A Musical Theatre Podcast

How on earth do you name a brand new musical SOMETHING ROTTEN, open it cold on Broadway and somehow still have a hit? Short answer: magic. Long answer: listen to this week's episode with original Tony-nominated Nostradamus, Brad Oscar! Brad dusts off his soothsayer powers to tell us everything about this show that loves musicals as much as it "hates" Shakespeare.

Follow Brad on Instagram @bradoscar64 and don't mi...

Here's a little something to help you through the end of your week! Jeff brings you a mini episode spotlighting the latest offering on PATREON! in which author Adam Abraham drops by to talk about the release of his new book exploring the Cultural History of the musical Little Shop of Horrors. "Attack of the Monster Musical" is a must read, and this conversation is a must listen.

Listen to the full episode and all other e...

Well, it didn't take 100 years, but today is finally the day BRIGADOON comes to life on the podcast! Here to discuss the magical beauty of this 1947 musical is a Tony nominee from the 1980 revival, actor and educator Meg Bussert (BRIGADOON, CAMELOT, DAMN YANKEES). Tune in to hear Meg's first hand accounts of working alongside true musical theatre legends (including Alan Jay Lerner and Agnes de Mille), and learn what a legen...

RAISIN was named the Best Musical of 1974. Have you seen it? Can you sing a song from it? Here to argue why our answers to both of these questions should be "yes" is director, puppeteer, historian, and archivist Jerrell L Henderson. Tune in to hear how this musical adaptation of A RAISIN IN THE SUN is filled with integrity, history, and legendary star power. It's the next best thing to experiencing it live!

Take advantag...

It might be the oldest title we cover on "A Musical Theatre Podcast" thanks to some well written listener requests! THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE found incredible success on Broadway over a century after it premiered there in 1879. Here to discuss composing team Gilbert & Sullivan and how PIRATES and their other iconic works changed everything is teacher and performer Gina Morgano. Join Jeff and Gina for this copyright free e...

It's been a rough month, so we're taking a Christmas in July vacation this week to discuss one of the very few holiday musicals to be nominated for Best Musical at the Tony Awards: A CHRISTMAS STORY. Joining us for a conversation about this wild and nostalgic look at the Christmas season is a guest who was with this show from version 1.0 to Broadway to the Live TV special and everything in between. It's Grammy-nominated...

It's Pride month, and we're celebrating with the drag mother of musicals: LA CAGE AUX FOLLES. Joining us to explore this traditional yet groundbreaking milestone is original Broadway cast member David Engel (FOREVER PLAID, SEUSSICAL, PUTTING IT TOGETHER). Please enjoy all the charming first hand accounts you could ever wish for plus a crash course in French and a beautiful reminder that 1983 was both the best of times and n...

Recently we chose five musicals from our listener request list that had all won the "Best Musical Tony Award" and allowed our social media followers to vote on which we should cover to celebrate next week's 2022 Tony Ceremony. The winner? Kander & Ebb's "darksical" KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN.

Not only was this musical groundbreaking when it opened on Broadway in 1993, but it also has one of the most unique ...

A wisecracking sound designer once said, "The audience doesn't leave humming the lights." Whoever said it, they have a point. That's why this week's episode dedicated to the rock musical THE WHO'S TOMMY features a guest with one of the most important jobs in musical theatre! But Cricket Myers is no ordinary sound designer. She was also the first woman to ever be Tony nominated for "Best Sound Design of a...

In 1951, THE KING AND I changed musical theatre, and now in 2022, the modern world has changed THE KING AND I. While everyone can (and should) have an opinion on this work of art, this week’s episode provides context for those opinions thanks to some incredible guests. Historian from the Library of Congress, Mark Eden Horowitz, joins us after spending an entire year studying the correspondence of Oscar Hammerstein II, and Broadway ...

Whether you've already met or have yet to meet the genius creativity that is PASSING STRANGE, this episode invites you to truly come as you are. Chita Rivera Award Winner, Todd Underwood (director/choreographer of the current SLAC production) joins us for a very personal conversation about musical poetry, artistic journeys and, of course, "the real." You're gonna want to watch this musical after the episode, so we&#...

Major masterwork SWEENEY TODD has made us all wince, laugh, and think since its bloody premiere in 1979. Joining us this week to discuss what makes this killer musical simmer and explode is Tony nominee (SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical), Sondheim star (the off Broadway Assassins), and all around "Sweeney Fan," the very smart and talented Ethan Slater! Don't miss this episode full of laughs and "epiphanie...

The closest we've been to a new-old school "star vehicle" in modern musical theatre is unquestionably THE BOY FROM OZ which tells the story of the divinely flamboyant Peter Allen and probably wouldn't have been on Broadway, let alone a big hit, without the star wattage of Allen's Aussie countryman, Hugh Jackman. Here this week to discuss this musical and other important Australian exports (like actors and tim ta...

"Giving the nation a new syncopation" requires many things, maybe most important... a conductor. Here this week to discuss the musical masterpiece RAGTIME (that's right, masterpiece!) is the musical director and conductor for the show's entire original Broadway run, David Loud. Who better to discuss the inner workings of this complex look at America than the guy with the best seat in the house and the heartbeat of t...

Today we're "crossing the line" and exploring the mega fun listener request BRING IT ON: THE MUSICAL. Joining us to discuss this show's reach, ambition, and experimentation (not kidding) is someone who understands all three of those words very well. Becky Birdsong has been a major gifts officer at some of the most prestigious regional theatres in the country, and we can't wait for you to learn what that means! A...

This week we're celebrating Black History Month with a musical so groundbreaking, it has a tornado! Broadway legend (AIN'T MISBEHAVIN, CATS), and Cowardly Lion, Ken Page joins us to discuss the history, artistry, and sheer belief that brought about the musical THE WIZ. Join us to hear how these familiar characters from Oz provided musical theatre with insight into the Black experience that has entertained audiences ever sin...

Time for a deep dive into the most groundbreaking show most of us will never see. Thanks to listener Colden, this week we're covering LADY IN THE DARK with lifelong super fan (and director, writer, and actor) Michael Van Duzer! We also get a mini session with Dr Alisa Hurwitz (Dr Drama herself) to bring context to mental health in both 1941 and 2022. These more historical musicals can be a bit of risk to cover, so let us know i...

The moment you think you may know everything about musical theatre is the moment you should talk to Klea Blackhurst about ANNIE GET YOUR GUN. This week we sit down with this amazing singer, actress, and "Merman-ologist" to laugh, warble, and explore the all time greatest musical theatre star (Ethel Merman) in one of her all time greatest roles (Annie Oakley). We can't wait for you to hear about these real life character...

Today we're celebrating "Women Power" with the 2005 musical adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's groundbreaking novel LITTLE WOMEN. Joining us to discuss this holiday worthy listener request is the hilarious and heartwarming "March sister veteran" Gwen Hollander, and Stage Manager turned CEO Jen Kahn stops by to discuss her powerful journey as creator of the highly successful company Scenery Bags!  No matter wh...