Jim and Tomic's Musical Theatre Happy Hour

SHOW NOTES It's like she's in the room with us! Enjoy the incomparable Christine Pedi…or, perhaps, the real Liza Minnelli answering “Vogue's” 73 questions. Tommy's never seen it, have you? Enjoy The Simpsons musical Springfield Springfield. Come along with Jay Armstrong Johnson as he takes us on a tour of the newly re-renovated Lyric Theatre for the 2014 production. Did he mention the pit? It's for the big orchestra. It's really big. And they have it. In this show. And they really want you to know about it. The Boettcher Concert Hall (home of the Colorado Symphony) is truly a magnificent space. Next time you're in Denver, see if you can grab some tickets! Or if you end up in Glasgow instead, come and enjoy one of Acquire's musical theatre sing-throughs! Maybe you'll spy a familiar (single!) podcaster in the company… We owe a good chunk of research for this episode to Dr. Katherine Baber and her article "Manhattan Women": Jazz, Blues, and Gender in On the Town and Wonderful Town. If you're doing work in this area, this is a publication worth a read. And then here's something for our boys on the front lines! Chattanooga CHOO CHOO! Or maybe this is why you're in the show notes: enjoy a baby-faced Lea DeLaria and an even babier-faced Jessee Tyler Ferguson on the Rosie O'Donnell show. Can't get enough of Lea DeLaria? Here she is at the Newport Jazz Festival with a swingin' take on The Ballad of Sweeney Todd. And, if you want to join Tommy on his whirlwind cab tour of places-that-don't-exist-anymore in NYC, here's our itinerary. Buckle up! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do you get when you cross Dracula with a podcast? Bite-sized episodes that will have you howling with laughter! Welcome to the official companion podcast for off-Broadway's Dracula A Comedy of Terrors, now playing at New World Stages. Hosted by blood curdling Broadway veteran Andrew Keenan-Bolger, this podcast takes you inside the show's (teeny tiny backstage) world with interviews and games featuring the cast and creatives that helped bring this hilarious comedy to life. So grab a wooden stake, a satchel of garlick, pull out your bloody mary recipe, and settle in under your favorite cape for a podcast guaranteed not to drive you batty! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The premiere episode of 2023 from The Theatre Podcast with Alan Seales - make sure to follow everywhere you get your podcasts. Eddie Izzard is a Tony Award nominated, Emmy Award winning actress who quickly rose to fame in the 90s as a phenomenal standup comedian - producing two of my all time favorite specials Glorious and Dress to Kill. Among her 41 film credits include The Avengers, Ocean's Twelve, Ocean's Thirteen, and Rock Dog. She has around 40 TV credits, is a politician, activist, philanthropist, historian, linguist, has lent her voices to video games and now along with her brother Mark have adapted Great Expectations, the Charles Dickens classic, into a 2 act play now showing at the Greenwich House Theater in NYC where she plays 19 different characters. This episode covers why Eddie ran for Parliament (yes, THE Parliament), how she finds her comedic seams that glue her standup together, why running marathons became a hobby, and what it means that she is exactly 150 years younger than Charles Dickens (spoiler, it doesn't mean much!). After losing her mom at a very young age, Eddie turned to the theatre in what she believes is the need to feel the love from the audience - a substitution for the missing affection from her mother. Connect with Eddie: Get tickets to Great Expectations Twitter: @eddieizzard IG: @eddieizzard FB: /eddieizzard Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast TikTok: @thetheatrepodcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here's a special preview of the Cautionary Tales podcast from Pushkin Industries. On Cautionary Tales, bestselling author Tim Harford shares stories of human error, natural disasters, and tragic catastrophes from history that contain valuable lessons for today. In this preview, you'll hear about Movin Out', the 2002 Billy Joel-inspired Broadway show created by dance legend Twyla Tharp. When Billy Joel agreed to let dance legend Twyla Tharp turn his songs into a Broadway musical it seemed like a surefire hit. But in previews, Movin' Out was panned by the critics. It was soon headed for Broadway and was set to be an expensive and embarrassing failure. So how could Twyla turn things around and avert disaster before opening night? Hear more from Cautionary Tales at https://podcasts.pushkin.fm/ctbroadway?sid=ttp.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Starring Micheal Urie, Christian Borle, Mary Testa, Lillias White, James Monroe Iglehart, Ann Harada, and tons more of your favorite theatrical geniuses, TWITS is the newest radio play comedy from the Broadway Podcast Network. Visit bpn.fm/twits for more info, or listen and subscribe wherever you are listening to this podcast now! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Want to support the show? Check out our Patreon! ➤ Get ready to delve into the warren of William Finn's fantastical mind as we voyage into ‘A New Brain.' Beautifully mirroring the mania of the show itself, this is a manic episode where we dart from deep, impossible discussions about unhoused populations, to analysing the changes between the original and the Encores! production, to learning all about the wonders of Organic Jim. Good luck! A New Brain (2015 New York Cast Recording) iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES Are you ready for the Sondheim Cinematic Universe? For a MUCH more articulate discussion of Jimi's ‘Change' point, check out Scott Miller's essay on the show! Any David Lynch fans out there? What do you think a David Lynch musical could possible look like? What are your opinions on the updates made for the Encores! production? Let us know! On Tommy's recommendation listen to only THIS version of ‘Make Me a Song' for some wonderful Bill Finn goodness! Please take a few minutes to watch this incredible video of Edinburgh local, Organic Jim. Remember you can come chat to us about the episode on Twitter and Instagram @jimandtomic! Or if you wanna pop OFF then jump into our email inbox at jimandtomic@gmail.com! Or come join us on the discord! A Butt-tastic Quiz Question It was widely rumored that lanky dancer Frank Sinatra padded his hindquarters with handkerchiefs to fill out his uniform whilst filming this movie. What show? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Strike up the band and pull back the curtain on Stephen Schwartz's odyssey musical - ‘Pippin'. This musical gained legendary status when it was revived recently but we go right back to the start to look at its complex origins with a burgeoning Stephen Schwartz and a high-flying Bob Fosse. We also dissect the various endings that have existed throughout the years and come up with a few of our own, go over some of the incredible handling of its themes and we tell a few home truths… Pippin (New Broadway Cast Recording) iTunes / Spotify Support the Show ➤ SHOW NOTES I still think ‘come and waste an hour or two…zoobilee zoo' is one of the funniest things I've ever said. But hey, enjoy Ben Vereen as a snow leopard mayor. And he's still got it! But to be fair this was filmed in 2002. But I have no doubts that 20 years later he can still move just as well… Wanna get liminal? Check out Bo Burnam's incredible new Netflix special, ‘Inside.' There's so much great Andrea Martin content out there but here's some of the zaniest. Remember you can come chat to us about the episode on Twitter and Instagram @jimandtomic! Or if you wanna pop OFF then jump into our email inbox at jimandtomic@gmail.com! Or come join us on the discord! A Semi-Autobiographical Quiz Question Our next show, autobiographical in nature, was written by the author whilst they were recovering from the events contained within the show. What show? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get ready for some sycophantic Jim and Tomic as we buckle up and ‘Ride the Cyclone.’ The cast recording for this incredible show by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell has just dropped and we couldn’t wait to talk about it. We talk through the fascinatingly diverse characters, the meaning of life and what this show means for the future of musical theatre! Support the Show ➤ Ride the Cyclone (World Premiere Cast Recording) iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES Feel free to take part in the new drinking game of ‘How many times does Jimi say that’s so smart?’ Check out this great montage of moments from the Chicago production which gives you a great idea of the amazing production design and how fricking cool Karnak is! The team did a really interesting interview at the Guggenheim prior to their production at MCC! If you’re looking for a very succinct timeline of this production from Victoria to Cast Recording then check out superfan Sam’s video here! Tom waits If you’re looking for a bit of a cool kind of crazy then check out this number from Tom Waits’ ‘The Black Rider’ PERFORM THIS SHOW! As the cogs of live theatre start to turn again why not bring this to your theatre company as a potential option? If you’re in the UK click here, and if you’re in the US click here! Remember you can come chat to us about the episode on Twitter and Instagram @jimandtomic! Or if you wanna pop OFF then jump into our email inbox at jimandtomic@gmail.com! Or come join us on the discord! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s time to ride on those wild geese as we fly into Austria to talk all about potentially the world’s most famous musical, ‘The Sound of Music.’ We try and pull apart why it’s so popular while discussing the real Von Trapp family, the tonal differences between the film and stage show , why Maria is a lesbian icon and discover the best musical theatre themed Hallowe’en costume. Support the Show ➤ The Sound of Music (Original Soundtrack Recording) iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES A very good place to start is this wonderful video of Julie Andrews meeting the real Maria Von Trapp! Out of the myriad of documentaries about the Sound of Music that are out there, we thoroughly recommend this one presented by Sue Perkins. For a totally different perspective on the show (and some other great insight into gender and feminism in the musical theatre!) check out Stacy Wolf’s fascinatingly enjoyable book ‘A Problem Like Maria.’ She worked on it for months and came out with an incredible performance. Here’s Lady Gaga singing a medley of the songs at the Oscars. Let’s cringe together with Tommy’s first in-person YouTube appearance! Remember you can come chat to us about the episode on Twitter and Instagram @jimandtomic! Or if you wanna pop OFF then jump into our email inbox at jimandtomic@gmail.com! Or come join us on the discord! A Carnival Quiz QuestionAs far as we know, this is the only musical based (kind of) on a roller coaster. What show? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dear Faithful Listeners, this is going to be a good podcast, and here’s why: we’re having an open and honest discussion about the smash hit contemporary musical, ‘Dear Evan Hansen.’ This show has been extremely divisive among its audiences and we try to pick apart why that is in this week’s episode. We talk about some of the changes we would make to the show, how it compares to shows like ‘Next to Normal’ and ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ and discuss how it has impacted the musical theatre community for good! Support the Show ➤ Dear Evan Hansen (Original Broadway Cast Recording) iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES CW for this episode: suicidal ideation / mental health issues If you want to dive further into some of the poetry then we thoroiughly recommend checking out the ‘Dear Evan Hansen: Through the Window’ book! And speaking of books, we have an extremely rare musical-to-book adaptation which gives some new insights into Connor’s life. There is some great comparison to be made with this show and ‘Next to Normal’ - check out our episode on that show! if you’re looking for some great mental health storytelling then you NEED to check out Crazy Ex-Girlfriend for some of the best portrayal of this that exists! Our nerd-dom goes so far as to reading academic writing on musical theatre such as this one on Evan Hansen’s fandom! Remember you can come chat to us about the episode on Twitter and Instagram @jimandtomic! Or if you wanna pop OFF then jump into our email inbox at jimandtomic@gmail.com! Or come join us on the discord! BIG NEWS! We will be celebrating our 100th episode by recording a LIVE Happy Hour with you! Come and join the party online on the 1st May at 2pm PST/5pm EST/10pm GMT etc.! We've got some big announcements and big giveaways so tweet us your questions and favourite moments using #100HappyHours to be in with a chance of winning!No Quiz Question! Just stick the 1st of May in your calendars! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All aboard Hades express (no not the train, the boat this time!) as we join Dionysus and Xanthias on their descent into the underworld in search of the saviour of art in Stephen Sondheim’s ‘The Frogs'. It’s been a while since Jimi and Tommy butted heads but it is alive and well in this episode! Euripedes v. Aeschylus; Shaw v Shakespeare; and now Jimi v. Tommy! They talk about the legitimacy of Greek theatre today, whether or not the 2004 was an improvement and debate if this show should ever be performed again. Who will win?! Tune in to find out… Support the Show ➤ The Frogs (2004 Broadway Cast Recording) iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES First of all Jimi would like to apologise for the audio difficulties with this episode! Just wanted to get into that 'under the River Styx' vibe... If you’re interested in finding out more about Greek theatre then we are not the people to come to obviously. But here’s a fantastic BBC documentary about Ancient Greek comedy that will do much better. Aeneid Saying that if you’re looking for a good translation of the Aeneid (for some reason) Jimi can’t recommend the Robert Fitzgerald one enough. It’s worth listening to the Library of Congress recording to hear some of the songs that didn’t make it into the 2004 production - also because that way you get to sample Evening Primrose too… Here’s a really cool interview from some creatives who have worked with or just love The Frogs for Sondheim’s 90th birthday celebrations last year. Jimi’s journey into intertextuality has obviously only just begun but this is a good place to start if you want to join him! Tommy can’t recommend ‘The Ground on Which I Stand’ enough. Go read. Now. BIG NEWS! We will be celebrating our 100th episode by recording a LIVE Happy Hour with you! Come and join the party online on the 24th April at 2pm PST/5pm EST/10pm GMT etc.! We've got some big announcements and big giveaways so tweet us your questions and favourite moments using #100HappyHours to be in with a chance of winning! Remember you can come chat to us about the episode on Twitter and Instagram @jimandtomic! Or if you wanna pop OFF then jump into our email inbox at jimandtomic@gmail.com! Or come join us on the discord! A (Weird) Romantic Quatement Looking for love? Have we got the show for you. We’re developing a dating app named after our next show. It pares you with another performer who has played the exact same character in this show. Just here these rave reviews from our two happy couples… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is a terrifying craze creeping up on your children, no - it’s not pool, it’s ‘Reefer Madness!’ Whether you’re a fan of the green stuff or not, this musical is an incredible send-up of B-Movies and American politics and has some stonking star turns in its movie adaptation. We talk all about Kristen Bell’s dancing chops, whether this show should be performed in high schools and give some home truths about the world of weed. Support the Show ➤ Reefer Madness (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack & Original Los Angeles Cast Recording) iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES We can’t recommend the film adaptation of Reefer Madness enough! If you haven’t seen it - get that sorted! If you’re a real fan then you should probably check out the source material for the musical. Jimi recommends the colorized version for some extra spice. Father Ted was very much a revolutionary comedy show in the UK. They have incredible commentary on how protest culture can create its own furore with The Passion of St. Tibulus What’s harder, trading a blue chicken for a Biggoron Sword? Or a paperclip for a house? This guy tells one side of the argument here. If you’re interested in seeing Kristen Bell’s dancing chops check out this clip from the movie featuring Neve Campbell of all people! Also if you want to see a wonderful side of Kristen Bell check out her Hot Ones interview (then fall into the YouTube hole of Hot Ones videos) Ana Gesteyer truly has some pipes. Here’s her singing her rendition of ‘One Mint Julep.’ Jimi made too many references in this episode. Here is episode one of The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo. Remember you can come chat to us about the episode on Twitter and Instagram @jimandtomic! Or if you wanna pop OFF then jump into our email inbox at jimandtomic@gmail.com! Or come join us on the discord! A Meryl-ly Quiz Question As far as we can tell, Meryl Streep’s turn as the Witch in the movie version of Sondheim’s Into The Woods was her second role in one of Steve’s shows. What was the first? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How DID they build Titanic? Maury Yeston and Peter Stone’s 1998 Tony Award winning musical showcases a deeply emotional story with a sensational score. In this episode we discuss why the Titanic tragedy is SUCH a sensation, how they pull off sailing and sinking a ship in various productions of the musical and work out which monumental historic events we could see on a Broadway stage in the future. Support the Show ➤ Titanic: A New Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording) iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES If you’re interested in hearing more about the behind-the-scenes of this show then check out Yeston and Stone’s companion book! The amount of study that has been done into the Titanic and the lives of the people who survived and perished aboard is as immense as the ship herself. If you’re interested in seeing some footage from the original production - including those straight lines - check out the press reel! Here’s an incredible video of the opening featuring some of the original cast members, backed by a full symphony orchestra and 250-person choir - as it should be! If you’re interested in finding out a bit more about the history of the Titanic, check out this fab Scottish history podcast - A Wee Bit Gothic! Remember you can come chat to us about the episode on Twitter and Instagram @jimandtomic! Or if you wanna pop OFF then jump into our email inbox at jimandtomic@gmail.com! Or come join us on the discord! A Directorial Quiz Question The original theatrical director of this stage musical would go on to direct not only it’s movie adaptation, but also such great hits as Paul Blart Mall Cop 2. What show? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s the cult musical everyone loves to hate! Featuring Olivia Newton-John, Gene Kelly, rollerskates and cartoon fish - it could only be Xanadu! This time we’re chatting all about the musical that started the Razzies. But we work out if it is actually as bad as everyone says it is? We also check out the stage musical adaptation and try to determine which is better! Along the way we discuss viral marketing, musical mashups and the importance of wearing a glitzy scarf. What’s not to love?! Support the Podcast ➤ Xanadu (Original Broadway Cast Recording) iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES If you’ve only read the reviews and have decided not to watch the original Xanadu movie, then think again. It’s pure, unadulterated joy. Do it. Do it now. If you’re not convinced why not check out this classic cheesy 80s trailer? This documentary from the anniversary puts a lot of the film’s complicated legacy into perspective. In a fun addition to the stage adaptation we have Mary Testa and Jackie Hoffman play the ‘villains’ of the piece! Here they are in action at Bryant Park. You can see here how the creatives involved in the adaptation are not fans of the movie… Xanadu had a fascinating Tony campaign starring the notorious Cubby Bernstein - checkout this ep starring Nathan Lane! Do you think it would fly today? Spelling Bee and [title of show] had similar funky YouTube marketing campaigns. Have a gander! Do you miss this? Can we start some kind of social media campaign to make Kenny Ortega bring To Wong Foo to the stage and for him to bring Jimi on as a dramaturg? Thanks. Remember you can come chat to us about the episode on Twitter and Instagram @jimandtomic! Or if you wanna pop OFF then jump into our email inbox at jimandtomic@gmail.com! Or come join us on the discord! A Coincidental Quatement It was a complete accident that this musical and a film with the exact same name and premise premiered the same year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s time to talk about the show that put the UK on the Musical Theatre Map - ‘Oliver!’ It’s the story of the orphan boy who asked for more and was sent on a journey that would change his life forever. In this episode we talk all about Lionel Bart’s fascinating journey to writing the show, discuss the incredible movie adaptation and how it compares to the stage show, the incredible influence this musical had on other UK musicals in the future, and Jimi cracks Tommy, whatever that means… Support the Podcast ➤ Oliver! (1994 West End Revival Recording) iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES If you haven’t seen the incredible movie adaptation of ‘Oliver!’ then you simply MUST! What do you think about the character portrayals of Fagin and Nancy? Let us know! You might know Rachel Tucker from her stint as Elphaba or starring in Come From Away, but did you know she got started by not winning the search for the next Nancy - ‘I’d Do Anything’? It would be obscene of us not to mention the ULTIMATE Oliver Twist adaptation - ‘Oliver and Co.’ What’s better, this or ‘Consider Yourself’? No I’m being serious, it has Bette Midler as a poodle. Remember you can come chat to us about the episode on Twitter and Instagram @jimandtomic! Or if you wanna pop OFF then jump into our email inbox at jimandtomic@gmail.com! Or come join us on the discord! An Open-Ended Quatement This show has (at least) three things in common with ‘Singin’ in the Rain.’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jim and Tomic get classical! This time we’re checking out Dave Malloy’s Lincoln Centre special - ‘Preludes'.’ Set in the hypnotised mind of big-handed composer Sergei Rachmaninoff, this is a show that is comfortably nestled in the fringes of contemporary musical theatre. We deep dive on Art’s (purposeful capital letter) representation in musical theatre, why this show didn’t sit well with a lot of the people who saw it and unsurprisingly we do some fanboying over Dave Malloy. Support the Show ➤ Preludes (Original Cast Recording) iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES If you fancy pulling apart the weird idiosyncrasies of the English language in the UK look no further than the Map Men! Normally we would just recommend the cast recording but to get the full picture of ‘Preludes’ you’ll want to get your hands on this libretto! Here’s a great interview with the hue-some twosome behind this show! We didn’t chat too much about it on the ep but Joseph Keckler who plays Rach’s best friend Chaliapin is a bit of a vocal god… Is this show one of your Rice Krispie Treats? Let us know! Remember you can come chat to us about the episode on Twitter and Instagram @jimandtomic! Or if you wanna pop OFF then jump into our email inbox at jimandtomic@gmail.com! Or come join us on the discord! A Poppin’ Quiz Question The film version of this musical very nearly turned into a Mary Poppins reunion. Serendipitously, fate pulled both Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke out of the running for their respective roles. What show? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support the Show ➤ Seeing as it’s the holiday season we thought it was the perfect time to talk about one of the newsest festive institutions: ‘Elf: the Musical.’ As we explore The Story of Buddy the Elf and his efforts to save Christmas they rate all the differences between the musical and the film, Jimi paints a picture about the insane Arena tour in the UK and we wonder if Warner Bros. Theatricals will be able to take on Disney Theatrical Group in the fight for Corporate Broadway! Elf: the Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording) iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES Check out the outlandish Arena production from the UK. What do you think? Too much? Just right? Let us know! And for something a bit different how about this Japanese production? What are some international productions that you love? If you’re intrigued by Jimi’s lustings why not check out our Newsies episode? There’s plenty there. Here’s a peek at Warner Bros. Theatricals next outing: Dave the Musical! What do you think about the idea of Christmas becoming an American holiday? Let us know your thoughts! We have MERCH! You asked for it, and we listened. We’ve only got a couple of designs up there just now, but stay tuned for more! If you’re an illustrator please get in touch! Remember you can come chat to us about the episode on Twitter and Instagram @jimandtomic! Or if you wanna pop OFF then jump into our email inbox at jimandtomic@gmail.com! Or come hop on to the discord! A Handy Quiz Question If the subject of this musical played basketball for the NBA, he’d be in the top five for basketball players with the largest hands. What show? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support the Show ➤ Did you know black is this year’s pink? A giant hat is blowing in from the west, it can only be the untold story of the witches of Oz - ‘Wicked.’ Crank up your time dragons as this one’s a doozy! We talk all about the differences from the source material, Jimi unleashes his inner ‘Wicked’ fangirl much to Tommy’s chagrine, we work out if it’s actually an incredibly written show and have a deep discussion about gatekeeping in musical theatre. Thank goodness, it’s Wicked! Wicked (Original Broadway Cast Recording) iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES To honour Sentimental Man and all those (usually creepy) old mentor here is an incredible cabaret song. If you’re a big Wicked fan then we recommend the following literature: ‘The Grimmerie’ The Wicked Years series by Gregory Maguire - ‘The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,’ ‘Son of a Witch,’ ‘A Lion Among Men,’ and ‘Out of Oz’ ‘Changed For Good’ by Stacy Wolf Billy Eichner knows how to be a screaming fan better than anyone, you gays!  This is Jimi’s only opportunity to show off some if his favourite Elphaba moments. Here’s Alexia Khadime, Rachel Tucker and Willemijn Verkaik. Ana Gasteyer is also an incredible Elphie. Here she is giving us a low key Wicked performance.  Here’s yet another sensational Elphie, Eden Espinosa, talking about the issues behind riffing on riffs. Come and join the celebration! We’re having our second livestream on Sunday 20th December - let’s muddle through 2020 somehow together. Remember you can come chat to us about the episode on Twitter and Instagram @jimandtomic! Or if you wanna pop OFF then jump into our email inbox at jimandtomic@gmail.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support the Show ➤ It’s time to put on a little bit of mascara and throw your wigs to the ground as we’re heading to French Riviera to join Georges and Albin in ‘La Cage Aux Folles.’ Tackling our third Jerry Herman, we decide how it measures up to his other big hitters. We also discuss the interesting origins of the show and what it might have been, and have a classic Jim and Tomic conversation about queer representation in musical theatre! La Cage Aux Folles (New Broadway Cast Recording) iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES If you’ve not seen The Birdcage with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane it’s a wonderful accompaniment to the musical! Gene Hackman in drag, who knew!? Jimi thoroughly recommends Arthur Laurents’ book ‘Mainly on Directing’ for some insightful, yet catty storytelling from the director of many seminal musicals. What do you think? Was Herman pulling a Sondheim with the Cocktail Counterpoint? Was he successful? Should Frank Wildhorn be quaking? Too many questions. Kelsey Grammar opinions or not, Douglas Hodge gave a stellar performance in the 2010 revival. Here’s a great discussion about Bio Queens in the modern drag industry from China Deathcrash. Did you join us for our first ever livestream at the end of October? If you missed it then you can catch up over on Tommy’s channel here! We had SO much fun doing it. Maybe we’ll do it again…..  [significant ellipses] Remember you can come chat to us about the episode on Twitter and Instagram @jimandtomic! Or if you wanna pop OFF then jump into our email inbox at jimandtomic@gmail.com! A Quiz Question From Outer Space On the eighth of april 2010, NASA played a song from this musical as the “wakeup call” on the international space station. What show? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hurry! Hop onto the bed cause it's about to take off as we fly into wartime Britain and join Eglentine Price and her chosen family in the magical 'Bedknobs and Broomsticks.' An absolute Disney classic and our first out-and-out musical film discussion, this time we are chatting all about what makes this film so different from its counterpart 'Mary Poppins,' Tommy geeks out over the incredible visual effects used in the film and we both posit our ideas of what the stage adaptation is going to look like. Bedknobs and Broomsticks (Original Movie Soundtrack) iTunes / Spotify Support the Show ➤ SHOW NOTES Did Andrew Lloyd Webber get arrested for having an illicit early performance of ‘Cinderella’? Who can say… There is SO much cut material from the released cut of Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Here’s some for you! Emelius Browne professes his love for Eglentine Eglentine sings to her magic broom ‘A Step in the Right Direction’ Eglentine sings ‘Nobody’s Problems’ Disney+ has some absolutely incredible documentaries. Why not check out ‘The Boys’ for the fascinating story of the Sherman Brothers who wrote the music for ‘Bedknobs and Broomsticks’ or check out ‘Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2’ for some behind the scenes discussion about how musical movies are made. Honestly though, would you buy a ‘Lovely Bit of String’ t-shirt? Let Jimi know and he’ll make it… Any discussion of Angela Lansbury will always yield a screening of the greatest video of all time that Tommy refuses to watch. He’s missing out. Remember you can come chat to us about the episode on Twitter and Instagram @jimandtomic! Or if you wanna pop OFF then jump into our email inbox at jimandtomic@gmail.com! Another Sondheim Quiz Question Both Stephen Sondheim and Jerry Herman have worked on partial musical adaptations of the source material for this musical. What show? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support the Show ➤ Welcome to Jimi and Tommy’s Karaoke Dance Party! Are podcasts more like onions or parfait? One of the many deep, philosophical questions we pose as we talk all about everyone’s favourite ogre in ‘Shrek The Musical.’ Find out who does a better Scottish accent - the American or the Scotsman, and tune into discussions all about the differences between the musical and the film, the improvements made for the touring version and Jimi poses an impossible question… Shrek The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording) Amazon / iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES The late, great Regis Philbin never got to do his star turn as Shrek on a Broadway stage but he certainly did on national television! If you’ve never seen the movie but have stumbled upon the musical then we implore to you watch the source content and let us know what you think in comparison to the show.  Also worth checking out the pro-shot of the show to see its incarnation before it went on tour featuring the old dragon number! ‘Shrek Retold’ is an incredible fan project where the entire film is re-created by the people who love it most. For some tasty hate comments check out Tommy’s video where he reacts to the Shrek musical pro-shot! We are so happy that they redid the dragon for the tour. Which number do you prefer? John Tartaglia is a superhero and there’s just no question to it. He plays three tracks in the one show! Insanity. Where do you stand on the whole original v. adaptation v. jukebox conversation? Let us know! Remember you can come chat to us about the episode on Twitter and Instagram @jimandtomic! Or if you wanna pop OFF then jump into our email inbox at jimandtomic@gmail.com! A Backup Quiz Question This musical was in development concurrently with another popular musical franchise as a “backup plan” in the event the production company could not secure appropriate rights. Thankfully, the production company decided to finish both movies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support the Show ➤ Get ready to swallow this down - Jimi and Tommy are chatting all about Alanis Morissette’s venture onto Broadway: ‘Jagged Little Pill.’ This jukebox musical with an original book was one of the last shows to premiere on Broadway before the shutdown so it’s time we give it its due diligence and examine its impact before everything stopped! We discuss where this show sits in the musical theatre canon as a jukebox show, work out whether the critique on the book is valid or not and pull apart some of the themes this show brings up that so many others are afraid to do. Thank U for listening! Jagged Little Pill (Original Broadway Cast Recording) Amazon / iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES Apparently the listener ship of Jim and Tomic’s Musical Theatre Happy Hour needs to swot up on their 90s cult classics - check out Dogma now! If you’ve never listened to the iconic Jagged Little Pill album by Alanis Morissette then it is 100% worthwhile. There’s also a great interview on Spotify of her and Glen Ballard going through the writing process for the album. Where do you think Jagged Little Pill sits in the Jukebox Musical canon? And then what about the full musical theatre songbook as a whole? Let us know! To find out more about the creative process here is a great interview with the cast at this year’s BroadwayCon! If you listen very carefully you can hear Tommy and I talking about Cats downstairs. To get a vibe of Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s incredible choreographic style have a gander at some of his work here! Regardless of your opinions of the show you can’t deny that Heather Lang is an incredible asset! Here’s a cool mini documentary featuring her talking about her experience before Jagged Little Pill. The staging of this show is pretty cool. Here’s a rare quiet moment involving a swingset! What do you think? Would Jagged Little Pill and the Healy family fit right into a musical TV series? Let us know! Remember you can come chat to us about the episode on Twitter and Instagram @jimandtomic! Or if you wanna pop OFF then jump into our email inbox at jimandtomic@gmail.com! A Quiz Question and Kelly The late great talk show host and TV personality Regis Philbin sat in makeup for THREE HOURS to play this musical’s title character even though he was never cast in the role. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fol-de-rol and fiddledy dee; fiddledy, faddledy fodcast - Jimi and Tommy are fin’ly doing a ‘Cinderella’ podcast! Yes indeed, we are talking all about Rodgers and Hammerstein’s foray into television broadcasting and the eventual Broadway output, stopping for some Whitney along the way of course. We get down and dirty about the future of musical theatre, how this musical has developed over the years and discover Tommy’s magnum opus. Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Original Broadway Cast Recording) Amazon / iTunes / Spotify Support the Show ➤ SHOW NOTES Is Chance the Rapper tied to the R+H’s Cinderella through destiny? It’s certainly looking that way. Here’s the song from the quiz question! See if you can spot the Cinderella references. It’s always a good time for Jeremy Jordan. Even if it’s in these particularly peculiar R+H goes pop videos… If you’re interested in how the CBS recording came together then have a read of this great coverage from Playbill. What do you think about the idea of musical theatre changing how it’s portrayed? Would you be up for the first VR musical? Jimi’s favourite musical theatre author also has a podcast called Stage Grok (although it doesn’t appear to be active anymore - but hey who are we to talk!) There’s a great episode talking about licensing with composer Georgia Stitt if that’s your jam! Speaking of VR, how do we feel about this Beetlejuice clip from Good Morning America? If you fancy some great Whitney and Bernadette behind-the-scenes moments from 1997 TV movie, check this documentary out! Tracking the history of all the updates for Cinderella is a minefield but thankfully this article ties it all up together in a nice little bow! The self-proclaimed Magnum Opus of Musical Theatre Mash: him watching Cinderella with friends. Please tell Jimi that he’s not alone in loving the original 1986 ‘My Little Pony’ movie? Don’t you think the Stepsisters from 1997 would be amazing as these gals in the inevitable live action version we should be getting any day now? Remember you can come chat to us about the episode on Twitter and Instagram @jimandtomic! Or if you wanna pop OFF then jump into our email inbox at jimandtomic@gmail.com! A Religious Quiz Question Our next episode features the latest outing of a composer* who has been referred to as God in their past. What could it be? *The composer is not Stephen Sondheim. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy Hour #85: The Podcast on the Wall - 'The Mystery of Edwin Drood' Will this be the podcast episode that never ends?! The jury’s out as we deep dive into Rupert Holmes’ “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” - please insert your own gavel. With two incredible, classic productions there is plenty to talk about with this Tony Award winning musical. We get into the general brilliance of Mr Holmes, the race issues related to the recent productions and how they could be easily remedied and Chita Rivera’s octogenarian athleticism. Support the Show ➤ The Mystery of Edwin Drood (New Broadway Cast Recording) Amazon / iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES Are you ready for our next new podcast - Stephanie J. Talk? Besides being a musical theatre writing extraordinaire, Rupert Holmes is an incredible pop writer working with the likes of Barbra Streisand! Check out one of his songs here! Believe it or not, there is a symphonic heavy metal version of The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Do you think it works? Here’s a great article to give some perspective on the racism in the productions of Drood. If you’ve never come across the incredible comedy Father Ted, then you’ve missed Drood star Jim Norton giving a career-defining performance! Could this be Jimi’s all time favourite Side By Side By Susan Blackwell? It’s truly too soon to tell. But it’s up there! Here’s Stephanie J. Block and her li’l pupper (who also starred in the show!) Macaco! Actually before I go, here’s just more SJB being great. Remember you can come chat to us about the episode on Twitter and Instagram @jimandtomic! Or if you wanna pop OFF then jump into our email inbox at jimandtomic@gmail.com! A Rapping Quiz QuestionChance the Rapper recently saw inspiration from perhaps one of the most unlikely of places – one of the songs in this Golden Age musical. What musical?

Happy Hour #84: Mobius Podcast - 'A Strange Loop' Let’s get metaphysical! It’s about darn time we discussed Michael R. Jackson’s Pulitzer winning ‘A Strange Loop.’ Potentially one of the most challenging musicals we have ever listened to, we are so excited delve into this extremely unique piece of musical theatre. Join in the conversation as we chat about what this show winning the Pulitzer means for musical theatre, how Michael R. Jackson’s raw honesty is refreshing and important, and muse on the future of Broadway once it has reopened. Support the Show ➤ A Strange Loop (Original Cast Recording) Amazon / iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES Black lives matter. As well as listening and hearing ‘A Strange Loop’ here’s a list of ways in which you can support the ongoing movement, and if you’re in the UK you can go here. The article posted by Vogue is interesting as it was released when it won the Pulitzer, but before the George Floyd protests began. Definitely worth a read! Frustratingly we don’t get the full story from the cast recording this time around, but you can preorder the libretto now for when it’s released on September 22nd this year! There’s a fantastically comprehensive interview with Michael R. Jackson with Playwrights Horizon about his life and his journey to writing ‘A Strange Loop.’ Here’s the track that originally framed the show by Liz Phair who Michael R. Jackson is a massive fan of. Enjoy that delicious 90s sound! If you want to delve into more of the deeply intellectual basis for this show then check our Hofstadter’s “I Am A Strange Loop” or DuBois’s commentary on double consciousness. Jimi thoroughly recommends you get down and dirty with a copy of ‘Life of Pi’ by Yann Martel. Here is a list of all of the ‘upcoming’ shows from black writers and black stories on Broadway. What do you think? Will Broadway listen and change? Here’s an interesting article discussing Avenue Q and Book of Mormon in a 2020 lens. Remember you can come chat to us about the episode on Twitter and Instagram @jimandtomic! Or if you wanna pop OFF then jump into our email inbox at jimandtomic@gmail.com! A Dating Quiz Question The author of this musical (allegedly) likes piña coladas and getting caught in the rain. What show?

Happy Hour #83: ...and Pink and Podcast and Blue! - ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat' It was bound to happen again at some point, Jimi and Tommy are discussing another Andrew Lloyd Webber show - this time it’s ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’! Will they agree? Will this be another Cats debacle? It’s time to find out! The boys discuss the unique origin story of this show, work out how ‘Joseph’ could exist nowadays and debate whether or not escapism is dead. Bold stuff - tune in! Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (London Palladium Cast Recording) Amazon / iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES If you’re looking for more of a serious discussion and Joseph doesn’t take your fancy, then check out our episode on ‘The Scottsboro Boys’ where we both learned a lot while studying it. Were you in the Original Choral Cast of Joseph? Get in touch! If you’ve never seen the animation Joseph King of Dreams and are a fan of Prince of Egypt, definitely check it out! If you’ve not checked out any of the performances from the 2020 concert on Broadway, then start with this incredible rendition of ‘Those Canaan Days’ by Bonnie Milligan! One of our fellow BPN podcasters wrote a fantastic open letter on performative activism. Please take your time to read it!  What are your thoughts? Is there room for escapism in theatre anymore? If you could run an Andrew Lloyd Webber talent show to cast the next big star, what would it be based upon?! Remember you can come chat to us about the episode on Twitter and Instagram @jimandtomic! Or if you wanna pop OFF then jump into our email inbox at jimandtomic@gmail.com! A First Quiz QuestionThis show is the first musical to receive the Pulitzer without a production on Broadway. What show?

Happy Hour #82: Verbatim Podcasting - ‘London Road’ Support the Show ➤ It’s time to try things a little bit differently as we delve into the uncharted territories of verbatim musical theatre and the fascinating British creation, ‘London Road.’ Charting a community’s rebirth after a serial killer ravaged their town, this show discusses the issues of policing, press, sex work and community spirit using the words of those who actually experienced it. Jimi and Tommy discuss the curious origins of a show like this, how international audiences might view the show differently and ponder if this is one of the rare instances where the film is better than the original production. London Road (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Amazon / iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES If this is your first encounter of ‘London Road’ then you should DEFINITELY watch the film, and if you love it then read the play and listen to the cast recording! Verbatim theatre is a fascinating world. If it’s something you want to learn more about then check out this great book featuring case studies with ‘London Road.’ As a contemporary example of ‘documentary theatre’ check out Dustin Lance Black’s ‘8’, a powerful account of the case filed by the American Foundation for Equal Rights in court in 2010 to overturn Prop 8. Everyone in the UK knows about it, but it may seem alien to those of you who live elsewhere; I present to you: Gogglebox. Verbatim scoring is everywhere! Check out Charles Cornell and the Gregory Brothers for some online examples! They’re right, Katie Couric does sound better autotuned. If you didn’t jump aboard the hype train, now is definitely the time to check out ‘S-Town’ from This American Life. It’s a beautifully tragic story that we feel everyone should listen to! There are loads of great interviews with Alecky blythe talking about ‘London Road.’ But here’s one where she is talking about her play ‘The Girlfriend Experience’ that we discussed in the episode. Remember you can come chat to us about the episode on Twitter and Instagram @jimandtomic! Or if you wanna pop OFF then jump into our email inbox at jimandtomic@gmail.com! A Trademarked Quiz Question Despite being the brainchild of British authors, this show prominently features the American spelling of a word in order to match a trademark. What show?

Happy Hour #81: Podcast for the Recently Deceased - 'Beetlejuice' Support the Show ➤ Someone must’ve said our name three times unbroken cause we have appeared and we are talking all about the musical that rose from the dead - ‘Beetlejuice’. With a tumultuous Broadway journey there is plenty to discuss about this show. Jimi and Tommy discuss how it measures up as a movie-to-musical adaptation, the mysterious Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures and Grandpa Jimi tries to wrap his head around TikTok. Poorly. Beetlejuice (Original Broadway Cast Recording) Amazon / iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES Although a pretty different vibe from the musical, the original film is an absolute cult classic and well worth a watch, even if just for that injection of pure Tim Burton excellence! This article gives you a good chronicle of Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures’ venture into musical theatre making and a bit about their future! If you’re interested in vocal health/voice studies then watching Alex Brightman’s folds will be the best way to spend your afternoon! Batman the Musical (the Jim Steinman cancelled version, not the actually alright Holy Musical, Batman!) has some… choice moments. What would Warner Bros Theatre Ventures look like today if it had come to fruition? What do you think? Was it TikTok or was it there presentation on the Tony Awards that boosted their ticket sales after that May slump? The production company did all they could to appeal to fans to come in and buy tickets in order to guarantee a future for the show, including this commercial with Alex Brightman! Here are some of the ‘best’ Beetlejuice TikToks. If you can tell Grandpa Jimi why these are amazing, please do! Remember you can come chat to us about the episode on Twitter and Instagram @jimandtomic! Or if you wanna pop OFF then jump into our email inbox at jimandtomic@gmail.com! An Acadamy Award Winning Quiz Question This movie adaptation of this musical starred Academy Award winner Olivia Colman and Academy Award nominee Tom Hardy. What is it?

Happy Hour #80: Podcast and Be Gay - 'Candide' Support the Show ➤ Hold onto your optimism as this time around the riverbend Jimi and Tommy are talking all about Leonard Bernstein’s ‘Candide'.’ With a history full of as many twists and turns as the show itself, ‘Candide’ offers a wealth of fascinating discussion. The boys try and piece together why this show has had some many wildly different incarnations, debate the existence of philosophy in the show and try to answer the unaswerable question: what is the difference between opera and musical theatre? Candide (Original Broadway Cast Recording) Amazon / iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES If you’ve never experienced ‘Candide’ before, the best place to start is the 1974 ‘Chelsea’ recording as it includes clips from scenes as well as Bernstein’s beautiful music! We also want to send out a massive thank you to Colden for sharing his bountiful knowledge of the show with us and helping us traverse the behemoth that is ‘Candide.’ If you’re ready to start learning all about the different productions and versions of the show then the best place to look is the Sondheim Guide online! It’s so extremely comprehensive you’d think Tommy had made it. We didn’t get the opportunity to talk much about it in the episode, but it’s safe to say ‘Glitter and Be Gay’ is as iconic a musical theatre song as any other. Check out the delightful Kirsten Chenoweth singing it here in the Lincoln Centre production! Who among us can answer the eternal question - where is the line between opera and musical theatre? Tell us on Twitter! If you’re ready for some perplexity of a different sense to ‘Candide’ then have a look at ‘The Adding Machine.’ A Crooner’s Quiz Question Sammy Davis Jr. was originally slated to originate this role in it’s pre-musical incarnation. Who knows if the show have been such a runaway success were it more rat-pack in style?

LIVE at BroadwayCon: Podcastical Cats - "Cats: the Movie" This January Jimi and Tommy flew all the way to Broadway’s heartland to settle a score, to come to terms with and to try to provide closure on something which has changed the face of musical theatre forever: the Cats movie. Join the lads alongside a wonderful live audience as they try to comprehend cockroaches with faces, whether Judironomy actually lifted her leg, contemplate Sir Ian McKellan’s Oscar chances and attempt to answer the age old question: was this enjoyable? Cats (Highlights from the Motion Picture Soundtrack) Amazon / iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES First of all, we’d like to give a huge thank you to our wonderful network - the Broadway Podcast Network - for welcoming us in NYC! Go to their website and check out over 40 podcasts all related to theatre! The Brits among us should know Alan Partiridge I’m sure, but for those of you throughout the rest of the world - here’s a sample! How would you shake up some of the upcoming musical adaptations? Is there scope for digital fur technology in Dear Evan Hansen? Let us know on Reddit! If you’d like to stay in Hotel Bovril, I’m afraid you’re in for a disappointment. But if you’d like a hearty drink then check it out! So, we need to discuss this - tweet us all your thoughts on the Cats movie! Also we’re on a trading card - what’s going on?! Available over on the Lights of Broadway page soon!

Happy Hour #79: Only In The Podcasts - ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ This time around we are stepping into the fantastical mind of Luis Molina as we explore Kander and Ebb’s gem ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman.’ Jimi and Tommy discuss the horrific events of the ‘Dirty War’ which acts as the backdrop to the musical, evaluate the merits of workshopping musicals and taking your time to get to Broadway, and deep dive into the world of abstract thought and ‘metaphoralising’ while they work out what the musical’s thematic intentions are. WE’RE GOING TO BROADWAYCON! Where can theatre lovers, Broadway Stars, and industry professionals come together to celebrate Broadway? BroadwayCon! As part of the three-day event in New York City from January 24 - 26, Broadway Podcast Network is producing over 20 live events, which of course include us! We’ll hosting a live show on Friday, January 24th at 5:30pm, and we need to see you there! Day passes and weekend passes are still available on BroadwayCon.com, so get your tickets today. Tweet us to let us know you’re coming! Kiss of the Spider Woman (Original Cast Recording) Amazon / iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES To get a good idea of how the original production handled the dichotomy of the horrors of torture and the escapism of Molina’s mind have a look at their presentation at the Tony’s!  Let’s get the incredible musical ‘These Trees Are Made of Blood’ back up and running again! Go give it a listen, create a storm on Twitter and let’s see it happen!  If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s worth having a look at the movie adaptation of Puig’s novel! If you’re interested in the history of ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ or just want to expand your knowledge of high-end musical theatre production in general then this American Theatre Wing interview is well worth a watch!  We talked a lot about seeing shows as the finished product and seeing them as they are evolving. What are your thoughts on this? Hop on over to Reddit and let us know! As Jimi says, there’s nothing wrong with pretty things. Let’s listen to Rufus Wainwright tell us why that’s so! If you’ve had your fill of Chita, Brent and the gang then try out the New Broadway Cast Recording! A Glaswegian Quiz Question The “definitive version” of this infinitely revised operetta premiered in Glasgow in 1988. It has since been revised multiple times. What show?

Discuss on Reddit ➤ Support the Show ➤ Waitress (Original Broadway Cast Recording) Amazon / iTunes / Spotify  Who knew we would ever reference Come On Eileen on the podcast outside of a ‘SMASH’ reference? Anyway, here is uncategorically the worst live vocal you’ll ever hear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3rg4psdHxw A fun game! A weird concept! Tweet us what you think certain musical lobbies would smell like?  Sara Bareilles has spoiled us with ‘Waitress’ supplementary content. Here you can check out her version of the ‘Waitress’ OBC, the songs from the cutting room floor, and a commentary on the origins and meanings of every song!  If you want the ‘Part of Your World’ story in full, check out this amazing ‘Side by Side by Susan Blackwell’ episode!  We pose you the question, if you would have any recording artist write a musical - who would you want and what it would it be? Hit us up over on Reddit! Last 5 years podcast If you’re at all interested in our views on monogamy and infidelity then it’s worth having a listen to our ‘Last 5 Years’ episode! What do you think about the idea of ‘Waitress’ being a feminist musical? Have a read of the Vox article and let us know what you think!  And if you want to get yourself riled up, then have a gander at Michael Riedel’s article on ‘Waitress’ before it was on Broadway... Tommy would never be critical of anything. Ever. One of Jimi’s biggest Broadway inspirations, Laura Heywood, held a fantastic interview with Jesse Mueller and Sara Bareilles. ——— A Quiz Question Currently in Development This musical accidentally shut down a so-called “musical theatre lab” because it premiered first. The lab was working on ‘The Secret Garden,’ ‘My Favorite Year’ and this show. Hal Prince is of the opinion that the lab would still be functioning today had The Secret Garden premiered first instead of this musical. What show?

Happy Hour #77: The Podcast Hour - ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ Did you hear about Hugo and Kim getting pinned? We simply can’t believe it to be honest, so that’s why we’re pulling apart all things ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ this week! From the stage musical, to the film, to the live event that never happened this show has had a full life! The boys talk all about where this show stands in the Musical Theatre Timeline, debate the representation of teens, women and rock and roll in the show and try to work out exactly what Ann margaret was meaning when she sang ‘Bye Bye Birhee.’ Let’s make this happen! Bye Bye Birdie (Original Broadway Cast Recording) Amazon / iTunes / Spotify  If you’re brand new to Bye Bye Birdie then the movie is a great place to start! Although the plot deviates from the stage musical you get a good sense of it! Plus, Ann Margaret!  What is a Birhee? Does Ann Margaret know something we don’t?  If you can’t be bothered watching the film, someone you may know has digested it for you! What do you think about giving musicals with outdated books rewrites? Should it be directorially focussed like Oklahoma? Or should they get the Harvey Fierstein treatment and get down and dirty with the text? Let us know on Reddit! More Ann Margaret fun times. If you’d have enough of Liza trying to turn off a lamp, it’s time to move on. Let’s make this happen! Mad Men tried their hand at parodying the opening to the movie, and their cast and crew had a try too. Should we get Birhee-ing (standing in front of a blue backdrop and singing) to be next sensation? For the final Ann Margaret reference of the evening we look to everyone’s favourite prehistoric family, The Flintstones with their version: Ann Margrock. What do you think about the female characters in Bye Bye Birdie? Sound off on Twitter! And while you’re at it, check out the wonderful Lindsey Ellis talking about representation in Disney movies! An Olfactory Quiz Question The original production of this musical tickles all of your senses the moment you enter the lobby. We’re not sure if it had an official smell designer, but let’s be honest, it probably did.

Discuss on Reddit ➤ Support the Show ➤ Hey half-bloods, have we got a show for you! This time we are heading on a journey across America with everyone’s favourite demigod, Percy Jackson as we explore ‘The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical.’ Jimi and Tommy work out why this show is so faithful to the source material, analyse the many different characters in the show and discuss the fallout from the recent Broadway reviews, and why it may highlight a bigger systemic issue in the world of theatre critics. The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical (Original Cast Recording) Amazon / Spotify  If you, like us, have never delved into the Percy Jackson books then there’s no time like the present! Jimi just picked up his copy from his local second-hand book store but you can get yours here!  There are a plethora of musical adaptations from books, but what ones have caused as much fan dedication as the Lightning Thief? Were there people who were devastated at the changes in Wicked from Gregory Maguire’s books? What series would you be wildly protective over if they ever made a musical adaptation of it? Let us know on Twitter! Here’s an incredible roundup of all of the fallout from the Lightning Thief’s Broadway opening by Alexandra Middlemitch. If you missed Peter and the Starcatcher when it was on Broadway then check out this featurette from Playbill which gives you an idea of its incredible staging. ISSUES! Where does the opening sit? Is it a parody? Is it sincere? Is it a send-up of this SNL sketch? Always a fan of a literary recommendation, if you’re approaching or have reached your thirties and you worry you’ve forgotten what it was like to be a child - check out ‘The Ocean at the End of the Lane’ by Neil Gaiman. The Lightning Thief Twitter account (Mx. Thief to their followers) is a fantastic example of how to run social media for a show with a younger fan base.  Here’s the review that started it all...what do you think? The ramblings of someone out of touch or a vital critique of the show?  If you’re a writer or wannabe writer then check out Buzzfeed’s Style Guide for how to do it properly in the 21st century. A Sexy Quiz Question According to legend, at the wrap party for the movie adaptation of this musical, either Maureen Stapleton or Paul Lynde stood up and said to one of the leading female actresses, “I want you to know that I’m the only person who worked on this film who doesn’t want to f**k you!”

Discuss on Reddit ➤ Support the Show ➤ This time around we are diving head-first into the magical waters of Cora Hoover Hooper’s town and breaking open the Cookie Jar as we explore Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Anyone Can Whistle.’ Often penned as his biggest flop, ‘Anyone Can Whistle’ has opened the doors for a ton of discussion and Jimi and Tommy never shy away from that. Here they discuss what caused it to flop and why sometimes that can be a good thing, some of the genius music Sondheim wrote for the show and start the revolution - #MusicalTheatreNerdsUnite! Anyone Can Whistle (Original Broadway Cast) Amazon / iTunes / Spotify  As we do with every Sondheim episode, check out his incredible collection of lyrics and attendant comments, principles, heresies, grudges, whines and anecdotes. A must-have for any musical theatre nerd.  For some more analysis about why it flopped check out Tommy’s video guide from his Sondheim September series.  If you’ve burned through your copy of the OBC and want more of the story, then it’s well worth checking out the Carnegie Hall recording starring Madeleine Kahn, narrated by Angela Lansbury herself!  One of the cut songs from ‘Anyone Can Whistle’ found a brilliant new home in Putting It Together. Here is Ruthie Henshall and Carol Burnett singing ‘There’s Always a Woman’ - the cut 11 o’clock number from the show.  For more of a deepdive into Angela Lansbury’s involvement in ‘Anyone Can Whistle’ check out Arthur Laurents’ book ‘Mainly on Directing.’ One of Jimi’s all-time favourite musical theatre writers, Scott Miller, says that ‘Anyone Can Whistle’ is “still a better musical than two thirds of what Broadway has turned out in the last fifty years.” Check out his write-up on this week’s musical here (as well as the rest of his books, he’s amazing!)  #MusicalTheatreNerdsUnite - let’s get it trending! We want people to join in the wonderful conversation that we have about musical theatre and nerd out alongside us. Be proud, unleash your nerd and help legitimise the art form that we all know and love! What is YOUR all-time favourite Sondheim lyric? Let us know on Twitter! If you’re not following us on Instagram come join in the party for some behind the scenes fun! Leave us a comment letting us know the kinds of things you want to see on here. Have you got any big thoughts about ‘Anyone Can Whistle’ and what could’ve made it work? Come join the discussion over on our subreddit! A Plutonic Quiz Question Hades is hoppin’ in New York Theatre right now. When this show opens later this year, it will mark the third time the Greek god has “trod the boards” in 2019. What show?

Discuss on Reddit ➤ Support the Show ➤ We meant what we said, and we said what we meant: this podcast is faithful 100%. Faithful, that is, in our commitment to talk all about Ahrens and Flaherty’s Broadway flop-turned-amateur success story ‘Seussical the Musical!’ With it’s time on Broadway being tumultuous at best, Jimi and Tommy band together to work out what went wrong and why this show has such a fantastic life outside of the Great White Way. With backstage drama, complex book dissections and plenty of made-up words this Happy Hour is one not to be missed! Seussical the Musical (Original Broadway Cast) Amazon / iTunes / Spotify Zania is the Dr. Seuss inspired word of the day. Get it trending! Why does Aaron Carter have so many Broadway credits?! We’ll never know. Here’s a fantastic article from the New York Times which talks about why Seussical took a nosedive when it came to Broadway. If you want to get a sense of where the Seussical creative team was emotionally at opening, have a look at this video... They love the laughter, they love the living, why are we talking about them in a Dr. Seuss episode? Who knows. But ‘The Moomins’ are a delight for all. Who knew there would be more than one Hallowe’en/Christmas mashup?! If you haven’t seen the fever dream that is the Kathy Najimy documentary on Dr. Seuss you REALLY need to. It seems to always come up when we chat Ahrens and Flaherty but what do you think about scaling back productions on Broadway? Is there too much pressure to go big budget? Let us know on Reddit! We are absolutely ecstatic to be working with The Broadway Podcast Network - the premiere digital destination for everyone, everywhere who loves theatre and the performing arts. If you haven’t had a chance yet, check out their website, follow them on socials and tell them we sent you! We have always been about nurturing a musical theatre community outside of Broadway and the West End so this will help so many more people hear our collective musical theatre nerd ‘YOPP!’ so give them your support! A Cursed Quiz Question Rumor has it that this musical is cursed. During out of town tryouts the lady’s bathroom in the theatre caught on fire, a dancer ran into the pit injuring a saxophonist who would die of a heart attack after being rushed to the hospital and the leading actor dropped dead in the wings during the second preview. What show?

Happy Hour #73: Just Another Podcast - ‘Next to Normal’ Discuss on Reddit ➤ Support the Show ➤ We are very excited that this time around we are talking all about the exquisite, original rock musical ‘Next to Normal.’ Considered a masterpiece of its time, the show even won the prestigious Pulitzer for drama in 2010. Come and join Jimi and Tommy as they work out why it’s just so good in its lyrics, music and book, discuss why the show hasn’t had its West End premiere yet and the potential ways to explore the show in the future. Next to Normal (Original Broadway Cast) Amazon / iTunes / Spotify Instantly iconic, Alice Ripley’s Tony Award acceptance speech for Next to Normal is one not to be missed! If you want a bit of flavour of The Real Fierce Alice Ripley, check out her Obsessed! video with Seth Rudetsky. If you can bear it, see if you can get through the trainwreck that was the 2009 Tony Awards opening to see Aaron Tveit mashup with Stockard Channing...for some reason. Fun question alert - this show has always been hugely requested, so what’s your Next to Normal experience? Let us know on Reddit! Did you get to see the recent Canadian production of Next to Normal? If not, check out the trailer to see what you missed! Technically not a bootleg, we’d never promote that, but here’s the out-of-place bop ‘Feeling Electric’ for your listening pleasure! Carrie Fisher is exquisite and that’s all that needs to be said. So are the Goodmans. Potentially one of the best explorations of mental health for adults and children alike, Inside Out is one not to be missed. A Really Straightforward Quiz Question Despite popular assumptions to the contrary, this musical is NOT the first musicalized mash-up of this author’s work. A previously created TV special stars, among other people, Kathy Najimy, Christopher Lloyd, Robin Williams and an entire gospel choir. What musical is the SECOND musicalized mash-up of this author’s work?

Discuss on Reddit ➤ Support the Show ➤ With September just around the corner, it seems like the best time to tackle Schmidt and Jones’ ‘The Fantasticks.’ Currently the longest running musical in the world with a staggering 17,000+ performances, ‘The Fantasticks’ has been a bit of an enigma in the musical theatre world in more ways than one. The boys try and pull apart why it lasted so long, discuss the problems that come with musicals running for a long time, and share some personal stories when reflecting on the themes of youth and love in the show. The Fantasticks (New Off-Broadway Recording) Amazon / iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES If you’re as fascinated as us about why The Fantasticks lasted as long as it did then check out this documentary. What do you think about the movie adaptation of The Fantasticks? Does it work? Or can this show only exist on a small Off-Broadway stage? Here are some great interviews from the revival of the Off-Broadway production, from backstage and from the cast recording! Are you as befuzzled as us as to why Aaron Carter appeared in this? Here he is appealing to his pop fans… If you’re into the obscure/creepy/weird/all of the above, then The League of Gentlemen will be right up your alley. Fantastic one? Fantastic two? Fantastic three? Fantastic 4: The Musical! The Bible of the beat generation in many ways is ‘On the Road’ by Jack Kerouac and the Homer's Odyssey is ‘Howl’ by Allen Ginsberg However, Jimi’s favourite piece by Kerouac is ‘Lonesome Traveler’ and one of his favourite things in existence is this painting inspired by it. Be better than Jimi and Tommy and learn all about the basics of commedia dell’arte from this National Theatre documentary. A Fierce Quiz Question The Tony winning star from this musical caused Jeff Bowen to say the word fierce for the first AND second time. What show?

Discuss on Reddit ➤ Support the Show ➤ The wind is firmly blowing in from the east which spells the arrival of the world’s favourite nanny, ‘Mary Poppins.’ An absolute classic, this show has had a fascinating journey from page to stage. As we team up with the Banks family from Cherry Tree Lane we discuss how Mary Poppins became a cultural phenomenon, work out why the show had to change during its run and work out if the new additions to the musical cut the mustard. Spit-spot! Mary Poppins (Original London Cast) Amazon / iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES: Mary Poppins inspired our inner children to open the show today reminiscing on Rocko’s Modern Life and Wacky Races. What would be on your vintage reboot list? If you’ve somehow managed to miss the original movie, you MUST correct that immediately. The opening ceremony to the UK Olympics as some kind of fever dream but nothing more feverish than Mary Poppins squaring up to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named himself! Mary Poppins has been parodied across all forms of media. Meet a few of our favourites: Mrs. Doubtfire, Mrs Featherbottom and Shary Bobbins. Do you have a favourite? Jo from Supernanny is probably the closest thing we have to a real-life Mary Poppins. If you’re a Mary Poppins fan then I don’t doubt you’ll have seen the beautiful ‘Saving Mr Banks’ movie but if you haven’t yet - get on it! Here’s a nice interview from Stiles and Drewe that gives you some insight into their writing process for adapting Mary Poppins for the stage. We didn’t even talk about it in the podcast but it’s safe to say the original Matthew Bourne choreography for Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is out of this world! Stiles and Drewe have had a varied back catalogue of musicals, but there are some real hidden gems there! Check out their website to see some of their work. So it’s Temper, Temper versus Playing the Game. Who wins in your opinion? Today we establish that Tommy is Jonathan Creek. Any mysterious crimes you need solved? He’s your man. If you’re around the West End this fall then pop those umbrellas and float on down to the Prince Edward. Jimi will see you there! Charlie Stemp is an exciting man on the musical theatre sphere. Here’s a fun interview with upcoming West End Poppins, Zizi Strallen (equally iconic!) Are you ready for the Jim and Tomic Musical coming this season? A LONG RUNNING QUIZ QUESTION What show is the world’s longest running musical?

Discuss on Reddit ➤ Support the Show ➤ Quick! Let’s hop on the trolley and head on down to the World's Fair as we deep dive into the classic ‘Meet Me in St. Louis’. This time around the bend we talk about music-making in the Freed unit and the finesse of Judy Garland’s incredible performance; try and work out just what went wrong with the stage adaptation and analyse how to make a turn of the 20th century show feel fresh in the 21st. Meet Me in St. Louis (Original Broadway Cast) Amazon / iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES If you’ve never heard of Meet Me in St. Louis before then you absolutely must watch the movie starring Judy Garland. If you are well acquainted, then why not have a gander at the forgotten TV pilot from the 60s, featuring eternal housekeeper Retta Shaw. Here’s a great book which goes into fantastic detail about Arthur Freed’s process of making these beloved movie musicals. Frank Sinatra re-popularised ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ with some slight lyric changes. What do you think? To give the musical its credit, it did have some great choreography. Are you ready to do ‘The Banjo’? Do you know a musical that has worse lyrics than this show? Let us know on Twitter! If you want to make any sense of what’s happened between the different iterations of this musical, then you’ll need ‘Tommy’s Crazyman Board’. We love talking social issues over on Reddit and Meet Me in St. Louis provides with a whole new host of discussion points. Come and join the celebration! A HEALTHY QUIZ QUESTION One of the most iconic songs in this musical was inspired by the polio vaccine. What show?

Discuss on Reddit ➤ Support the Show ➤ We don’t even know how to begin, but we certainly know that we are here and discussing Dave Malloy’s spookily exquisite song-cycle, ‘Ghost Quartet.’ Spanning two full episodes where they dissect the show track-by-track, the boys get existential and talk about the other side, universal consciousness theory, the complex human relationship with alcohol, artist idolatry, how simple can often be best and the nature of protagonist and antagonist. Studio Recording: Amazon / iTunes / Spotify Live at the McKittrick: Amazon / iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES: The question we’re all asking is, WILL a Fosse neck do it? I guess we’ll never know. In true Prayer style, Jimi will try his hardest to not quote the Rainbow Sponge Lady video in future podcasts. If you’re batting about London this winter then check out London’s premiere of Ghost Quartet! So Jimi’s opinion on digesting Ghost Quartet is to see it first (if possible), listen to the McKittrick Live Recording, then listen to the studio recording to pull it all apart and start to change your whole viewpoint on life, the universe and everything. As usual, Dave has provided us with some fascinating insights on his music and many wonderful effusions on his fellow cast members via his Genius annotations. If you’re into Arabian Nights and are board game oriented look no further than one of Jimi’s all time favourites: Tales of the Arabian Nights! Can we start a Twitter campaign to see if Dave actually intended it to be Roxie Usher a la Anything Goes? The people need to know! In one of her standout moments, Elaine Stritch’s one woman show paints a fascinating picture about her relationship with alcohol. If you want to join Jimi’s cult of Jeff Buckley then why not start with one of the best studio albums of all time, Grace? Then while you’re feeling musical why not have a gander at one of Thelonius Monk’s greatest albums too? A staple for every record player to be quite honest. Check out Wind Cave and/or Cheddar Gorge depending on your locale for some Lights Out action! Is this podcast really just a way for Jimi to garner like-minded people who share his eclectic tase in fiction? I think so. Feel free to PM him about anything related to Twin Peaks, Lost, The OA, Rusty Lake or House of Leaves. How can it be that we spoke for around 3 hours about a show, yet there still be so much more to say? Let's move this talk over to Reddit. We're dying to hear your thoughts! A HAZARDOUS QUIZ QUESTION: During the filming of the movie that this musical is based on, a jilted lighting operator intentionally attempted to drop a lighting instrument on one of the young actresses in an attempt at revenge for his own daughter not being cast in the role. What show?

Discuss on Reddit ➤ Support the Show ➤ We don’t even know how to begin, but we certainly know that we are here and discussing Dave Malloy’s spookily exquisite song-cycle, ‘Ghost Quartet.’ Spanning two full episodes where they dissect the show track-by-track, the boys get existential and talk about the other side, universal consciousness theory, the complex human relationship with alcohol, artist idolatry, how simple can often be best and the nature of protagonist and antagonist. Studio Recording: Amazon / iTunes / Spotify Live at the McKittrick: Amazon / iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES: The question we’re all asking is, WILL a Fosse neck do it? I guess we’ll never know. In true Prayer style, Jimi will try his hardest to not quote the Rainbow Sponge Lady video in future podcasts. If you’re batting about London this winter then check out London’s premiere of Ghost Quartet! So Jimi’s opinion on digesting Ghost Quartet is to see it first (if possible), listen to the McKittrick Live Recording, then listen to the studio recording to pull it all apart and start to change your whole viewpoint on life, the universe and everything. As usual, Dave has provided us with some fascinating insights on his music and many wonderful effusions on his fellow cast members via his Genius annotations. If you’re into Arabian Nights and are board game oriented look no further than one of Jimi’s all time favourites: Tales of the Arabian Nights! Can we start a Twitter campaign to see if Dave actually intended it to be Roxie Usher a la Anything Goes? The people need to know! In one of her standout moments, Elaine Stritch’s one woman show paints a fascinating picture about her relationship with alcohol. If you want to join Jimi’s cult of Jeff Buckley then why not start with one of the best studio albums of all time, Grace? Then while you’re feeling musical why not have a gander at one of Thelonius Monk’s greatest albums too? A staple for every record player to be quite honest. Check out Wind Cave and/or Cheddar Gorge depending on your locale for some Lights Out action! Is this podcast really just a way for Jimi to garner like-minded people who share his eclectic tase in fiction? I think so. Feel free to PM him about anything related to Twin Peaks, Lost, The OA, Rusty Lake or House of Leaves. How can it be that we spoke for around 3 hours about a show, yet there still be so much more to say? Let's move this talk over to Reddit. We're dying to hear your thoughts! A HAZARDOUS QUIZ QUESTION: During the filming of the movie that this musical is based on, a jilted lighting operator intentionally attempted to drop a lighting instrument on one of the young actresses in an attempt at revenge for his own daughter not being cast in the role. What show?

Discuss on Reddit ➤ Support the Show ➤ We’re hanging by a thread and dangling over the madness that is David Yazbek’s ‘Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.’ Based on the Spanish cult film by Almódovar, the boys traverse the winding plotlines to get to the root of what the musical is trying to say. They discuss its limited critical success, whether or not it’s a good representation of women and try to dissect David Yazbek’s ‘sound.’ Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown Amazon / iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES What do you think about Anaïs Mitchell’s quote: “Wordplay is not the same thing as poetry?” Do you agree with Jimi’s estimation that good musical theatre writing lies somewhere in between the two? Let us know what you think on Twitter! If you’re fascinated by lyric writing then Mr Stephen Sondheim has some of the best analyses of what makes a good musical theatre lyric in his books: Finishing The… and Look I Made A… Whether you’re a fan of the musical or not, Almódovar’s film is definitely one to be seen! If you want to experience some of the serious venom that this show garnered when it premiered on Broadway have a look at this review roundup. If you’re craving some LuPone action, then check out this incredible interview around the time of Women on the Verge. Hey listeners, what do you think about the ‘whole accents thing’? Let us know Come and let us know on Reddit. Particularly if you have an accent that is intrinsically linked to your culture! AN INSTRUMENTAL QUIZ QUESTION Which musical features metallophone, accordion, autoharp, erhu and ukelele in its orchestration?

Discuss on Reddit ➤ Support the Show ➤ We’re heading back to the turn of the 20th century in New York city as we take on the behemoth that is Ahrens and Flaherty’s ‘Ragtime.’ Back with a vengeance, the boys have six months of pent up discussion under their collective belts. This time they are talking about whether an epic production needs an epic design, pull apart what makes this show challenging to perform and discuss the importance of musical theatre existing outside of the ‘Broadway bubble.’ Ragtime: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording) Amazon / iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES If you want to try your very first ‘special froth’ then grab your own Cremola Foam (replica) today! It doesn’t happen often, but when it does my goodness is it tricky! Here’s some more information about the costume nomination debacle of the 2009 revival of Ragtime. For our bookworms out there, you can grab E.L. Doctorow’s original book here to fill in the blanks in this epic tale! With ‘The Producers’ we know that there are often some shenanigans going on behind the scenes of even the biggest Broadway shows. Here’s some information on Ragtime’s producer, Garth Drabinsky. E.L. Doctorow was very involved in the production of this musical and cites it as one of the finest recreations of his work. Here’s an article discussing his involvement. Doctorow was less impressed with James Cagney’s star turn as the police chief in the Ragtime film. But if you’re intrigued, here it is! Be warned, there’s no singing! The Regent’s Park Revival was polarising at best. Have a look at the trailer and let us know what you think on Twitter! In a complete contrast to the gaudy sets of the Regent’s Park production, the Ellis Island concert production shone a whole new light on the piece in the shadow of Lady Liberty herself. And straddling the two is the production Jimi first saw of Ragtime, from the Landor theatre. Here is a glimpse of its scaled down production! What do you think listeners? Is Ragtime a show for the small stage or the big? Come and chat up a storm on Reddit! If you’re a Ragtime aficionado, check out the 1996 recordings here for a whole new spin on the piece! A HIGH-FLYING QUIZ QUESTION In what show does Patti LuPone do her best “Elphaba” impression and “fly” at the end of Act 1?

The boys are back to discuss all of the nominated musicals for this year’s Tony Awards! If you want the low-down on what’s hot and what’s not in the musicals category then this is the podcast for you. Including discussions of artistry in musical theatre, the importance of impersonation in jukebox musicals and a pondering as to why viral sensation ‘Be More Chill’ only garnered one nomination. Good luck to all the nominees! For full show notes CLICK HERE!

Discuss on Reddit ➤ Support the Show ➤ Don’t waste time! Tune in right now to the latest Happy Hour where Jimi and Tommy are talking all about the very serious drama, “The Pajama Game!” After a long summer off the boys were keen to get right back in and talk about the peculiar structure of this show, why it might have all been a time-travelling-filled ruse to get Harry Connick Jr. on Broadway and discuss Bob Fosse’s choreographic debut! The Pajama Game (2006 Cast Album) Amazon / iTunes / Spotify SHOW NOTES Jimi was indeed disappointed to find out that Jock Jams had nothing to do with Jock Straps. Not that anyone needs reminding but this is what Jimi looked like when he tried to get into The Pajama Game. If ham is mentioned in a musical Pickle Surprise must make an appearance. It’s one of those unwritten laws. Enjoy! Drag Race fans please note a cameo from RuPaul and Lady Bunny. I wonder if any high school directors could work this interpretation of Hernando’s Hideaway into their production? Feast your eyes on Bob Fosse’s choreographic grand slam ‘Steam Heat!’ The 2006 revival switches up a lot of songs, including Babe’s reprise of ‘Hey There’ - what do you think of the tweaks? Is it important that Sid doesn’t get much to do in act 2? Let us know on Reddit! A WITHDRAWN QUATEMENT To our knowledge, the only time the Tony Awards Nomination Committee has withdrawn a nomination from a production was for next week’s show.

Discuss on Reddit ➤ Support the Show ➤ Crack open those spandex dungarees as we head over to the beautiful Greek islands and talk all about the super-smash hit ‘Mamma Mia!’ In a bid to drive Tommy over the edge, the boys are once more going head-to-head over the merits of this show. They talk all about what has made it such a phenomenon, Jimi explains away the mysteries of the Eurovision Song Contest and the guys finally open up about their opinions on jukebox musicals. Mamma Mia (Original Cast Recording) Amazon / iTunes / Spotify Do you say ABBA or ABBA? End the debate over on Twitter! If you are yet to listen to ‘My Dad Wrote a Porno’ then get right on it now and find out exactly why Cher is The Duchess in the movie sequel. The Eurovision Song Contest is a sight to behold for anyone, anytime. Here’s the winner from the last competition. Compare that with another classic from the UK here. Camp for all! ‘Mamma Mia!’ was so important in the healing process post-9/11 and was one of the first shows to re-open. Here’s an article where Meryl Streep talks about her relationship with the show and how it helped her family cope with the tragedy. If you were wondering how ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’could possibly shoehorn in ‘Waterloo’ into the main narrative then look no further! Featuring the IMMENSELY adorable Hugh Skinner (any W1A fans out there? Speak to Jimi.) Here’s the article with the brilliantly sassy quote that talks about how an immensely fun and unapologetic experience ‘Mamma Mia!’ is. We’ve managed to go 65 episodes without talking about Jukebox Musicals properly. But the time is now, come on over to Reddit to weigh in on the endless musical theatre debate! What do you make of Lisa Howard and Susan Blackwell’s exchange over ‘Escape to Margaritaville?’ JIMI’S BIG QUATEMENT MOMENT Jimi fought tooth and nail to get a line in our next show, that he has mentioned on a couple of previous podcasts. The line is: “This’ll wake them up!”

Discuss on Reddit ➤ Support the Show ➤ What’s new Happy Hour fans? We’re flying back to the B.A., Buenos Aires, Big Apple to talk all about the controversial first lady, ‘Evita’ by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Come for the deep discussion, stay for Jimi and Tommy fighting over whether this is a good show or not! This week the guys discuss some of Argentina’s troubled history, including the truth about what happened to Eva Peron’s body, work out the potential merits of the movie and debate whether or not this Andrew Lloyd Webber’s greatest score. Evita (Original Cast Recording/1979) Amazon / iTunes / Spotify SPONSOR This week’s episode is sponsored by Goldstar. Goldstar has a great selection of affordable tickets to all sorts of live events, including Broadway theater, national tours, concerts, comedy, dance, and more. Our first 200 listeners who head to goldstar.com/happyhour or use the promo code HAPPYHOUR at purchase will get $10 off their order. SHOW NOTES To be honest, I’d always have thought Patti was taller. Here is the diva herself giving her true opinions on what she thinks of Madonna in the movie. If you’re interested in more background to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s process then have a look at this brilliantly detailed book with lots of exclusives and great photographs. (You can tell Tommy doesn’t write the show notes, right?) Jimi is heartbroken more people won’t experience this amazing show, ‘These Trees Are Made of Blood’ - go check them out and give them some love! If you’ve yet to see the movie, it’s definitely worth a watch. Once you’ve seen come and tell us what you thought over on Twitter! We’d be surprised if you’re aware of Evita and have never seen this video. All jokes aside, no one can deny this wonderful woman is a POWERHOUSE! And if you want to work out exactly how she does it (and some of the intelligence behind the composition of this number in particular) check out Seth Rudetsky’s brilliant deconstruction! And if you want to hear in her own words what she thinks about Andrew Lloyd Webber then this interview is amazing with Broadway.com’s Paul Wontorek! This is a fantastic article which goes into a lot of detail around the difficulties of casting a show like Evita. SMELLS LIKE TEEN QUATEMENTS This musical shares its poster title font with Nirvana’s album covers.

Discuss on Reddit ➤ Support the Show ➤ Abandon all hope ye who enter here as we delve into the dark world of free-range squid, designer suits and subtly thick business cards and discuss Duncan Sheik’s ‘American Psycho.’ Whether you’ve read the book, seen the film, both or neither this musical is a controversial take on the already controversial subject matter. This week Jimi and Tommy talk about the differences between the three media, muse on why the Broadway run of the show was so unsuccessful and think about whether theatre should make sure it’s fun for everyone, or sometimes just be for the ‘cool kids.’ American Psycho (Original London Cast Recording) [Explicit] Amazon / iTunes / Spotify SPONSOR This week’s episode is sponsored by Goldstar. Goldstar has a great selection of affordable tickets to all sorts of live events, including Broadway theater, national tours, concerts, comedy, dance, and more. Our first 200 listeners who head to goldstar.com/happyhour or use the promo code HAPPYHOUR at purchase will get $10 off their order. SHOW NOTES There’s no better way of understanding a piece of fiction than going to the source, and that’s never been truer for ‘American Psycho’ - check it out! Once you’ve read that then check out the 2000’s movie version.Congratulations! You are now well versed in ‘American Psycho!’ Tommy compared this musical’s journey to the notorious ‘Carrie’ musical. What are some of your flops that you are obsessed with? Let us know on Twitter! Here’s a cool interview with the (highly controversial) Bret Easton Ellis talking about ‘American Psycho’ and its transformation into a musical. Duncan Sheik has a lot to say about the musical, and love him or hate him he knows what he’s talking about! Here’s a really good BUILD Series interview of him talking about the musical. If you’re a fan of ‘Spring Awakening’ and ‘American Psycho’ you might dig some of Duncan Sheik’s own music. This album features a song called ‘A Body Goes Down’ which Jimi loves because it’s about Jeff Buckley. If this was your first impression of the ‘American Psycho’ musicalstaging would you be impressed? What are your experiences with the ‘American Psycho’ world? Let’s get literal over on Reddit and we can discuss some of the book/movie/musical’s themes! A LOFTY QUIZ STATEMENT Two of the actresses who have played the title role in this musical have only ever had one conversation with each other. It went as follows: one actress said to the other, “I’m taller than you.”

Discuss on Reddit ➤ Support the Show ➤ No pares, sigue sigue and take a train to the top of the world to join the wonderful residents of Washington Heights in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first Broadway venture, ‘In the Heights.’ As a nice break from the heat outside, join the boys as they chat up a storm about some of the difficulties of directing this show, how important ‘Heights’ is in the canon of American musical theatre and explore the true meaning of the word superfluity. Wepa! In the Heights (Original Broadway Cast) Amazon / iTunes / Spotify SPONSOR This week’s episode is sponsored by Goldstar – the online ticket vendor that has a great selection of affordable tickets to all sorts of live events. Our first 200 listeners who head to goldstar.com/happyhour or use the promo code HAPPYHOUR at purchase will get $10 off their order.Let us know what tickets you get with the offer code for a shout-out on the next podcast! SHOW NOTES Jimi apologises for talking about his production of ‘In the Heights’ so much but hey, if you’re interested, check out the trailer for it! Lin-Manuel has done his usual malarkey and uploaded some of his tracks from the cutting room floor onto his Soundcloud including a cut song for Camila! There is a fantastic documentary from PBS Great Performancesabout ‘In the Heights’ that you really need to check out and has supplied Jimi with one of his favourite quotes - ‘Dreams come true, bitches!’ Is this video a glimpse into the future once the amateur rights for ‘Hamilton’ drop? Probably. As sad as that is… Get on over to Reddit and tell us what you think about the whole race conflama, cause we certainly don’t have an answer! Is as diverse as possible okay for a show like Heights? Or is it just the exact same as casting a show like 'Scottsboro Boys?' Let us know! Are you following us on Twitter yet? If not, get with the programme! Come and tweet us your experiences with ‘Heights.’ Also this is one of Jimi’s first exposures to ‘In the Heights.’ It explains a lot. A WET QUIZ STATEMENT To our knowledge this show is one of the only broadway musicals to include a full-stage splash guard for audience protection.

Discuss on Reddit ➤ Support the Show ➤ Open the windows! Travel the highways! Toast the vintages and fizz the fizz! This week the Bosom Buddies are dishing on Jerry Herman’s second female tour de force: Mame. Get ready for plenty of whinging about the film, prasing of Ms. Lansbury, contemplation of powerful female roles, and perhaps a hint of Nietzsche! Oh, and some gay stuff. Always some gay stuff. Mame (Original Broadway Cast) Amazon / iTunes / Spotify SPONSOR This week’s episode is sponsored by Goldstar – the online ticket vendor that has a great selection of affordable tickets to all sorts of live events. Our first 200 listeners who head to goldstar.com/happyhour or use the promo code HAPPYHOUR at purchase will get $10 off their order. SHOW NOTES You’ve heard the musical, now get the book! Patrick Dennis’s novel (and Mame’s escapades) took the world by storm in the 1950s. It’s no wonder the book exploded so quickly into so many stage and film adaptations. For a more direct discussion of southern racist problems of a bygone era, check out Happy Hour #39 about Kander and Ebb’s The Scottsboro Boys. Is Kimmy Schmidt a modern day Auntie Mame? Well…HAS VERA CHARLES ALWAYS BEEN A LEADING LADY?!?!? Want to get all intellectual like Jimi and read up on your Apollonian epic and Dionysian lyric verse? Then crack open a copy of Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy. (And then you can explain it to Tommy). For a fascinatingly fabulous trip town a YouTube black hole, why not check out this all-male performance of Mame from San Franciscio in 1980. Interested in more discussion about gay men and their relationships with musical theatre, check out Tommy’s series “Musical Theatre is SO gay!” Haven’t watched Lucy in the Mame movie yet? Don’t. Just satisfy your curiosity with this trailer for the original film. Oh you HAVE watched the Mame movie? Then maybe you can sympathize with Tommy (or add to the vitriolic comments) on his Miscast Mame video. Still got thoughts about the movie? Hit us up on the reddit to vent your woes. Jimi has insisted that Tommy include the Angela Lansbury massage video. Tommy is writing these notes (in the third person) and…sigh…will include a link to the video. Just kidding. This is the video. A FITNESS QUIZ STATEMENT This musical was (partially) inspired by a New York Pilates Studio on 181st street.