overhauls and bad press, but would go on to become one of the most produces musicals in the COUNTRY! Fellow Broadway podcaster Jeffrey Scott Parsons (A Musical Theatre Podcast) joins the Breakdown to discuss with Matt all things Seuss, bad press and childhood nightmares. YOP!!!!!
Jul 14, 2022•2 hr 8 min
"All the wasted time..." The sadness, the drama, the MUSIC! It's PARADE! Friend and listener Jonathan Chisolm stops by the Breakdown to discuss with Matt the sad, yet moving Tony-winning musical. The two also discuss the downside of grandeur, the allure of obtuseness and Carolee Carmello's belt. REAL BIG NEWS!
Jul 07, 2022•2 hr 11 min
"Come look at the freaks..." The shock! The wonder! The BELTING! We're talking SIDE SHOW, kids! Guncle of the pod Adam Elsberry returns to discuss with Matt the cult classic musical about conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton on the longest episode yet. The two also discuss the importance of stagecraft, the combination of camp and greatness, and why the show's revival was bad. I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU!!!
Jun 30, 2022•3 hr 11 min
"And Eve was weak..." It was once known as the flop to end all flops...and it just won't DIE. That's right! We're heading to the prom with CARRIE! Returning guest Preston Max Allen (We Are the Tigers, The Rage: Carrie 2) is back on the Breakdown to discuss with Matt what makes a monster, camp theatre, and why the revised version of CARRIE should just be called "Sue." WE'RE OUT FOR BLOOD!
Jun 23, 2022•2 hr 55 min
"I will live in Disneyland..." IT'S. FINALLY. HAPPENING. We're talking about SMILE, baby!!!!!!!! Listeners rejoice!!! Godmother of the Breakdown Ali Gordon returns to discuss with Matt one of his favorite musicals. The two also discuss Drop Dead Gorgeous, Howard Ashman, and the importance of specificity. SHINE, BITCH!!!!
Jun 16, 2022•2 hr 31 min
"I hear America singing..." Critics hated it. It nearly ruined Stephen Schwartz's Broadway career. It...had a TV movie? It...gets done all the time across the country? It...is the only Broadway musical Patti Lupone ever did where she DIDN'T sing?? Crazy, we know, but that's WORKING. The Broadway musical that tried to be A CHORUS LINE for blue-collar audiences and failed miserably. Fellow podcaster Jon Reilly (Life's But a Song) stops by the Breakdown to discuss with Matt the danger of directing ...
Jun 09, 2022•1 hr 44 min
"Time heals everything..." Movies! Cocaine! Murder! It's MACK AND MABEL! The Jerry Herman flop that won't die, yet probably should...? Fellow podcaster Kimberly Cooper-Schmidt (Broadwaysted, Broadway Baby) comes back to the Breakdown to discuss toxic romance, Bernadette Peters, and what no one will admit about this troubled musical. TAP YOUR TROUBLES AWAY!
Jun 02, 2022•1 hr 53 min
*BONUS* Here’s a special preview of the Cautionary Tales podcast from Pushkin Industries. On Cautionary Tales, bestselling author Tim Harford shares stories of human error, natural disasters, and tragic catastrophes from history that contain valuable lessons for today. In this preview, you’ll hear about Movin Out', the 2002 Billy Joel-inspired Broadway show created by dance legend Twyla Tharp. When Billy Joel agreed to let dance legend Twyla Tharp turn his songs into a Broadway musical it seemed...
May 27, 2022•36 min
"We're neither good, nor wise, nor pure..." The show lasted 73 performances...and has now been performed all over the world. AND was revived on Broadway TWICE! It's CANDIDE! Breakdown alum Jessie Field (Charlotte Lucas is 27 and Not Dead) returns to discuss with Matt whether the show is an operetta or a musical, who did "Glitter and Be Gay" best, and why we keep going on...despite the tragedies. BON VOYAGE!
May 26, 2022•2 hr 11 min
"I'm wild again, beguiled again..." WE BACK and with a whole new series! Starting off with PAL JOEY: the classy Rodgers/Hart musical that made Broadway go "...this character's kind of a dick, right?" New guest Ben RImalower (PATTI ISSUES, CAST OFFS) joins the Breakdown to discuss subtly sexy lyrics, Ben's obsession with Patti, and the origin of the word "Stereotype." ZIP, BABY!
May 18, 2022•1 hr 52 min
"Welcome to our house on Maple Avenue..." It's the END of TESORI HOUR! And we're closing out with a big one...FUN HOME! The show that gets Jeanine her much deserved Tony and an official placement in the Broadway firmament. Composer Julia Meinwald (PREGNANCY PACT) comes by the Breakdown to discuss with Matt this exceptional work of musical theatre. The two also discuss the importance of finding the comedy in tragedy and Matt announces his official rankings of Tesori works and the topic for the ne...
Mar 10, 2022•2 hr 10 min
"I am on my way..." Who doesn't want to look like a million different movie stars? It's VIOLET everyone! Writer Eli Cohen (THE CHOSEN ONE) stops by the Breakdown to discuss with Matt the musical that should've launched Jeanine Tesori into the Broadway stratosphere, but took 17 years to finally make it. The two also discuss crying in the theatre, parents, and how Matt intends to troll the Marvel fandom. LAY DOWN YOUR HEAD!
Mar 03, 2022•1 hr 51 min
"I've always been a morning person..." It's big, it's green, it's gassy...it's SHREK! We continue Tesori Hour with Jeanine's biggest, crassest musical yet with frequent collaborator David Lindsay-Abaire. Musical theatre writer Timothy Huang (AMERICAN MORNING, THE VIEW FROM HERE) stops by the Breakdown to talk with Matt about finding love through flatulence, knowing what kind of show you are, and the dangers of going too spectacular. WHAT'S UP, DULOC?!
Feb 24, 2022•1 hr 24 min
"There is only underwater..." It wouldn't be Breakdown without some twists and turns! Acclaimed playwright and journalist Marcus Scott (TUMBLEWEED, CHERRY BOMB, FIDELIO at the Metropolitan Museum of Art) stops by the Breakdown to discuss one of the dramatic masterpieces of the 21st Century: CAROLINE, OR CHANGE. However, due to timing, Marcus is only available for 2/3 of the episode, so Matt has to make up for the rest of the time by going solo (something he love/hates to do). The two discuss cha...
Feb 17, 2022•2 hr 11 min
"Only in New York..." WELCOME BACK!!!! It's a brand new year and we got a brand new series: TESORI HOUR, covering the 5 Broadway musicals of Tony winning composer Jeanine Tesori. First up: THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE. Writer Jessie Field (Charlotte Lucas is 27 and Not Dead) joins the Breakdown to discuss with Matt the zany 20's comedy that's also Jeanine's Broadway musical theatre debut. The two also discuss the glory of counterpoint, the cost of independence, and how theatre camp can be a hot bed ...
Feb 10, 2022•1 hr 59 min
