Podcasts about Gower Champion

This week's episode of Broadway Nation is the second half of my conversation with author Ron Fassler, whose latest book is titled The Show Goes On — Broadway Hirings, Firings, and Replacements. Among the outstanding Broadway performers and creatives who are at the center Ron's fascinating stories include Abe Burrows, Bernadette Peters, Chita Rivera, Comden & Green, Cynthia Erivo, Fantasia, Frank Loesser, Gower Champion, Harold Prince, Howard Keel, Iva Withers, Jane Russell, Jeff Conaway, Jerry Orbach, Jerry Zaks, Jo Swerling, John Cullum, John Kander & Fred Ebb, John Travolta, LaChanze, Leonard Bernstein, Leroy Anderson, Lewis J. Stadlin, Michael Bennett, Michelle Lee, Robert Preston, Rosalind Russell, Shelly Winters, Sheila Smith and Yvonne De Carlo. And the musicals referenced include 1776, Carousel, Company, Follies, Grease, Guys And Dolls, How To Succeed in Business, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Mack & Mabel, Minnie's Boys, Oklahoma!, The Color Purple, Wonderful Town and more! Ron Fassler is a historian,  theater critic, and former actor whose previous book is, Up in the Cheap Seats — A Theatrical Memoir of Broadway. Become A PATRON of Broadway Nation! This episode is made possible in part through the generous support of our Patron Club Members, such as Carl Baldasso. 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 discussions 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

Madolyn Smith Osborne had the kind of fairy tale show business beginning that most can only fantasize about. While still in school at The University of Southern California, she won her first paycheck with a serendipitous audition before famed choreographer, Gower Champion, when a lead dancer and understudy had to be replaced in the Broadway-bound production of Pal Joey starring Lena Horne.  Madolyn's passion for musical theater as well as her training with beloved choreographers Bill and Jacqui Landrum, prepared her well for the opportunity. A year later, on the eve of graduating from USC's School of Dramatic Arts., her mentor, the late, iconic theatre and film producer and Academy Award-winning actor, John Houseman, launched a swan song of sorts for her with a production of Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well, in which Madolyn starred in the role of Helena. Mr. Houseman had invited various industry professionals to see the show in the 99-seat Stop Gap Theater on campus, including his former protege, film director, Jim Bridges, who, upon seeing Madolyn's performance, invited her to play the role of John Travolta's mistress, Pam, in the cult classic, Urban Cowboy. Madolyn went on to give multiple award-winning performances in the L.A. theater scene. Among her triumphs, she created the title role of Emily in Stephen Metcalfe's play of the same name, which was directed by the renowned producer-director, Jack O'Brien, during its premiere at San Diego's revered Old Globe Theatre.  When Madolyn was studying with legendary actress, Kim Stanley, and opera singer, Gloria Lane, she became a founding member of L.A. Theatre Works.  Madolyn also enjoyed a terrific TV and film career in which she found herself starring in features opposite the likes of no less than Steve Martin in All of Me, Roy Scheider in 2010: The Year We Make Contact, Chevy Chase in Funny Farm, Joe Pesci in The Super, and in TV shows like Due South, Cheers, If Tomorrow Comes, and Sadat. But at the height of her powers, all of that was abruptly interrupted by a chronic illness that she fights to this day.Madolyn resides in Toronto, Canada with her husband, former NHL hockey great, Mark Osborne, and 2 adult daughters who live nearby.            For the record, Madolyn and I have known one another for more years than either of us will admit, having met and worked together on a few productions while we were both in drama school at the USC. 

Today, I'm thrilled to announce the release of my episode with legendary comedian and Broadway performer Rita Rudner. Tune in to hear her talk about all the facets of her career, including learning wings for Gower Champion, the show she calls “the first feel-bad musical,” the advantages of working with her husband, the difficult transition from musical theater into comedy, why she doesn't do topical material, the ins and outs of making jokes about your family, why Bob Fosse would never hire her, how she almost did a musical with Gary Beach, running into Robert Morse at Starbucks, adapting her novel into a play, the ageism she's faced in the comedy business, why she was never in A Chorus Line, the word she's removed from her act, forming a close friendship during Follies, the skills she learned in The Magic Show, opening a new theater with So Long, 174th Street, and so much more.

Tony  Award Nominee, Larry Carpenter is a theater and television director and producer who has won four DGA Awards and Seven Daytime Emmy Awards for his work on One Life to Live, General Hospital and As the World Turns. He has taught at the Juilliard School of Drama, New York University, and American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. Today Larry joins us to discuss the life and career of 8 time Tony Award Winner Mr  Gower Champion and his work as associate director on the Broadway productions A Broadway Musical, The Act with Liza Minnelli, Rockabye Hamlet, and Forty Second Street which ran for 3,486 performances.

This is the second half of my conversation with author Liza Gennaro, whose fascinating book is titled: Making Broadway Dance.  If you missed part one you may want to catch up on that episode before listening to this one. Liza is currently the Dean of Musical Theater at the Manhattan School of Music and she also has had a very active and successful career as a dancer and choreographer. Interestingly, she is closely related to this subject matter of her book because her father was the Tony Award winning choreographer and star dancer, Peter Gennaro. He is profiled in the book as well as in this episode. By the end of Part 1, we had made it to the late 1940s when Agnes de Mille was dominating the field of Broadway choreography. Between 1943 and 1945, De Mille had four hits in a row – Oklahoma!, One Touch of Venus, Bloomer Girl, and Carousel – and three of them choreographed in her signature “Americana” style. This unprecedented string of successes made her the most powerful choreographer in the commercial theater, and soon led to her becoming the first director-choreographer of the “Golden Age” with Rodgers & Hammerstein's Allegro. De Mille's most significant contribution to the Broadway Musical was breaking the mold of the traditional Broadway chorus girl by insisting on hiring actor/dancers who could fully embody the characters that they were playing.  This new approach to Broadway dance, and this new kind of Broadway dancer, would be adopted by everyone who followed in her footsteps – especially Jerome Robbins – who years later would write, “Agnes broke the conception of what the Broadway dancer could be in the Broadway Musical. What they looked like, what was desired of them, and what their contribution to the show was.” And, as you will hear, Robbins took that idea and ran with it, just as De Mille's “Americana” style was starting to lose its luster. That's just the beginning Later in the episode Liza and I discuss Michael Kidd, Bob Fosse, Gower Champion, Michael Bennett, Graciela Daniele, Susan Stroman, Kathleen Marshall, Bill T. Jones, Stephen Hoggett, Lorin Latarro, Kelly Devine, Sergio Trujillo, Jerry Mitchell and more! 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

Today, I'm honored to announce the release of my interview with Broadway star Wanda Richert, who played Peggy Sawyer in the original production of 42nd Street. Tune in to hear some of the stories of her legendary career, including her love story with Gower Champion, understudying Gwen Verdon, working with Michael Bennett on A Chorus Line, the challenges of playing Carla in Nine, the show that almost got her to return to New York, the experience of being a prodigy, her last Broadway performance, and so much more. You won't want to miss this exclusive conversation!

SHE LOVES ME  Book by Joe Masteroff, Music by Jerry Bock, & Lyrics by Sheldon HarnickWorks Consulted & Reference :She Loves Me (Libretto) by Joe Masteroff & Sheldon HarnickSense of Occasion by Harold PrinceTo Broadway, To Life! The Musical Theatre of Bock & Harnick by Philip Lambert She Loves Me (2016 Live Capture ) Directed by Scott EllisMusic Credits:"Overture" from Dear World (Original Broadway Cast Recording)  | Music by Jerry Herman | Performed by Dear World Orchestra & Donald Pippin"The Speed Test" from Thoroughly Modern Millie  (Original Broadway Cast Recording) | Music by Jeanine Tesori, Lyrics by Dick Scanlan | Performed by Marc Kudisch, Sutton Foster, Anne L. Nathan & Ensemble"Why God Why" from Miss Saigon: The Definitive Live Recording  (Original Cast Recording  / Deluxe)  | Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Lyrics by Alain Boublil & Richard Maltby Jr.  | Performed by Alistair Brammer"Back to Before" from Ragtime: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)  | Music by Stephen Flaherty, Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens | Performed by Marin Mazzie"Chromolume #7 / Putting It Together" from Sunday in the Park with George (Original Broadway Cast Recording)  | Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim | Performed by Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, Judith Moore, Cris Groenendaal, Charles Kimbrough, William Parry, Nancy Opel, Robert Westenberg, Dana Ivey, Kurt Knudson, Barbara Bryne"What's Inside" from Waitress (Original Broadway Cast Recording)  | Music & Lyrics by Sara Bareilles | Performed by Jessie Mueller & Ensemble"Tonight at 8" from She Loves Me (Original Broadway Cast Recording)  | Music by Jerry Bock, Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick | Performed by Jenn Colella and 'Come From Away' Company"Maria" from The Sound of Music (Original Soundtrack Recording)  | Music by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II | Performed by Evadne Baker, Anna Lee, Portia Nelson, Marni Nixon"My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music (Original Soundtrack Recording) | Music by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II | Performed by Julie Andrews"Corner of the Sky" from Pippin (New Broadway Cast Recording) | Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz | Performed by Matthew James Thomas“What Comes Next?” from Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) | Music & Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda | Performed by Jonathan Groff

This is a special Encore episode of Broadway Nation in celebration of the 63rd Anniversary of the Off-Broadway musical phenomenon, The Fantasticks. That show opened at the Sullivan Street Playhouse in Greenwich Village on May 3, 1960, and went on to play there for an incredible 42 years closing in January of 2002. Then four years later the show reopened at the Snapple Theater Center in Times Square where is ran another 11 years.  As you will hear, even though this show was performed off-Broadway, it had a significant impact and influence on the final decade of the Golden Age of Broadway and well beyond, right up to today.   For example, one thing that has always interested me, is that The Fantasticks ends its first act with a delirious happy ending and the entire cast posed in an iconic tableau. The second act then picks up with that exact same image, but the bloom is now definitely off the rose, or as Tom Jones' lyric puts it, now the “plum is too ripe.” Act two then tells the story of what happens after happily ever after. Sound familiar? Yes, this is remarkably similar to what happens in both Sunday In the Park With George and Into The Woods. So, it seems to me that more than two decades after the premiere of The Fantasticks, Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine were still being strongly influenced by its structure, either consciously or subliminally. This episode was recorded back in September of 2020 so there are a few references that are now out of date.  Original Episode Notes: As the 1950's came to a close, Broadway Musicals were at the very center of American culture. Then in 1960, as if on cue, two immensely popular shows – The Fantasticks, and Bye, Bye Birdie – kick off the decade by foreshadowing several major changes in American culture that will dramatically affect the Broadway Musical, and by the end of the decade, leave its very future in doubt.  The brilliant creators profiled in this episode include Schmidt & Jones, Strouse & Adams, Michael Stewart, Gower Champion, Jerry Herman, and Bock & Harnick. As well as the string of classic musicals that bring the “Golden Age Of Broadway” to its climax — Oliver!; Stop The World I Want To Get Off; The Roar Of The Greasepaint And The Smell Of The Crowd, Man Of La Mancha; Fiddler On The Roof, and what I call the "Big Transgressive Lady" Shows – Hello, Dolly!, Sweet Charity, and Mame. If you enjoy BROADWAY NATION please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the Instant Trivia podcast episode 642, where we ask the best trivia on the Internet. Round 1. Category: Could You Translate That For Me? 1: It's the all-American way of saying "Rouge, blanc et bleu". red, white and blue. 2: It's the English translation of the German word in the lyric "Let me call you liebchen, I'm in love with you". sweetheart. 3: "Benevolenza", you can give old clothes to it or you can have it "toward men". goodwill. 4: Meaning "counselor", it's the Italian word describing Robert Duvall's role in the service of "The Godfather". consigliere. 5: Literally "God out of a machine", it's the Latin phrase for an unlikely and providential intervention. Deus ex machina. Round 2. Category: Indians 1: The "three sisters of the Iroquois" were beans, squash and this food. corn (maize). 2: In 1867 this nation built its capitol in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Cherokee. 3: In his later years, this Apache warrior was a popular celebrity at many U.S. fairs. Geronimo. 4: Today no one is allowed to day hike in the Canyon de Chelly in Arizona without this tribe's permission. Navajo. 5: A hogan is a type of dwelling associated with this tribe. Navajo. Round 3. Category: Heloise's Hints For Teens 1: Gum stuck to your shirt? Stick the shirt in this to harden the gum, then use a credit card to scrape it off. the freezer. 2: Get decorative by gluing stray buttons on these items that hold things to your bulletin board. pushpins (or tacks). 3: Brewed bags of the chamomile type of this can soothe skin that's been irritated by the sun, but cool them first. tea. 4: The cider type of this salad dressing ingredient is a perfect addition to a soothing bath. vinegar. 5: Hey, pet owners; this clay-based product can help soak up grease spots in the garage. kitty litter. Round 4. Category: Tv Trivia 1: MTV game show hosted by Ken Ober, or a device to turn off an MTV game show hosted by Ken Ober. Remote Control. 2: The "Mary Tyler Moore Show" character whose wife's name was Edie. Lou Grant. 3: A Bulova watch ticking on the screen in 1941 on NBC. the first television commercial. 4: From the Swahili word for "doctor", the show featured a cross-eyed lion. Daktari. 5: This actress, who has a home in Kenya, played Kenya bush pilot Beryl Markham on TV. Stefanie Powers. Round 5. Category: Dance Partners 1: In movie musicals of the '50s, her name preceded " and Gower Champion". Marge. 2: He was Cyd Charisse's dance partner in "On an Island with You" before he escaped to "Fantasy Island". Ricardo Montalbán. 3: In Lear's poem, "...hand in hand, on the edge of the sand, they danced by the light of the moon". the Owl and the Pussycat. 4: Born Vernon Blythe and Irene Foote, they were famous for their fancy footwork. the Castles. 5: In the 1947 film "Good News", Peter Lawford did "The Varsity Drag" with this tiny blonde. June Allyson. Thanks for listening! Come back tomorrow for more exciting trivia! Special thanks to https://blog.feedspot.com/trivia_podcasts/

Happy Birthday to Katherine Dunham, Helen Lewis, Gower Champion, Ron Smedley, and Ohad Naharin! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dawn-davis-loring/support

HELLO DOLLY COMPOSER: Jerry Herman LYRICIST: Jerry Herman BOOK: Michael Stewart SOURCE: Thornton Wilder's play The Merchant of Yonkers (1938) DIRECTOR: Gower Champion CHOREOGRAPHER: Gower Champion PRINCIPLE CAST: David Burns (Vandergelder), Carol Channing (Dolly), Charles Nelson Reilly (Cornelius) OPENING DATE: Jan 16, 1964 CLOSING DATE: Dec 27, 1970 PERFORMANCES: 2,844 SYNOPSIS: Widowed matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi has been tasked to find a wife for the cantankerous, well-known, half-a-millionaire, Horace Vandergelder. Dolly doesn't need to look too hard as she is the one who plans to marry Horace. The unparalleled success of the title song from Jerry Herman's Hello, Dolly! is explored through the succinct multiple meanings in its lyrics and the iconography associated with its original staging by Gower Champion and executed by Carol Channing. The history of the song (as popularized by Louis Armstrong), the title of the musical, and the many famous actors who appeared in its original run and subsequent productions are analyzed within the equation of one of the most recognizable sequences in Broadway history. 1995 Revival director Lee Roy Reams examines the way impactful branding, casting, and design decisions made by infamous producer, David Merrick, cemented Hello, Dolly! within pop culture history. Lee Roy Reams' ten Broadway credits run the gamut from Sweet Charity, Applause, Lorelei, Hello, Dolly and 42nd Street to La Cage aux Folles, Beauty and the Beast and The Producers. SOURCES FURTHER READING/VIEWING/LISTENING RESOURCES Hello, Dolly, Original Cast Recording. RCA Victor (1964) Hello, Dolly starring Walter Matthau and Barbra Streisand, directed by Gene Kelly, 20th Century Fox (1969) Showtune: A Memoir by Jerry Herman, published by Dutton (1996) Filichia, Peter. The Great Parade: Broadway's Astonishing, Never-to-Be-Forgotten 1963-1964 Season. St. Martin's Press, 2015. Goldman, William. The Season: A Candid Look at Broadway. Limelight Editions, 1984. Ilson, Carol. Harold Prince: A Director's Journey. Limelight Editions, 2004. Mordden, Ethan. Open a New Window. Palgrave Macmillan, 2002. Prince, Hal. Contradictions: Notes on twenty-six years in the theatre. Dodd, Mead; First edition, 1974. Shapiro, Eddie. Nothing Like a Dame: Conversations with the Great Women of Musical Theater. Oxford University Press; Reprint edition, 2014. Viertel, Jack. The Secret Life of the American Musical: How Broadway Shows Are Built. Sarah Crichton Books, 2016. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first of a two-part program featuring Broadway composer, Charles Strouse, known for BYE BYE BIRDIE, GOLDEN BOY, ANNIE, and APPLAUSE. Strouse discusses his life and career, including his collaborations with lyricist Lee Adams, writer Michael Stewart, and director Gower Champion, as well as stars like Dick Van Dyke and Paul Lynde. Together with Adams and Martin Charnin, Strouse performs some of his own songs live at the piano, recorded at the 92nd Street Y.   Featured songs: “Ditto,” “Take Ten Terrific Girls,” “The Arts,” “I Lost The Rhythm,” “Overture to BYE BYE BIRDIE,” “The Telephone Hour, “Rosie,” “Put On A Happy Face,” and “Hymn For A Sunday Evening.”   Originally produced and broadcast in 1982. For more information go to AnythingGoesPL.com or BPN.FM/Anything Goes. Theme music arranged by Bruce Coughlin. Associate producer Jeff Lunden. Anything Goes – Backstage with Broadway's Best – is produced and hosted by Paul Lazarus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the second half of my recent conversation with author Liza Gennaro, whose fascinating new book is titled: Making Broadway Dance.  If you missed part one you may want to catch up on that episode before listening to this one. Liza is currently the Dean of Musical Theater at the Manhattan School of Music and she also has had a very active and successful career as a dancer and choreographer. Interestingly, she is closely related to this subject matter of her book because her father was the Tony Award winning choreographer and star dancer, Peter Gennaro. He is profiled in the book as well as in this episode. By the end of Part 1, we had made it to the late 1940s when Agnes de Mille was dominating the field of Broadway choreography. Between 1943 and 1945, De Mille had four hits in a row – Oklahoma!, One Touch of Venus, Bloomer Girl, and Carousel – and three of them choreographed in her signature “Americana” style. This unprecedented string of successes made her the most powerful choreographer in the commercial theater, and soon led to her becoming the first director-choreographer of the “Golden Age” with Rodgers & Hammerstein's Allegro. De Mille's most significant contribution to the Broadway Musical was breaking the mold of the traditional Broadway chorus girl by insisting on hiring actor/dancers who could fully embody the characters that they were playing.  This new approach to Broadway dance, and this new kind of Broadway dancer, would be adopted by everyone who followed in her footsteps – especially Jerome Robbins – who years later would write, “Agnes broke the conception of what the Broadway dancer could be in the Broadway Musical. What they looked like, what was desired of them, and what their contribution to the show was.” And, as you will hear, Robbins took that idea and ran with it, just as De Mille's “Americana” style was starting to lose its luster. That's just the beginning Later in the episode Liza and I discuss Michael Kidd, Bob Fosse, Gower Champion, Michael Bennett, Graciela Daniele, Susan Stroman, Kathleen Marshall, Bill T. Jones, Stephen Hoggett, Lorin Latarro, Kelly Devine, Sergio Trujillo, Jerry Mitchell and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Por fin le ha tocado el turno a “SHOW BOAT”, el musical basado en la novela de Edna Ferber, autora de novelas río llevadas también al cine como “Cimarron” o “Gigante” y conocido en España por la película que dirigió George Sidney en 1951 con Howard Keel, Kathryne Grayson, Ava Gardner, Agnes Moorehead y el matrimonio Marge y Gower Champion. El musical se estrenó en 1927 y fue un punto de inflexión en la historia del musical ya que por primera vez las canciones, los números cómicos y los bailes ayudaban a avanzar la historia y estaban integrados en la misma, una propuesta de Oscar Hammerstein que se atrevió a poner en escena el tema del racismo y que volvería a tratar en musicales como “Carmen Jones” o “South Pacific”. “Show Boat” abrió una vía al musical lejos de la ópera o la operetta y trataba temas serios que hicieron cuestionar el término de “comedia musical” y que a pesar de estar escrito hace más de noventa años, sigue subiendo a escena en forma de ópera o de musical. En el podcast hemos utilizado la grabación de estudio que se hizo en 1988 con Frederica Von Stade (Magnolia y Kim), Jerry Hadley (Ravenal), Karla Burns (Queenie, la cocinera negra), Bruce Hubbard (Joe, el marido de Queenie), Teresa Stratas (Julie Laverne), Steve Barton (Steve el marido de Julie), David Garrison y Paige O’Hara (Frank y Ellie, los actores de comedia) con The Ambrosian Chorus y la London Sinfonietta dirigidos por John McGlinn. 00h 00'00" Old man river 00h 02'19" Presentación 00h 04'17" Cabecera 00h 05'24" Inicio 00h 05'57" Obertura 00h 12'25" Cotton Blossom 00h 18'23" Captain Andy's ballyhoo / Hey Julie... 00h 25'05" Where's the mate for me? / Make believe 00h 34'16" Old man river 00h 40'34" Can't help lovin' that man 00h 48'10" Life upon the wiked stage 00h 52'07" 'Til good luck comes my way 00h 54'50" Misery comin' around 01h 02'10" Looks like a swell 01h 08'22" You are love 01h 15'46" Oh tell me did you ever 01h 22'12" At the fair 01h 26'56" Why do I love you? 01h 36'17" Make believe (Reprise) 01h 38'08" Bill 01h 42'53" Can't Help Lovin that Man (Reprise) 01h 44'56" I might fall back on you 01h 48'46" After the ball 01h 52'38" Hey feller 01h 55'30" Old man river (Reprise) 01h 58'00" You are love (Reprise) 02h 00'05" Why do I love you 02h 04'05" Finale ultimo 02h 06'52" Curiosidades 02h 08'51" I have the room above her 02h 13'55" Ah, still suits me 02h 18'40" Can't help lovin’ that man (Ava Gardner) 02h 22'50" Nobody else but me

This is the second part of my recent conversation with Irene Sankoff & David Hein -- the dynamic writing team and married couple that created the international smash hit musical Come From Away. Five productions of Come From Away have recently reopened around the world: Broadway, Toronto, London, Sydney and on tour across America. A new Dutch production has just opened, as well, and a live filmed version of the show is streaming on Apple TV+. On the previous episode Irene and David related how they got hooked on musicals, and how they went from their first show based on a true story -- My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding -- to deciding to create a musical based on the real life events that happened in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland in the days following 9/11. They also described what it was like to attend the 10th Anniversary of the events in Gander and then begin to transform the stories they heard there into a musical during an early workshop production at The Canadian Music Theatre Project at Sheridan College. We also explored the classic Broadway shows that influenced and inspired the writing of their book, music, and lyrics for Come From Away. If you missed part one you may want to go back and catch up on that episode before you listen to this one. Today we look at the extensive development process that CFA went through on its journey to Broadway - including a workshop in Seattle, a series of productions at the La Jolla Playhouse, The Seattle Rep, Ford's Theater in DC. and the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, as well as a thrilling concert presentation in Gander where it all began.  Back in 2015, I served as the Executive Producer and Artistic Director of The 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle and, as such, I had the great pleasure of co-producing that original Seattle workshop of Come From Away. This was the first time that the show's Tony award winning director Christopher Ashley and choreographer, Kelly Devine began to work on the show -- and it was great fun to recall that exciting experience with Irene and David. Come From Away is the fifth musical to originate in Canada and eventually open on Broadway.  The first was 1974's Rockabye Hamlet with book, music and lyrics by Cliff Jones. This rock musical adaptation of Shakespeare was originally titled Kronborg 1582 and was well received, first as a radio series on the CBC, and then at the Charlottetown Theatre Festival and on tour in Canada, before being retitled and opening on Broadway with Gower Champion as the director. It became a legendary flop and closed after 7 performances. Next, in 1980 came the intimate and engaging Billy Bishop Goes To War written by John McLachlan Gray the show featured one actor to playing18 different roles to tell the story of real life Canadian fighter pilot Billy Bishop during the first World War. This show nearly doubled the run of Rockabye Hamlet closing after 12 performances. However, over the next ten years Billy Bishop Goes To War received scores of productions at theaters all across North America.  The Story Of My Life, with music and lyrics by Neil Bartram and book by Brian Hill, opened on Broadway in 2009. Unfortunately, it had an even shorter run than either of the previous two Canadian shows. However, one year earlier, a group of Canadian writers finally scored a significant hit with The Drowsy Chaperone – book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar, and music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert & Greg Morrison. This delightful show opened on Broadway in 2008, received Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Original Score, and ran for 674 performances.   There have been a few other Canadian writers that found success on Broadway – Galt McDermott being the most famous of them – but that was with shows that originated in the US.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For Video Edition, Please Click and Subscribe Here: https://youtu.be/TdXaB8vhEqs For two decades, Tommy Tune was the maestro presiding over a string of glittering Broadway musicals that took the tradition of complete musical staging by a director-choreographer into a new era defined by spectacle and technology. He was last in a grand lineage led by Jerome Robbins, Gower Champion, Bob Fosse, and Michael Bennett, but also provided a link to a new generation of choreographers-turned-directors like Susan Stroman, Jerry Mitchell, and Casey Nicholaw. Unlike his fellow director-choreographers, Tune also maintained a successful performing career. His nine Tony Awards (plus a tenth, for Lifetime Achievement) were earned across four categories, not only for choreography and direction, but also as both featured and lead actor in a musical, for Seesaw and My One and Only--a distinction no one else can claim. Everything is Choreography: The Musical Theater of Tommy Tune is the first full scale book about the career of this prodigious artist. It celebrates and examines with a critical eye his major projects, and summons for readers a glorious period of dance, performance, and theatrical imagination.  Now available for Pre-Order: https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Choreography-Musical-BROADWAY-LEGACIES/dp/0190090731/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3KWXUZQAC37QX&dchild=1&keywords=kevin+winkler+tommy+tune&qid=1627771116&sprefix=kevin+winkler+tommy%2Cstripbooks%2C148&sr=8-1  

This is the final part of my conversation with Broadway actor, singer, dancer, director and choreographer Lee Roy Reams, at least for now. I am sure I will have Lee Roy back for another discussion in the not so distant future. There is no end to the amazing insights and classic show-biz stories that he has locked in his memories. If you missed the first two parts you may want to listen to those episodes first.  We begin this episode with Lee Roy sharing his experience playing "Cornelius Hackle" in the 1978 Broadway revival of Hello, Dolly! which was directed by an amazing woman named Lucia Victor. During her 45 year career on she was involved in more than 30 Broadway shows as a performer, producer, Casting director, stage manager and most significantly as the Production Stage Manager, Assistant To Gower Champion, and/or Production Supervisor on the original productions of Hello, Dolly, I Do, I Do, and 42nd Street. Along the way you will hear hilarious and heartbreaking stories about Carol Channing, David Merrick, Marge Champion, Bob Fosse and more! And most thrillingly Lee Roy takes us inside the creation of the smash his Broadway musical 42nd Street, illustrates the genius of its director & choreographer, Gower Champion, and shares all the incredible drama of its legendary Opening Night! Broadway Nation is written and produced by me David Armstrong. If you enjoy this podcast please follow, rate and review the Broadway Nation on apple podcasts or wherever you listen. This will really does help other people who may be interested to discover the show as you have. Special thanks to KVSH 101.9 The Voice of beautiful Vashon,, Island, WA, and to the entire team at the Broadway Podcast Network..   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"It's time for a cheer-up song" because hosts Bobby and Kristina are finally back after an extended intermission to discuss 1978's A Broadway Musical on the act two opener of My Favorite Flop.   ABOUT A BROADWAY MUSICAL Based on the real-life experiences of the creative teams' journeys working on the original Broadway productions of The Wiz and the musical version of Golden Boy, A Broadway Musical tells the story of a sleazy white theatre producer's attempt to adapt an African-American writer's serious play as a commercial stage musical. The musical features a book by William F. Brown, music by Charles Strouse, and lyrics by Lee Adams. Following a dismal October–November tryout with Helen Gallagher and Julius LaRosa at the theatre in the Riverside Church in Morningside Heights, the producers fired most of the cast and creative personnel, including director/choreographer George Faison. Gower Champion was called in to rescue the Broadway-bound production with only a month to go, but he feared that the show's defects were too serious to remedy and insisted on receiving a "Production supervised by" credit only. After 14 previews, the Broadway production opened and closed the same night at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on December 21, 1978. It lost $1 million. The creators hoped that the backstage story about the making of a musical would cash in on the success of A Chorus Line as well as the popularity of the black-themed musical, including Brown's own The Wiz, which was still running at the time. But Brown's much-criticized book failed to capture any of the socially-relevant subject matter in a serious way and instead became a clichéd spoof of show business lawyers, idealistic young playwrights, glitzy Las Vegas performers, blue-haired matinée ladies, and the black-themed musical itself. The Wiz proved to be Brown's only success.   Original Broadway Cast Warren Berlinger as Eddie Bell Gwyda DonHowe as Stephanie Bell Irving Allen Lee as James Lincoln Larry Marshall as Richie Taylor Anne Francine as Shirley Wolfe Jackée Harry as Melinda Bernard Tiger Haynes as Sylvester Lee Reggie Jackson as Louie Patti Karr as Maggie Simpson Christina Kumi Kimball as Kumi Kumi Robert Melvin as Junior Martin Rabbett as Jake Larry Riley as Lonnie Paul Albert Stephenson as Big Jake Alan Weeks as Stan Howard Sydney Anderson as Richie Taylor's Lawyer Gwen Arment as Rehearsal Pianist Nate Barnett as Policeman Michael Gallagher as Richie Taylor's Lawyer Jo Ann Ogawa as Richie's Secretary Loretta Devine as Smoke and Fire Backup Singer

Put on your Sunday clothes and polish up those silver trays, because IN THE SPOTLIGHT is diving into Hello, Dolly! Join Michael and Anika as they talk about the show's surprisingly ancient inspirations and complex road to Broadway - including which parts of the score might not actually be composed by the great Jerry Herman. Come for the insights into one of Broadway's greatest shows, stay for how often we confuse the names Ernestina and Ermengarde. Press play - it only takes a moment! HELLO, DOLLY! Book by Michael Stewart | Music & Lyrics by Jerry Herman | Based on “The Matchmaker” by Thornton Wilder  Episode Segments:2:03 - Speed Test4:07 - Why God Why7:37 - Back to Before14:20 – Putting It Together32:25 - What's Inside50:28 - How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?1:06:42 - Our Favorite Things1:19:04 - Corner of the Sky1:21:55 – What Comes Next?Works Consulted & Reference :Hello, Dolly! (Original Libretto) by Michael StewartThe Matchmaker by Thorton WilderShowtune by Jerry HermanJerry Herman: Poet of the Showtune by Stephen CitronGower Champion: Dance and Musical Theatre by David Payne-CarterThe Great Parade: Broadway's Astonishing Never-to-Be-Forgotten 1963-1964 Season by Peter Filichia“An Evening With Jerry Herman – Up Close & Personal” (The Kennedy Center)“Interview with Jerry Herman” (Theater Talk)Music Credits:"Overture" from Dear World (Original Broadway Cast Recording)  | Music by Jerry Herman | Performed by Dear World Orchestra & Donald Pippin"The Speed Test" from Thoroughly Modern Millie  (Original Broadway Cast Recording) | Music by Jeanine Tesori, Lyrics by Dick Scanlan | Performed by Marc Kudisch, Sutton Foster, Anne L. Nathan & Ensemble"Why God Why" from Miss Saigon: The Definitive Live Recording  (Original Cast Recording  / Deluxe)  | Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Lyrics by Alain Boublil & Richard Maltby Jr.  | Performed by Alistair Brammer"Back to Before" from Ragtime: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)  | Music by Stephen Flaherty, Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens | Performed by Marin Mazzie"Chromolume #7 / Putting It Together" from Sunday in the Park with George (Original Broadway Cast Recording)  | Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim | Performed by Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, Judith Moore, Cris Groenendaal, Charles Kimbrough, William Parry, Nancy Opel, Robert Westenberg, Dana Ivey, Kurt Knudson, Barbara Bryne"What's Inside" from Waitress (Original Broadway Cast Recording)  | Music & Lyrics by Sara Bareilles | Performed by Jessie Mueller & Ensemble"Elegance” from Hello, Dolly! (Original Broadway Cast Recording) | Music & Lyrics by Jerry Herman & Bob Merrill| Performed by Eileen Brennan, Jerry Dodge, Sondra Lee, & Charles Nelson Reilly"Maria" from The Sound of Music (Original Soundtrack Recording)  | Music by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II | Performed by Evadne Baker, Anna Lee, Portia Nelson, Marni Nixon"My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music (Original Soundtrack Recording) | Music by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II | Performed by Julie Andrews"Corner of the Sky" from Pippin (New Broadway Cast Recording) | Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz | Performed by Matthew James Thomas“What Comes Next?” from Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) | Music & Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda | Performed by Jonathan Groff

On this week's show, Jamie and Rob talk through Jamie's personal top ten list of showstopping production numbers, celebrating some of the greatest moments in Broadway musical theatre history. They take a look at the extraordinary work of choreographers like Bob Fosse, Michael Bennett, Tommy Tune, Onna White, Jerome Robbins, Gower Champion, and Agnes DeMille, and dig into some of the more unheralded contributions from composer/lyricists, orchestrators, dance arrangers, and designers that combined with top-notch performers to make the best showstoppers. What's number one? Tune in to find out. This week's music: “Glory” from “Pippin”, “Overture”, and “Mame” from “Mame”. “42nd Street” from “42nd Street (Original Recording)”, “Wedding Dance” from “Fiddler on the Roof (New Broadway Cast Recording)”. “Steam Heat” from “The Pajama Game”, “Dance at the Gym: Bass, and Jump” from “Bernstein: West Side Story”, “Ballet” from “Oklahoma! (1998 Royal National Theatre Cast Recording)”, “Turkey Lurkey Time” from “Promise, Promises”. “The Rich Man's Frug” from “Sweet Charity (Original Cast Recording)”, “H-A-P-P-Y / We'll Take A Glass” from “Grand Hotel” and “The Music and the Mirror” from “A Chorus Line”. Find us on Twitter & Instagram: @fabulousinvalid Facebook: www.facebook.com/fabulousinvalid Rob's reviews: www.stageleft.nyc Email us at: office@fabulousinvalid.com  Jamie DuMont Twitter: @jamiedumont  Instagram: @troutinnyc Rob Russo Twitter/Instagram: @StageLeft_NYC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What better way to celebrate Backstage Babble's 30th episode than with a legendary dancer from Broadway's Golden Age, Eileen Casey? Tune in to hear her talk about why Cab Calloway was "just terrible," the brilliance of Gower Champion, not caring for Ron Field's choreography, why someone had to be fired from Promises, Promises, the out-of-town Seesaw, why Marilyn didn't work, and more!

As the 1950’s came to a close, Broadway Musicals were at the very center of American culture. Then in 1960, as if on cue, two immensely popular shows – The Fantasticks, and Bye, Bye Birdie – kick off the decade by foreshadowing several major changes in American culture that will dramatically affect the Broadway Musical, and by the end of the decade, leave its very future in doubt.  The brilliant creators profiled in this episode include Schmidt & Jones, Strouse & Adams, Michael Stewart, Gower Champion, Jerry Herman, and Bock & Harnick. As well as the string of classic musicals that bring the “Golden Age Of Broadway” to its climax – Oliver!; Stop The World I Want To Get Off; The Roar Of The Greasepaint And The Smell Of The Crowd, Man Of La Mancha; Fiddler On The Roof, and what I call the "Big Transgressive Lady" Shows – Hello, Dolly!, Sweet Charity, and Mame. If you enjoy BROADWAY NATION please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SHOWS: Jerome Robbins' Broadway, Chicago, Crazy For You   Michael Kubala has long been one of the most respected hoofers working on Broadway. His Broadway shows include Dancin, A Broadway Musical, Woman of the Year, Marilyn, Jerome Robbins Broadway, Crazy for You, and Chicago, as well as countless tours and regional productions.   Michael pulls back the curtain on his career to discuss how he leapt for Gower Champion, what it was like surviving Marilyn: The Musical, and why the rehearsal process for Jerome Robbins Broadway is infamous!   Also, Michael shines the spotlight on Gower Champion, Jerome Robbins, and Lauren Bacall!   Become a sponsor of Behind The Curtain and get early access to interviews, private playlists, and advance knowledge of future guests so you can ask the legends your own questions. Go to: http://bit.ly/2i7nWC4   To book a room at Shetler Studios, head on over to: https://www.shetlerstudios.com

Charming social introductions? Expert mandolin instructions? And the elegance of hay and feed. (BTW: Simpsons joke sign: “Sneed’s Seed and Feed, Formerly Chuck’s”) - Learn all about Jerry Herman and Gower Champion’s match-making musical Hello, Dolly!

He created a revolution in the American musical theatre when he wrote the lyrics for The Fantasticks, the longest running musical in New York City history. And, as if that wasn't enough, Tom Jones also wrote the lyrics to such musicals as 110 In The Shade, I Do! I Do!, Celebration, Harold and Maude, and more! Tom pulls back the curtain on his career to discuss how he first met Harvey Schmidt, what it was like creating The Fantasticks”, and why he doesn't think he will ever retire. Also, Tom shines the spotlight on Mary Martin, Robert Preston, and Gower Champion! Become a sponsor of Behind The Curtain and get early access to interviews, private playlists, and advance knowledge of future guests so you can ask the legends your own questions. Go to: http://bit.ly/2i7nWC4 To book a room at Shetler Studios, head on over to: https://www.shetlerstudios.com

Filichia, Peter. Broadway Musicals: The Biggest Hit & the Biggest Flop of the Season 1959 to 2009. Applause Books, 2010. Mordden, Ethan. Open a New Window: the Broadway Musical in the 1960s. Palgrave Macmillan, 2002. Bloom, Ken, and Frank Vlastnik. Broadway Musicals: the 101 Greatest Shows of All Time. Black Dog & Leventhal Pubs., 2010. Taylor, Theodore. Jule: the Story of Composer Jule Styne. Random House, 1979. Citron, Stephen. Jerry Herman: Poet of the Showtune. Yale University Press, 2004. Channing, Carol. Just Lucky I Guess: A Memoir of Sorts. Simon and Schuster, 2007. Viertel, Jack. Secret Life of the American Musical: How Broadway Shows Are Built. Sarah Crichton Books,Farrar, Straus and Grioux, 2017. Kissel, Howard. David Merrick, the Abominable Showman: the Unauthorized Biography. Applause, 1993. Hoffman, Warren. The Great White Way: Race and the Broadway Musical. Rutger University Press, 2014. Gilvey, John Anthony. Before the Parade Passes by: Gower Champion and the Glorious American Musical. St. Martin's, 2005. Nachman, Gerald. Showstoppers!: the Surprising Backstage Stories of Broadway's Most Remarkable Songs. Chicago Review Press, 2017. Suskin, Steven. Opening Night on Broadway: a Critical Quotebook of the Golden Era of the Musical Theatre, Oklahoma (1943) to Fiddler on the Roof (1964). Schirmer Books, 1993. Taubman, Howard. “'Hello, Dolly!' Wins Half of Theater Wing's 20 Tonys; Osborne's 'Luther' Is Named Season's Best Drama. The New York Times, 25 May 1964. Taubman, Howard. “Theater: 'Hello, Dolly!' Has Premiere; Carol Channing Star of Musical at St. James.” The New York Times, 17 Jan. 1964. Grode, Eric. “Well, Hello, Dollys!” The New York Times, 22 Mar. 2017. Skipper, Richard. “Call on Dolly!.” Call on Dolly!. Brantley, Ben. “Even From Afar, Carol Channing Served Up That Broadway Wow.” The New York Times, 15 Jan. 2019. Funke, Lewis. “Merman 'Hello, Dolly's!' Lucky 7th.” The New York Times, 30 Mar. 1970. “WELLO, DOLLY!' CUTS LONGEST‐RUN CAKE.” The New York Times, 10 Sept. 1970. Phillips, Mccandlish. “Broadway Bids 'Dolly!' a Fond Adieu.” The New York Times, 28 Dec. 1970. Giordano, Frank. “Who Will Play Dolly in 2001?” The New York Times, 3 May 1970. Burke, Tom. “Hello, David, Must We Talk.” The New York Times, 6 Sept. 1970. “Johnson, on Stage With Capital Cast, Sings 'Hello, Dolly'.” The New York Times, 5 Nov. 1967. “'Hello, Barry' Thwarted By 'Dolly' Named Lyndon.” The New York Times, 18 July 1964. “Carol Channing In Short Good-by To 'Hello, Dolly!'.” The New York Times, 8 Aug. 1965. Sloane, Leonard. “Advertising: Dolly Says' Hello' to Marketing.” The New York Times, 1 Dec. 1964. Gottfried, Martin. “Is All Black Theater Beautiful? No.” The New York Times, 7 June 1970. Johnson, Thomas A. “The Black Theatergoer: Who Is He?” The New York Times, 21 Jan. 1970. “Hello, Dolly!' Raises Prices.” The New York Times, 14 May 1965. Gardner, Paul. “Dolly Levi Sees the World.” The New York Times, 8 Aug. 1965. “After 1,272 Performances Carol Says Good-by Dolly.” The New York Times, 12 June 1967. Kerr, Walter. “Merman: A Kid Who Wins All the Marbles.” The New York Times, 12 Apr. 1970. Taubman, Howard. “Theater ‘Funny Girl’; Musical Based on Life of Fanny Brice.” The New York Times, 27 Mar. 1964. Zolotow, Sam. “'FUNNY GIRL' LAG: WHO'S LAUGHING?; Five Delays for Premiere Irk Agents and Audiences.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 19 Mar. 1964. Stang, Joan. “SHE COULDN'T BE MEDIUM; Barbra Streisand, New Star in Town, Traces Her Rise to 'Funny Girl'.” The New York Times, 5 Apr. 1964. “Dispute Leads Chaplin To Quit 'Funny Girl'.” The New York Times, 17 June 1965. Calta , Louis. “NEW 'FUNNY GIRL' PREPARES CALMLY; Following Barbra Streisand Doesn't Worry Mimi Hines.” The New York Times 11 Dec. 1965. Colleran, Jim. “15 Fun Facts About FUNNY GIRL.” Tams Witmark. Lennart, Isobel. “FROM THE TAMS ARCHIVES: Isobel Lennart's Memories of FUNNY GIRL.” Tams Witmark. Healy, Patrick. “Producer Explains Scrapping 'Funny Girl'.”. The New York Times, 4 Nov. 2011. “The Verdict: Read Reviews of London's Funny Girl Revival Starring Sheridan Smith.” Playbill, 2 Dec. 2015.

Stewart Lane and Bonnie Comley the driving forces behind the successful streaming service BroadwayHD join me to talk about the May 15th launch of one of the most iconic productions of all time 42nd Street.The high energy musical was recently filmed from a production on the West End of London. The legendary theater luminary Mike Bramble, who passed away in February, directed and collaborated on the editing for film. Stewart and Lane were executive producers on the digital production for BroadwayHD.Along with Gower Champion, Bramble was also the co-writer on the 1981 production that is credited with revitalizing Broadway in the 80s. We welcome our new sponsor Molekule - The only air purifier that destroys allergens.Unlike HEPA filters, Molekule destroys indoor air pollutants at a molecular level, completely removing them from the air you breathe. Molekule uses Photo Electrochemical Oxidation (PECO) nanotechnology to eliminate allergens, mold, bacteria, viruses, and airborne chemicalsMolekule is your best defense against allergy season. Molekule has reinvented the air purifier to destroy airborne pollutants including viruses, bacteria, gaseous chemicals and mold. Using breakthrough Photo Electrochemical Oxidation (PECO) Molekule doesn’t just collect air pollutants, it destroys them on a molecular level. When you turn on Molekule you’re creating the purest air possible, combating allergy season by destroying allergens in the home. We have a great deal for you can get $75 dollars off your first order, visit https://molekule.com/ and at checkout enter code streamonPromotional consideration for Stream On with Jim Williams comes from Boom Media. For all of your streaming media needs, they have you covered. It does not matter if you are just cutting the cord and need some hand-holding they have what you need. Checkout all the great streaming options at https://boommedia.org/ If you need assistance picking the right streaming box or stick that meets your needs they will help. Looking for the best live streaming service at the lowest price? Consider it done!Meanwhile, if you are an old hand at streaming they got you covered as well! Check them out at boommedia.org for all of your streaming video needs. Have questions or comments? No problem just asks away on social media Twitter @JWMediaDC Instagram – Jimwilliams200 and email at jimwilliamsmedia@gmail.com

Anyone going to a performance of Hello, Dolly! - running now at the SHN Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco through March 17 - with an appetite for an enlightened look at male/female relationships is likely to leave quite hungry. The current national tour of the 2017 revival of the 1964 Broadway smash based on Thorton Wilder’s 1955 revision of his 1938 play extrapolated from an Austrian playwright’s 1842 extension of an English dramatists 1835 one-act reflects the then-common attitudes towards a women’s place in society and the home. Anyone going to a performance of Hello, Dolly! with an appetite to see a Broadway legend at work, or hear magnificent musical classics delivered with gusto, or see a bevy of athletic dancers spring across the stage in spirited numbers based on Gower Champion’s original choreography, or be dazzled by the color and craftsmanship at work in Santo Loquasto’s scenic and costume design, is likely to leave the theatre with their appetite satiated. Tony-winner Betty Buckley (Cats, Sunset Boulevard) plays Dolly Gallagher Levi, a matchmaker and jill-of-all-trades in 19th century New York engaged by the well-known Yonkers half-a-millionaire Horace Vandergelder (Lewis J. Stadlen) to find him a bride, an assignment which Dolly intends to fill herself. Sub-plots involve Vandergelder’s niece Ermengarde and her paramour Ambrose Kemper (played by Morgan Kirner and Garret Hawe) and Feed Store clerks Cornelius and Barnaby (played by Nic Rouleau Jess LeProtto). At age 71, Buckley does her damnedest to make the part made famous by Carol Channing (at age 42) her own, and succeeds to an extent. It’s obvious and understandable that her choreography has been limited and that she lacks the vocal power to deliver some of the musical’s biggest moments (“Before the Parade Passes By” was disappointingly flat) but she really delivers in the show’s quieter moments when she engages with the memories of her late husband. The supporting cast is outstanding with Rouleau and LeProtto really scoring as the clerks unleashed in New York City and Analisa Leaming and Kristen Hahn as the objects of their affections. MVP of this production goes to Stadlen, a reliable Broadway performer for the past 50 years who often toils in the anonymity common to great character actors. His eyebrows are as expressive as anything else on stage. Go ahead, roll your eyes during “It Takes a Woman” but don’t be surprised to find yourself cheering after “Put on Your Sunday Clothes” and “The Waiters’ Gallop” and, at the very least, smiling through almost everything else. ‘Hello, Dolly! ’runs through March 17 at the Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco. Dates and times vary. For more information, go to shnsf.com

In one of the funniest episodes to date, Carole Cook brings Rob and Kevin into her LA home to look back on her eighty plus years in the business! From summer stock (where she does Sophie Tucker in Kismet....don't ask) to The Lucy Show, to being the second person to play Dolly to being the first person with a witty line, the incomparable Carole Cook looks back on her time in theatre, movies, and television, with wit, grace, and a penchant for four letter adjectives. Carole pulls back the curtain on her career to discuss how she caught the eye of Lucille Ball, what it was like being onstage to hear Gower Champion had died, and why she is still making headlines at 94 years old! Also, Carole shines the spotlight on Joanne Worley, John Kenley, and David Merrick. Become a sponsor of Behind The Curtain and get early access to interviews, private playlists, and advance knowledge of future guests so you can ask the legends your own questions. Go to: http://bit.ly/2i7nWC4

We enter the 1960s with Bye Bye Birdie, music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Lee Adams, book by Michael Stewart, and directed and choreographed by Gower Champion. Does it hold up well? What's with all the Ann-Margret hype? Find out here.

The musical theatre goddess that is Debbie Gravitte swings by Shetler Studios to tell Rob and Kevin about her amazing career that got started doing Annie Get Your Gun with Gower Champion all the way up to her filling Eydie Gorme's shoes in the 50th Anniversary concert of Golden Rainbow! In between, there is Perfectly Frank, Zorba, Swing, Jerome Robbins Broadway (for which she won the Tony Award), They're Playing Our Song, and so much more! Debbie pulls back the curtain on her career to discuss how Anthony Quinn fooled an audience into forgiveness, what it was like working for Jerome Robbins, and why Bea Arthur's love of oysters was unsettling! Also, Debbie shines the spotlight on Debbie Reynolds, Ruth Brown, and Stephen Schwartz! Become a sponsor of Behind The Curtain and get early access to interviews, private playlists, and advance knowledge of future guests so you can ask the legends your own questions. Go to: http://bit.ly/2i7nWC4

Get out your tap shoes, Francis, because four time Tony nominated choreographer, Randy Skinner, is here to waltz us all back in time for an intimate retrospective of his career. From working at the famed Kenley Players to being the keeper of the 42nd Street flame, Randy's career includes turns (both onstage and off) with 42nd Street, Babes in Arms, Ain't Broadway Grand, State Fair, Do Re Mi, George M, Lone Star Love, White Christmas, Of Thee I Sing, No No Nanette, On Your Toes, Dames at Sea, and many more! Randy pulls back the curtain on his career to discuss how Ginger Rodgers influenced his work, what it was like learning from Gower Champion, and why he loves the art of teaching. Also, Randy shines the spotlight on Fred Astaire, David Merrick, and John Kenley! Become a sponsor of Behind The Curtain and get early access to interviews, private playlists, and advance knowledge of future guests so you can ask the legends your own questions. Go to: http://bit.ly/2i7nWC4 

The Secret Service might make her nervous but it doesn't stop the wonderful Anita Gillette from telling all in this fascinating interview. Anita invited Rob and Kevin over to her apartment to look back on her Broadway credits including Gypsy, All-American, Mr. President, Cabaret, and many others. Anita pulls back the curtain on her career, including how Irving Berlin dealt with critics, what it was like to work on the 1 performance flop Kelly, and why David Merrick sent her a bill! Also, Anita shines the spotlight on Neil Simon, Gower Champion, and Ethel Merman! Become a sponsor of Behind The Curtain and get early access to interviews, private playlists, and advance knowledge of future guests so you can ask the legends your own questions. Go to patreon.com and search Behind The Curtain: http://bit.ly/2i7nWC4

Put on a happy face because the Tony Award winning composer of Bye Bye Birdie, Applause, Annie, and countless others, Charles Strouse, invites Rob and Kevin into his penthouse apartment for a two part interview about his life and career. Charles pulls back the curtain on his career, including how a Texas oil tycoon became his biggest benefactor, what was the inspiration behind “Once Upon a Time”, and why Sammy Davis Jr. was his best audience! Also, Charles shines the spotlight on Gower Champion, Bert Lahr, and Chita Rivera! Become a sponsor of Behind The Curtain and get early access to interviews, private playlists, and advance knowledge of future guests so you can ask the legends your own questions. Go to patreon.com and search Behind The Curtain: http://bit.ly/2i7nWC4

We are starting 2017 off with a bang: A 2 hour interview with the Tony Award winning Michael Rupert, who has been in the business for over fifty years! Michael pulls back the curtain on his amazing career which includes working as a child actor in TV shows like My Three Sons, getting a Tony nomination as a teenager for The Happy Time, the existential crisis of taking over for Pippin in the 70s, winning a Tony Award in the 80s for Sweet Charity, bringing comfort to many as Falsettos' Marvin in 90s, and being introduced to a whole new generation through Legally Blonde in the 2000s. Also, Michael discusses how his kindness won over Gower Champion, the art of Bob Fosse's manipulation, and the difference between West Coast and East Coast audiences. Plus: Jerry Mitchell's rehearsals, William Finn's genius, and in depth discussions on two of our favorite musicals 3 Guys Naked From The Waist Down & Mail.

Theater Talk celebrates the 50th anniversary of "Hello, Dolly!" w/ original cast member Sondra Lee, director/actor Lee Roy Reams, and dance legend Marge Champion who assisted her late then-husband Gower Champion while he created the '64 hit.

"Legally Blonde"'s resident legal shark Michael Rupert talks about why his role as that musical's unsavory Professor Callahan is consistent with other roles he often plays and talks about being the senior member of a youthful company; recalls being cast at age 15 by Gower Champion in "The Happy Time" and what he learned from Robert Goulet, Charles Durning and Kander & Ebb in that production; describes working with Bob Fosse on two productions -- replacing John Rubenstein in the title role of "Pippin" (which Rupert says was Fosse's metaphor for the Manson Family) and later playing Oscar in the 1986 revival of "Sweet Charity"; reflects on the role of Marvin in the various incarnations of William Finn's "Falsettos" over more than a decade; and chronicles his parallel theatrical career as the composer of "3 Guys Naked Form The Waist Down", "Mail" and the upcoming "Streets Of America". Original air date - February 15, 2008.

Legally Blonde's resident legal shark Michael Rupert (winner of a 1986 Tony Award for his Featured Role in Sweet Charity) talks about why his role as that musical's unsavory Professor Callahan is consistent with other roles he often plays and talks about being the senior member of a youthful company; recalls being cast at age 15 by Gower Champion in The Happy Time and what he learned from Robert Goulet, Charles Durning and Kander & Ebb in that production; describes working with Bob Fosse on two productions -- replacing John Rubenstein in the title role of Pippin (which Rupert says was Fosse's metaphor for the Manson Family) and later playing Oscar in the 1986 revival of Sweet Charity; reflects on the role of Marvin in the various incarnations of William Finn's Falsettos over more than a decade; and chronicles his parallel theatrical career as the composer of 3 Guys Naked Form The Waist Down, Mail and the upcoming Streets Of America.

"Legally Blonde"'s resident legal shark Michael Rupert talks about why his role as that musical's unsavory Professor Callahan is consistent with other roles he often plays and talks about being the senior member of a youthful company; recalls being cast at age 15 by Gower Champion in "The Happy Time" and what he learned from Robert Goulet, Charles Durning and Kander & Ebb in that production; describes working with Bob Fosse on two productions -- replacing John Rubenstein in the title role of "Pippin" (which Rupert says was Fosse's metaphor for the Manson Family) and later playing Oscar in the 1986 revival of "Sweet Charity"; reflects on the role of Marvin in the various incarnations of William Finn's "Falsettos" over more than a decade; and chronicles his parallel theatrical career as the composer of "3 Guys Naked Form The Waist Down", "Mail" and the upcoming "Streets Of America". Original air date - February 15, 2008.