BROADWAY NATION
A lively and opinionated cultural history of the Broadway Musical that tells the extraordinary story of how Immigrants, Jews, Queers, African-Americans and other outcasts invented the Broadway Musical, and how they changed America in the process.In Season One, host David Armstrong traces the evolution of American Musical Theater from its birth at the dawn of the 20th Century, through its mid-century “Golden Age”, and right up to its current 21st Century renaissance; and also explore how musicals have reflected and shaped our world -- especially in regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, and equality.
Episodes
October 22, 2026 • 45 mins
This is the second part of my conversation with my frequent co-host, Albert Evans, in which we investigate the Double Songs of Broadway.
In this episode, we highlight the amazing work of songwriters Jerome Kern & Anne Caldwell, Cole Porter, Arthur Schwartz & Dorothy Fields, Richard Adler & Jerry Ross, Jule Styne & Stephen Sondheim, Lionel Bart, and especially Meredith Willson in their Broadway musicals The Night Bo...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
October 14, 2026 • 46 mins
Welcome to Season Four!
Broadway Nation is back with a new season of all-new episodes
that will take you deep inside the history of the Broadway musical with a
special emphasis on the Immigrant Jewish, Queer, and Black artists who invented it.
I have a fantastic slate of guests and topics lined up over the coming weeks and months, and today we kick it all off with the return of my frequent co-host and partner in crime, Albert Eva...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
September 17, 2026 • 49 mins
This is the fourth and final section of my conversation with author Margaret Hall about her recent biography of Paul Gemignani titled Gemignani – Life And Lessons From Broadway And Beyond.
If you missed the previous episodes in this series, you may want to catch up on those before listening to this one.
Paul Gemignani served as the Music Director for more than 40 Broadway musicals, including those that are the focus of this...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
September 7, 2026 • 43 mins
This is the third part of my conversation with author Margaret Hall, whose captivating book is titled Gemignani – Life And Lessons From Broadway And Beyond.
If you missed the first two parts, you may want to catch up on those episodes before listening to this one.
As the title suggests, Margaret’s book is a biography of Paul Gemignani, who served as the Music Director for more than 40 Broadway musicals, including the ...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
August 19, 2026 • 40 mins
This is the second part of my recent conversation with author Margaret Hall, the remarkable young theater historian whose new book is titled Gemignani – Life And Lessons From Broadway And Beyond.
If you missed part one, you may want to catch up on that episode before listening to this one.
Margaret spent much of the pandemic interviewing Paul Gemignani who is without a doubt one of the most significant figures in the hist...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
August 11, 2026 • 35 mins
My guest this week is Margaret Hall, a remarkable young theater historian who is the author of the celebrated new book Gemignani – Life And Lessons From Broadway And Beyond.
As you will hear, Margaret spent much of the pandemic interviewing Paul Gemignani who is without a doubt one of the most significant, and at the same time most under-appreciated, figures in the history of modern musical. Since 1971 Paul Gemignani ha...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
August 3, 2026 • 44 mins
This is the third and final part of my conversation with Ben Francis whose amazingly compelling new book is titled Careful the Spell You Cast — How Stephen Sondheim Extended the Range of the American Musical.
Just like the book, our discussion has been structured around Sondheim’s collaborators. In this episode we discuss his work with George Furth, John Weidman, Hugh Wheeler & James Lapine. And, as always, Sondhei...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
July 26, 2026 • 29 mins
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
July 17, 2026 • 44 mins
My guest on this episode is Ben Francis, author of the very compelling book titled Careful the Spell You Cast — How Stephen Sondheim Extended the Range of the American Musical.
Sondheim is without a doubt one of the most studied, examined, and analyzed Broadway creators of all time. In fact, we have done quite a bit of that right here on Broadway Nation. However, as you will hear, Ben Francis contends that in spite of all ...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
July 11, 2026 • 46 mins
In this Encore Episode from 2021, author Rick Pender takes us inside the creation of The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia.
Rick Pender is a longtime member and former chair of the American Theater Critics Association. He first began reviewing theater in 1985 for a public radio station he managed at Northern Kentucky University. He later became the theater critic for CityBeat – Cincinnati’s alternative week...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
July 6, 2026 • 35 mins
This is the second of a three-part conversation with author Elizabeth T. Craft regarding her recent book, Yankee Doodle Dandy — George M. Cohan and the Broadway Stage, which is the first book about Cohan in fifty years. If you missed the first episode in this series you may want to catch up with that one before listening to this one.
This week, Elizabeth and I begin with a discussion of Cohan, the entertainer. He was, withou...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
July 3, 2026 • 47 mins
My guest today is author Elizabeth T. Craft, whose terrific book, Yankee Doodle Dandy — George M. Cohan and the Broadway Stage, is the first book about Cohan in fifty years.
No one looms larger in the history of early Broadway than the Irish American writer, composer, lyricist, director, choreographer, producer, actor, singer, dancer, and musical theater legend George M. Cohan — who is often called “the father o...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
June 28, 2026 • 57 mins
My guest on this Pride Encore edition of Broadway Nation is author Maya Cantu who joins me to discuss her book, Greasepaint Puritan — Boston to 42nd Street in the Queer Backstage Novels of Bradford Ropes.
In this book Maya reclaims the life and work of Bradford Ropes, the author of the naughty, bawdy, gaudy, sporty, and very gay novel, 42nd Street, on which both the classic film and stage adaptation are based.
That’s ...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
June 23, 2026 • 36 mins
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
June 18, 2026 • 44 mins
My guest again this week is Andrew Erdman, author of the captivating book, Beautiful—The Story of Julian Eltinge, America's Greatest Female Impersonator.
In this episode, Andrew continues the story of Eltinge’s rise to the absolute highest realms of show business — and we especially focus on three musicals that were created especially for him by top Broadway talents such as Otto Harbach, Jerome Kern, and Irving B...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
June 13, 2026 • 43 mins
My guest on this episode is Andrew L. Erdman, who is the author of the new book: Beautiful — The Story of Julian Eltinge, America's Greatest Female Impersonator.
In the late 19th and early 20th Century — long before the fierce television Drag stars of today — a specific style of drag performance known as Female Impersonation was wildly popular on stage and screen — in America and around the world.
And no f...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
June 8, 2026 • 44 mins
This is the second half of my conversation with Deborah Phillips author of the fascinating book, AND THIS IS MY FRIEND SANDY — SANDY WILSON’S THE BOY FRIEND, LONDON THEATRE AND GAY CULTURE.
If you missed the previous episode you may want to catch up with that before listening to this one.
The Boyfriend is one of the most popular and successful British musicals of all time. On the previous episode Deborah Philli...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
June 4, 2026 • 48 mins
My guest this week is author Deborah Phillips whose new book is titled:
AND THIS IS MY FRIEND SANDY — SANDY WILSON’S THE BOY FRIEND, LONDON THEATRE AND GAY CULTURE.
Sandy Wilson's The Boyfriend — for which he wrote the book, music, & lyrics — is one of the most successful British musicals of all time. It emerged in 1952 out of London’s secretive but vibrant gay theatrical subculture, at a time wh...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
May 31, 2026 • 29 mins
This is the second part of my conversation with author Barry Kester whose fascinating new book is titled: Round In Circles — The Story of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s CAROUSEL.
Last week we focused on the three people most responsible for the creation of CAROUSEL — Oscar Hammerstein, Richard Rodgers, and the dynamic producer Theresa Helburn, whose vision and obsession it was to turn Ferenc Molnar’s play Lili...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
May 26, 2026 • 44 mins
My guest on Broadway Nation this week is Barry Kester, author of the fascinating new book:
Round In Circles — The Story of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s CAROUSEL.
I thought I knew a lot about Carousel — and in fact Albert Evans and I have previously devoted several previous episodes to that show and its truly groundbreaking innovations. However, we both found this book to be filled with new information, new ...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.