A Musical Theatre Podcast

A Musical Theatre Podcast

Conversations revealing the cultural and emotional impact of our favorite musicals in theatre history. On each episode of “A Musical Theatre Podcast,” Jeff welcomes a special guest to explore one musical from theatre history. Together they get to the heart of the show’s cultural and emotional impact by looking at its creators, context, and storytelling. Always fun and heartfelt, this is the podcast to celebrate the humanity of our musical theatre art form.

Episodes

1776 with Howard Sherman

October 8, 2025 • 71 mins
The second episode in our "American Dream miniseries" is dedicated to 1776, the listener requested, Best Musical winner of 1969. It's a surprisingly unconventional musical about the very beginnings of a government that is currently, as of this moment, shut down. Join our special guest Howard Sherman (arts administrator, writer, and advocate) as we look at how 1776 and HAIR could have premiered on Broadway at the same time and look...
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RAGS with Samantha Massell

September 14, 2025 • 70 mins
Today we begin a mini-series on "A Musical Theatre Podcast" that will explore "the American Dream." These are musicals you listeners have requested that all have one thing in common: "being an American is a beautifully complicated thing." First up is the 1987 musical RAGS created originally by three titans of the art form: Charles Strouse (BYE BYE BIRDIE, ANNIE), Stephen Schwartz (WICKED, PIPPIN), and Joseph Stein (FIDDLER ON THE ...
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SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE with Danielle Ferland

August 31, 2025 • 66 mins
"There are worse things than listening to a podcast on a Sunday!" Join special guest, and original cast member, Danielle Ferland ("Little Red" in Into the Woods) as we look back at her Broadway debut in the Pulitzer Prize winning, and listener requested, Sondheim/Lapine musical Sunday in the Park with George. Listen to stories about the nontraditional way this nontraditional musical was created and whether or not Danielle ever fou...
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PARADE with Max Chernin

June 29, 2025 • 74 mins
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 ...
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THE ADDAMS FAMILY with Rachel Potter

June 4, 2025 • 69 mins
"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...
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SMILE with Robert W. Schneider

May 20, 2025 • 76 mins
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. Tun...
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DEATH BECOMES HER with Marco Pennette and Kaleigh Cronin

May 4, 2025 • 67 mins
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," a...
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CRAZY FOR YOU with Shannon Lewis

April 12, 2025 • 71 mins
"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 chor...
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BEETLEJUICE with Ryan Breslin

March 29, 2025 • 64 mins
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 Congress...
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FUNNY GIRL with Ruby Karp

March 15, 2025 • 73 mins
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 fr...
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A STRANGE LOOP with L Morgan Lee

February 28, 2025 • 72 mins
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 STRA...
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THE OUTSIDERS with Kevin Csolak

February 15, 2025 • 75 mins
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" a...
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WATER FOR ELEPHANTS with Rick Elice and PigPen Theatre Co.

January 25, 2025 • 66 mins
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 th...
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LEMPICKA with Sarah Anne Fernandez

January 11, 2025 • 72 mins
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 kno...
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A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD with Erica Halverson and Daniel Pelzig

December 31, 2024 • 72 mins
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 Audien...
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ANYONE CAN WHISTLE with Mike Meaney

December 22, 2024 • 69 mins
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 b...
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42ND STREET with Karen Prunzik

November 25, 2024 • 80 mins
"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 class...
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THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA with Sandra Joseph

November 18, 2024 • 80 mins
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 perfor...
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THE LAST FIVE YEARS with Grace Yurchuk

October 27, 2024 • 81 mins
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?...
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THE PROM with Chad Beguelin

October 13, 2024 • 68 mins
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 explor...
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