My Imaginary Broadway Friend

In our season finale, we take apart every musical episode of Riverdale—that is until a certain friend-turned-foe makes a long-awaited appearance.   cw: cults, violence, murder

In an attempt to stay on the cutting edge of relevance, we're reviewing the "In The Heights" movie...two months after it came out. 

Join Charles Dickens on one of his night walks through London as we look into Oliver! The Musical, and its ill-fated Disney adaptation, Oliver & Company.   cw: violence against women, antisemitism

Does the perfect musical exist? We certainly think it does, and it goes by the name of Sweeney Todd. Special shoutout to Beadle Bamford's soaring soprano.  cw: murder, sexual assault, general violence and gore

Let us entertain you with a detailed deep-dive of Gypsy*, the musical based on the life of burlesque entertainer Gypsy Rose Lee and the stage mom to end all stage moms. cw: emotional parental abuse *The word "gypsy" has historically been used as a derogatory slur against the Romani people, and is only used here to denote the proper noun of the musical's title and the person it is based on. 

This week, Wes and Elizabeth dive into the world of "Ghost", the 1990 movie that captured the hearts and clay-stained hands of audiences across America; and its 2011 musical adaptation that only ran for 136 performances.  Guest starring: Evan Pack as himself cw: racist stereotypes, murder, violence against women

This week, Wes and Elizabeth tumble into the wild world of cheerleading, something they're definitely both experts on. If you grew up watching reruns of the Bring It On movies on the ABC channel, this one's for you. 

To the creative team behind the sequel "Funny Lady", we're so sorry to have to rain on your parade. cw: brief mention of suicide, anti-semitism

Yes, you read that title correctly. This week we are reviewing the 2008 cult classic goth rock opera horror film Repo! The Genetic Opera. Will we make it through with our faces intact? Tune in to find out!   cw: sexual assualt, drug use, gore, self harm, suicide, domestic violence, gratuitous violence against women

Not long ago, a musical theatre demigod came to Elizabeth's apartment from the realm of the gods. You probably didn't hear about it. It wasn't very important. 

When the stodgy loafers go away, DREAMWORK comes out to play! Join us for this very special episode where DREAMWORK, the demi-demon of waking nightmares, fills in for Wes, who is taking a nap!   cw: transphobia 

Get out your wattpads, because boy oh boy do we have an enemies-to-lovers fanfic for you! (but not really, because Henry and Eliza don't belong together)

Today we're celebrating nine people's favorite thing on our very nine-people's-favorite-thing podcast: [title of show]! Note: if this is actually your favorite show, please let us know! We are desperately trying to find the nine people. 

If the previous 36 episodes didn't do it, this is definitely the one that will turn away our entire Gen Z audience. Spoiler alert: we don't love this musical!   cw: derogatory slurs toward women, underage sexting 

It's 2008, and you're slow dancing with your crush at the roller rink to "Falling Slowly"—the hit song from a little Irish movie that would one day become a Tony-winning Broadway sensation. It's our "Once" episode!

Do you love music from the 1960s and nothing else? Well boy oh boy have we got the musical for you!  (aka Elizabeth and Wes stan Carole King and Jessie Mueller and nothing else)

Okay, so this isn't our Wicked episode. But wouldn't you also love to hear us pick apart an old movie from the 1960s and its accompanying musical adaptation? Content warning: extreme physical and sexual violence against women; suicide

Welcome to the Renaissance, where everything is new and Wes and Elizabeth don't have that much to say about it. What can we say? This musical does its job.    No content warnings for this episode, but Elizabeth's audio is a little funky so apologies to your ears. 

We're taking a break from our regularly-ish scheduled Broadway-themed programming to bring you the first episode of "Green Eggs... and Man?"—a new podcast by the (non-demigod) Weston Scott and the (non-demigod) Adam Niemann! When Adam found out he was going to be a dad, he called his best friend, Wes, to help conquer the most essential parental task: the bedtime story! Each week, they read a single page of Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham to deem if it is appropriate for a newborn baby. They traverse complex thoughts such as the Hero's Journey, solipsism, and Sex and the City—until the book starts to gain a mind of its own!

The year is 2004: you've got your Vote for Pedro shirt, you're elbows-deep in Livestrong bracelets, and everyone is singing along to Green Day's "American Idiot". This week, Wes and Elizabeth pick apart this iconic album and the Broadway musical it eventually became. CW: substance abuse, war, suicide.

Yes, you read that right: there IS a Lord of the Rings musical, and it tried to cram not one, not two, but all three movies into one three-hour stage show spectacular. The results are about what you'd expect. 

It's a tale as old as time, so why are Wes and Elizabeth stuck in 1991? Is it because Beauty and the Beast is one of the the best damn movie ever made? Spoiler alert: yes.    cw: suicide

This week Wes and Elizabeth don't really talk about their assigned musical and instead answer the burning question: are musicals funny? Let's find out.    cw: we discuss and condemn an outdated joke in the musical that uses offensive Asian stereotypes.  

Wes and Elizabeth are joined by the Demigod of Locomotion to dissect STARLIGHT EXPRESS, the 1984 musical about the sex lives of trains—performed completely on roller skates. Guest starring: Laurel Myler as the Demigod of Locomotion

This week, Wes and Elizabeth pick apart the many different versions of Cabaret, the landmark musical that landed in the 60s and has only grown in influence since. cw: Nazis, the Holocaust, fascism, antisemitism, abortion

Part 2 of our "A Star is Born" special is here! This time we're talking about relationships, racism, and giving our final rankings for which star comes out on top.   cw: suicide, substance abuse, racism

It's our 25th episode! And to celebrate we decided to glue ourselves to the TV and watch all four versions of A STAR IS BORN. The result was an episode so deep and analytical we had to split it into two. Part 2 coming on Friday!   cw: suicide, substance abuse

Elizabeth and Wes are OPENING UP as they discuss the intersections of sex, baking, and contemporary musical theatre in "Waitress"! NOTE: apologies for the slight audio issues in this episode! A neighbor's radiator caused some interesting side effects. It's fixed by the next episode.  cw: spousal abuse, unwanted pregnancy

The year is 1989, and the Starmites have been sent down from Outer Space to save the universe—but can they save Broadway? Probably not, but we appreciate the bold attempt. 

Got a spare $50,000 laying around? Then come join Wes and Elizabeth at Horace Green Preparatory Academy, where you too can get a comprehensive(?) music education from wannabe rockstar Dewey Finn!

Before there was Patrick Bateman, before there was Jordan Belfort, and certainly before there was Jeff Bezos, there was J. Pierrepont Finch. What do a musical theatre demigod and his lonely friend know about a corporate workplace? Let's find out!  cw: typical sexist 60s workplace nonsense

Ladies and gentlemen, whether you like it or not...Hedwig!—the late-90s rock musical all about gender identity, the Berlin Wall, and finding your other half. cw: body dysmorphia, involuntary transition surgery, queerphobia, brief mention of implied child abuse (physical and sexual) 

Slap on those legwarmers and roller skates for for the 1980 so-bad-it's-good cult classic, Xanadu! Did we find our own Xanadu in this episode? We'll let you be the judge. 

There's a war going on out there somewhere, and Elizabeth and Wes are curled up by the fire reading War and Peace. Spoiler alert: this electropop opera based on Leo Tolstoy's most famous novel is a favorite of ours, and Elizabeth is about to expose herself as true Tolstoy trash.

We're sprinkling some Cole Porter on this podcast with the 1949 (and much-revived) classic "Kiss Me, Kate"—the musical about a musical based on a play that famously does not hold up. cw: violence against women

Wes and Elizabeth are welcoming the 60's to pick apart the 10-foot beehive that is "Hairspray", featuring future Republican congressman Sonny Bono making a bomb.  cw: discussions of racism and fat phobia 

What do you get when you cross Sesame Street, a lot of sex, and the peppy nihilism of the early 2000s? That's right, Avenue Q!—our official Millennial Musical. Rated R for Raunchy Puppets.  cw: racism, homophobia

This week we're looking at the 1974 beloved super soul musical, "The Wiz" and, more importantly, jumping on board the Quincy Jones fan bandwagon. 

Elizabeth and Wes kneel at the Holy Church of Baseball to talk a little bit about sports and a lot about femme fatales. 

Strap in for a church van full of nun puns as we take a look at Sister Act: The Musical! Spoiler alert: we *#$%ing loved it.    CW: we briefly talk about a song in the show that's about an ex-boyfriend stalking and planning the homicide of the main character.

This week we're joined by the Demi-god of Marvel (Adam Niemann) to talk about everyone's favorite 75 million dollar circus tragedy, "Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark". We will give $75 million to anyone who can tell us what that title is supposed to mean.  CW: brief mentions of child abuse and very soft pistol sound effects

Elizabeth never went to her high school reunion, so we're making up for it here by analyzing her sophomore year musical "Crazy for You" (during which she tore the ligaments in her left hand and somehow never thought to bring that up while recording this episode).  CW: sexual assault

In this special bonus episode, Wes and Elizabeth giggle and groan their way through what could possibly be Broadway's most sexist musical (not to be confused with Broadway's sexiest musical—that honor goes to Candide). 

This week, Wes and Elizabeth pop some bootleg gin and get down with not one, but TWO Wild Party musicals. That's right—two musicals with the same name based on the same source material that inexplicably came out the same year.  Content warning: sexual assault, homicide, domestic violence, blackface, drug use 

Elizabeth and Wes think of all the possible metaphors for a Tunnel of Love as they talk about "Side Show": the circus musical (very loosely) based on the lives of conjoined twins Violet and Daisy Hilton.  CW: this musical uses child abuse and abuse toward people with disabilities as plot points, which is discussed in this podcast. 

Wes and Elizabeth ask for the definition and language of origin for one of their all-time favorite musicals, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee—the show all about magic feet, unfortunate protuberances, and the words you spelled along the way. 

Elizabeth and Wes lace up their Doc Martens and take a look at RENT: the mega-hit Gen X rock opera about love, loss, and killing your neighbor's dog for money.

This week, Wes and Elizabeth profess their unshakeable love for Mamma Mia!: the fun-loving ABBA musical that reminds us of the good times—like the immediate aftermath of 9/11. 

This week, Elizabeth and Wes take a look at the sexy American Revolution musical that's NOT Hamilton! That's right, 1776—a musical so raunchy and radical that Nixon himself demanded edits to the film adaptation (spoiler alert: it was neither raunchy nor radical). 

Elizabeth and Musical Theatre Demigod Wes travel back in time to 1997 to tackle two "Titanic"s: the Broadway musical and the little-known James Cameron movie.  Apologies for the mysterious ticking in the audio—perhaps it's the S.S. Californian trying to warn us of impending disaster. 

In this inaugural episode, Elizabeth makes a wish and the musical theatre demigod appears. Together, they tackle their first of many musical deep dives: Man of La Mancha.  CW: an instance of sexual assault in the musical is discussed.