Guys Who Like Musicals

TONY AWARDS ARE BACK!!! #1 Robyn Hurder was robbed. #2 Danny Burstein is perfect. #3 Leslie Odem Jr has a perfect singing voice. #4 we still can't get over that Wheels Of A Dream … Joe and Dan ARE Jesse Tyler Ferguson clutching his pearls and Kerry Butler sobbing while watching Brian Stokes Mitchell and Audra. Broadway's back!!… is it back? Kind of? Yes!! Dan and Joe breakdown all the emotional, bizarre, and thrilling moments from this year's (last year's) ceremony. We talk about the controversies surrounding this years Tony Awards as well. There's a lot happening in our business right now and we try to shed light on some things you might be reading on Twitter. We just gotta say… if you felt anything besides joy while watching the awards this year, we're with you. It's a crazy time. It feels weird to celebrate. But at the end of the day, we're still little theater geeks watching Tony's in our living rooms crying while Idina and Kristen sing “For Good”. RIGHT?! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the coolest people on the planet is here. Our friend Ali Luff is hanging with us this week!! She's most famous for being Alex Finke's dressing roommate in Les Mis. She's done a few shows… Waitress, Wicked,, a little ditty on Starz right now called HEELZ .. that's HEELZ with a Z. This was such a fun conversation. Ali walks us through her difficult time leaving Waitress, shooting a TV show during a pandemic, and she inspires all of us to buy a Winnebago.  Her insane resume includes Waitress, Wicked, Scandalous, Escape to Margaritaville, Matlida, Les Mis, Ghost, Mama Mia and a recurring role on New Amsterdam. COME ON!! Ali Luff is a LIFE FORCE. Check us out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MAMA JUNE IS HERE!! Joe and Beth spend plenty of time walking down memory lane this week. What is the backstory of those deviled eggs? IYKYK. Bandstand star and Broadway LEGEND of 13 Broadway Shows Beth Leavel is with us! Devil Wears Prada is right around the corner and we cannot wait to see Beth shine as Miranda alongside friend of the pod, Taylor Iman Jones. From the The Prom, to Drowsy Chaperone, Beth only does shows with weird names. We talk about the buzz of previews with Drowsy Chaperone, the stillness of her Miranda Priestly, and how Nevertheless, she persisted. • • • #broadway #broadwaymusical #broadwaymusicals  #musical #musicals #musicaltheatre  #musicaltheatrelife #theatrelife #theaterlife #theatrekid  #theatrekids #theatrenerd #actorslife  #podcastersofinstagram #broadwaypodcastnetwork  #broadwaypodcast #podcastaddict #broadwaymemes  #bethleavel #theprommusical #theprom #thedrowsychaperone #42ndstreet #mammamia #bandstandbroadway #babyitsyou Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have got a story for you that you've NEVER heard this week. I mean COME ON!! Adam Freaking Pascal. Yes, RENT. Yes, AIDA. Yes, he gives us 16 bars of Pity The Child. (this may be an exaggeration) Yes. It was just announced that he's taking PRETTY WOMAN on the road!! We were blown away by his insight and his thoughtfulness. In addition to creating the iconic role of Roger in Rent, Adam has also been seen on Broadway in Cabaret as the (Emcee), Chicago (Billy Flynn), Memphis (Huey Calhoun), Disaster! (Chad) and Something Rotten! (Shakespeare). Listen in for how Cabaret changed Adam's life, how hard it is, even for rockstars, to not quit, and when Joe tells Adam that he was in the audience for one of the craziest nights of Adma's life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Dan and Joe chat about the new Open Access policy just announced by Actor's Equity. The guys take questions, respond to social media comments, and talk about their experience as union and non-union actors. Every stage actor eventually asks the question "when should I join Equity?" It's a wildly personal decision as to when an actor chooses to go from being non-union to being union. This step taken by AEA now allows anyone who has ever worked professionally as an actor or stage manager to join Actor's Equity. What does that mean for you or the actor in your life? Tune in to find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NORBERT LEO FREAKING BUTZ IS HERE!!!! 11 Broadway shows. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Rent, Wicked, My Fair Lady... Have you seen Bloodline? Just stop what you're doing and watch the Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Tony performance and then binge Bloodline. We can't keep it together this week. Joe is fan boy mess. This was one of our favorite conversations yet. This week we talk with Norbert about how singing in bar bands can be the best vocal training, that time he wept in Jason Robert Brown's bathroom, how the biggest job you ever have might be the least rewarding, and the genius of Jack O'Brien. We talk about his leap from stage to screen and what he learned from Sissy Spacek and Linda Cardellini while working on Bloodline. We have looked up to this man for so long (if you can't tell by Joe's rambling) and we're still blown away that the man spent so much time with us. He was generous, vulnerable, and a WELL of knowledge. his best advice? Don't take any fucking advice. Listen in this week! Check this out for a resume... On Broadway. My Fairy Lady, Thou Shalt Not, Big Fish, Dead Accounts, Catch Me If You Can, Enron, Speed-The-Plow, Is He Dead?, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Wicked, Rent. Most recently, Butz stars in NBC's Debris series and nabbed a lead role as Rex Foster in the Disney+ adaptation of Tim Federle's YA novel Better Nate Than Ever. Other TV credits include playing Dr. Byron Hale in David Zabel and Ridley Scott's PBS series Mercy Street, performing the role of Kevin Rayburn in the Netflix series Bloodline, and playing Paddy Chayefsky on the FX limited series Fosse/Verdon. His film credits include Peter Hedges' Dan in Real Life, Vera Farmiga's Sony feature Higher Ground, Craig Zisk's The English Teacher, and writer-directors Geoff Moore and David Posamentier's Better Living Through Chemistry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ann Harada is filming a very fancy movie in Ireland!! A Disney movie! A BROADWAY DISNEY MOVIE!!! .. I mean.. Kind of. Broadway vet (and Joe's Cinderella co-star) Ann Harada is with us today to celebrate her 1000th podcast appearance! You've heard Ann on a million shows, but you haven't heard her on a show that is hosted by a Cinderella co-star and an alum of Christmas Eve's Holiday Hunkfest. Dan makes fun of Joe a BUNCH for that this week. Avenue Q, Schmigadoon, Cinderella, M Butterfly, Seussical, Les Mis, 9-5, and possibly 1 million TV credits, Ann Harada has been nonstop. But guess what? It didn't start till she hit 40. Patience is a virtue friends. Patience and an attitude that wouldn't quit, led Ann to preserve through a 12 years between Broadway shows to create one of the most iconic roles in musical theater history.... Christmas Eve... As Dan always says to Joe ... "the more you love someone the more you want to kill them." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we're talking to Come From Away and Jersey Boys star De'Lon Grant!! Did you know they're making of movie of Come From Away and the whole cast had to quarantine together in a Times Square? Did you know that even Broadway stars deal with the fear of 'not being enough' and imposter syndrome? Did you know that you can pick up an instrument at any phase of life? Our conversation with De'Lon was hilarious, insightful, and timely as ever. Get pumped for Come From Away's triumphant return to Broadway on September 21st!! De'Lon Grant is an actor and singer currently performing on Broadway in the Tony Award nominated hit musical Come From Away. He spent three years touring domestically and internationally as Berry Belson in the Tony Award winning musical Jersey Boys and was recently named Best Leading Actor at the 2017 IRNE Awards for his portrayal of Haywood Patterson in Kander and Ebb's The Scottsboro Boys; a role for which he also received an Elliot Norton Award Nomination.  Some of his other credits include: Frederick Douglass in Douglass (The Wit Theatre, Chicago, IL), Tod Clifton in Invisible Man (The Studio Theatre, Washington, DC and The Huntington Theatre, Boston, MA), Jim in Big River (Lyric Stage Company, Boston; Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, Conway, AR; The Barnstomers, Tamworth, NH), Achilles in Troilus and Cressida(Actors' Shakespeare Project, Boston, MA), Posthumous/Cloten in Cymbeline (Actors' Shakespeare Project, Boston, MA), Gaspard in A Tale of Two Cities (The Wheelock Family Theatre, Boston, MA), Kaine in Dessa Rose (The New Repertory Theatre, Watertown, MA) and Sawyer in Harriet Jacobs (Underground Railway Theatre, Boston, MA). De'Lon holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Michigan and a Master in Music with concentration in Musical Theatre Performance from The Boston Conservatory of Music.  In addition to his stage work De'Lon is also photographer specializing in headshot and lifestyle portraits. View some of his portfolio here. To access more of his work visit www.delonphotography.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

HE'S BACK BABY!! Is your voice ready for Broadway to return? Are you ready for 8 shows a week of Charlie Price or Prince Topher? Well if you're anything like Dan and Joe you've done basically ZERO singing for the past year. Mike takes us through all the things we need to do to get back in "8 Show a Week" shape. We talk diet, exercise, mental, physical, emotional, ALL THE THINGS that contribute to healthy singing and getting back in the game!!!  Mike Ruckles is one of the most sought after voice teachers in the city. He has worked with Dan for years and Dan is singing better than ever. This week we return to Mr. ruckles to give you an inside scoop on everything singing. Mike was the associate music director on Gentleman's Guide To Love And Murder, he's worked with Sara Bareilles on a TV show, he teaches 9 hours a day, and HE HAS TWO KIDS!! Check back in with the official Guys Who Like Musicals voice teacher this week!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Professor is in! NYU's newest Shakespeare professor joins us this week. Maurice andJoe did Romeo and Juliet together back in 2013 where they bonded over margaritas and The Lord of the Rings. This week we talk about making Shakespeare accessible in 2021, how life as an actor isn't all star studded plays, how Joe literally conned his way into a Shakespeare play on Broadway, and how this "serious" actor found his love of musicals with the help of a little show called Ragtime. Mr. Jones is an New Jersey native and New York based actor. He is a graduate of Rutgers University where he earned degrees in English and Theatre. He holds an MFA from the National Theatre Conservatory in Denver, CO. He possesses a proud penchant for pocket watches, poetry, plums, percussion, potatoes, Pablo Picasso, Oxford commas, and alliteration. NY credits include, Broadway: The Lifespan of a Fact, Saint Joan, The Cherry Orchard, Romeo & Juliet, and Julius Caesar. Off Broadway: Sunday (Atlantic Theater Company), Linda (MTC), Troilus & Cressida, Pretty Hunger (Public Theater), Little Children Dream of God (Roundabout) Regional: Hamlet (Chicago Shakespeare), The Model American, A Legendary Romance (Williamstown) Julius Caesar (Folger Theatre), Lives of Reason (Two River Theater), Butler (Barrington Stage), As You Like It, Ruined, The Taming of the Shrew (Denver Center), The Learned Ladies (NJ Shakespeare) Television: “Blue Bloods”, “Elementary”, “The Good Fight”, “30 Rock”. Film: Winter’s Tale, Romeo & Juliet, And So It Goes • #broadway #broadwaymusical #broadwaymusicals #musical #musicals #musicaltheatre #musicaltheatrelife #theatrelife #theaterlife #theatrekid #theatrekids #theatrenerd #actorslife #podcastersofinstagram #broadwaypodcastnetwork #broadwaypodcast #podcastaddict #broadwaymemes #stevemauricejones #shakespeare #nyu #stellaadler #professor #romeoandjuliet #juliuscaesar #hamlet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tony Nominee Derrick Baskin showed up in NYC and had literally nowhere to stay. He did, however, have a job at TGI Friday's which is sometimes all you need. Spelling Bee, Memphis, Difficult People, Aint Too Proud, Marshall... COME ON!! His memoir is coming out this year called From Friday's to Broadway... that's not true. But it's a catchy title. This week we talk to a Tony Nominee who was almost a doctor. There are a million different ways to make your path in this industry... sometimes you just got to jump in and move to New York City with a dream. Derrick Baskin received a Tony Nomination and a San Francisco Theatre Critics Circle Award for his star turn as Otis Williams in Ain’t Too Proud. He was last seen in the Oscar‑nominated film Marshall and is best known for his role in the critically acclaimed Hulu sitcom Difficult People and his recurring role on Law & Order: SVU. Other film credits include Annie starring Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx; and Anesthesia starring Glenn Close, directed by Tim Blake Nelson. This award‐winning actor was last seen onstage in The New York Times Critic’s Pick Whorl Inside a Loop and has originated roles in the Tony Award®‐winning Broadway musicals Memphis; Spelling Bee, where he also earned a Drama Desk Award; and Disney’s The Little Mermaid working alongside Oscar‐, Grammy‐, and Tony‑winning composer Alan Menken and Pulitzer Prize author Doug Wright. Baskin’s concert experience includes performances with Wynton Marsalis, Michael Bublé, Wiz Khalifa, and Mariah Carey, and he has written songs on former Beyoncé musical director Divinity Roxx’s debut album, I’m Possible.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

JOE IS GOING TO BE A MARVEL SUPERHERO!!! Now, that is what they call "click bait". Joe isn't going to be a superhero, but it's hard not to feel that way every time the name BEN SANDS pops up on Joe's phone. Ben Sands a partner at Artists and Representatives Agency in New York and he has been Joe's agent for almost ten years. The relationship between agent and actor is sacred. It is an open, vulnerable, relationship that is also steeped in business. It's best friend, meets business manager, meets artistic partner. We have spoken to many of Ben's clients on this show including Caitlin Houlahan, Kerstin Anderson, Jason Gotay, James Monroe Iglehart, and Courtney Reed. This week we talk with ben about his journey from an undergraduate acting student to NYC intern to partner at one of the most prestigious agencies in the business. Listen in!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If Broadway had a Most Interesting Man in the World ... it might be Moulin Rouge's Ricky Rojas. Born in Chile, raised in Australia and the UK, currently living in France because why not. He's restoring a house from the 1800s, plays and builds guitars, and rocks the greatest mustache Broadway has ever seen. Moulin Rouge's Santiago joins us this week to talk about his journey to musical theater, dancing with a folk Chilean Folk Group, and partnering our best friend Robyn Hurder. Take a good look at his picture, close your eyes, and listen in to the sexiest baritone on the planet.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back with PROFESSOR Telly Leung! Godspell, Aladdin, Rent, Glee, Allegiance, In Transit ... the guy has had an incredible career and he's just getting started. Telly just returned from Godspell at The University of Michigan and Dan and Joe are ready to go back to college so they can be directed by Telly. This is such a joy of a conversation. We talk about why representation matters, the reckoning in our business, creating art, waiting overnight in line for 20$ tickets, and how the greatest buzz for Telly comes from teaching the next generation. We love this man. We love you. Happy Friday. Telly was born and raised in New York City. He grew up in a traditional Chinese home in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. After graduating from Stuyvesant High School he attended Carnegie Mellon University.. Not a big deal :) It was also at CMU that Telly met fellow CMU-alum and KINKY BOOTS Tony-Award Winner, Billy Porter, who returned to his alma mater to direct the main stage production of Sondheim's COMPANY. After casting Telly as Bobby in "Company", Porter made a phone call to his colleagues who were involved in the upcoming Broadway revival of FLOWER DRUM SONG which eventually landed Telly the understudy for Wang Ta.  After playing Bobby in Sondheim's COMPANY in college, Telly would later get the opportunity to work with the legendary Stephen Sondheim in Roundabout's Broadway revival of PACIFIC OVERTURES in 2005. After PACIFIC OVERTURES, Telly originated the role of Boq in the Chicago company of WICKED, collaborating with fellow CMU-alum, Stephen Schwartz. Other Broadway credits include the final company of RENT - where he also got to make his film debut in Radical Media / Sony's RENT: FILMED LIVE ON BROADWAY, which is available on DVD and Blue Ray. After RENT ended its Broadway run, Telly went on an international tour with original RENT stars Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp in RENT: THE BROADWAY TOUR. He would later reprise the role of Angel in RENT at the Hollywood Bowl, directed by Neil Patrick Harris and starring Vanessa Hudgens, Aaron Tveit, Skylar Astin, & Wayne Brady. In 2011, Telly would get another opportunity to collaborate with composer Stephen Schwartz in the Broadway revival of GODSPELL at the Circle in the Square Theater.  Telly was involved in the development of Broadway's ALLEGIANCE, creating the role of "Sammy" alongside Lea Salonga (MISS SAIGON) and George Takei (STAR TREK). ALLEGIANCE is the story of one Japanese-American family's struggles and triumphs during the Japanese Internment of World War II. The musical made its sold-out world premiere at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego in 2012 and premiered on Broadway in the Fall of 2015. In 2016, Telly starred opposite Justin Guarini (American Idol) in IN TRANSIT, Broadway's first a cappella musical with music by Oscar-winner Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Russell Kaplan, Sara Wordsworth and James-Allen Ford, with direction and choreography by Tony-Award Winner Kathleen Marshall.  In June 2017, Telly Leung began his star turn as the title character in Disney’s ALADDIN on Broadway. He would continue to play the role for two years, and his caricature would eventually earn a coveted spot on the wall’s of New York’s historic Sardi’s restaurant. Telly has appeared on television in GLEE (as Wes of the Dalton Academy Warblers), INSTINCT (CBS), ODD MOM OUT (Bravo), DEADBEAT (on Hulu), LAW AND ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT and played Kevin in the pilot of ABC's performing arts drama, LIMELIGHT. He was also heavily featured in the PBS documentary BROADWAY OR BUST as a teacher and performance coach for the Jimmy Awards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We got some stuff to talk about this week. First: We address the bombshell article in the Hollywood Reporter. We need to talk about Scott Rudin. It's a difficult conversation, but we tried our best. Second: There is a growing conversation over casting in Jagged Little Pill. Third: Should Dan get a haircut? Joe thinks no. Will Dan listen? Probably not. Fourth: Apparently whipped coffee has been all over TikTok and Joe thought he invented this morning with some post-ice cream whipped cream. We love you all. Thanks for hanging with us. Check out Christian Lewis' article about Jagged Little Pill below. https://twitter.com/clewisreviews?s=20 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WE GOING TO THE SHIP.. WHAT?! WE GOING TO THE SHIP.. WHAT?! Name that movie :) Dan and Joe read off the tally for the BEST MUSICAL OF ALL TIME 2021 edition. Rent vs West Side Story. The final show down. This week we also talk about The Masters, illegal gambling, cryptocurrency, and, of course, Broadway musicals... these are the things we care about. We keep it short and sweet this week and we'll be back next week with more incredible guests. Till then... listen to the soft baritone of Jim Nance and have yourself a pimento sandwich. If you know... you know. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ITS THE FINAL FOUR FINAL COUNTDOWN!!! Nearly ONE THOUSAND people voted on social media this week…. Hamilton vs Rent in the East and Fiddler on the Roof vs West Story in the West. Tune in for the penultimate battle for the title of Best Musical of All Time ... 2021 edition. Two game changing pop culture phenomenons face off as two of the most iconic and revolutionary musicals (both on stage and on screen) battle it out. Is your bracket busted yet? Did you have Cats making it to the sweet sixteen??? Of course you did and we still love you :) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WE'RE BACK with our dear friend Carson Higgins. Dan and Carson met on the National Tour of American Idiot and Carson has stepped into the octagon to argue through the greatest musicals of all time. This week we get to the FINAL FOUR!!! Thank you for all your voting and engagement on social media... check out our instagram page to vote on your picks to make to it to the National Championship of Musical Theater.... and Joe is hoping it WON'T be Hamilton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

RENT vs AMERICAN IDIOT, WICKED vs HAMILTON, NEXT TO NORMAL vs SPRING AWAKENING, HAIR vs JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, OKLAHOMA vs HELLO DOLLY. This week is a March Madness Musical Theater THROWDOWN. Dan and Joe argue about the greatest musicals of time. A few important things, 1. We stole this week's idea from Megan Hilty. 2. WE'RE THE NUMBER ONE PODCAST IN BRAZIL!!! No lie. We talk about it this week. We here at Guys Who Like Musicals sits at the intersection of sports and musical theater. YES, it's strange crossroads, but we love March Madness AND we love musical theater. We take the March Madness format and Dan and Joe fight as we get the these shows to the Sweet 16. Check us out this week and tune in next to see who makes it to the Final Four Of Musicals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey. We love you all. This week Dan and Joe a minute to reflect on the past year. From the last shows we saw (Unknown Solider and To Kill a Mockingbird), to Dan’s move across the country, to happy hour with Robyn Hurder, to complete despair and grief, you have all stuck with us during the worst year of our lives and certainly the worst in theatrical history. We know that life could be so much worse for us... we’re healthy, our families are healthy. our unemployment benefits just got extended... it looks like we’re gonna make it. We don’t know the suffering of so many who have lost friends and family members and people who are still recovering from the effects of COVID-19. The theater will return. And GAWD do we miss it... until then... we’re gonna keep taking to you, talking to people we love, and loving musicals. Thank you. Stay tuned for more antics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dan and Joe share host duties this week with Podcast host and BPN co-founder Alan Seales of The Theater Podcast. Alan wears about as many hats as a milliner and his show is one of the OG Broadway podcasts. (He's had some epic guests go take a listen!) We talk about the creation of GWLM, the birth of Dan and Joe's love, the current state of Podcasting, and our hope for the future. Don't miss your chance to have the tables turned as we answer some questions for a change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey old friend!! Carrie St Louis is a rockstar AND an classically trained soprano. Carris is best known for her portrayal of ‘Glinda' in the Broadway and national touring company of Wicked, for her portrayal of ‘Sherrie' in the Broadway and Las Vegas companies of Rock of Ages, and as the closing Lauren in the Tony Award winning Best Musical, Kinky Boots. Dan and Carrie go WAAAAY back to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival back in their high school theater glory days. They've been circling each other for over a decade and then they auditioned together for the Anastasia national tour. Dan pooped his pants before he went into the audition room, but that's a story for another time. This was one of our most hilarious interviews. Along with Carrie being an absolute looney tune, she is insightful, introspective, thoughtful, and we loved chatting with her. After graduating from the Thornton School of Music at USC with a degree in Vocal Arts., she went on to play Amanda Bell in the world premiere of Justin Love at LA’s Celebration Theater, which received an LA Drama Critics Circle Nomination for Best Production. She then moved to Las Vegas to open Rock of Ages at The Venetian Hotel, for which she was awarded Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical by Broadway World Las Vegas. Carrie made her Broadway debut as Sherrie in Rock of Ages in 2014. Later that year, she went on the road as Glinda in the national tour of Wicked. In 2016, Carrie returned to Broadway, starring as Glinda at the Gershwin Theater, for which she was nominated for a Broadway.com Audience Choice Award for Best Female Replacement in a long running show.  Her sold-out solo cabaret show in LA, Here I Go Again, received a Broadway World nomination for Best Female Cabaret in 2012.  Her second solo show, Something Good, played to sold out crowds at New York’s iconic Feinstein’s/54 Below as well as cabaret clubs across the United States. Her third solo show, Always In The Ballpark, Usually In The Wrong Seat, is currently playing at 54 Below. In 2016, Carrie had the honor of performing "For Good" with her Wicked co-star, Jennifer DiNoia, for First Lady Michelle Obama at a United Nations event in New York City. She’s guested in concert with the band Foreigner, and she’s sung the National Anthem for the LA Dodgers, LA Lakers, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, New York Islanders and the PAC-12 Tournament. In 2017, she starred Off-Broadway as Annette Hargrove in Cruel Intentions: The Musical, based on the cult-classic film, which received an Outer Critics Circle nomination for Best Off-Broadway Musical. In the Spring of 2018, Carrie joined the company of the 2013 Tony winner for Best Musical, Kinky Boots, as Lauren. She was the final Lauren when the show closed in 2019 after six incredible years on Broadway. Carrie has appeared in multiple television shows. She played Becca Mainzer on Elementary (CBS), working alongside Lucy Liu, Jonny Lee Miller, and Jon Michael Hall. She also appeared as Alice on the hit TV show Younger (TVLand) opposite Sutton Foster. This summer, she can be seen on Blindspot (NBC). Carrie just wrapped an indie film titled The Blonde Experiment, which should be released in the coming year. Carrie was set to begin rehearsals for a brand new Off-Broadway show directed by Jeff Calhoun and written by famous author, Jodi Piccoult, called Between The Lines. Set to open at Second Stage Theater this summer, it is currently postponed to Spring 2021 due to Covid-19. Carrie is also a vocal coach who travels often for masterclasses while also maintaining a private studio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Michael Arden says this week, "There is not nation without culture." The Guys couldn't agree more. WELL here is another episode where Joe can't keep his cool. Spring Awakening and Once On This Island director Michael Arden IS HERE. Talk about a multi-hyphenate. Michael is an actor, stage director, film director, writer, musician, producer, singer, composer, and on and on and on, Michael is a beacon of creative light in our industry. WE LOVE HIM.  Dan gets to ask Michael a burning question that has been on his mind since he saw Michael Arden’s production of Spring Awakening back in 2015. Michael is full of incredible insight and thoughtful artistic conversation. Dan and Joe have always been huge fans Michael’s … From the early days of  We talk to Michael this week about how “the failures and foolishness lead us to the truth”, how you learn more from the flops and the failures than you do from the successes, to always embrace what is hard and run toward what is scary, and that “A laser only looks focus because of the space around it”… WHAT WE MEAN IS… become as well rounded as possible. Learn as much as you can. Michael received a scholarship to Interlochen Arts Academy as a theatre student, where he graduated in 2001. He was accepted on a full scholarship to the Juilliard School, where he was in the Drama Division's Group 34. He left Juilliard in 2003 to join the Broadway revival company of the musical Big River. Arden is a Tony-nominated director for his revivals of Spring Awakening and Once on This Island. He won the Ovation and Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical for Spring Awakening. Once on This Island recently received the Tony Award for Best Revival. He has directed the Los Angeles premier of The Pride by Alexi Kaye Campbell, My Fair Lady at the Bay Street Theater, and has won an NAACP Award for his production of Merrily We Roll Along at the Wallis Annenberg, where he served as Artist in Residence. He most recently directed Annie at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. This past year he was at the helm of a new production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol starring Tony winner Jefferson Mays that was filmed and will hopefully be headed to Broadway next year.  As an actor, Michael has appeared on Broadway in The Times They Are A-Changin’ and Big River as well as in numerous films and television shows, most notably Anger Management, Bride Wars, and Source Code. He also created the role of Quasimodo for the American Premier of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He has toured and sung with Barbra Streisand and starred in Trevor Nunn’s production of Aspects of Love in London. Michael has a servant’s heart and has performed for several fundraisers for the Midland Area Aids Support and benefit concerts for World Aids Day, Covenant House, Broadway Cares Equity Fights Aids and the St. Vincent’s School in Haiti. Check out The Forest of Arden for all things Michael Arden!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beetlejuice star Leslie Kritzer has done a few shows... Something Rotten, Elf, Sondheim on Sondheim, A Catered Affair, Legally Blonde, Hairspray, BUT MOST importantly... She is a student of the Dan Tracy school of video production. Leslie just wants Dan to like her more than he likes other people. Call Dan for all your video needs. Leslie Kritzer sure did! We're so stoked that Broadway's most hilarious leading lady is with us this week. We catch up with Leslie from her attic/ closet voice over studio in New Jersey where she has been holed up for the past year. We get to chat about her love for Alex Timbers, and her comedic roots, but also her early days in high school when she almost ended up outside the 7/11. Joe and Leslie commiserate about "being one bad decision away from being a f*** up" and how a great teacher can really change your life. Leslie is as hilarious as she is insightful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dogfight, Falsettos, a new EP out this week, movies, plays, musicals, Godspell... THE MAN IS NON STOP. Broadway multi-hyphenate Nick Blaemire is HERE!!! So you know that one friend you always ask for help? That one friend you constantly lean on who asks nothing in return? For us... That's Nick Blaemire. We have asked Nick Blaemire to "help us move" approximately a thousand times. "Hey Nick! We're writing a TV show.. will you help us?!" .. "Hey Nick! I wanna write a movie ... where do I start?!" .. "Hey Nick! Wanna come on our podcast..." Dan and Joe are MOOCHERS. Nick is the greatest guy. This guy writes musicals, tv shows, and movies, he acts, sings, plays music, writes music... he is one of the greatest, most talented men on the planet. And we're thrilled he's here this week. Thank you Nick. We love you. Nick Blaemire is a writer and performer based in Brooklyn. At 23 years old, Nick wrote the score to the musical Glory Days (book by James Gardiner, OBCR on Ghostlight Records). Since its historic one night engagement on Broadway, it has had over 40 productions all over the world. He has also written book, music and lyrics for four original musicals: A Little More Alive (commissioned by Broadway Across America, produced at Williamstown Theatre Festival, Kansas City Rep and Barrington Stage, optioned as a feature film); Soon (premiered at Signature Theatre, won the Stephen Sondheim Young Artist Citation); Fallout (with Kyle Jarrow, in development); and Space Dogs (with Van Hughes and Tina Landau, in development). Other writing projects include the film adaptation of the novel This Song Will Save Your Life and a romantic comedy for Universal Pictures. Nick has released two pop EPs, both available on iTunes and Spotify. As an actor, he recently completed the National Tour of Falsettos as Mendel and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for his performance as Jonathan in the Off-Broadway Revival of Tick, Tick...Boom!. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From Wall Street to Wicked. Broadway star Jessica Vosk has one of the craziest stories out there, showing the world that it's never too late to follow your dream. Wicked, Fiddler on the Roof, The Bridges of Madison County, and Finding Neverland to name a few. Jessica Vosk is hilarious and insightful and we are thrilled that she took the time to chat with us. We recorded this on inauguration day so we recap all the good of January 20th. Gaga's choice of key, Garth Brooks phrasing, J-Lo being SO warmed up. We recap one of the best days EVER. This week we talk with Jessica about starting off a career in finance with a padded 401k and jumping ship to be Elphaba. Do you know the story about Greta Garbo at sitting at the soda fountain?? That was Jessica Vosk singing at Bridland on Monday night's with Jim Caruso. She then met Alex Gemignani and the rest was history. Well.. not really... it took a long time and a lot of work, but Jessica made it to Broadway and she's been rocking ever since. Dan and her are now real estate agents as well, so if you're looking for homes in Jersey or Westchester... be sure to give these belters a call. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"No one is worse off for hard work". The week's conversation with the lovely Kerstin Anderson is chock full of pull-quotes. Joe is Kerstin Anderson's stalker. He's been following her around New York for 6 years, lurking in audiences, admiring her performance. Is that weird? Dan and Kerstin toured the US with The Sound of Music and her clarion voice blew people away all over country. Currently, you can find Kerstin wandering around the Upper West Side and singing through Riverside Park. This week we chat about Vicki Clark, making masks in Vermont, and opening one of the hottest off-Broadway shows right as the world exploded. My Fair Lady, Unknown Solider, Light in the Piazza, The Sound of Music, Row... And she's just getting started. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The definition of an enzyme is "a substance produced by a living organism which acts as a catalyst to bring about a specific biochemical reaction." This is the closest metaphor Joe could come up with to describe role of Casting Director. The Casting Director is the actor's best friend. Without a Casting Director, actors float around in a sea of troubles, singing their 16 bars into an abyss, waiting for someone to find them. Without Pat, Diane Paulus and the producers of WAITRESS wouldn't know Dan Tracy. Pat Goodwin is one of the kindest, sweetest, most collaborative casting directors in New York City. Dan and Joe have auditioned for him countless times and every time is a joy. Auditioning can really suck and Pat makes the process as fun, as helpful, and as welcoming as possible. We loved talking to him this week and we can't wait to get back in the room with him where we can sing, act, dance, sweat, sneeze, and spit all over each other. Pat has worked at Telsey and Company for nearly 15 years and worked on shows that include Waitress, The Last Five Years, A View From The Bridge, Jesus Christ Superstar Live, The Cher Show, and a million others. The team at Telsey + Company’s Broadway casting credits include basically every musical you've ever heard of. Hamilton, Pretty Woman: The Musical, Network, Be More Chill, American Son, Beetlejuice, Torch Song, Oklahoma!, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus, Something Rotten, The King and I, Finding Neverland, An American in Paris, Kinky Boots, If/Then, Newsies, The Bridges of Madison County, Annie, Godspell, Evita, Bonnie and Clyde, Chinglish, Baby It’s You, Catch Me If You Can, Sister Act, Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, The Normal Heart, Memphis, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, Million Dollar Quartet, Elf, The Addams Family, 9-to-5, A Life in the Theatre, Reasons to be Pretty, Blithe Spirit, Next to Normal, Rock of Ages, Rent, Wicked, In the Heights, South Pacific, Hairspray, Legally Blonde, Company, November, Grey Gardens, The Color Purple, The Rocky Horror Show, All Shook Up, Tarzan, and Sweeney. Film credits include The Odd Life of Timothy Green, Friends with Kids, Jonah Hex, I Love You Philip Morris, The Other Woman, Margin Call, Mainstreet, Howl, Rachel Getting Married, Sex and the City: The Movie, Sex and the City 2, Across the Universe, Dan in Real Life, Pieces of April, Rent, and many more. Telsey + Company is also responsible for casting several national tours, off-Broadway productions, regional theatre productions, commercials, and television projects, including Smash for NBC and A Gifted Man for CBS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Caissie Levy will always be Elsa to us. Caissie's son Izaiah still watches the Frozen films and points to Elsa and says, "That's you Mommy!!"... BE STILL MY HEART!! Just to be clear, we don't sleep with the Elsa doll like Caissie son (well Dan probably does). We are so excited that Caissie is here with us today. Joe can barely contain his excitement to trap Caissie and force her to listen to his ramblings of fandom. She is one of the iconic voices of our generation and her "Let It Go" is THE "Let It Go"... you're welcome to fight us on that. We talk with her about vulnerability and how messiness is the key to greatness, how losing your voice can be the key to finding it, and the way to lead a Broadway show is to always learn from the people around you. Caissie has had an incredible career and she's just getting started. We are desperate for the revival of Caroline or Change coming back to Broadway this fall. Before she was Queen of Arendelle, Caissie recreated the iconic role of Fantine in the 2014 revival of Les Misérables on Broadway, and is known to New York and London audiences for originating the roles of Molly in Ghost, and Sheila in the Tony Award winning revival of Hair. Her other Broadway credits include Elphaba in the Broadway and Los Angeles production of Wicked, Penny in the Broadway, 1st National Tour and Toronto companies of Hairspray and Maureen in the national tour of Rent. Off-Broadway, she played Patti Davis and Julie Nixon in the world premiere of Michael John LaChiusa's First Daughter Suite at The Public Theater, and Sara in the Off-Broadway production of Murder Ballad. She has starred in the short films Options and Ms. Bula Banerjee, and guest starred opposite Sean Pertwee on Fox's Gotham. In concert, she headlined Carnegie Hall with the NY Pops, backed up Sir Rod Stewart during his Las Vegas residency, guested with The United States Military Academy at West Point, and performed solo shows to sold-out audiences across the US and the UK. Recordings inclue Frozen, Ghost, Hair, First Daughter Suite and over twenty singer/songwriter's albums, including her own EP, With You, available everywhere. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

KINKY BOOTS, FROZEN, THE BOOK OF MORMON.. Ever heard of it?!?! If it weren't for Brian Usifer, Elder Price, Elsa, and Charlie Price wouldn't know how to sing. Music director, pianist, orchestrator, arranger, producer and composer Brian Usifer was the man behind the batton for Joe in FROZEN and Dan in KINKY BOOTS. This man has had such a huge impact on both of our careers and we are thrilled that he took the time to chat with us. We talk about how your "fight or flight instinct" doesn't go hand in hand with auditioning, and the respect that Brian has for singers in auditions. From his collaborative piano background to wanting to be a pop star, Brian has done IT ALL. His new band alongside Bway heartthrob Colin Donnell, The Nineteen Twenty just released their debut EP "Chaos and Cocktails" available on all the streaming platforms. Brian loves wine and food as much as he loves music, so obviously we all got along. Look out for new musicals based on the music of Huey Lewis and The Avett Brothers with Brian leading the music team. Brian's credits include: Music Director of Disney's Frozen on Broadway. Prior to that he was the Music Director of Kinky Boots on Broadway, which won 6 Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Score. The cast recording won the 2013 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album. He is also the Associate Music Supervisor of The Book of Mormon on Broadway and on tour as well as Kinky Boots on Tour, London and in Toronto. Brian has played in the Broadway and off-Broadway orchestras of Spelling Bee, Avenue Q, Altar Boyz and The Book of Mormon. Credits also include more than 5 years of regional theatre including Follies (Barrington Stage Co.) Concerts include Clay Aiken “Tried and True DVD,” for PBS. As an arranger/orchestrator, Brian's projects have included Mr. Chickee’s Funny Money with music by Motown legend Lamont Dozier, NBC's The Wiz Live, A View From The River by Will Van Dyke and Jeff Talbott, Fantasy Football: the Musical?, by David Ingber, Pool Boy by Niko Tsakalakos and Janet Allard, The UnCivil War by Rick Kunzi, Barnstormer by Douglas Cohen and The First Snow by Niko Tsakalakos. Brian also provided additional arrangements for Kinky Boots and Frozen. Shows in development include Heart of Rock and Roll with music from the Huey Lewis catalog, Into The Wild with music and lyrics by Niko Tsakalakos and Janet Allard, Swept Away with music by the Avett Brothers, Galileo with music and lyrics by Zoe Sarnak and Michael Weiner with a book by Danny Strong. As a composer, Brian’s latest project is a songwriting collaboration with Colin Donnell called The Nineteen Twenty. Their first EP, Chaos + Cocktails, is available for sale on iTunes and everywhere music streams. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from SUNY Fredonia and a Masters degree in Collaborative Piano from NYU.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

THE Genie, Tony WINNER James Monroe Iglehart is here!!! Oh, man. You know him from ALADDIN, MEMPHIS, and HAMILTON, but what you need is his Sweeney, his Porgy, his Freestyle, and his deep love of comic books. We talk about it ALL this week. From sustaining a long run to auditioning for your best friend, Lin Manuel Miranda.. James leads us through his career in a way only the Genie can. He's hilarious, insightful, generous, and we're so grateful he took the time to talk with us. This Christmas James will lead the nation's top miniaturists as they vie to build festive mini-holiday houses. Each week, only one team will wow the spirited panel of judges, including designer Genevieve Gorder and miniatures experts June Clinkscales and Dave Asling, to advance to the next round. Top contenders will compete for a grand prize of $50,000 and the winning miniature will be replicated into a full-size vacation home. Tony Award winner James Monroe Iglehart is a native of the San Francisco Bay area. He most recently appeared on Broadway in two productions simultaneously - in the smash-hit Hamilton playing Lafayette/Jefferson, and with Freestyle Love Supreme as their special guest star. He made his Broadway debut in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Iglehart then originated the role of Bobby in Memphis on Broadway before landing the role of Genie in Aladdin. For his work as the Genie, James won both the Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. James made his sold-out solo debut at 54 Below in a show entitled "How the Heck Did I Get Here?" He was brought back for a sold-out return engagement shortly thereafter. James has brought his act to concert venues across the country. He recurred on the Netflix series "Maniac" opposite Jonah Hill and Emma Stone, and "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" as Coriolanus Burt, the rival of male protagonist Titus Andromedon played by Tituss Burgess. James also guest-starred on "At Home with Amy Sedaris", the Fox television shows "Perfect Harmony" and "Gotham" and on CBS' "Elementary" and "The Good Wife". He voices the role of Lance Strongbow on all three seasons of the hit Disney animated television show "Tangled." He recently made his feature debut opposite Richard Gere, Peter Dinklage and Jullianna Margulies in the "Three Christs".  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you heard of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA? Joe wants 2020 to be over for Taylor Iman Jones' sake. Broadway's newest IT girl was having the best year ever until COVID screwed everything up. HAMILTON and THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA were about to happen at the same time!! UGH. BUT all hope is not lost... 2021 is coming and so is Taylor Iman Jones. The star of HEAD OVER HEELS is hilarious, insightful, so real, so kind, and she put up with Dan for a year on the bus and truck tour of AMERICAN IDIOT so you know she's patient. We talk about unemployment, not taking auditions too seriously (but memorize your lines), and how meditation is everything ... Check it out! Taylor Iman Jones is an Actor, Singer, and Teaching Artist based out of New York City. When we're back in our theaters, you can see her as Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds in the LA production of HAMILTON the musical. She made her Broadway debut in Groundhog Day the Musical, and later originated the role of Mopsa in Head Over Heels. Off-Broadway, she was seen as Pat in the new musical Scotland, Pa. And outside of New York, she appeared in The Tale of Despereaux at The Old Globe in San Diego, and The Who's Tommy at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. In 2014, she performed as Extraordinary Girl in the National Tour of American Idiot. A Bay Area native, you could have seen her performing with American Conservatory Theater, San Francisco Playhouse, Center Rep, Berkeley Playhouse, Bay Area Children’s Theater, and Ray of Light, to name a few. When offstage, Taylor is a passionate teaching artist, and enjoys playing her guitar. *Taylor has been announced to portray Andy Sachs in the upcoming Broadway bound production of The Devil Wears Prada.* Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

XOXO TV STAR!! Do you have any advice for Dan? It's gonna be alright Dan... Take a deep breath and listen to Jason. Smooth singing, handsome as hell, SUPER SWEET Jason Gotay sits down with us today and YES Joe and Dan hate auditioning after this guy. YOU try following that voice. SPIDERMAN and BRING IT ON star Jason Gotay is about to blow up with the brand new Gossip Girl HBOMax show. Look out. Check out that opening night cast of BRING IT ON ... they're all STARS. We love this guy. He's so kind, passionate, talented, and vulnerable. We talk about leading a Broadway show at 23, the pain associated with being replaced in a show, how City Center Encore leads Jason to huge jobs, and how Jeremy Jordan taught us how to lead a show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are so grateful that the OG Jasmine is with us this week!! Kirsten Dunst had done a million movies and Courtney Reed felt like she was behind. ALADDIN star Courtney Reed is truly a jack of all trades. She's an entrepreneur (check out Gagged Chokers), and a member of the Broadway Princess Party as well as being one of the most sought after women on Broadway.  She thinks that her audition for ALADDIN was easy, but it really took her five years, multiple readings, two out of town tryouts, and rounds of auditions before Broadway. We're so glad that they didn't cast Nicole Scherzinger. We talk with her about crazy audition stories, when Dan and Joe didn't book MISS SAIGON, how she wants to be Satine, and how a thumbs up from Lin Manuel Miranda is all you need... we get real about race in musical theater, putting in the work, and how you have to be kind to people. Long story short? If Courtney was an asshole there is no way she would've been cast as Jasmine. 

We are so grateful that the OG Jasmine is with us this week!! Kirsten Dunst had done a million movies and Courtney Reed felt like she was behind. ALADDIN star Courtney Reed is truly a jack of all trades. She's an entrepreneur (check out Gagged Chokers), and a member of the Broadway Princess Party as well as being one of the most sought after women on Broadway. She thinks that her audition for ALADDIN was easy, but it really took her five years, multiple readings, two out of town tryouts, and rounds of auditions before Broadway. We're so glad that they didn't cast Nicole Scherzinger. We talk with her about crazy audition stories, when Dan and Joe didn't book MISS SAIGON, how she wants to be Satine, and how a thumbs up from Lin Manuel Miranda is all you need... we get real about race in musical theater, putting in the work, and how you have to be kind to people. Long story short? If Courtney was an a*****e there is no way she would've been cast as Jasmine.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Guys are back with Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey writer Davy Nathan! We owe this interview to our good friend Shoshana Bean. Davy and Shoshana have been collaborators for years and we're so grateful she connected us with Davy. Ok... this movie is about to be a BIG DEAL. Jingle Jangle is out TODAY (breaking news podcast over here) on Netflix so be sure to get into the holiday spirit early. Davy and his writing partner, Philip Lawrence (of Bruno Mars fame) wrote 8 out of the 9 songs, John Legend wrote 1, and Davy and Phillip produced all 9.  Written and directed by David E. Talbert, the film is set in the town of Cobbleton and follows legendary toymaker Jeronicus Jangle (Forrest Whitaker), whose fanciful inventions burst with whimsy and wonder. But when his trusted apprentice (Keegan-Michael Key) steals his most prized creation, it’s up to his equally bright and inventive granddaughter (Madalen Mills) and a long-forgotten invention to heal old wounds. Our guest, Davy Nathan, collarborated with Bruno Mars' right hand man, Phillip Lawrence, on the songs for Jangle. It was his first movie, his first musical, his first movie-musical, and we certainly hope it's not his last. As a songwriter, producer, pianist and musical director, whose work was considered for a Grammy in 2017. As a producer and songwriter he's worked with: Rodney 'Darkchild' Jerkins, Toni Braxton, Mary J Blige, Jennifer Hudson, Robin Thicke, Tamar Braxton, Kenny 'Babyface' Edmonds, Queen Latifah, Daya, Eric Benet and others. As a pianist and musical director he's toured the world with: Christina Aguilera, Toni Braxton, Patti LaBelle, Kenny 'Babyface' Edmonds, Colbie Calliat, Natasha Bedingfield, Nicole Scherzinger, TLC, Sean Kingston, Brian McKnight, Jason Derulo, NKOTB and others. NOT A BIG DEAL!!!  This week we talk about ear training as a skill, writing a song in fifteen minutes, and what it was like to tour with Patti LaBelle. Listen in! 

“A day of peace.A day of pride.A day of justice. We have been denied. Let the new day dawn, Oh, Lord, I pray... We'll never get to heaven. Till we reach that day.” If you don’t know RAGTIME, get in the car, drive three hours and listen to every word. CHRISTIANE NOLL IS HERE!! She is a Tony nominee for the 2009 revival and Dan’s theatrical Mom. She (before COVID) was Cynthia Murphy in DEAR EVAN HANSEN on Broadway and was also seen featured in the original cast of Jekyll and Hyde. Joe was Younger Brother in college and it was the first time Dan saw Joe on onstage, it was love at first sight. Ragtime is an epic, powerful, Goosebump inducing show that is as relevant in 1975 (when the book was written) as it was in 1998 as it is in 2020. Go out and tell your story .. let it echo far and wide.   

Have you seen cell block tango recently?!?!? POP, SQUISH, CICERO... Let's GO CHICAGO!! Arguably the best movie musical of all time (feel free to fight us).. We love Chicago. Dan and Joe danced in the ensemble of CHICAGO in college and they were BAD. But that's okay. We're thrilled that Broadway vet and Fosse superfan Tyler Hanes is here to talk with us about it!! Tyler has NINE Broadway credits to his name and a slew of TV credits including Jerry Orbach in the F/X sensation Fosse/ Verdon. Tyler gives us some incredible insight into the world of Bob Fosse and Ann Reinking, the CHICAGO film, and we're putting it out there that Tyler will be the next Billy Flynn when Broadway comes back. Tyler and Joe worked on a workshop with Graciela Daniele, who was Hunyak in the original production of CHICAGO in 1976. THAT'S CRAZY! Thanks for listening and if you haven't seen the Zeta Jones rip as Velma, stop what you're doing and watch Rob Marshall's perfect film. 

Hey friends, no one is alone....  I WISH .. there wasn't a pandemic. But that's not what we're talking about this week. This week we're talking about INTO THE WOODS!! We're so grateful that our friend and casting director extraordinaire, Benton Whitley is with us to talk about his favorite show, INTO THE WOODS. There are so many great recordings available, but if you haven't seen Bernadette and Johanna Gleeson in the 1991 OG recording, STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING and go check it out. Joe loves the 2010 recording from Regent's Park in London as well. This show is the gateway drug to Stephen Sondheim. Some of the greatest lyrics in Sondheim's cannon are in the last 20 minutes of INTO THE WOODS. Check this out.."Moments in the Woods", into  "Your Fault", then "Last Midnight", "No More" No One Is Alone" into "Children Will Listen." WHAT A LINEUP. We love this show and we hope you like our deep dive in this musical theater masterpiece. Listen in for Benton's story when he got to meet Steve... is LEGENDARY. 

"And I love her so." We REALLY love the show this week. Joe's Broadway debut and favorite show ever, ONCE: THE MUSICAL. If you need a good cry you can check out the John Carney film on Amazon and iTunes. We relive Joe's glory days in the 2012 Tony Award-winning  Best Musical. From the acapella Gold to Glen Hansard's excellent use of decrescendo, everything is perfect. Steve Kazee, Cristin Milioti, Paul Nolan, Arthur Darvill, Laura Dreyfuss, Joe Carroll. Dan snuck in to see the Broadway production four times. We relive so many wonderful memories of this show and investigate the film in more detail... Remember that ending? The Piano? CRYING WE'RE ALL CRYING. 

It's snowing in Colorado. Joe is directing a play and he wants you to audition!! Check out https://aclassactny.com/ and sign up if you or someone you know might be interested! This week we're talking about the Be An Arts Hero #artshero campaign and if anyone wants to drive to the Berkshires and see GODSPELL, we're driving. Joe loves FUNNY GIRL and Dan has chills listening to Beautiful City. 

YE GODS Dan and Joe are FIGHTING. Dan loves THE MUSIC MAN, Joe can’t stand it. Tune in this week sports fans, we're fighting. We break down all the wonderful things in THE MUSIC MAN. Yes, we talk about the sexy Hugh Jackman and the stunning Sutton Foster , but we also nerd out about Kristin Chenoweth, Rebecca Luker, Barbara Cook, and Robert Preston. Every single song in THE MUSIC MAN slaps. Yup. We said it. Does Shapoopi make sense? NOPE. But The Beatles love THE MUSIC MAN so why shouldn’t you?? 

Did you know Chadwick Boseman loved musicals? First of all, 2020 is cancelled. We're DONE. Everything is terrible, but we wanted to celebrate Chadwick Boseman this week. Colon cancer killed the king. The King was a musical theater guy... we would've loved to see The King in Holler If Ya Hear Me, but you can check out Kenny Leon's instagram for some Chadwick hitting some Tupac. We love Julianne Moore, we love Dear Evan Hansen, we love pandemic insurance, Dan is not a Nicole Kidman fan, and Ariana Debose is having the best year ever. 

WILL BURTON IS BACK!! Friend of the pod and all around winner, Will Burton, has returned to nerd-out with us about HELLO, DOLLY! That's Hello Comma Dolly Exclamation Point. DON'T YOU FORGET IT. In case you're wondering, HELLO, DOLLY! is a musical about a woman and her favorite restaurant. In college, Will had to write a 40 page paper on HELLO, DOLLY! (that's musical theater college for ya) and he appeared as Ambrose in the recent revival with DAME Bette Midler. Will has been in three different professional productions of HELLO, DOLLY! so we thought it only right to have him back as the resident expert. We celebrate the magnificent Jerry Herman this week, the composer of HELLO, DOLLY!, LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, MAME, among others, who we lost in December of 2019 at the age of 88. Our favs this week include It Only Takes a Moment, Before The Parade Passes By, and Gavin Creel's "OUT THERE... there's a world outside of Yonkers." After this week we know for sure... if we have to dig ditches for the rest of my life, we will be a ditch diggers who once had a wonderful day. COME ON BARNABY WE'RE GOING TO NEW YORK!! 

BRAND NEW SEGMENT! Fridays are for musicals we love, Tuesdays are for Broadway news. Starting this week, Dan and Joe will take you through a few highlights in the Broadway Newscape. Why? BECAUSE THINGS ARE HAPPENING!! Our sweet theatre industry is trying to come back slowly and there is Broadway news to be had. This week we highlight our friend Colton Ryan who was just cast as Connor Murphy in the film adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen. Check out our interview with Colton from November 24th 2019. Also this week we catch up on the digital Tony Awards that were announced this week and the live capture of the Broadway bound, DIANA. 

He gave a Mermaid her voice and a Beast his soul. Joe sings backup as Dan belts out "Kiss The Girl". This week we love Howard, a new documentary now on Disney+. Howard is the untold story of Howard Ashman, the brilliant lyricist behind Disney classics like “Aladdin,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Little Mermaid” and creator of musicals including “Little Shop of Horrors.” First, listen to our show, and then go relive your favorite Disney lyrics in this remarkable documentary.  We had the amazing opportunity to witness a masterclass with Howard's longtime collaborator, Alan Menken, when we were undergrads at the University of Michigan. Listen in for when long time friend of the pod, Will Burton, sings Proud of Your Boy in front of a misty Alan Menken.  This week we celebrate Howard by geeking out over his lyrics and revisiting the movie musicals that shaped our lives. Howard died in his prime due to complications from AIDS. This week we celebrate the genius lost waaaay too soon, and the countless artists who died during the AIDS epidemic. The world lost a generation of brilliant minds, and they will not be forgotten.  We would have no "Waving Through a Window" without "Somewhere That's Green", no "In The Heights" without "Belle", no "Wizard and I" without "Part of Your World"... The musical theater we know today is BECAUSE of Howard Ashman. Cheers to Howard... to the musicals you gave us, and the ones that might have been. Thank you. 

This week we're chatting with stage and small screen star Jim Hogan, founding member and arranger for the viral Tiktok group t.3 (tik tok tenors), and we're nerding out over another Musical We Love.....The Phantom of the Opera.   The longest-running show of all time, Phantom of the Opera has made more than $6 billion dollars worldwide. It has played to over 140 million people in 35 countries in 166 cities. It has been performed in 15 languages: English, French, German, Japanese, Danish, Polish, Swedish, Castilian, Hungarian, Dutch, Korean, Portuguese, Mexican Spanish, Estonian, and Russian. There are 19 official cast recordings.   Don't miss Joe and Jim in a new game, "Guess the Language"... Spoiler alert. They don't guess a single language.

This week we're talking about  Dan's favorite musical (COMPANY) with one of Joe's best friends, Matt Doyle (BOOK OF MORMON, WARHORSE, SWEENY TODD). Matt is currently playing the gender-swapped role of "Jamie," formerly "Amy", in the revival of COMPANY on Broadway, and he's given us the scoop on all the changes in the new production. He shares with us his mad dash to learn "Not Getting Married Today" 16 hours before the final callback, and the utter generosity that Mr. Sondheim shares with all his collaborators. (Could he get any better?) Do yourself a favor, put some vodka on ice, sit back in your recliner, and treat yourself to the 2006 revival directed by John Doyle...just maybe don't invite your spouse...

This week we start a brand new format...MUSICALS WE LOVE… We love Musicals, we miss musicals… Starting this week we’re going to explore some shows you might not know and get a closer look at the shows you love. This week… Joe’s favorite musical of all time. PASSING STRANGE  . . "You know its weird when you wake up that morning and realize that your entire adult life was based on the decision made by a teenager… A stoned teenager.” Passing Strange won the Tony for Best Book of a Musical at the 2008 Tony Awards and closed WAY soon. If you don’t know this show… YOU MUST!! Check out the Spike Film on iTunes or Amazon and check the cast album wherever you get music. This show changed Joe’s life and super charged his love for theater at a time when the theater was nowhere to be found. A search for “the real”, a mother’s love might feel insane, nothing ever made him feel as real as when she mended him, remove your mask .. I'll give you all the love life allows… Passing Strange is everything we love about theater. We’re thrilled to bring you this new segment and celebrate the art form we love so much. I wonder what we'll cover next week??? 

Max and Robyn, Robyn and Max. Max Clayton and Robyn Hurder are the best of friends, the best of people, the most hilarious and most insightful. This week we're bringing you the highlights of each interview brought together through the glorious technology of ... sound editing. It's like they were in the room AT THE SAME TIME. Their love story can be seen all over Instagram so check it out. We revisit the moment when Max was in Vegas seeing Celine Dion and Broadway called.   As well as the birth of Steak and Cheese Productions. Max has been seen on Broadway in  Pretty Woman; Hello, Dolly!; Bandstand (Chita Rivera nom.); Something Rotten!; On the Town; Gigi.  Robyn has been seen on Broadway in Chicago, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Grease, and The Wedding Singer... she's done a million regional shows and tours AND... one of Joe's TOP 10 THEATRICAL MOMENTS AS AN AUDIENCE MEMBER: A Chorus Line at City Center. .... Next week we start our new segment for the beginning of Season 3!! Tune in next week for all new stuff!! 

This episode of Guys Who Like Musicals is dedicated to Nick Cordero who passed away Sunday night due to complications from COVID-19. If you have the means, please consider donating to his GoFundMe campaign, which will help defer the cost of his hospital bills.... Joe is off vacationing this week, and Dan has settled into his new home in beautiful Colorado, and he's bringing you back to one of our favorites - our interview with Gavin Creel. Gavin has won a Tony Award, and an Olivier, but what we know him as the most-played singer on our car radios. Gavin has a brilliant perspective on the business, knowing you're enough, telling the story first, and being KIND. He is the King of Kindness (NICE waitress reference), and we're so excited to bring you back to this interview this week. New episodes coming soon! Check out guyswholikemusicals.com for more updates.