Podcasts about city center encores

In this episode of Half Hour with Jeff & Richie, we dive into the 2025 City Center Encores! production of Wonderful Town in New York City. We break down what worked-and what didn't-in this revival of Leonard Bernstein's musical about two sisters chasing their dreams in 1930s Greenwich Village. From the standout Encores! Orchestra and impressive choreography to the modernized costumes and a book that left us wanting more, we share our honest takes on the show's direction, design, and overall impact. We also talk about mixed audience reactions, the challenges of updating a classic, and why live theater in NYC is always worth the trip. Follow and connect with all things @HalfHourPodcast on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠. Share your thoughts with us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wonderful Town⁠⁠ on our podcast cover post on Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The luminous Kate Baldwin joins The Art of Kindness with Robert Peterpaul this Women's History Month to discuss acts of kindness throughout her career on Broadway, Maestra Music and more. Kate Baldwin is a two-time Tony Award and four-time Drama Desk Award nominee who has delighted audiences across the country with performances on Broadway, in concert and on television. Kate starred as Irene Molloy opposite Bette Midler, David Hyde Pierce and Gavin Creel in the hit Broadway revival of Hello, Dolly!, for which she was nominated for the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards. She originated the role of Sandra Bloom in Big Fish on Broadway and earned accolades and a Drama Desk Award nomination for her work as Leslie Lynnton Benedict in Michael John LaChiusa's Giant at The Public Theatre. She received a Drama Desk Award nomination for her role as Jen in Keen Company's 20th Anniversary revival of Andrew Lippa and Tom Greenwald's John & Jen. She garnered critical acclaim and a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for Tom Kitt and John Logan's Superhero at Second Stage. But it was her starring role in the 2009 Broadway revival of Finian's Rainbow, which drew Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations and put her on the map as “a real musical theatre star.” (New York Post) Kate has appeared in the Broadway casts of The Full Monty, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Wonderful Town. Other New York theatre productions include Songbird at 59e59 and in The Dead, 1904 for Irish Rep, Fiorello! and Love Life for City Center Encores! She starred in The King and I at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Irving Berlin's White Christmas (San Francisco, Detroit, Toronto), The Women at The Old Globe, Henry V at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, She Loves Me at the Willliamstown Theatre Festival, and The Music Man and South Pacific at Arena Stage, earning a Helen Hayes Award nomination. She drew raves for her portrayal of Francesca Johnson in The Bridges of Madison County directed by original cast member Hunter Foster and for her turn as Dorothy Brock in 42nd Street at Goodspeed Opera House directed by original creator Randy Skinner. She has performed in concert with the American Pops Orchestra, New York Pops, Boston Pops, National Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Portland Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Chicago Symphony, American Songbook series at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center and at the legendary New York nightclubs Feinstein's, Birdland and 54 Below. Her concert work also includes several appearances with Stephen Sondheim as a featured performer in his critically acclaimed evening, “A Conversation with Stephen Sondheim.”  On television, her work includes appearances on “The Gilded Age” (HBO),  “Law &Order: SVU” (NBC) “Just Beyond” (Disney Plus) “Live from Lincoln Center: Stephen Sondheim's Passion” (PBS) and “First You Dream: the Songs of Kander and Ebb” (PBS) Kate is a 2023 Chicago/Midwest Emmy nominee, alongside partners at HMS Media for creating and producing “Broadway Comes Home,” a love letter to her hometown of Milwaukee. She is a proud advisory board member for Maestra Music, which provides support, visibility and community for the women and non-binary people who make the music in musical theatre. Kate's debut album on PS Classics, “Let's See What Happens” features Lane and Harburg songs from both stage and film. Her second album celebrates the work of lyricist Sheldon Harnick and is titled, “She Loves Him.”   She is a graduate of Shorewood High School in Shorewood, WI and Northwestern University. She lives with her husband and son in Maplewood, NJ. Visit: maestramusic.org Follow Kate: @realkatebaldwin Follow us: @artofkindnesspod / @robpeterpaul youtube.com/@artofkindnesspodcast Support the show! (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theaok) Got kindness tips or stories? Want to just say hi? Please email us: artofkindnesspodcast@gmail.com Music: "Awake" by Ricky Alvarez & "Sunshine" by Lemon Music Studio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest today is Joshua Rosenblum, author of Closer than Ever — The Unique Six-Decade Songwriting Partnership of Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire. This terrific new book chronicles the sixty-six-year (and counting) partnership of two of the most gifted songwriters of our time, giving full behind-the-scenes accounts of their musicals interspersed with deep-dive analyses of standout individual numbers. Among the well-known Broadway figures who feature prominently in the Maltby/Shire story are Stephen Sondheim, Hal Prince, Michael Stewart, Francis Ford Coppola, Susan Stroman, John Weidman, Charles Strouse, Garth Drabinsky, Jason Robert Brown, and Jonathan Tunick. Using his experiences as a Broadway conductor, music journalist, and professor of musical theater composition, as well as his long-term personal and professional acquaintance with both Maltby and Shire, Joshua Rosenblum is uniquely suited to chronicle their lives, careers, and creative output. The songwriters, both of whom are engaging and articulate in describing what they do, are quoted liberally throughout the book in exclusive interviews, creating the impression that one is spending time with two inspiring creative artists who happen to be great company.   Joshua Rosenblum teaches Composing for Musical Theater at Yale University and Conducting at New York University. As a composer/lyricist, he wrote the scores to the off-Broadway musicals Fermat's Last Tango, Bush is Bad, and Einstein's Dreams (four Drama Desk Nominations). He has conducted fourteen Broadway and off-Broadway shows and has performed as pianist with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, the City Center Encores! Orchestra, and the American Symphony. A longtime contributor of reviews and features to Opera News, Rosenblum is a summa cum laude graduate of Yale College and holds a master's degree in Piano from the Yale School of Music. Become A PATRON of Broadway Nation! This episode is made possible in part through the generous support of our Patron Club Members such as John Schroeder. If you are a fan of Broadway Nation, I invite you to become a PATRON! For as little as $7.00 a month you can receive exclusive access to never-before-heard, unedited versions of many of the discussion that I have with my guests — in fact I often record nearly twice as much conversation as ends up in the edited versions. And you will also have access to additional in-depth conversations with my frequent co-host Albert Evans that have not been featured on the podcast. And all patrons receive special “on-air” shout-outs and acknowledgement of your vital support of this podcast. And If you are very enthusiastic about Broadway Nation there are additional PATRON levels that come with even more benefits. If you would like to support the work of Broadway Nation and receive these exclusive member benefits, please just click on this link: https://broadwaynationpodcast.supercast.tech/ Thank you in advance for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When a scaled down, revival production of Chicago launched a 4-day run at City Center Encores before transferring to Broadway in 1996, no one anticipated that the show would still be running on Broadway after 28 years and over 11,000 performances. It's the second longest running Broadway show ever after Phantom of the Opera.  Producers Fran and Barry Weissler share insider stories with Michael Riedel about how many people in the Broadway community questioned the wisdom behind the launch. Michael also speaks with Joel Grey about playing Amos against normal type casting, and he talks with marketing superstar Drew Hodges about his steamy, minimalist ad campaign for the show. Plus Ann Reinking weighs in on the risky photo shoot. This episode features never-before-heard excerpts from the interviews Michael Riedel recorded while writing his 2020 best-selling book Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we dive into the City Center Encores! production of "Urinetown," the Tony Award-winning musical that blends political satire with catchy tunes. We explore how this unconventional show holds up in today's political climate, dissecting the effectiveness of its humor and the relevance of its themes. From standout performances to intriguing direction and design choices, we'll give you our take on whether this production makes a splash or needs a flush. Plus, we'll discuss City Center's role in reviving lesser-known musicals and speculate on Urinetown's future prospects. Is this production a refreshing stream of theatrical brilliance or does it leave audiences high and dry? Tune in for our thoughts on this unique piece of musical theater and what it reveals about the current state of Broadway. Follow and connect with all things @HalfHourPodcast on Instagram, and YouTube. Share your thoughts with us on "Urinetown" on our podcast cover post on Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Katie checks in with former Artistic Director of City Center Encores! and Creative Director/Senior Vice President of Jujamcyn Theaters, Jack Viertel, about his new theatre-centric novel, Broadway Melody.

In this episode, we sit down to discuss New York City Center Encores! JELL'Y'S LAST JAM. Please note that this episode will contain spoilers about the show. If you haven't seen the show yet, you can catch JELLY'S LAST JAM playing at New York City Center until March 3rd. Follow and connect with all things @HalfHourPodcast on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Share your thoughts with us on JELLY'S LAST JAM on our podcast cover post. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Peter Filichia, James Marino and Michael Portantiere talk about Once Upon A Mattress @ City Center Encores!, Our Class @ BAM, Sweeney Todd, and White Rose: The Musical “This Week on Broadway” has been coming to you every week since 2009. It is the longest-running running Broadway and theatrical podcast read more The post This Week on Broadway for January 28, 2024: Once Upon A Mattress @ City Center Encores! appeared first on BroadwayRadio.

Welcome to "Half Hour with Jeff & Richie," where we dive into the world of theater and share our insights on the latest productions we see. In this episode, we dissect the captivating performance of "Once Upon a Mattress" that we recently experienced at New York City Center Encores! We explore the intricacies of the plot and concept, celebrate the remarkable talent of leading actress Sutton Foster, and ponder the enduring relevance of Golden Age theatre in modern times. Whether you're unable to catch the show in person or seeking a deeper understanding after attending, join us for a lively discussion. Don't miss the chance to see this incredible show, running until Feb 4th - get your tickets here. Support the show If you liked this episode, don't forget to subscribe to this podcast and leave us a review. Share your thoughts with us on this episode below: On Instagram: @halfhourpodcast On TikTok: @halfhourpodcast On our website: www.twoworldsentertainmentllc.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest this week is Ted Chapin whose captivating 2003 book Everything Was Possible: The Birth of the Musical “Follies,” has recently been reissued in a revised and updated edition.  As you may know, this book is based on Ted's first-hand experience as the production assistant on the original Broadway production of the Stephen Sondheim, Hal Prince, & James Goldman landmark musical Follies. Of course, the expression, “I just couldn't put that book down” is a cliché – but in this case, it has been absolutely true – twice! -- both when I read this book when it was originally released, and again just a few weeks ago when I had the great pleasure of diving into it all over again. On last week's episode, Peter Filichia, talked about wanting to be able to go back in time and be a “fly on the wall” to witness the inner workings of legendary musicals as they were being put together. Ted's book allows all of us to do exactly that. This book makes you feel as it you are right there in the thick of it during Follies' rehearsal period in New York, and in Boston during its out-of-town tryout's many trials and tribulations. For 40 years Ted served as the President of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization a role that he was personally chosen by the Rodgers and Hammerstein families to take on. On his watch, there were eight Tony Award-winning Best Revivals of musicals in the R&H catalog -- On Your Toes, Carousel, Show Boat, Annie Get Your Gun, South Pacific, The King And I – twice! – and Oklahoma! He also supervised major R&H productions In London, on television, and around the world. And Ted is the co-founder of the acclaimed City Center Encores! series, and he currently serves on the boards of City Center, The Kurt Weil Foundation, and the American Theatre Wing. It is always a delight to speak with him – especially regarding his one-of-a-kind experience of being in the rooms where Follies happened.  Become a PATRON of Broadway Nation! I want to thank our Broadway Nation Patron Club members, such as John Schroeder and Alan Brodie whose generous support helps to make it possible for me to bring this podcast to you each week. If you would like to support the creation of Broadway Nation, here is the information about how you too can become a patron. For a just $7.00 a month you will receive exclusive access to never-before-heard, unedited versions of many of the discussions that I have with my guests — in fact I often record nearly twice as much conversation as ends up in the edited versions. You will also have access to additional in-depth conversations with my frequent co-host Albert Evans that have not been featured on the podcast.  All patrons receive special “on-air” shout-outs and acknowledgement of your vital support of this podcast. And if you are very enthusiastic about Broadway Nation there are additional PATRON levels that come with even more benefits. If you would like to support the work of Broadway Nation and receive these exclusive member benefits, please just click on this link: https://broadwaynationpodcast.supercast.tech/ Thank you in advance for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode we are joined by actor Tam Mutu!  Tam was last seen in City Center Encores' production of Oliver and is known for originating the role of The Duke in Moulin Rouge! The Musical!   He made his Broadway debut in Doctor Zhivago as Yuri Zhivago and his other credits include Love Never Dies, City of Angels and Les Misérables.  We talk with Tam about what led him to theater, his love of sports, his take on new works vs. revivals, what he's learned from working on different projects and much more!

Broadway star, actress, and singer/songwriter @lauraosnes joins us on the show to talk new music, her upcoming documentary with Backlight Productions, and more. About Laura: LAURA OSNES is a two-time Tony Award nominee for her poignant performances on Broadway in Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (Drama Desk Award) and Bonnie & Clyde. Other Broadway credits include leading roles in Bandstand, Anything Goes, South Pacific, and Grease, where she won the role of Sandy on NBC's reality talent competition, “You're The One That I Want” at the age of 21. She has starred in five Hallmark original movies: In The Key Of Love, A Homecoming For The Holidays, One Royal Holiday, Raise A Glass To Love, and Christmas in Tahoe, as well as A Dash Of Christmas on Great American Family. She appeared on TV in Fosse/Verdon (F/X), Dynasty (CW), Elementary (CBS), Six By Sondheim (HBO), Live From Lincoln Center: Bernstein On Broadway (PBS), A Capitol Fourth (PBS), Sondheim: The Birthday Concert (PBS), and the Kennedy Center Honors (CBS) salutes to Barbara Cook (2011), Dustin Hoffman (2012), and Dick Van Dyke (2021). Other New York/regional credits include The Scarlet Pimpernel and Crazy For You (Manhattan Concert Productions), The Threepenny Opera (Drama Desk nomination; Atlantic Theater Company); City Center Encores! productions of The Band Wagon, Randy Newman's Faust, and Pipe Dream; The Sound of Music (Carnegie Hall); On The Town (Boston Pops); Carousel (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Broadway: Three Generations (Kennedy Center). In addition to co-creating/producing/touring with Disney Princess - The Concert, she has performed with Michael Feinstein, the New York Philharmonic, The New York Pops, The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, The Boston Pops, and The National Symphony Orchestra, appearing in such venues as Carnegie Hall, The Café Carlyle, Lincoln Center, and The Smith Center in Las Vegas. She can be heard on several original cast recordings, her two solo albums, and on her debut EP of original music "On The Other Side." A recent transfer to Nashville, TN, Laura is currently producing a documentary series with her husband Nathan Johnson, and planning to release new music in 2024! Follow The Libby O Show: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @thelibbyoshow www.thelibbyoshow.com

This episode we are joined by performer James D. Gish.  James was last seen in City Center Encores' production of The Light in the Piazza  and made his Broadway debut in Wicked.  James was also in the national tours of Beautiful and Les Miserables.  You can also listen to James' album "So in Love" on iTunes.  James takes about his life as a working actor, his love of writing and "camp", and much more! 

ANDREW BURNAP - won the 2021 Tony Award for Best Lead Actor in a Play for his performance in Matthew Lopez's The Inheritance, directed by Stephen Daldry, after a successful run at the Young Vic in London and a transfer to the West End. Additional theater credits include the titular role in the West Coast premiere of Matthew Lopez's The Legend of Georgia McBride (Geffen Playhouse, director Mike Donahue), Nicky Silver's This Day Forward (Vineyard Theatre, director Mark Brokaw) and Troilus in Troilus and Cressida (The Public, director Daniel Sullivan). TV and Film credits include the upcoming The Front Room (A24) and Disney's live-action Snow White; as well as “Under the Banner of Heaven” (Hulu); “WeCrashed” (AppleTV+); The Chaperone (director Michael Engler); and Spare Room. Andrew graduated from the Yale School of Drama. DAKIN MATTHEWS - LCT: Henry IV (Drama Desk Award). Broadway: To Kill a Mockingbird, The Iceman Cometh, Waitress, The Audience, Rocky, The Best Man, A Man for All Seasons. New York: Shakespeare in the Park, The Bridge Project at BAM, Playwrights Horizons, City Center Encores!, The Acting Company. Over 200 regional productions. Recent film credits include True Grit, Lincoln, Bridge of Spies and Zero Charisma. Over 250 television credits including “The King of Queens,” “Desperate Housewives” and “Gilmore Girls.” Former Artistic Director of three professional companies, an award-winning playwright and translator, an Emeritus Professor of English and a Shakespeare scholar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lauren Mitchell lets us in on what it was like producing two different revivals of the show she originally acted in and why returning to the stage in the City Center Encores production didn't whet her appetite to perform more. Join host Ben Rimalower for this candid conversation exploring how Sondheim and Lapine went Into the Woods. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Broadway actor Alex Joseph Grayson joins us to talk about his journey with the Tony Award-winning revival of the tragic musical PARADE, which began with the City Center Encores production in 2022. Alex shares how his early life living around the world with his family shaped him as a person and artist, the impact the show has had on audiences, and how he has gained more confidence to impact others in a positive way in the process. PARADE is in performances at the Bernard B. Jacobs theatre on Broadway through August 6. Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the episode, be sure to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review!

It's a stormy night somewhere in Wales, and three travelers are having a rough go of it: married couple Phillip and Margaret Waverton, and their passenger in the back seat, the dapper Penderel. That's when they come upon a house, which is, shockingly, old… and dark. They manage to gain entrance after convincing the mute, lumbering butler, Morgan, that they are indeed in distress, and are soon greeted by the house's main occupants, the elderly Femms, Horace and his hard of hearing sister Rebecca. The Femms offer the travelers supper, but as the sternly religious Rebecca finds it inappropriate, no beds. As they sit down to eat a meal of meat and potatoes, two more travelers burst in – the jolly Sir William Porterhouse and his personal companion, Gladys Duquesne. Or is it Perkins? As the evening wends from dinner to conversation to an interest in the rest of the house, things take a turn for the weird, and soon, all are ensnared in a trap – not just to make it through the storm, but to get out of the house alive. Intro, Math Club, and Debate Society (spoiler-free) 0:00-27:40 Honor Roll and Detention (spoiler-heavy) 27:41-1:06:53 Superlatives (so. many. spoilers.) 1:06:54-1:26:09 Director James Whale Screenplay Benn W. Levy, with additional dialogue by R.C. Sherriff, based on the novel Benighted by J.B. Priestley Featuring Lilian Bond, Melvyn Douglas, Elspeth Dudgeon, Boris Karloff, Charles Laughton, Raymond Massey, Eva Moore, Gloria Stuart, Ernest Thesiger, Brember Wills Jason Kravits has been appearing on stages and screens, large and small, for over 30 years. Best known for his long-running role as ADA Richard Bay on ABC's “The Practice,” he has appeared in dozens of shows, including memorable roles on “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “The Kominsky Method,” “30 Rock,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Young Sheldon,” “Grey's Anatomy,” “B Positive,” “NCIS,” and “Gilmore Girls.” He recently appeared opposite Nicole Kidman on HBO's “The Undoing” and Ewan McGregor in Netflix's Halston. Kravits has appeared in several Broadway shows, including The Drowsy Chaperone, Relatively Speaking, and City Center Encores production of The Golden Apple. In 2015, Jason created Off the Top!, a “one-man, completely improvised cabaret.” Since then he has performed the show over a hundred times to sold out crowds in London, Edinburgh, Adelaide, Melbourne, Amsterdam, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles, and regularly plays the world-famous Birdland Theater in New York City. Our theme music is by Sir Cubworth, with embellishments by Edward Elgar. Music under the synopsis is “A Little Street Where Old Friends Meet” by Gus Kahn and Harry Woods, performed by Isham Jones and His Orchestra. For more information on this film, the pod, essays from your hosts, and other assorted bric-a-brac, visit our website, scareupod.com. Please subscribe to this podcast via Apple or Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you like what you hear, please leave us a 5-star rating. Join our Facebook group. Follow us on Instagram. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

My guest this week is Ted Chapin who's captivating 2003 book Everything Was Possible: The Birth of the Musical “Follies,” has recently been reissued in a revised and updated edition.  As you may know, this book is based on Ted's first-hand experience as the production assistant on the original Broadway production of the Stephen Sondheim, Hal Prince, & James Goldman landmark musical Follies. Of course, the expression, “I just couldn't put that book down” is a cliché – but in this case, it has been absolutely true – twice! -- both when I read this book when it was originally released, and again just a few weeks ago when I had the great pleasure of diving into it all over again. On last week's episode, Peter Filichia, talked about wanting to be able to go back in time and be a “fly on the wall” to witness the inner workings of legendary musicals as they were being put together. Ted's book allows all of us to do exactly that. This book makes you feel as it you are right there in the thick of it during Follies rehearsal period in New York, and in Boston during its out-of-town tryout's many trials and tribulations. For 40 years Ted served as the President of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization a role that he was personally chosen by the Rodgers and Hammerstein families to take on. On his watch there were eight Tony Award winning Best Revivals of musicals in the R&H catalogue -- On Your Toes, Carousel, Show Boat, Annie Get Your Gun, South Pacific, The King And I – twice! – and Oklahoma! He also supervised major R&H productions In London, on television, and around the world. And Ted is the co-founder of the acclaimed City Center Encores! series, and he currently serves on the boards of City Center, The Kurt Weil Foundation, and the American Theatre Wing. It is always a delight to speak with him – especially in regard to his one-of-a-kind experience of being in the rooms where Follies happened.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin Adams shares developments in the craft of lighting, assembling his lighting department, and why he enjoys designing pop rock musicals specifically as it relates to A Beautiful Noise! If you are listening to this on Apple Podcast, we'd love it if you could share your love in a review! ABOUT KEVIN ADAMS Four-time Tony winner Kevin Adams has designed SpongeBob SquarePants (Tony nom.), Head Over Heels, Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Tony and Outer Critics Award), American Idiot (Tony Award), Spring Awakening (Tony Award; Olivier nom for the West End production), Next To Normal (Tony nom), The 39 Steps (Tony and Drama Desk Awards), Hair (Tony nom), Man And Boy, Everyday Rapture, Passing Strange, Take Me Out, A Class Act, Hedda Gabler with Kate Burton, solo shows by Eve Ensler and John Leguizamo. Off-Broadway he has worked on the original production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, The Scottsboro Boys, Rent, Carrie, new work by Edward Albee, Eric Bogosian, Christopher Durang, Richard Greenberg, Tony Kushner, Terrence McNally, Neil Simon, Anna Deveare Smith and Paula Vogel. His work has also been seen at the Metropolitan Opera, Steppenwolf Theatre, Yale Rep, Berkeley Rep, Donmar Warehouse, and City Center Encores! On screen, he's worked on Mildred Pierce (HBO), Audra McDonald in concert (Town Hall, Joe's Pub, Lincoln Center), staged concerts featuring Patti Lupone (Gypsy, Candide, Anyone Can Whistle, Sunday in the Park with George and Regina) and Blue Man Group in Las Vegas and the Hollywood Bowl. For his work off-Broadway he has received an Obie for sustained excellence and two Lucille Lortel awards. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: A Beautiful Noise on Instagram: instagram.com/abeautifulnoisemusical A Beautiful Noise on Facebook: facebook.com/ABeautifulNoiseMusical Get Your Tickets: abeautifulnoisethemusical.com ambermylar.com --- Come say hi to us! Facebook: @PageToStagePodcast @BroadwayPodcastNetwork Instagram: @PageToStagePodcast @TheMaryDina @BrianSedita @BroadwayPodcastNetwork Twitter: @TheMaryDina @BwayPodNetwork YouTube: @PageToStagePodcast @BroadwayPodcastNetwork #PageToStagePodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When it comes to “making it” as a performer onstage or on screen, it's usually as an actor, singer, or dancer.  Most people tend to gravitate toward the one(s) they're most comfortable with and can truly express their artistry. Barton Cowperthwaite is a dancer first and foremost, with performances ranging from the opera La Traviata to Travis Wall's Shaping Sound dance tour. The esteemed choreographer Lar Lubovitch describes Barton as a “movement poet” and credits him with having what he calls musical visualization. “Rather than hearing the music, this kind of dancer has the impression of being the music.” But Barton has also been singing the music as well in productions at City Center Encores and in the national tour of American in Paris. He's also been exercising his acting chops in a few movies and of course in his breakout role of Oren in the Netflix series Tiny Pretty Things. Through all of it, Barton has proven he's much more than just a good mover and a pretty face. In this conversation, he shares both the joys and disappointments of working on a hit TV show that ended up being canceled, he opens up about realizing his own weaknesses as a performer and needing to constantly work at improving his abilities, and he talks about the time he went on for the lead role in An American in Paris with just 15 minutes notice.  Learn more about WINMI Podcast at whyillnevermakeit.com  Subscribe to WINMI and get access to Bonus Episodes on Supercast  Donate to the production efforts in making this podcast Follow Why I'll Never Make It on Instagram or Twitter  Get a free copy of WINMI's collection of Creative Wisdom    Ljósið (The Light) from Cylan Shaffer Before there was American in Paris, before Tiny Pretty Things, Barton was cast as the lead dancer in a wordless and moving piece from filmmaker Cylan Shaffer. It tells the story of a man who desires to overcome the restraint of his fears and then embarks on a journey towards discovery. Ljósið is an extraordinary performance piece of stunning emotion as two dancers (including Brandon Coleman) explore the boundaries of loss, love, denial, and acceptance. Watch it here.     Tiny Pretty Things Explores Sexuality on Netflix Fans of this show were ravenous in their love and affection for these characters. One such fan created a compilation video which highlights one of Barton's more vulnerable and intimate storylines in the show -- his character's relationship with Shane (Brennan Clost). Watch it here.     Final Five with Barton Cowperthwaite After our conversation on the joys of dancing and the struggles of being seen as more than just a dancer, Barton answers five final questions on the inspirations and advice he's received throughout his time onstage and onscreen. You'll find his answers and more on the WINMI Blog. Follow Barton: Website | Instagram | IMDb Follow WINMI: Website | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube 

THE SECRET GARDEN COMPOSER: Lucy Simon LYRICIST: Marsha Norman BOOK: Marsha Norman SOURCE: Frances Hodgson Burnett's book The Secret Garden (1911) DIRECTOR: Susan H. Schulman CHOREOGRAPHER: Michael Lichtefeld PRINCIPLE CAST: Daisy Egan (Mary), Alison Fraser (Martha), Mandy Patinkin (Archibald)  OPENING DATE: Apr 25, 1991 CLOSING DATE: Jan 03, 1993 PERFORMANCES: 709 SYNOPSIS: After her family dies of cholera, young Mary Lennox is sent to live with her austere, widowed Uncle Archibald. At night she is convinced that she hears the sounds of crying and discovers that Archibald's bed ridden son, Colin, has been locked up out of sight for many years. Determined to bring sunshine to the boy, Mary begins to discover the other secrets the house protects. Director Susan H. Schulman traces the development of The Secret Garden as the first collaboration between an all-female creative team in a Broadway musical. Amongst a female writing team (Marsha Norman/Lucy Simon), producer (Heidi Landesman), and design team (Florence Klotz/Tharon Musser), there are noted recurring instances of significant memories reading Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel about a little girl struggling with life in a new home. By broadly describing the educational and professional obstacles overcome by three women involved in the premiere of the musical in their studies at Yale School of Drama, a bleak case is outlined for gender parity within commercial American theatre. Despite mixed reviews, audience responses to The Secret Garden were collectively positive and led the show to international success. This chapter examines the ways later female-helmed Broadway productions, such as Waitress, have benefited from or even overshadowed The Secret Garden.  Susan H. Schulman: Broadway credits: the Tony Award-winning musical The Secret Garden as well as its highly-successful U.S./Canadian national tour (Drama Desk nomination), the revival of Sweeney Todd†at Circle in the Square (Tony Award, Drama Desk nomination), the revival of The Sound of Music (Tony nomination Outstanding Revival) and Little Women and its successful national tour. For her direction of the premiere of Violet at Playwrights Horizons (New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Musical), Susan received a Drama Desk nomination for Best Director. She received an Obie Award for directing Sondheim and Furth's musical Merrily We Roll Along at the York Theatre. Susan also directed the national tour of Sunset Boulevard with Petula Clarke as well as three productions for City Center Encores. She has directed for regional theatres throughout U.S.A., Canada and Australia, and most recently a new musical in Denmark. Susan is a graduate of Yale Drama School, Hofstra University and New York's famed High School of Performing Arts. Susan holds a full professorship at Penn State University where she heads the Graduate Program in Directing for the musical theater stage. SOURCES The Secret Garden, Original Cast Recording, Columbia (1991) The Secret Garden by Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon, published by Samuel French Inc (2010) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About the Guest Randy Redd made his Broadway debut in PARADE at Lincoln Center directed by Harold Prince. Broadway and Off-Broadway credits include MAY WE ALL, Max Vernon's THE VIEW UPSTAIRS, ALLEGRO at Classic Stage Company directed by John Doyle, Alain Boublil's MANHATTAN PARISIENNE directed by Graciela Daniele, and PUMP BOYS & DINETTES at City Center Encores. Other credits include MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, RING OF FIRE directed by Richard Maltby, Jr., Randy Newman's FAUST, THE BURNT PART BOYS, Terrence McNally's SOME MEN, the American premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber's BY JEEVES directed by Alan Ayckbourn, David Greig's MIDSUMMER, LUCKY STIFF, ONE MAN BAND with James Lecesne, and SMOKE ON THE MOUNTAIN. Film and TV credits include https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1HQ5OP9E8c (“Beautiful Creatures”) and “The Last 5 Years” directed by Richard LaGravenese, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJjmpO8k9m0 (“After The Storm”) directed by Hilla Medalia, "Kinsey" directed by Bill Condon, “From Broadway With Love” (PBS), “All-American New Years” (FOX), "The Wright Verdicts", Good Morning America, the Today Show, the Tony Awards, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with Wynonna Judd, and Show Biz After Hours with Frank DiLella, a monthly variety show at Birdland. He has worked as an actor, writer, musician, and director at Manhattan Theater Club, Lincoln Center Theater, Classic Stage Company, Tectonic Theater, Atlantic Theater Company, Naked Angels, Second Stage, New York Musical Theater Festival, The Kennedy Center, Goodspeed, Geffen Playhouse, Primary Stages, York Theater, Emelin Theater, City Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse In The Park, New Stage Theatre, Pittsburgh CLO, Charlotte Repertory Theater, the Flat Rock Playhouse, the Coconut Grove Playhouse, Stamford Center For The Arts, the Arden Theater, New World Stages, the Cape Playhouse, the Actor's Playhouse, and more. Recordings: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/showfolk/id305047066 (SHOWFOLK) with Tony Award-winner Rachel Bay Jones, Robin Skye's https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/robin-skye/id383949971 (HOUSE OF LOVE), LUCKY STIFF, NEO, Jason Robert Brown's WEARING SOMEONE ELSE'S CLOTHES and the Original Cast Recordings of PARADE, RING OF FIRE, THE BURNT PART BOYS and THE VIEW UPSTAIRS. In concert: Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Town Hall, Symphony Space, Cooper Union, St. John the Divine, Feinstein's, Ars Nova, Birdland and Joe's Pub. Links North Carolina Theatre http://www.randy-redd.com/ (Randy Redd's Website) Connect with Us Facebook @beltlinetbroadway Twitter @beltlinetobway Instagram @beltlinetobroadway

Lorin Latarro is the choreographer for Broadway's MRS. DOUBTFIRE, ALMOST FAMOUS, The Public's THE VISITOR, and Broadway bound THE OUTSIDERS and LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE.  Lorin choreographed Broadway and London's WAITRESS and LA TRAVIATA at The Met Opera. Lorin is directing Candace Bushnell's one woman show, IS THERE STILL SEX IN THE CITY. Additional Broadway choreography includes Les Liaisons Dangereuse with Janet McTeer and Liev Schreiber, and Waiting for Godot with Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart. Lorin is the Associate Choreographer of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and American Idiot. Rigoletto at The Met Opera (assoc), Huey Lewis's Heart of Rock And Roll (Old Globe), Merrily We Roll Along (Roundabout), Chess (The Kennedy Center), Lin-Manuel Miranda's 21 Chump Street for “This American Life” (Brooklyn Academy of Music), The Public Theater's Twelfth Night and The Odyssey (Delacorte Theater), Queen of the Night which garnered a Drama Desk Award (Diamond Horseshoe), Assassins, Fanny, and God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (City Center Encores!), Superhero (Second Stage), Beaches (Drury Lane Theatre), and A Christmas Carol (McCarter Theatre Center). Lorin directed #DateMe at The Westside Theatre, A Taste Of Things To Come at Chicago On Broadway and The York. Lorin performed in fourteen Broadway shows including Twyla Tharp's Movin' Out, Fosse, Swing!, Kiss Me Kate, A Chorus Line, and Man Of La Mancha. Lorin danced for Robert Wilson, Martha Graham, and Momix. Lorin has also worked with Pina Bausch, Jiri Kylian, Robert Battle, Frankie Manning, Ryan Francois, Pete Townsend, Green Day, Sara Bareilles, Melissa Etheridge, Cameron Crowe, and Charlize Theron. Ms. Latarro holds a BFA from The Juilliard School where she is also an adjunct professor. She also holds a degree from NYU Tisch Film And Television Directing Fundamentals. She is a Drama Desk, Lortel, and Chita Rivera nominee. Lorin has traveled to India and Africa multiple times to work with The Gates Foundation in family health and planning. Lorin is the founder of ArtAmmmo.org Artists Against Gun Violence as seen in the NY Times, PBS, Rachel Maddow, BBC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lorin Latarro is a director and choreographer, who also has fourteen Broadway credits to her name as a performer, including Twyla Tharp's Movin' Out, Fosse, Swing!, Kiss Me Kate, A Chorus Line, Spamalot and Man Of La Mancha. She choreographed Broadway's Mrs. Doubtfire, Waitress, Les Liasons Dangereuse, Waiting For Godot with Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stuart, Merrily We Roll Along for Roundabout, La Traviata at The Met Opera, and was the Associate Choreographer for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and American Idiot. Her choreography has also been seen at The Public Theater, The Kennedy Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, City Center Encores!, and the Old Globe. Lorin is a Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, and Chita Rivera Award nominee, and recently directed Candace Bushnell's one woman show, Is There Still Sex In The City, which became a NYTimes Critic's Pick.  Lorin dives right into a conversation about her love for neuroscience and how it relates to the body (specifically dance), her obsession with the idea of how a collective experience (like watching live theatre) changes your brainwaves, and why she almost left the entertainment industry to create her own business. She opens up about why choreographing and directing suit her more than performing, and talks about her road to becoming a successful choreographer. Lorin also speaks about working on her newest Broadway show, Mrs. Doubtfire - how and why she integrated many different styles of dance, and how she carried out her vision.  In this episode, we talk about:  Deciding she was going to be a dancer at 4 years old  Being married to a brain surgeon  Studying dance at Julliard  Her upcoming projects: Almost Famous, and The Outsiders Founding ArtAmmmo.org - Artists Against Gun Violence Connect with Lorin Twitter: @lorinlatarro IG: @latarro https://mrsdoubtfirebroadway.com/ Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A wonderful conversation with the incredibly talented, Tommy ScrivensTommy graduated from The Ohio State University with a BFA in dance performance in 2005. He has performed with Columbus Dance Theater contemporary ballet company, in the UK tour of Tap Fusion, as a guest artist with BalletMet, Parsons Dance, dre.dance, Nicholas Andre Dance, marInspired, and Kristin Sudekis Dance. In addition to company work Tommy has been featured in several movies, musicals and TV shows. Recent highlights are The Big Gay Musical movie, City Center Encores' production of "Where's Charley ?" and "Fiorello" and the premier of Rosie O'Donnell's return to prime time TV on Rosie Show. He has had the honor of working with Verdon/ Fosse Legacy LLC and a principal member of American Dance Machine for the 21st Century. Most recently he performed in the pre-Broadway run of the new musical Roman Holiday, Sophisticated Ladies directed by Andrè De Shields and appeared in an FX show Fosse/Verdon starring Michelle Williams and Sam Rockwell.As a teacher he has taught master class all over the world including Brazil, China, and Russia. In the US he has been privileged to teach at Peridance, Broadway Dance Center, Steps on Broadway, The Ohio State University, Adelphi University, and Manhattanville College. He currently on staff as a adjunct professor for Marymount Manhattan and was recently named a legacy teacher for American Dance Machine for the 21st Century. Don't forget to follow us on Facebook: JAM Joe and Michelle's Dance PodcastInstagram: jam_dance_podcastLike and subscribe on Spotify, Apple Music, or anywhere you listen to podcasts!

Jonathan Groff is a two-time Tony Award nominee for his acclaimed performances as Melchior in the hit musical “Spring Awakening,” and as King George III in the iconic smash “Hamilton.” Other stage credits include; the Public Theater's productions of “Hair” and “The Bacchae,” the City Center Encores production of “A New Brain”, the London revival of “Deathtrap” (with Simon Russell Beale), and the Los Angeles premiere of “Red” (with Alfred Molina). Groff starred in the HBO series “Looking,” the Netflix series “Mindhunter,” and provides the voices of Kristoff and Sven in the Disney's animated blockbusters, “Frozen” and “Frozen II.”Cocktails at Table 7- Inside New York's Joe Allen is produced and hosted by Jason Woodruff, Dana Mierlak and Sean Kent, with music by James Rubio and logo and artwork design by Christina D'Angelo. The Producers would like to extend a special thank you to the owners of Joe Allen, Orso and Bar Centrale Restaurants.

Jonathan Groff is a two-time Tony Award nominee for his acclaimed performances as Melchior in the hit musical “Spring Awakening,” and as King George III in the iconic smash “Hamilton.” Other stage credits include; the Public Theater's productions of “Hair” and “The Bacchae,” the City Center Encores production of “A New Brain”, the London revival of “Deathtrap” (with Simon Russell Beale), and the Los Angeles premiere of “Red” (with Alfred Molina). Groff starred in the HBO series “Looking,” the Netflix series “Mindhunter,” and provides the voices of Kristoff and Sven in the Disney's animated blockbusters, “Frozen” and “Frozen II.”Jonathon highly recommends his friend Ellen Winter, and we encourage you to give 36 Questions a go. 

All aboard the unsinkable Titanic for the unthinkable story of six survivors, all Chinese passengers from third class. Join Cass, Nat and special guest, actor, Raymond J. Lee for a [kind of] happy story from that ill-fated night.More on Ray: Raymond J. Lee was most recently in the company of Mack & Mabel at City Center Encores! and Soft Power at The Public Theater. Other Broadway credits include Aladdin, Groundhog Day, Honeymoon in Vegas, Anything Goes, and Mamma Mia! Film/TV credits include Marriage Story, Ghost Town, "Succession," “Billions,” “Red Oaks,” and “Smash." Voiceover credits include projects for Dreamworks, Netflix, Nickelodeon, and several audiobooks. He is a proud graduate of Northwestern University. For more info, visit www.raymondjlee.comFollow Ray on Instagram & Twitter @raymondjlee Our Lovely Guest, Raymond J. LeeThe Six Documentary TrailerTheir names in the ship manifestPhotos of 4 of the survivorsThe scene in Titanic where they show an Asian man being rescuedHan and Ann Get Answers: Could Jack have survived in “Titanic”?SOURCES: NPR, Mashable, The Six Documentary Website (thesixdocumentary.com), Sup China Podcast, The Washington Post, BBC MERCH: Snag some Shared History merch and get stylin'!SOCIALS: Follow Shared History at @SharedPod on Twitter & Instagram SUPPORT: Our network, Arcade Audio, is on Patreon. Support them and gain access to loads of bonus content from Shared History and other Arcade podcasts: patreon.com/arcadeaudio CREDITS:Original Theme: Garreth SpinnOriginal Art: Sarah CruzAnimations: The Banditry Co.Special Thanks: Kathleen Mueller MasonAbout this podcast:Shared History, is a comedy podcast and history podcast in one. Hosted by Chicago comedians, each episode focuses on obscure, overlooked and underrepresented historical events and people.SPONSORS: This season of Shared History is sponsored by RAYGUN, ECBG Cake Studio & The Banditry Co.

For the video edition, click here and subscribe: https://youtu.be/BxVfYt0hehQ Currently, Ann Kittredge has been producing and starring in an innovative, online program called Virtual Shorts that has been garnering rave reviews. Prior to this “theatrical intermission,” she has entertained New York and regional theatre audiences for decades. Numerous NY appearances include Dessa Rose at Lincoln Center, King David at the New Amsterdam Theatre, Nunsense Off-Broadway and multiple seasons of City Center Encores! and Menken and Ahrens’ A Christmas Carol at Madison Square Garden. A consummate performer, Ann's musical theatre repertoire is just the tip of the iceberg. Her recent foray into cabaret earned her a MAC Award and a BWW Audience nomination for her lauded tribute show: Fancy Meeting You Here: An Evening of Ahrens and Flaherty. Ann also devotes her time to Soka Gakkai International, a non- governmental organization of the United Nations that promotes peace, culture and education centered on respect for the dignity of life and the ideal of world citizenship, to contribute to the establishment of a peaceful world.  https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Ann-Kittredge https://annkittredge.com/about-me https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0457806 http://www.bretadamsltd.net/content/client/female-actors/ann-kittredge

CELIA KEENAN-BOLGER received the 2019 Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award for her portrayal of 'Scout' in To Kill a Mockingbird. She is known for outstanding performances in Broadway productions such as 'Laura' in The Glass Menagerie, 'Molly' in Peter and the Starcatcher, and 'Olive' in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.  She received Tony Award nominations for all three roles. Up next, Celia will star in Julian Fellowes' The Gilded Age for HBO. She previously starred in Lincoln Center Theater’s production of Oldest Boy and in Merrily We Roll Along at City Center Encores. She has also played guest star roles in notable TV series such as “Bull,” “Nurse Jackie,” “The Good Wife,” and “Louie.”  Celia was born in Detroit, Michigan and is a graduate of the University of Michigan’s Musical Theatre Performance Program. She currently resides in New York City with her husband and their son.For more information, visit www.playbill.com/sundaypancakes 

Kilty Reidy is currently in Melbourne performing in the Australian premiere of Come From Away after appearing in the U.S. National Tour of the Tony Award-winning hit. He was a member of the original casts of the Broadway musicals The Drowsy Chaperone and In My Life. Off- Broadway productions include Bye Bye Birdie at The City Center Encores!, South Pacific in Concert at Carnegie Hall with Reba McEntire, and Lone Star Love with the Red Clay Ramblers  Selected regional credits include 42nd Street (Bert Barry) opposite Sally Struthers at The Ogunquit Playhouse, A Christmas Story (Jean Shepard) at Capitol Rep, and The Producers (Roger De Bris) opposite Roger Bart and Brad Oscar at Kansas City Starlight Theatre.  He has also appeared on NBC’s The Blacklist in Kelly Reichardt's film Certain Women (2016 Sundance Film Festival) opposite Kristin Stewart. He is a founding member of the Manhattan based theater company B-side Productions, an alumnus of UNC-Chapel Hill (where he was a member of the prestigious all male a cappella group The UNC Clef Hangers) and a proud Actor's Equity Association Member. www.kiltyreidy.com

Emily Skinner has unequivocally established herself as one of Broadway’s most engaging and versatile performers. She was last seen on Broadway in The Cher Show. Her other Broadway credits include Prince of Broadway (directed by Hal Prince in his final show) for which she received an Outer Critics Circle Award, Billy Elliott, Jekyll & Hyde, James Joyce’s The Dead (opposite Christopher Walken), The Full Monty and Dinner at Eight. Off-Broadway, Emily has appeared at City Center Encores!, Manhattan Theatre Club, WPA Theatre, The Transport Group, Madison Square Garden, York Theatre, Playwrights Horizons and the Roundabout Theatre and she has performed lead roles at many of the major regional theatres across the country. Emily was nominated for a Tony Award (along with Alice Ripley) and received a Drama League Award for her performance as Daisy Hilton in the short-lived, but now cult classic, original Broadway production of Side Show.

Career Q&A with Norm Lewis on November 20, 2013. Moderated by Richard Ridge, Broadway World. Norm Lewis can be seen in A Bed and a Chair: A New York Love Affair, a celebration of songs of Stephen Sondheim presented by City Center Encores! and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Norm was last seen as Senator Edison Davis on the hit ABC drama, "Scandal." He recently received Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations for his performance as Porgy in the Broadway production of The Gershwins' Porgy & Bess. His many Broadway credits include Sondheim on Sondheim, The Little Mermaid, Les Miserables (Drama League nomination), Chicago, Amour, The Wild Party, Side Show, Miss Saigon and The Who's Tommy. He starred in the West End/London productions of Les Miserables and the Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Concert (London's O2 Arena, PBS), and Off-Broadway in The Tempest (Public Theater), Ragtime with the New York Philharmonic, Dessa Rose (Drama Desk nomination, AUDELCO Award), The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Drama League nomination), Captains Courageous, and A New Brain. www.normlewis.com

Florrie Bagel is a songbird artist who weaves with words, music, soul and wildflowers. She created Through the Smoke, an intimate cabaret evening honoring the wit, grit and jazz in the music of Amy Winehouse. She made her Broadway debut last year in The Rose Tattoo and has performed with City Center Encores! and National Tours. In this episode we go deep on how to use breath, movement, and sound to move through fear and creative blocks, release old stories, and choose the stories you want to tell. We talk about Florrie's Broadway debut in The Rose Tattoo, creating sacred spaces in her dressing room, and on performance as an energetic exchange. This episode is really helpful to anyone who deals with stage fright, performance anxiety, and more!Connect with Florrie:https://florriebagel.com/Creative Resources Mentioned:International School of the Temple Arts

Little Me host, Marc Tumminelli talks with the star of the current Broadway revival of WEST SIDE STORY - Shereen Pimentel in this weeks episode. Shereen tells her incredible story of making her Broadway debut at age 9 in The Lion King, graduating from the famed Julliard school during the pandemic, working in pageants, being part of John Mulaney's Sack Lunch Bunch, the audition process for West Side Story, performing in City Center Encores production of Road Show, working with Stephen Sondheim and Ivo Van Hove and creating the role of Maria in the 2020 revival of West Side Story. Produced by the Broadway Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's episode, Rob and Jamie go in deep with all things “Mack & Mabel”, discussing Jerry Herman's legendary flop as it returns to New York for the first time in 46 years with a new production at New York City Center's Encores! They speak with Jack Viertel, Artistic Director of Encores!; book reviser Francine Pascal, sister of the late bookwriter Michael Stewart; Rob Berman, long time musical director at Encores!; Josh Rhodes, director and choreographer of this new production; and actors Douglas Sills, Alexandra Socha, and Lilli Cooper. Time heals everything ... but loving “Mack & Mabel”! This week's music: “Overture”,“When Mabel Comes in the Room", ”Time Heals Everything”, “I Won't Send Roses”, “Movies Were Movies”, “I Want to Make the World Laugh”, “Tap Your Troubles Away”, “Look What Happened To Mabel”, from the Original Cast Recording, Alexandra Socha singing, “I Won't Send Roses, reprise”, and “Hit ‘Em on the Head”, from the 1995 London Cast Recording. Find us on Twitter & Instagram: @fabulousinvalid Facebook: www.facebook.com/fabulousinvalid Rob's reviews: www.stageleft.nyc Email us at: info@fabulousinvalid.com   Jamie Du Mont Twitter: @jamiedumont  Instagram: @troutinnyc  Rob Russo Twitter/Instagram: @StageLeft_NYC  Jennifer Simard Twitter: @SimardJennifer  Instagram: @thejennifersimard Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The New Yorkers, a risqué collaboration between New Yorker cartoonist Peter Arno, Cole Porter, and Herbert Fields, hasn’t been seen onstage since it debuted in 1930. In fact, it hasn’t really existed, at least not in the sense of there being a definitive script of the show. The New Yorkers provides us with a fascinating snapshot of the Broadway musical at a time when it was still as much revue as “book musical,” and of an entertainment industry that hadn’t yet been muzzled by production codes that attempted to enforce “public decency.” Now, New York City Center Encores! has revived The New Yorkers, with the help of some archival research and some additions from other Cole Porter shows. Encores! Artistic Director Jack Viertel spoke with the Theatre History Podcast to explain how this version of the show, which runs from March 22 – 26, captures the spirit of the original production.

Making it to Broadway is a dream come true for many. But no matter the show, living that dream will eventually come to an end. Whether your show runs for one month or one decade, eventually every Broadway musical will close. It doesn’t matter if it’s your first Broadway show or your tenth, closing means a future of artistic and financial uncertainty. And yet, closing shows is just part of the big, beautiful cycle of musical theatre. This summer seven Broadway musicals are shuttering their doors, sending scores of ensemblists back to unemployment. But is there a good side to having your Broadway show close? Or at least a silver lining? That’s what I am interested in finding out in this mini-series with three actors who have closed Broadway musicals this summer. Hannah Florence is no stranger to Broadway with four Mainstem musicals to her credit. However, she’s also no stranger to closing Broadway musicals as she was part of the final companies of all four: Scandalous, Gigi, Paramour and, most recently, My Fair Lady. She’s also an in-demand actress off Broadway and across the country, performing in This Ain’t No Disco at Atlantic Theater Company, Grand Hotel at City Center Encores! and playing Meg Giry in the North American Tour of The Phantom of the Opera.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Casey Nicholaw is currently presented on Broadway as director/choreographer of The Prom, Mean Girls (2018 Tony® nominations for Best Direction and Choreography), Disney’s Aladdin (2014 Tony®, Drama Desk & Outer Critics Circle Award nominations for Best Choreography), and co-director and choreographer of The Book of Mormon (2011 Tony®, Drama Desk & Outer Critics Circle Awards for co-director and nominations in the same categories for Choreography); Olivier award winner for Best Choreography. Represented on the West End as director and choreographer of The Book of Mormon and Aladdin. Other Broadway credits as director/choreographer: Tuck Everlasting, Something Rotten (2015 Tony®nominations for Best Direction and Choreography) Elf: The Musical; The Drowsy Chaperone (2006 Tony®, Drama Desk & Outer Critics Circle nominations); Monty Python’s Spamalot directed by Mike Nichols (2005 Tony®, Drama Desk & Outer Critics Circle nominations Best Choreography). Additional New York credits: for City Center Encores! – the highly acclaimed productions of  Most Happy Fella, Anyone Can Whistle and Follies (direction/choreography).

On this episode of IT'S [Talk] TUESDAY: The Improviser's Guide Podcast, TV and Broadway veteran Jason Kravits discusses performing the improbable; the hilariously spontaneous OFF THE TOP!  Backed by the most daring band in the business, Kravits invents an entire life story in song - music, lyrics, stories, characters - completely from scratch, based solely on audience suggestions. Every show is a once-in-a-lifetime show! Next stop is the Birdland Theater in NYC April 28th and 29th! Jason has been fortunate enough to appear on stages and screens, large and small for over 30 years. He is probably best known for his long-running role as Richard Bay on ABC’s The Practice, though he has amassed over 40 other television appearances. These include recurring roles on The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Mick, Madam Secretary, Smash, The Michael J. Fox Show, Royal Pains, and Dallas, as well as memorable appearances on The Big Bang Theory, The Deuce, The Kominsky Method, Young Sheldon, Disjointed, Homeland, Kevin Can Wait, Instinct, Major Crimes, Blindspot, The Blacklist, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Hot in Cleveland, Married, Masters of Sex, Raising Hope, 30 Rock, The Good Wife, Gilmore Girls, CSI, Grey's Anatomy, Everybody Loves Raymond and all the Law and Order franchises. Film Credits include Chinese Puzzle (Casse-tête chinois), The Stepford Wives, Sweet November, Morning Glory, Laura Gets a Cat, and What Just Happened. On Broadway, Jason is best know for his work in The Drowsy Chaperone. Other credits include Sly Fox and most recently, Relatively Speaking, three original one-acts by Ethan Coen, Elaine May and Woody Allen. He recently appeared in the City Center Encores! production of The Golden Apple as Mayor Hector. His one-man, improvised cabaret "OFF the TOP!" continues to perform regularly in New York, as well as in Los Angeles, DC, London, Adelaide and Melbourne. The show, winner of a 2017 Bistro Award, played to sold out crowds at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017, and was invited to the Adelaide Cabaret Festival in 2018. In 1999, his two-man sketch show, An Evening with Kravits and Jones, won the Jury Award at the US Comedy Festival in Aspen, Co. He is a founding member of The Rumble in the Red Room writing collective, as well as the long-running University of Maryland improv troupe Erasable, Inc. As a writer, Jason has penned the 10-minute play Green Eggs and Hamlet, the holiday stories The Kvetch, and A Christmoose Story, as well as the acclaimed web-series Lords of the Playground. Jason is a native of the D.C. area, where he performed extensively at the Shakespeare Theatre, Round House Theatre and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Co. He is a member of the Actors Center Workshop Company. Theme composed by Matt Harvey. Intro performed by Lindsay Zaroogian. Facebook - Twitter - Instagram - Website      

This New York born, New Jersey raised actress received TONY and Drama Desk Award nominations and won a Helen Hayes Award for her portrayal of Mother in the Kennedy Center Revival of RAGTIME on Broadway. She is currently starring in the record-breaking First National Tour of DEAR EVAN HANSEN. She made her Broadway debut creating the role of Emma in JEKYLL & HYDE, receiving a FANY award for Best actress in a musical. Ms. Noll received her second Drama Desk nomination for her work in CHAPLIN on Broadway. She has been seen perennially as Sister Margaretta in NBC’s THE SOUND OF MUSIC LIVE with Carrie Underwood and she supplied the singing-voice of Anna in the Warner Brothers animated feature THE KING AND I.    She has also enjoyed starring in Broadway productions of ELF (at Madison Square Garden), IT AIN’T NOTHIN’ BUT THE BLUES and on tour in URINETOWN (Ovation Award), THE MAMBO KINGS, GREASE!, MISS SAIGON and CITY OF ANGELS as well as a tour of Australia and Thailand of SOUTH PACIFIC. With a reputation for great versatility, Ms. Noll has performed a varied repertoire in Broadway, Operetta and Jazz. She has been a frequent guest soloist with symphony orchestras in every state in the USA, as well as international appearances with Toronto Symphony, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony, Sinfonica Brasileira in Rio, China Philharmonic with concert pianist, Lang Lang and orchestras in Hong Kong, Czech Republic and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She made her Carnegie Hall debut with Skitch Henderson, in his last pops performance with The New York Pops and sang with Steven Reineke SONDHEIM! THE BIRTHDAY CONCERT at Carnegie Hall. She made her Hollywood Bowl and O2 Arena debut singing with Julie Andrews in GIFTS OF MUSIC and her opera debut with Placido Domingo in THE MERRY WIDOW at the Kennedy Center as well as operetta performances in City Center Encores! THE NEW MOON, THE STUDENT PRINCE, THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE and THE MIKADO. Ms. Noll has premiered shows Off-Broadway and regionally: SNOW CHILD, OCTOBER SKY, City Center Encores! 1776, John Kander’s KID VICTORY, THE COTTAGE, THEY’RE PLAYING HIS SONGS, ACE (Helen Hayes nomination), THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK, THE PIPER, FRANKENSTEIN, KEPT (Krieger/Russell), CALL THE CHILDREN HOME, A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE, TAKE FLIGHT (Maltby/Shire), LITTLE BY LITTLE and LIZZIE BORDEN.  And happily starred in favorites NEXT TO NORMAL (Connecticut Cristics Circle award), FOLLIES (St. Louis Critics Circle award), CLOSER THAN EVER (Off-Broadway Alliance award), BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, MARY POPPINS, 1776, THE KING & I, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, INTO THE WOODS, MACK & MABEL (Connecticut Critics Circle Award), THE BAKER’S WIFE, THE SOUND OF MUSIC (Salzburg Marionette Theare), and CAROUSEL. Ms. Noll as also enjoyed television performances on LAW & ORDER SVU, MADAM SECRETARY, and THE GOOD FIGHT.  Christiane has performed her solo shows in cabaret at 54 Below, The Metropolitan Room, Birdland, The Regency, The Nikko, The Plush Room, The Duplex, The Nevermore, Arci’s Place, The China Club, Peaches, B.Smith’s and The West Bank Café as well as appearing in Town Hall's BROADWAY BY THE YEAR and the Lincoln Center's AMERICAN SONGBOOK SERIES.  Along will many cast albums and compilation recordings, she has released five solo CD’s, CHRISTIANE NOLL – A BROADWAY LOVE STORY and THE IRA GERSHWIN ALBUM, both on Fynsworth Alley, LIVE AT THE WESTBANK CAFÉ on 2Die4 Records, MY PERSONAL PROPERTY on Jay Records and GIFTS – LIVE AT 54 BELOW on Broadway Records. Christiane is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University.  ChristianeNoll.com - Twitter: @christianenoll - Instagram: @christiane.noll --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/confessionsofanactress/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/confessionsofanactress/support

Tony Award-winner LAURA BENANTI can now be seen in the Samantha Bee and Jason Jones TBS comedy, The Detour. Additional TV credits include Supergirl, Nashville, guest-starring as songbird Sadie Stone; The Good Wife; and Showtime’s Nurse Jackie. Most recently, Laura co-starred along side Amy Schumer and Keegan Michael Key in Steve Martin’s hit Broadway play, Meteor Shower. In 2016, Laura completed her Tony nominated role (and 5th nomination) as Amalia Balash in the hit Broadway Musical, She Loves Me. Laura also received Outer Critics Circle, Drama League and Drama Desk Award nominations for this role. In addition to television work and her critically acclaimed performance as Elsa Schrader in NBC’s The Sound of Music LIVE, Ms. Benanti is a highly celebrated, stage actress who took Broadway by storm at the age of 18. She received a Drama Desk award, Outer Critics Circle Award and a Tony Award Nomination for her starring role in the Broadway production of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown for Lincoln Center where she also starred in the Broadway production of Sarah Ruhl’s In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play. Ms. Benanti earned the 2008 Tony Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical, a Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award for her revelatory portrayal of Gypsy Rose Lee in Gypsy opposite Patti LuPone and directed by Arthur Laurents. Her other Broadway roles include The Wedding Singer, Nine, starring Antonio Banderas, her Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award-nominated performance of Cinderella in Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods and her sultry Tony nominated turn in Swing! Ms. Benanti made her Broadway debut as Maria in The Sound of Music opposite Richard Chamberlain. Other distinguished theater performances include the Public Theater’s production of Christopher Durang’s Why Torture is Wrong and the People Who Love Them, Perdita in The Winter’s Tale at the Williamstown Theatre Festival opposite Kate Burton, Anne in A Little Night Music at the L.A. Opera opposite Victor Garber, Eileen in Wonderful Town opposite Donna Murphy and most recently her portrayal of Rosabella in the Most Happy Fella, both for City Center Encores! Ms. Benanti completed a week-long engagement at the popular New York cabaret club, 54 Below, for which The New York Times hailed her as a “supremely confident” performer whose “bright, full soprano, with its semioperatic heft, can go almost anywhere.” In September 2013, she released her debut album, “In Constant Search of the Right Kind of Attention: Live at 54 Below” on Broadway Records to ecstatic reviews. Laura currently performs her concerts in venues around the country and even recently performed for the President and First Lady of the United States at both the Fords Gala and the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington DC. In 2014, she joined the cast of ABC’s hit series “Nashville” guest-starring as songbird Sadie Stone. Laura also appeared in recurring roles on CBS’s “The Good Wife” and HBO’s “Nurse Jackie.” Laura’s past television credits include a starring role in the NBC series “The Playboy Club” and “Go On” opposite Matthew Perry. She also starred in the F/X original series “Starved”. Ms. Benanti recurred on  “Law and Order: SVU,” “Royal Pains,” and “Eli Stone.” and had appearances on “The Big C” and “Elementary”. She currently resides in Manhattan with her husband Patrick and daughter Ella.

Author of The New York Times bestseller, "Patti LuPone: A Memoir," Miss Patti LuPone just concluded her critically acclaimed run as cosmetics pioneer Helena Rubinstein in the Scott Frankel-Michael Korie-Douglas Wright-Michael Grief musical "War Paint." Her recent NY stage appearances include Douglas Carter Beane’s new play "Shows For Days," directed by Jerry Zaks at Lincoln Center Theater, her debut with the New York City Ballet as Anna in their new production of "The Seven Deadly Sins," Joanne in the New York Philharmonic’s production of "Company," David Mamet’s "The Anarchist," and Lincoln Center Theater’s production of the musical "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown," for which she was nominated for Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards. Winner of the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Actress in a Musical and the Drama League Award for Outstanding Performance of the Season for her performance as Madame Rose in the most recent Broadway production of "Gypsy," her other stage credits include appearances with the Los Angeles Opera in their new production of John Corigliano’s "The Ghosts of Versailles" and Weill-Brecht’s "Mahagonny" (debut), the world premiere of Jake Heggie’s opera "To Hell and Back" with San Francisco’s Baroque Philharmonia Orchestra, Mrs. Lovett in John Doyle’s production of "Sweeney Todd" (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle nominations; Drama League Award for Outstanding Contribution to Musical Theatre), the title role in Marc Blitzstein’s "Regina," a musical version of Lillian Hellman’s "The Little Foxes" at the Kennedy Center, Fosca in a concert version of "Passion," which was also broadcast on PBS’ Live From Lincoln Center, a multi-city tour of her theatrical concert Matters of the Heart, the City Center Encores! productions of "Can-Can" and "Pal Joey," the NY Philharmonic’s productions of "Candide" and "Sweeney Todd" (NY Phil debut) and performances on Broadway in Michael Frayn’s "Noises Off," David Mamet’s "The Old Neighborhood," Terrence McNally's "Master Class" and in her own concert "Patti LuPone On Broadway." In London, she won the Olivier Award for her performances as Fantine in the original production of "Les Miserables" and in the Acting Company production of "The Cradle Will Rock." She also created the role of Norma Desmond in "Sunset Boulevard," for which she was nominated for an Olivier Award, and recreated her Broadway performance of Maria Callas in "Master Class." Film: Cliffs of Freedom (upcoming), The Comedian, Union Square, Parker, City by the Sea, David Mamet’s Heist, State and Main; Just Looking, Summer of Sam, The 24 Hour Woman, Family Prayers, Driving Miss Daisy, Witness. Television: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Penny Dreadful (Critics Choice nomination), Girls, American Horror Story: Coven, Law & Order: SVU, Glee, 30 Rock, PBS Great Performances The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, Ugly Betty, Will & Grace (as herself), PBS Great Performances’ Candide, Oz , the TNT film Monday Night Mayhem, PBS’ Evening At The Pops with John Williams and Yo Yo Ma, Falcone, Bonanno: A Godfather’s Story (Showtime); Frasier (1998 Emmy nomination); Law & Order, An Evening with Patti LuPone (PBS), the NBC movie Her Last Chance, Showtime's ACE Award and Emmy nominated The Song Spinner (Daytime Emmy nomination, Best Actress), The Water Engine, L.B.J., AMC's Remember WENN and ABC's Life Goes On. Recordings include: Far Away Places, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Patti LuPone at Les Mouches, Gypsy, Sweeney Todd (both the 2006 Broadway revival cast recording and 2000 live performance recording on NY Philharmonic’s Special Editions Label); and The Lady with the Torch.

City Center Encores! Artistic Director, and Jujamcyn Senior Vice-President, Jack Viertel welcomes Rob and Kevin into his office to discuss the many hats he wears. Also, Jack's lunches with August Wilson, bringing Leiber & Stoller to Broadway, and Jack reveals the "deep, dark secrets" of conceiving the perfect revue. Plus: Dramaturgy in musicals, how an Encores! season is planned, and where to get the best BBQ in NYC! Jack's new book, The Secret Life Of The American Musical: How Broadway Shows Are Built, is available for purchase here: http://amzn.to/1QuMg78

It's the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas and Gary and Roscoe are in festive moods. They relate their favorite decorations and where you can see the best of the holiday season in Chicago. Roscoe visited the 40th Annual Lillstreet Holiday Show & Sale and he has a particular take on the goings on. read more here It's time to call a spade a spade and stop pussyfooting around with sharks! Sydney Morning News writer Frank Robson makes his case for ending the "encounters" terminology and just calling an attack an atack. "If we consistently offer ourselves up for a mugging in their shadowy world, chances are that one of them will eventually oblige." Full story Who needs long-running shows? Chicago does! Gary and Roscoe discuss the closing of Million Dollar Quartet after 8 years, and whatever happened to sit-down companies, both Broadway-style and off-Loop. City Center Encores! will present a series of talk shows about musical theatre entitled "Unscripted", streamed live on line from NYC and later available as videos and podcasts. Wish we'd have thought of this first! All about it Roscoe relates a Liza Minnelli anecdote - facts and details unverifiable. We review recent Broadway openings - A View From the Bridge (rave), and (less than rave) Misery. Bridge Review                                                                      Misery Review A shout out to entrepreneurs Justin and Dave for their bacon-themed condiments and gifts. Friend of the show Margalit Fox passed on this oddball website featuring Bacon Salt, Baconnaise, Bacon Underwear and the ultimate, Bacon Cooking Armor!         Makes a great stocking stuffer! Just keep the dogs away.  Check out their products Gary recounts his visit to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus this past week. To hear him tell it, this truly is "The Greatest Show On Earth". Gary agrees with Chris Jones in the Trib that these elephants are getting a wonderful send-off: Chris Jones storyWe're giving away another $100 Gift Card to a fine Chicago eating establishment. This time it's The Dawson on west Grand Avenue. Menu items include Moroccan Spiced Lamb Chili, Chicken Fried 6 oz. Lobster (yum!!) and a whole Broiled Fish served with Taco Fixings. Just sign up on our mailing list here on the website. Gary's Booth One experience this week was seeing Academy Award-nominated actor Michael Shannon, when he returned once again to his Chicago roots at A Red Orchid theatre in new play, Pilgrim's Progress by Brett Neveau, directed by Shade Murray. Learn more about A Red Orchid.  We discuss why Shannon has the "IT" factor that so many great actors carry on stage and screen. And why it's important to have a large head - literally - on film. read more More about the IT factor: The eyes are the windows to the soul, and that's never truer than when a singer is on stage. Gary and Roscoe discuss what happens for an audience when actors close their eyes. Here's a little insight into lessons for singers - see #4.   Don't forget to send us your Booth One photos and Booth One experiences. We'll be posting these on our website for all to see and be envious of. Including us! Kiss of Death Adele Mailer, nee Morales, was married to world-famous novelist Norman Mailer. While their relationship was described as "stormy", nothing could prepare us for the incident of November 9, 1960 when Norman stabbed Adele multiple times with a penknife at their NY apartment in the wee hours of the morning after a night of drunken partying. The couple divorced the next year. Adele lived precariously in later years, saying "This is Norman Mailer's wife. It's rags to riches, honey." Lots more to this great story. Actress and artist Adele Mailer was 90. Full obit                        

The Off-Broadway musical Violet has found new life on Broadway in a revival by the Roundabout Theater Company. Directed by Leigh Silverman, the production features Broadway star Sutton Foster. The Tony-winning Foster is best known for bringing verve and sparkle to Thoroughly Modern Millie and Anything Goes. Based on a short story by Doris Betts called "The Ugliest Pilgrim," Jeanine Tesori wrote the music and book and lyrics are by Brian Crawley. So what makes this the right time to replant Violet on Broadway? And how has the show changed from its first production and recent City Center Encores revival? New York Times theater critic Charles Isherwood gives his assessment.

Today we're celebrating the City Center Encores! revival of Bock and Harnick's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning 1959 musical FIORELLO!