Chasing Phantom

My first guess for Neil Simon’s longest running show on Broadway would have been “The Odd Couple,” maybe followed by “Brighton Beach Memoirs” or “The Sunshine Boys.” But nope – the breezy romantic comedy “Barefoot in the Park” ran for nearly 4 full years. It was an auspicious production for many other reasons as well: it marked director Mike Nichols’ arrival on Broad...

As has been chronicled extensively on this podcast already, many older Broadway shows do NOT hold up very well over time. The ones that do - your "Guys and Dolls" or "Oklahomas" - still regularly get produced.

But "Me and My Girl" is a bit of an anomaly. I personally think it totally holds up at least as well as many of the oft-produced Golden Age musicals, even though it's set in the 1930s. But it hardly ever gets staged these days...

You may think that a person in the midst of performing a role is too close to it to have insightful things to say about it. That's certainly not the case about Crystal Kellogg who at the time of this conversation was smack-dab in the middle of the national tour for "& Juliet," playing the catalyst to the musical's action, Anne Hathaway. She has many astute things to say among her character's journey amidst this smash hit show.&...

He is famous for playing the Frankenstein monster and voicing the Grinch but people often forget that Boris Karloff also made a big impact on the stage starting with "Arsenic and Old Lace." Not only did he steal the show as the murderous Jonathan Brewster, he was also a major investor in the Broadway production, meaning he made money on the movie version even though he wasn't able to appear in it.

The legacy of Karloff is only one f...

Don't cry for me, Chasing Phantom fans! I have brought back yet another one of your favorite guests, the diva-tastic Melissa Chase, host of the lifestyle television show, "Showcase." We discuss the diva-centric "Evita," a show solidly in Ms. Chase's wheelhouse thanks to her love of all things Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Don't expect a lot of dissecting of historical accuracy here; I mean, we gloss by that so quickly I even mispronounce Arg...

Happy April Fool's Day! Sure, "The Music Man" included some incredible songs, featured one of the most career-defining performances in Broadway history, and captured a unique clash of squeaky-clean Midwestern living with the machinations of a cynical con-man. But it also has what I would call the only April Fool's style prank at the core of its plot: Prof. Howard Hill's "Think Method" leading a whole town to believe they could simp...

Who could have known that this near-forgotten play from the 1940s would be so relevant in the 2020s?

The title is from the Bible, a verse in the Song of Solomon that actually references a turtledove, not the shelled amphibian: "The time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land." Playwright John Van Druten of "I Am A Camera" fame, turned it into a Broadway comedy that was one of the few shows opening duri...

With this episode, we reach an important milestone in "Chasing Phantom" history: this 64th episode marks the moment we pass the halfway point on the way up the list toward "Phantom of the Opera," still the longest running show in Broadway history. In honor of that moment, the episode features one of my favorite shows, "The Sound of Music," and a conversation with one of my favorite actors, Stacey Cabaj.

There was a run starting in 2...

Think "Blazing Saddles" but on Broadway and with 1930s era sensibilities. That's what "Hellzapoppin'" was and, honestly, for the times it was pretty cutting-edge stuff. Weird running gags, satirical songs lampooning contemporary issues, risqué and ribald jokes, and even fourth-wall breaking hilarity. Sure, it was silly but it was smart silly, not stupid silly. At least most of the time.

While it was impossible to find an extant expe...

Valentine's Day is coming up, a time when the warmth of love takes our minds off the cold weather. So it's the perfect time for an episode about a show I love without reservation: "Dreamgirls." I'm not alone - critic Frank Rich called it "the most exciting staging of a Broadway musical in this decade." Others have labeled it "one of the most iconic, influential, and straight-up thrilling musicals ever written." For me, it was the f...

It's weird how prescience can come from such unexpected places. When I recorded this episode about "Matilda the Musical" with the delightful Shannon Schilstra, I had no idea how relevant the show's themes about the bad behavior of bullies would be. It's a good thing that cloud wasn't hanging over our conversation, allowing Shannon and I to have a fun and carefree conversation about the unexpected rapturous praise this wonderfully w...

For this first episode of 2026, I expose perhaps the most embarrassing gap in my theater knowledge. I often say I'm not as devoted a theater nerd as you might expect from someone who's written about theater for more than 25 years and has a theater history podcast but this episode is the proof. 

I am ashamed to say I have never in my life seen what may be the ultimate Broadway lover's Broadway show, "42nd Street." This Broadway ...

In the midst of your "Merry, Merry Christmas," let me interest you in a little "Mary, Mary" Broadway! Don't feel bad if you've never heard of this play -- I certainly hadn't -- but like so many other shows I've covered, there are SO many crazy and interesting stories related to this surprising entry in the pantheon of long running productions that reveal fascinating aspects of Broadway history.

And the perfect person to bring a near...

Sure, you "Ain't Misbehavin'" at holiday time, but what about the rest of the year? For an expert on not misbehaving year-round, what person could I talk to that would be better than Desirée Roots? 

Roots has graced Virginia stages for decades and her exceptional voice has made her a consistent draw for cabarets, big band performances, and special appearances with groups like the Richmond Symphony. Not only is she a great perfo...

If you look down the list of Pulitzer Prize-winning musicals, past more recent capital "I" important musicals like "Hamilton" and "A Strange Loop," you eventually get to "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." Sure, it's a caustic take on corporate culture but prize-winning? That seems a stretch, even with the creative team behind arguably the most beloved musical ever, "Guys and Dolls," on board.

Luckily, I was able to ...

In approaching "Oh! Calcutta!" today, it's hard not to react with a "What! Really?!?" This is a show, that between the original production and its revival, had more than 7,200 performances on Broadway. Really?

Full of nudity and bawdy - but also mostly bad - comedy, the popularity of this show is truly dumbfounding. And when dealing with something I have trouble understanding, I often turn to my very wise friend, Dr. Jesse Rabinowit...

Happy Halloween! We have the perfect show to dig into for spooky season - mostly because it's downright scary how bad this musical is! 

Frank Wildhorn's "Jekyll & Hyde" is a musical that, if there was a just theater god, would be forever relegated to the dustbin of Broadway history. There are many musicals I don't like but this is one I actively despise, partially for its innate flaws but also for its utter failure to achie...

It's one of the most famous and beloved titles in musical theater. Because of its iconic mismatched lovers storyline and nostalgia evocation of the 1950s, "Grease" has been performed in high schools, colleges and regional theaters across the country for decades. The movie version with Travolta and Newton-John was the highest grossing movie musical of all time when it came out.

With all of that history, there seems like maybe not muc...