Podcast appearances and mentions of michael john lachiusa

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

Today, I'm thrilled to be joined by Broadway star Luba Mason, who will be appearing in Backstage Babble: Beyond the Walls of Joe Allen Restaurant on Wednesday, February 19th at 7 PM at 54 Below. You can find in-person and livestream tickets here: https://54below.org/events/backstage-babble-joe-allen/ And tune in to hear some of the stories of her legendary career, including finding her take on the role of Hedy LaRue in HOW TO SUCCEED, the beauty of THE CAPEMAN, the experience of reviving the show at the Delacorte Theater, her circuitous path to starring in JEKYLL AND HYDE, the challenges of working on SID CAESAR AND COMPANY, co-starring with Brooke Shields in CHICAGO, performing in the West Coast tryout of SUNSET BOULEVARD, why PRETTY FILTHY didn't transfer to Broadway, how she got involved with the American Dance Machine at NYU, dancing for Agnes De Mille, why she loves working with Michael John LaChiusa, and so much more. You won't want to miss this interview with a true Broadway veteran.

I'm not releasing a new episode this month, so instead I thought I'd put together a few “Why is This So Good” sections from the first and second seasons to hold us over until the next new episode in August. I've included A Strange Loop writer Michael R. Jackson talking about the song "Not Anymore" from the 1973 musical Raisin from episode 4; composer, writer, and director John Grimmett talking about the song sequence "Montage/Safe/The One I Love" from Michael John LaChiusa's 1993 musical Hello Again from episode 7; and writer John Verderber talking about Stephen Sondheim's song "Someone in a Tree" from his 1976 musical Pacific Overtures from episode 19. You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you'd like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @ScenetoSong, on X/Twitter at @SceneSong, and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald. Music played in this episode:  "Not Anymore" from Raisin  "Montage/Safe/The One I Love" from Hello Again "Someone in a Tree" from Pacific Overtures

U Guys, three-time Tony nominee Mary Testa is here! This week's BroadwayWorld Recap has some very exciting Bway news, brought to you by BroadwayWorld.com! Then I am joined by a true Broadway legend, Miss Mary Testa. Mary's career as a performer has spanned over 4 decades and has garnered her extensive recognition as one of Broadway's strongest voices. With thirteen Broadway credits and three Tony Award nominations, Mary's work has impacted countless people and has transcended genre. From standing by for Liza Minelli opposite Chita Rivera in the original Broadway production of The Rink, to originating roles like Melpomene in Xanadu, Mary has proven that she can truly do anything thrown her way. In this episode we talk about her road to the stage, and her long-time work relationships with critically acclaimed composers William Finn and Michael John Lachiusa. Mary shares about what draws her to new projects, and how she loves to take on pieces of art that challenge her. Mary is fiery and wonderful, U don't wanna miss this episode! Follow Mary on Instagram: @Marytesta.actress Follow the pod on Instagram: @ohmypoduguys Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I chat with Michael John LaChiusa, the American musical theatre and opera composer, lyricist, and librettist. He is best known for musically esoteric shows such as Hello Again, Marie Christine, and The Wild Party. We talk, primarily, about The Gardens of Anuncia, where he wrote music, lyrics, and book. The show is based on the life of Graciela Daniele, a prolific figure in modern musical theatre. The musical was performed Off-Broadway at the Mitzi E, Newhouse Theatre within Lincoln Center, running from October 19, 2023 until December 31, 2023. The cast included Priscilla Lopez, Eden Espinosa, Mary Testa, and Andréa Burns.

From loving TikTok to enjoying cold readings playing “delightfully stupid” characters, Mary Testa is a talented actress who's “not on a stardom path and never will be”. She starts off where her acting journey began: choosing between law school and performing. Ultimately, she pursued the latter and eventually moved to New York in 1976, explaining why she just likes working on interesting things with people she loves. She discusses self-taping auditions during the pandemic, and that while she believes it's better to be in the room for auditions, she understands the preliminary role of self-tapes. Known for playing strong-willed characters, Mary reflects on her career as a character actress. She recalls asking Michael John LaChiusa to write a role for her as “a very stupid character”, challenging the usual type casting she gets. She also admits to loving cold readings, the spontaneity, and the challenges that come with them. Reflecting on her journey, she gets real as she talks about perfectionism, how insecurities can lead to tyrannical behavior, and why self-awareness and being comfortable in your own skin is important to keep you grounded. Mary Testa is an actress with a phenomenal career spanning almost 50 years, which includes 12 Broadway shows such as “Oklahoma!”, “42nd Street”, and “On the Town”, resulting in her three Tony Award nominations. Her TV and film credits beginning in 1979 include “Cagney & Lacey”, “Sex and the City”, “Whoopi”, “The Battery's Down”, “Eat, Pray, Love”, and “The Good Fight”, “The Blacklist”, and many, many more. She's been a part of the “Ratatouille”, the TikTok musical, and is an experienced voiceover artist. She can be heard in the podcast comedy TWITS: A Streampunk Distraction available everywhere you find your podcasts. Connect with Mary: Instagram: @marytesta.actress Listen to TWITS: http://bpn.fm/twits Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support the podcast on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast YouTube: YouTube.com/TheTheatrePodcast Threads, Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast TikTok: @thetheatrepodcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com My personal Instagram: @alanseales Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Daisy Prince's directing work includes the Original Off-Broadway production of The Last Five Years and the Original Off-Broadway production of Songs for a New World, both by Jason Robert Brown; It's Only Life: The Songs of John Bucchino at Rubicon Theatre (Los Angeles Ovation Award and Independent Award, Best Direction) also at Theatre Row for SPF and American Songbook at Lincoln Center; Jessica Molaskey's Pentimento with John Pizzarelli, Christine Ebersole, and Frank McCourt at The 92 Street Y. Daisy's concert staging includes Jason Robert Brown and Stephen Sondheim at Town Hall 50th SubCulture Residency Concert June 2019, NYSF Public Theater, PUBLIC SINGS!, Jazz at Lincoln Center's American Songbook Lance Horne: First Things Last, Lyrics and Lyricists at 92nd St. Y, The Genius of Autism, Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, and Tom Kitt: An Evening at Stella Del Mare at Joe's Pub. As a performer, Daisy's credits include Merrily We Roll Along (Meg, Original Broadway Cast), Follies in Concert (Young Phyllis, Lincoln Center); Pal Joey (Linda English, Encores! City Center), Michael John LaChiusa's The Petrified Prince (Elise, NYSF Public Theater), and featured performer with The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. Her recordings include all the above and Grateful: The Songs of John Bucchino. In addition, she co-produced three plays with Bonnie Metzgar and Thalia Field as House Frau, inc. at BACA downtown. Daisy is a graduate of Brown University, has spent 20 years teaching as part of the New York City faculty of Syracuse University's The Tepper Semester, and is a proud member of the SDC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Work privately with David About David Cady: DAVID CADY is currently a professor of commercial and musical theatre performance at AMDA, NYU, and Pace University. Prior, he was a casting director for Donna DeSeta Casting for close to 30 years. In addition to countless commercials, his casting credits include the original Dirty Dancing, Disney's Enchanted, Michael John LaChiusa's The Petrified Prince for the Public Theater, and the world premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman's Whistle Down the      Wind, directed by Harold Prince.   He was an original cast member of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's Merrily We Roll Along, and can be seen in Lonny Price's film about the experience, The Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened. In an enlightening discussion filled with actionable advice and heartfelt stories, David Cady, a veteran of musical theatre, shares his extensive knowledge and passion for the art. This episode is a treasure trove for aspiring and established performers alike, offering guidance on auditions, the importance of self-awareness, and the intrinsic value of kindness and professionalism in the theatre world. Key Takeaways: Mastering Auditions: David discusses the crucial approach to auditions, emphasizing the importance of viewing oneself as a collaborator rather than just a hopeful applicant. The mindset should be about showcasing how you are the answer to a casting call, equipped with meticulously selected material that plays to your current strengths. The Right Material: The selection of audition pieces is paramount. David advises against reaching for material that's beyond one's current range, instead advocating for focusing on pieces that showcase one's abilities best. This includes having self-taped auditions with tracks designed in your key and reflecting your unique voice. Technical Savvy: The conversation turns to the technical aspects of modern auditions, highlighting the need for performers to become adept at using software like GarageBand and iMovie for editing self-tapes. This technical skill set is becoming increasingly crucial in a digital-first auditioning world. Confidence and Growth: Drawing from his own experiences, David talks about the evolution of confidence through the repeated cycle of auditioning, failing, and learning. He stresses that a failure is not a setback but an opportunity for growth. Building and Maintaining Relationships: One of the episode's most poignant messages is the importance of kindness, professionalism, and building lasting relationships in the industry. David shares personal anecdotes to underscore how your behavior and interaction with everyone, from the casting director to the monitor, can significantly impact your career. A Career for Life: The discussion concludes on a reflective note, with David reminding listeners that a career in musical theatre is a lifelong journey. The importance of cherishing and working with your current capabilities, continually learning, and building a reputation of kindness and professionalism cannot be overstated. Special Moments: David shares inspiring stories from his career, including his auditions and the lessons learned along the way. A candid discussion about the mental and emotional aspects of performing, emphasizing self-love and the journey towards finding and owning your voice. For More Information: To explore working with David Cady on your musical theatre auditions, click on the link in the show notes. Learn more about Acting Business Bootcamp and how it can advance your career by also checking the show notes. This episode is a must-listen for anyone passionate about musical theatre, offering insights and advice that span the breadth of a performer's journey from auditions to professional growth and personal fulfillment.

Connor and Dylan are joined by three-time Tony Award nominee Mary Testa (Oklahoma!, Xanadu). After dishing on the recent lab presentation of SMASH, the twins meet the icon herself, and dive into Mary's fabulous career. She's done it all, y'all! Mary reflects on her long and wonderful relationship with The Transport Group, especially her cherished leading role in Queen of the Mist. Mary shares memories from working on Marilyn the Musical with Kenny Ortega, learning from Chita Rivera, and the magic of Xanadu alongside Jackie Hoffman. We get into her creative collaborations with Michael John LaChiusa and Graziela Daniele, including Marie Christine, The Gardens of Anuncia, and more. Listen in for a touching story from when Mary's parents saw her go on for Liza Minnelli in The Rink, as well as insights into her knack for standing up against injustice (particularly in show business). Naturally, we get into Sexy Oklahoma, being directed by Daniel Fish, and the modern unruly audiences at the theater. This trio even chats about Wicked (the movie trailer too), Beyonce's foray into country, and Mary's Tiktok addiction. Mary is a truly authentic, distinguished force onstage and off. You'll be drawn into this episode with this legendary star.Follow Mary on InstagramFollow DRAMA. on Twitter & Instagram & TiktokFollow Connor MacDowell on Twitter & InstagramFollow Dylan MacDowell on Twitter & InstagramEdited by DylanSupport the podcast by subscribing to DRAMA+, which also includes bonus episodes, Instagram Close Friends content, and more!

In this episode we have a conversation with the three-time Tony nominee Mary Testa, as she shares insights from her incredible career in the industry. From her current role as Granmama in THE GARDENS OF ANUNCIA at Lincoln Center to her collaboration with Michael John LaChiusa, Mary provides a glimpse into the world of Broadway. She also discusses her thoughts on the current state of the industry and treats us to a fun behind-the-scenes moment from her first Tony-nominated role. Tune in to hear captivating stories and valuable perspectives from this seasoned performer. Don't forget to subscribe to our channel for all things theatre. 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

In this episode, composer and lyricist Landon Braverman discusses Michael John LaChiusa and Sybille Pearson's 2012 off-Broadway musical Giant. We also talk about the song "Hello, Darling" from David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori's 2021 musical Kimberly Akimbo.  You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you'd like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @ScenetoSong, on X/Twitter at @SceneSong, and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald. Music played in this episode: "Aurelia Dolores" from Giant "Your Texas" from Giant "He Wanted a Girl" from Giant "My Texas" from Giant "The Desert" from Giant "Hello, Darling" from Kimberly Akimbo

Today,we start the show with an iconic legend and friend Professor Anthony Davis… Prof. American composer,best known for his operas, “The Life and Times of Malcolm X, which played sold-out houses at its premiere at the New York City Opera ... .This was the first of a new American genre… addressing contemporary political subjects… A new production of a revised version was launched in May 2022 at Detroit Opera and directed by Robert O'Hara. The premiere recording of X was released on the Gramavision label in August 1992 and received a Grammy Nomination for "Best Contemporary Classical Composition" in February 1993.  A new recording with BMOP and Odyssey Opera was released in October 2022. Davis won a Pulitzer Prize for his recent opera, The Central Park Five. Davis's second opera, Under the Double Moon, a science fiction opera with an original libretto by Deborah Atherton, premiered at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis in June 1989.  His third opera, Tania, with a libretto by Michael-John LaChiusa, based on the abduction of Patricia Hearst, premiered at the American Music Theater Festival in June 1992. A recording of Tania  was released in 2001 on Koch, and in November 2003, Musikwerkstaat Wien presented its European premiere. A fourth opera, Amistad, about a shipboard uprising by slaves and their subsequent trial, premiered at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in November 1997. Set to a libretto by poet Thulani Davis, the librettist of X, Amistad was staged by George C. Wolfe. As a composer, Davis is best known for his operas. X, The Life and Times of Malcolm X, which played to sold-out houses at its premiere at the New York City Opera in 1986, was the first of a new American genre: opera on a contemporary political subject. A new production of a revised version was launched in May 2022 at Detroit Opera and directed by Robert O'Hara. The premiere recording of X was released on the Gramavision label in August 1992 and received a Grammy Nomination for "Best Contemporary Classical Composition" in February 1993. A new recording with BMOP and Odyssey Opera was released in October 2022. Davis won a Pulitzer Prize for his recent opera, The Central Park Five. Davis's second opera, Under the Double Moon, a science fiction opera with an original libretto by Deborah Atherton, premiered at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis in June 1989. His third opera, Tania, with a libretto by Michael-John LaChiusa, based on the abduction of Patricia Hearst, premiered at the American Music Theater Festival in June 1992. A recording of Tania  was released in 2001 on Koch, and in November 2003, Musikwerkstaat Wien presented its European premiere. A fourth opera, Amistad, about a shipboard uprising by slaves and their subsequent trial, premiered at the Lyric Opera  of Chicago in November 1997. Set to a libretto by poet Thulani Davis, the librettist of X, Amistad was staged by George C. Wolfe. Anthony Davis represents Black struggle through opera…. A graduate of Yale University in 1975, Mr. Davis is currently a professor of music at the University of California, San Diego as well as the Cecil Lytle Chancellor's Endowed Chair in African and African-American Music. In 2008 he received the "Lift Every Voice" Legacy Award from the National Opera Association acknowledging his pioneering work in opera. In 2006 Mr. Davis was awarded a fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. Mr. Davis has also been honored by the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the NYC Foundation of the Arts, the National Endowment of the Arts, the Massachusetts Arts Council, the Carey Trust, Chamber Music America, Meet-the-Composer Wallace Fund, the MAP fund with the Rockefeller Foundation and Opera America. He has been an artist fellow at the MacDowell Colony and at the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center in Italy. Musical Intro "FREEDOM"by June Allison & Jonva Ven Editing: Amin Abraham-Quiles in Affiliation DOCENTERTAINMENT Engineering&Mastering: Soundmusiqproductions1.org --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/infinitz8/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/infinitz8/support

Listen to what Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award-winner Rachel Bay Jones has to say to Beltline to Broadway about seeing her first Broadway show, leaving the business, and returning triumphantly. Rachel Bay Jones will be performing a concert at Theatre Raleigh on July 7. For more information visit the Theatre Raleigh website.About the GuestRachel Bay Jones is best known for originating the role of ‘Heidi Hansen' in the Original Broadway Cast of Dear Evan Hansen, and received a Tony Award, Emmy Award, Grammy Award, Lucille Lortel Award, and a Drama League nod for her performance.An actress acclaimed for her versatile ability to bring life to comedic, dramatic and character roles, she has garnered praise for her performances in Diane Paulus' Tony Award Winning Revivals of Pippin and Hair, went on for Patti Lupone in the Original Broadway production of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, wowed New York audiences in the critically acclaimed productions of Michael John LaChiusa's First Daughter Suite and Hello Again, and received rave reviews for her performance as ‘Diana' in The Kennedy Center's revival production of Next to Normal, directed by Michael Grief. She can be seen on television in major on CBS' “Young Sheldon,” “The United States of Al,” ABC's “The Good Doctor,” Amazon's “Panic,” “Why Women Kill” on Paramount+, ABC's “Modern Family” & CBS' “God Friended Me.” On Film she starred in “Ben Is Back,” opposite Julia Roberts, and in “Critical Thinking,” directed by and opposite John Leguizamo.Connect with Beltline to BroadwayFacebook/TikTok/Instagram @beltlinetobroadway

This week, we're inviting very special guest Peter Fernandes to a Wild Party! Michael John LaChiusa's Wild Party, to be specific. Paul, Jill, and Peter huddle in the corner, whispering furtively: did you hear what Mandy Patinkin did? What ever happened to that bright Australian upstart who played Queenie? And wait, are we sure we're talking about the right Wild Party and not the two other versions that exist?We got MERCH y'all! Visit Spring to check out our mugs, t-shirts, hoodies and more!Instagram: @monkeysandplaybillspod Email: monkeysandplaybillspod@gmail.com Patreon: patreon.com/monkeysandplaybills Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/monkeysandplaybills We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, as well as our producing partners the Crescent Arts Centre, on this season of Monkeys and Playbills.

Hear Tessa (Omni), David (Bi), Cameron (Pan), and our M-Spectacular guest: Kathleen talk about moving to London, the Fullerverse, swelling into brains, Dick Van Dialects and the results, Michael John LaChiusa fandom, Public Theatre Alum reminiscing, and more! Don't miss this fun-filled episode Bi-cons!

David's Advanced Commercial Class About David: DAVID CADY is currently a professor of commercial and musical theatre performance at AMDA, NYU, and Pace University. Prior, he was a casting director for Donna DeSeta Casting for close to 30 years. In addition to countless commercials, his casting credits include the original Dirty Dancing, Disney's Enchanted, Michael John LaChiusa's The Petrified Prince for the Public Theater, and the world premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman's Whistle Down the      Wind, directed by Harold Prince.   He was an original cast member of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's Merrily We Roll Along, and can be seen in Lonny Price's film about the experience, The Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened. Most of the auditions are self-tapes.  When do you make a daring choice?  The times when I didn't ask for permission to be Peter Pamela Rose. Those were the times I got the callback or maybe booked the job.   Really understanding how to interpret that script.   What is your relationship to the product?  When you have a theatrical text, it's your job to become the person on the page. And when you have a commercial text, it's your job to make the person on the page you.   It's odd because even though you are filming something, you are capturing a live performance.   It must still have that sense of spontaneity, that alive quality if something is 95%. Great. Or let's even say 90% great. You don't throw it out because 10% is not exactly what you would want it to be.   How many takes do you do?   What am I trying to achieve here?  They have to have performance energy, and they have to have performance commitment.   It's hard to develop a healthy perspective as to what they are looking for. Ask yourself: What am I looking for when I watch myself tapes?   Go to an audition with the, "I can't wait to show you what I've got. Like I can't wait to show you what I have."  And I think in some ways if you can bottle that excitement in your self-tape, and I think there's a real trick there.  Dropping off the gift of your talent.  Are you someone who has strong ideas about what this performance looks like? Are you someone who makes choices? Are you someone who makes interesting choices? Are you someone who does something that's out of the box that gets their attention, whether it's something that ever ends up in the commercial or not?  It's a sense of self, and it's a freedom, and it's a joy in, in doing this that just, that comes through.   There isn't a tentativeness.  It's not your job to tell the audience how they felt about your performance.  I would always love it when an actor screwed something up or said something that wasn't in the script. And I would say to them, do you know that that happened? And they'd say, oh, really?  Improv in Commercials is different.  You want to be accessible to yourself.  How to handle one-liners. 

Celia Keenan-Bolger (IG:@celiakb)(TW:@celiakb) is currently in The Gilded Age on HBO. She was born on January 26, 1978 in Detroit, Michigan and is a Tony Award winner and Broadway favorite. Celia Keenan-Bolger will return to To Kill a Mockingbird at the Shubert Theatre from October 5, 2021. Keenan-Bolger trained at both the Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit and the Detroit School of Arts and graduated from the University of Michigan with a BFA in musical theatre. She began her stage career in regional theatres such as the Goodman Theatre in Chicago and Theatre Works in Silicon Valley, and she made her Off-Broadway debut as Aggie in Summer of '42 in December 2001. During the Kennedy Center's Sondheim Celebration in 2002, she starred as Johanna in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and she would then perform again off Broadway in January 2003 in Second Stage Theatre's production of Michael John LaChiusa's Little Fish. Also in 2003, she would originate the role of Clara Johnson in the celebrated musical The Light in the Piazza at both Seattle's Intiman Theatre and Chicago's Goodman Theatre. She originated the role of Olive Ostrovsky in William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Barrington Stage Company in the summer of 2004, reprised her performance off Broadway at Second Stage Theatre in January 2005, and did so again on Broadway, marking her Broadway debut in April 2005. She was nominated for her first Tony Award for her performance as Olive and received a Theatre World Award and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance. She remained with the production until September 17, 2006. Her next Broadway venture would be to originate the role of Éponine in the 2006 revival of Les Misérables, playing the role from October 2006 to January 2008, earning a Drama Desk nomination in 2007. Keenan-Bolger returned off Broadway for her next productions, starring as Mary in the musical Saved at Playwrights Horizons from May to June 2008, as Katie in Bachelorette for Second Stage Theatre from July to August 2010, and as Jenny Bridges in A Small Fire from December 2010 to January 2011, once again at Playwrights Horizons. She then landed the role of Molly in New York Theatre Workshop's acclaimed production of Peter and the Starcatcher, which played the Off-Broadway venue from February to April 2011, resulting in yet another Drama Desk Award nomination, and transferred to Broadway in March 2012, leading to her second Tony Award nomination. Ahead of the Broadway premiere, Keenan-Bolger also starred as Mary Flynn in New York City Center's Encores! production of Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along in February 2012. In the fall of 2013, she took on the role of Laura Wingfield in the Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie from September 2013 to February 2014. She garnered great acclaim for her performance, winning a Drama Desk Award, earning her third Tony Award nomination, and receiving the Theatre World Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in 2014. Keenan-Bolger followed this performance with her Lincoln Center Theater debut, starring as Mother in an Off-Broadway production of Sarah Ruhl's The Oldest Boy from October to December 2014. She was next seen on Broadway as Varya, opposite Diane Lane, in Roundabout Theatre Company's 2016 revival of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, and she was last seen off Broadway in Second Stage Theatre's 2017 production of A Parallelogram.  Keenan-Bolger returned to Broadway on November 1, 2018, taking on the role of Scout in Aaron Sorkin's new stage adaptation of the classic Harper Lee novel To Kill a Mockingbird. She won her first Tony Award in the category of Best Performance By An Actress In A Featured Role In A Play for her portrayal, and she ended her year-long run in the production on November 3, 2019. She leads the reopening cast of the play once more starting in October 2021. Although primarily known for her career on stage, Ms. Keenan-Bolger has also appeared in a number of high-profile television shows over the years, including Law & Order (2007), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2014), Nurse Jackie (2014), The Good Wife (2015), Elementary (2015), Good Behavior (2016), Blue Bloods (2017), NCIS: New Orleans (2017), and Bull (2018). Her film credits include Mariachi Gringo (2012), The Visit (2015), Breakable You (2017), and Diane (2018).

Celia Keenan-Bolger (IG:@celiakb)(TW:@celiakb) is currently in The Gilded Age on HBO. She was born on January 26, 1978 in Detroit, Michigan and is a Tony Award winner and Broadway favorite. Celia Keenan-Bolger will return to To Kill a Mockingbird at the Shubert Theatre from October 5, 2021. Keenan-Bolger trained at both the Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit and the Detroit School of Arts and graduated from the University of Michigan with a BFA in musical theatre. She began her stage career in regional theatres such as the Goodman Theatre in Chicago and Theatre Works in Silicon Valley, and she made her Off-Broadway debut as Aggie in Summer of '42 in December 2001. During the Kennedy Center's Sondheim Celebration in 2002, she starred as Johanna in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and she would then perform again off Broadway in January 2003 in Second Stage Theatre's production of Michael John LaChiusa's Little Fish. Also in 2003, she would originate the role of Clara Johnson in the celebrated musical The Light in the Piazza at both Seattle's Intiman Theatre and Chicago's Goodman Theatre. She originated the role of Olive Ostrovsky in William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Barrington Stage Company in the summer of 2004, reprised her performance off Broadway at Second Stage Theatre in January 2005, and did so again on Broadway, marking her Broadway debut in April 2005. She was nominated for her first Tony Award for her performance as Olive and received a Theatre World Award and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance. She remained with the production until September 17, 2006. Her next Broadway venture would be to originate the role of Éponine in the 2006 revival of Les Misérables, playing the role from October 2006 to January 2008, earning a Drama Desk nomination in 2007. Keenan-Bolger returned off Broadway for her next productions, starring as Mary in the musical Saved at Playwrights Horizons from May to June 2008, as Katie in Bachelorette for Second Stage Theatre from July to August 2010, and as Jenny Bridges in A Small Fire from December 2010 to January 2011, once again at Playwrights Horizons. She then landed the role of Molly in New York Theatre Workshop's acclaimed production of Peter and the Starcatcher, which played the Off-Broadway venue from February to April 2011, resulting in yet another Drama Desk Award nomination, and transferred to Broadway in March 2012, leading to her second Tony Award nomination. Ahead of the Broadway premiere, Keenan-Bolger also starred as Mary Flynn in New York City Center's Encores! production of Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along in February 2012. In the fall of 2013, she took on the role of Laura Wingfield in the Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie from September 2013 to February 2014. She garnered great acclaim for her performance, winning a Drama Desk Award, earning her third Tony Award nomination, and receiving the Theatre World Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in 2014. Keenan-Bolger followed this performance with her Lincoln Center Theater debut, starring as Mother in an Off-Broadway production of Sarah Ruhl's The Oldest Boy from October to December 2014. She was next seen on Broadway as Varya, opposite Diane Lane, in Roundabout Theatre Company's 2016 revival of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, and she was last seen off Broadway in Second Stage Theatre's 2017 production of A Parallelogram.  Keenan-Bolger returned to Broadway on November 1, 2018, taking on the role of Scout in Aaron Sorkin's new stage adaptation of the classic Harper Lee novel To Kill a Mockingbird. She won her first Tony Award in the category of Best Performance By An Actress In A Featured Role In A Play for her portrayal, and she ended her year-long run in the production on November 3, 2019. She leads the reopening cast of the play once more starting in October 2021. Although primarily known for her career on stage, Ms. Keenan-Bolger has also appeared in a number of high-profile television shows over the years, including Law & Order (2007), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2014), Nurse Jackie (2014), The Good Wife (2015), Elementary (2015), Good Behavior (2016), Blue Bloods (2017), NCIS: New Orleans (2017), and Bull (2018). Her film credits include Mariachi Gringo (2012), The Visit (2015), Breakable You (2017), and Diane (2018).

#834 - Michael John LaChiusa The Michael John LaChiusa Interview is featured on The Paul Leslie Hour. Are you here? Okay, I need and want to tell you a little bit more. What you're listening to is an interview show. It's a show that features interviews. We call it The Paul Leslie Hour, because that's what it's named. Each episode has a guest. That guest has to answer questions. Well, they don't have to, but so far all of them have been willing to talk. On this episode we present an interview from our archives with 5-time Tony award winner Michael John LaChiusa.  In the world of musical theatre, Michael John LaChiusa is well known for his shows including “Hello Again,” “Marie Christine,” “The Wild Party,” and “See What I Wanna See.”  He is respected as a composer, lyricist, and librettist.  In addition to Michael John LaChiusa's work in theatre and opera, he is also a performer of his own work at concert and cabaret venues. So, in this interview, LaChiusa will be talking to Paul E. Leslie about his influences, history and his creative work. We've got so many interviews we want to get out there to the masses. Our show is made possible by people like you, or, we should say the supporters. Just go to thepaulleslie.com/support - we thank you for listening and supporting. And now, it's time for the Michael John LaChiusa interview. Let's listen together.

To celebrate Michael John LaChiusa's new show LOS OTROS we are reviving our interview with him. After you listen, go buy some tickets and see the incredible Caesar Samayoa and Luba Mason shine in this beautiful show. MORE INFO ON LOS OTROS HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About David: DAVID CADY is currently a professor of commercial and musical theatre performance at AMDA, NYU, and Pace University. Prior, he was a casting director for Donna DeSeta Casting for close to 30 years. In addition to countless commercials, his casting credits include the original Dirty Dancing, Disney's Enchanted, Michael John LaChiusa's The Petrified Prince for the Public Theater, and the world premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman's Whistle Down the      Wind, directed by Harold Prince.   He was an original cast member of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's Merrily We Roll Along, and can be seen in Lonny Price's film about the experience, The Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened. Actors don't think like the rest of us. They have a very, very particular way of doing things, and that can lead to actors getting stuck. You need accountability. It's important for actors to engage with that other part of their brain and realize that it is a business.  It's important that you do something for your career that makes you want to vomit in your mouth just a little bit every day. In order to be successful, you need to do things that push you out of your comfort zone. You need to do things that get you to that next bit, to that next level of success. It's such a competitive business, and every single actor is competing, and you are competing with yourself. It isn't just about your talent. Your agent is probably not going to do much more than submit you for work. The misconception is that agents are going to mold your career. Actors are sensitive people, but, in David's experience, agents, managers, and casting directors are not sensitive people. The first job is being the best actor that you can be and continuing to study and be in class and get better at what people are ultimately going to hire you to do. And then the second job is to learn how the business works. Understanding yourself is going to make you just a better craftsman, but it's also going to help you as a person get out of your way. If you don't understand what's holding you back, then it's just going to keep holding you back.  I think the people who are going to get furthest are the people who love it, love the work, who love writing letters, sending out pictures and resumes, and doing the mailings. They're jazzed by it. They're excited by it.  It's about having the confidence to meet yourself before anybody else tells you that you're good.

Capítulo 018: On this episode of Ocu-Pasión we are joined by Broadway veteran, university instructor, theatre facilitator, and director Michelle Rios. Listen in as we discuss Theatre within social activism, collective creation, and the art of storytelling. Michelle's  credits include the Tony Award nominated Broadway productions of Paul Simon and Derek Walcott's The Capeman, The Sound of Music (starringRichard Chamberlain), and Man of La Mancha (starring Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell).  She also performed the coveted role of “Abuela Claudia” opposite Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award winner Lin Manuel Miranda in In the Heights and originated the role of  “Maria Elena” in the opera Missionaries written and directed by the late Elizabeth Swados, which premiered at both La MaMa, ETC. and New York Stage and Film.   A classically trained vocalist, Ms. Rios was also a Metropolitan Opera Mid Atlantic Semi-finalist, and has collaborated with artists on theatrical, classical, and contemporary new works.  She was a guest artist in Spoleto Music Festivals in both Italy and Charleston, SC, where she performed the world premiere of Magic & Transformation, a chamber orchestral piece with lyrics by the late Lou Reed and music by contemporary composer Peter Gordon.  Other guest artist concert appearances include: The Washington Opera, The National Symphony, The Greenville Symphony, The Arlington Symphony, The Pan American Symphony Orchestra, The Core Ensemble, Opera Maxlrain (Germany), The “In” Series, etc.  Ms. Rios has performed and collaborated with such luminaries as Paul Simon, Lin Manuel Miranda, Marc Anthony, Ruben Blades, Uzo Aduba, Lila Downs, and Academy Award nominees Ed Harris, Mare Winningham, and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, to name a few.  She performed the role of "Signora Nacarelli" in the World Premiere of the first chamber production of The Light in the Piazza by Tony Award winning composer Adam Guettel.   She also originated the role of “Lupe” in the World Premiere of Tony Award nominees Michael John LaChiusa and Sybille Pearson's Giant directed by award winning Broadway and West End director and choreographer Jonathan Butterell ("Everybody's Talking About Jamie").  She performed alongside Grammy Award winning recording artist Lila Downs as “Mama Elena” in the Sundance Theatre Lab workshop presentation of Like Water for Chocolate with music and lyrics by Lila Downs and a book by Pulitzer Prize Award winning playwright Quiara Alegria Hudes.  Ms. Rios received a 2018 Helen Hayes Award nomination for her performance as "Abuela Claudia" in the U.S. Spanish premiere of In the Heights  directed and choreographed by Luis Salgado with original Spanish lyrics by Lin Manuel Miranda.  You may catch Ms. Rios as “Flora” opposite Academy Award nominee Ed Harris in the feature film Frontera (on Netflix).  She appears as "Mrs. Lopez" in the first season of Schmigadoon! a musical comedy series starring SNL's Cecily Strong and  directed by Barry Sonnenfeld (Addams Family, Men in Black, etc.).  Schmigadoon! is currently streaming on Apple TV+ .   Ms. Rios received an MFA in Theatre Practice from the University of Alberta (Canada).Follow Michelle :  Website: www.mmrios.comDelsy Sandoval is the Executive Producer of Ocu-Pasión. If you want to support the podcast, please rate and review the show here. You can also get in touch with Delsy at www.ocupasionpodcast.comFollow Ocu-Pasión on Instagram: @ocupasionpodcast www.instagram.com/ocupasionpodcastJoin the Ocu-Pasión Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/5160180850660613/

Caissie Levy most recently seventh Broadway show, as Rose Stopnick Gellman in Roundabout's revival of Caroline, Or Change, after originating the role of Elsa in Disney's blockbuster hit, Frozen. She recreated the iconic role of Fantine in the 2014 revival of Les Misérables on Broadway, and is known to New York and London audiences for originating the roles of Molly in Ghost, and Sheila in the Tony Award winning revival of Hair. Her other Broadway credits include Elphaba in the Broadway and Los Angeles productions of Wicked, Penny in the Broadway, 1st National Tour and Toronto companies of Hairspray and Maureen in the national tour of Rent. Off-Broadway, she played Patti Davis and Julie Nixon in the world premiere of Michael John LaChiusa's First Daughter Suite at The Public Theater, and Sara in the Off-Broadway production of Murder Ballad. She has starred in the short films Options and Ms. Bula Banerjee, and guest starred opposite Sean Pertwee on Fox's Gotham. In concert, she headlined Carnegie Hall with the NY Pops, backed up Sir Rod Stewart during his Las Vegas residency, guested with The United States Military Academy at West Point, and performed solo shows to sold-out audiences across the US and the UK. Recordings include Frozen, Ghost, Hair, First Daughter Suite and over twenty singer/songwriter's albums, including her own EP, With You, available everywhere. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

SEEN: Oct 5, 2021 Gardens of Anunicia Globe-commissioned world premiere musical Book, music, and lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa Directed and co-choreographed by Graciela Daniele A Globe-commissioned world premiere musical by five-time Tony Award nominee Michael John LaChiusa. The Gardens of Anuncia is inspired by the life story of an icon of the American stage who directs and choreographs the show at the Globe: Broadway legend Graciela Daniele. Anuncia tends the garden of her country house as she reflects on her life, looking back on her girlhood in Juan Perón's Argentina and paying homage to the family of women whose sacrifices allowed her to become an artist. This funny, poignant, and beautiful musical features a beguilingly romantic and tango-infused score filled with the exuberant sounds of women reveling in the joys of being alive.

Despite still recovering from the hangovers from the previous week's party, our hosts stop by the next door neighbour's place and attend Michael John LaChiusa's take on The Wild Party! Although they recognize a lot of familiar faces there also seems to be a different air to the room, which our hosts navigate as they ponder whether Fosse would attend a Wild Party, the intelligence of a Wolfe, and the other abominable showmen. Tune in to next week's episode when we discuss Hedda Gabler; specifically, the National Theatre production's performance from March 7th 2017! Contact us: unccpodcast@gmail.com Twitter: @unccpodcast Instagram: @unccpodcast

Dan and Joshua are double-dipping the two musical versions of The Wild Party, first swinging by Off-Broadway to mingle among the guests at Andrew Lippa's take! Booze, belting and Bidina Menzel occur as our hosts share info about why we managed to gain two Wild Party adaptations weeks apart from each other, weight the pros and cons of a commitment to source material, and Dan showcases yet another unique pronunciation of a word. Tune in to next week's episode when we discuss Michael John LaChiusa's The Wild Party; specifically, the Broadway production's performance from June 8th 2000! Contact us: unccpodcast@gmail.com Twitter: @unccpodcast Instagram: @unccpodcast

Join us for a conversation with Drama Desk, Tony, and Grammy Nominee Michael John LaChiusa, one of the most prolific writers for the American Musical Stage in the past 20 years. From Hello Again, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, The First Lady Suite, Marie Christine, The Wild Party, The Highest Yellow, Bernarda Alba, Little Fish, See What I Wanna See, Giant, and Queen of the Mist, he has told incredible stories with incredible music and lyrics and continues to astound us all with his talents. https://masterworksbroadway.com/artist/michael-john-lachiusa/ --- 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/connerandsmithshow/message

Blame it on the Gin! This episode begins a month of wild, wild parties with Michael John LaChiusa's The Wild Party. The girls get into the history of the dueling shows (one on Broadway and one Off), have very strong opinions about some of the bold choices made, and are confused as to why more baritones aren't singing 'Golden Boy'. They also struggle to stay on topic, SLee shows off her Eartha Kitt impression, and the girls face their greatest challenge yet: casting this show.**Trigger Warning** Domestic Violence, Gun Violence, Drug Use, and Sexual Assault. Performance Links:https://youtu.be/ruL8LDgJjbQ - B Roll Montagehttps://youtu.be/X5eZ9CqLlkc - Tony Performancehttps://youtu.be/6LaH8G2qDyU - ‘Queenie was a Blonde’https://youtu.be/SoKN74u01Dw - ‘Marie is Tricky’https://youtu.be/U3KFxpCO-sE - ‘Eddie & Mae’Follow us on Social Media!! @thispodwontrunaweek on instagram @thispodwontrun on twitter Hosts: Kat Shaw, @katlynwithak on all platforms Savannah-Lee Mumford @dntcallmesavannah on instagram and @dntclmesavannah on twitter Theme Song written and performed by:Rachel Lind @rachellindnyc on instagram and @rachelglind on twitter This episode was edited by Sam Yeager.You can follow Sam @violentgarden on instagram

Welcome back, queers! The incomparable L Morgan Lee is our first guest of Season Two! Join Holly and Meghan as they talk to L Morgan about making space in developing projects, the Pulitzer situation, intersectional change, always being a student, the demands on musical theater actors, the genius of Michael John LaChiusa and searching for L Morgan’s personal George Seurat. In this episode we discuss the productions HI, ARE YOU SINGLE? By Ryan J. Haddad, directed by Laura Savia and Jess McLeod, and presented by Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in association with IAMA Theatre Company. We also discuss THE BLACK QUEENS SCREEN TESTS written and directed by Jerome A. Parker, A Patterson Projects Workshop Production sponsored by the Tank NYC and produced in conjunction with Alan K. Schuster. L Morgan Lee:  Website Instagram Twitter HI, ARE YOU SINGLE? Show Information Ryan Haddad- Website THE BLACK QUEENS SCREEN TESTS Show Information Patterson Projects Inc- About Queer Culture Rec: Veneno Real Housewives Fate: The Winx Saga - Netflix Queer Gives: LEGACY: A BLACK QUEER PRODUCTION COLLECTIVE Donate - Website Learn More - Instagram Our Dogs! Business Indigo Thesis on Joan: Follow Thesis on Joan on Instagram & Twitter  Leave us a voicemail at (845) 445-9251‬ Email us at thesisonjoan at gmail dot com You can find a full transcript of this episode through this link. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CHASE BROCK, called “prolific” in The New Yorker and “a showman with an eye to a wide audience” in The New York Times, is a choreographer, director and occasional costume designer working across theater, dance, opera, ballet, TV and video games. From Flat Rock, NC, Brock made his Broadway debut at 16 in the original cast of Susan Stroman’s revival of The Music Man, also appearing on “The Rosie O’Donnell Show” and “The Tony Awards.” At 18, Brock produced a showcase of his own choreography in Michael Bennett’s leg- endary building at 890 Broadway, and at 23, he launched his own dance company. As Artistic Director of The Chase Brock Experience (in residence at Theatre Row on 42nd St), he has commissioned 8 original scores and directed, choreographed and often designed cos- tumes for 31 original works including American Sadness to Gabriel Kahane’s debut album, The Four Seasons to the Vivaldi score and new text by David Zellnik, Mirror Mirror with an original score by Michael John LaChiusa, The Song That I Sing; Or, Meow So Pretty to vintage record- ings by The New Christy Minstrels, The Girl with the Alkaline Eyes with original score and sce- nario by Eric Dietz, and Whoa, Nellie! to Nellie McKay’s album Obligatory Villagers. Broadway choreography: Joe Iconis and Joe Tracz’s Be More Chill (Lyceum Theatre), Bono, The Edge and Julie Taymor’s Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark (Foxwoods Theatre) and Sam Gold’s revival of Inge’s Picnic (Roundabout Theatre Company). International choreography: Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame (North American, German and Japanese companies), Be More Chill (London), Roméo et Juliette (Salzburger Festspiele). Off-Broadway choreography: Disney’s Hercules, Michael John LaChiusa’s First Daughter Suite, Lear deBessonet and Todd Almond’s The Tempest and The Winter’s Tale (The Public Theater), The Wildness (Ars Nova), Gigantic (Vineyard Theatre), The Mysteries (The Flea Theater). Re- gional highlights include directing The Music Man, The Nutcracker (Flat Rock Playhouse) and The Night They Invented Champagne (Westport Country Playhouse) and choreographing the world premieres of Sara Bareilles’s Waitress (American Repertory Theater), Soul: The Stax Mu- sical (Baltimore Center Stage, dir. Kwame Kwei Armah), Daniel Zaitchik’s Darling Grenadine (Goodspeed Musicals) and Be More Chill (Two River Theater). Other highlights include serving as the onscreen theater director for the Fiddler on the Roof episode of Kristin Bell’s “Encore!" (Disney+) and choreography for Bartlett Sher’s production of Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette for The Metropolitan Opera and “Great Performances” (PBS), “Dash & Lily” (Netflix), many works of political satire for “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” on HBO, the bestselling video game Dance on Broadway (Nintendo Wii, PlayStation Move), sever- al ballets for New York Theatre Ballet and the upcoming film Man & Witch. Brock is the subject of the Emmy-nominated documentary Chasing Dance, and his latest project is the creation of Modern Accord Depot (modernaccorddepot.com), an arts residency space and luxury getaway in a turn-of-the-century Hudson Valley train depot. For more, please visit www.chasebrock.com and www.chasebrockexperience.com Follow @instachasebrock --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/confessionsofanactress/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/confessionsofanactress/support

The critics discuss Alex’s new engineers and coin counters, their politically charged B’nai Mitzvah essays, Perry’s involvement with John Williams and “the Star Wars Musical”, and review Michael John LaChiusa’s titanic fan fic musical “Hello Again” after seeing the Theo Ubique production. (This episode is from 2019) 36:00 for the review --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sondtime/support

"In a house that will never be a home..." This week Jess & Andrew are joined by Adam Wachter of Encore on Disney+ and composer of Tarrytown to talk about the crazy stage musical from Michael John LaChiusa about the daughters of the president. It's an incredible deep dive, and you're going to love it. Donate to Black Lives Matter here Social Media: Our WEBSITE Musicals with Cheese on Twitter Musicals W/ Cheese on Instagram Email us at musicaltheatrelives@gmail.com Merch!! Jess Socials Jess on Twitter Jess on Instagram Andrew Socials Andrew on Instagram Andrew on Twitter Brianna Socials Brianna on Twitter Brianna on Instagram Use our Affiliate Link Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Erica, Carter, Jackson, and Ola as they begin to unpack Leo, Hephaestus, and why the hell Medea wasn’t brought back to Camp Half-Blood to teach witchcraft. In this episode, we mention some retellings of the Medea story, which you can check out here: Marie Christine by Michael John LaChiusa: https://open.spotify.com/album/3mo6Wk9vGtAvViZq2FVq3G?si=ppp5uHKtRryQNjfnimL_rw Circe by Madeline Miller: http://madelinemiller.com/circe/ Medea by Christa Wolf: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/153480.Medea Show Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/seaweed-brain-podcast?ref_id=21682 Today’s unofficial sponsor is Fedwhich, a sandwich shop Ola and Jackson would like to receive free food from. If you live in the DC area, you can check them out here: https://www.federalistpig.com/fedwich

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

More than likely this New Year's Eve won't see many wild parties, so we're giving you two! In 2000, two different composers were inspired by the same 1920s poem about excess and epiphany and gave birth to different musicals that shared the same title, characters, and theatre season. Broadway star Julia Murney was the leading lady in Andrew Lippa's THE WILD PARTY and has since worked closely with Michael John LaChiusa, who coincidentally wrote his own THE WILD PARTY. She's the ideal guest for this very special episode, and we're honored to have her, so please enjoy responsibly. ;)Also, be sure to follow all things Julia on Instagram and Twitter. Don't forget to follow us as well on Twitter and Instagram and visit our Teepublic store!

In episode 28, Little Me host and Broadway Workshop director, Marc Tumminelli is joined by TV, film and Broadway star Jenna Ushkowitz for a in depth chat! Jenna shares her incredible story of growing up on Long Island, making her Broadway debut in The King And I, performing on Sesame Street, booking a ton of commercials, backstage hang outs with Lou Diamond Phillips & Donna Murphy, performing on the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, appearing on Sally Jessy Raphael, attending Trinity high school, her mentor - Jim Hoare, her time at Marymount Manhattan, idolizing Annaleigh Ashford, booking Spring Awakening on Broadway and auditioning for a new pilot called Glee. Jenna opens up about her time working on the TV hit, Glee including; shooting the pilot, the Hot Topic mall tour, the filming schedule, becoming famous overnight, cast bonding, the media attention, the summer concert tours and other backstage memories. Jenna tells Little Me listeners about returning to Broadway in Waitress, filming the stage to screen adaptation of Michael John Lachiusa's Hello Again and becoming a TONY award winning producer. Produced by The Broadway Podcast Network Jenna Ushkowitz on IMDB Glee on Netflix Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On another very special episode of "Brenden and Brian Explain Musicals to me that I Should Know, But Don't" we dive into all things Wild Party. And not just a singular Wild Party, no, no, two different versions that just happened to premiere in New York City during the same 2000 season. Join us as they break down the differences between Andrew Lippa's Wild Party and Michael John LaChiusa's Wild Party and how exactly they came to exist at the Exact. Same. Time. For a full transcript of today's episode please visit beyondthelightspodcast.comSpecial thanks to Brandon Wei for this episode's artwork!Disclaimer: Opinions expressed within this episode are our own and do not represent the position, strategy, or brands of any theatrical organization.Mentioned in this Episode[00:01:19] Wild Party by Andrew Lippa [00:01:33] Wild Party by Michael John LaChiusa [00:03:07] "Wild Party" by Joseph Moncure March [00:05:37] O’Neill Center [00:05:48] The Public Theater [00:31:21] Tony Performance of LaChiusa’s Wild Party Follow Beyond the LightsFacebookTwitterInstagram

SEE WHAT I WANNA SEE may be a five person musical dealing with the existential crisis of objective truth, but it also has brought together one of our most exciting episodes. Not only do we have the charming and talented Travis Leland to discuss this wonderful show, we have the composer and writer himself: five time Tony nominated Michael John LaChiusa (HELLO AGAIN, THE WILD PARTY, MARIE CHRISTINE)! Join us as together we marvel Michael John's complex writing style and Idina Menzel's soft palette.Follow Travis on Instagram at @travisleland20 and be sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter @amusicalpodcast for more great content. Don't forget our Teepublic store at https://www.teepublic.com/user/a-musical-theatre-podcast

In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to two-time Tony nominee Alison Fraser about her 1996 album, A New York Romance. They also discuss Rusty Magee, James Taylor, Benjamin Dreyer, Bill Finn, In Trousers, March of the Falsettos, The Music Man, Rebecca Luker, Oliver, Eydie Gormé, My Fair Lady, Harry Nilsson, John Cameron Mitchell, Stephen Trask, Bernadette Peters, Gigi, Mary Testa, Annie Golden, Daisy Eagan, Laura Nyro, Linda Rondstadt, Michael John LaChiusa, First Daughter Suite, Elvis Costello, Aaron Mark, Rammstein, Patty Darcy, and Lena Horne. Alison has appeared in numerous Broadway shows, including The Secret Garden and Romance/Romance, both of which earned her Tony nominations. She also appeared alongside Patti LuPone in the 2008 revival of Gypsy.

Part 2: Three time Tony Nominee and current star of Girl From the North Country, Marc Kudisch and I shared the broadway stage in George C Wolfe and Michael John LaChiusa’s Wild Party. Catch us reminiscing about the good , the bad and the ugly of theater, Gen Z’s and what it’s like to be  Jewish but look like a Wasp Patriarch. Produced by Dori Berinstein, edited by Alan Seales, music by Anthony Norman. A proud member of the Broadway Podcast Network.

Part 1: Three time Tony Nominee and current star of Girl From the North Country, Marc Kudisch and I shared the broadway stage in George C Wolfe and Michael John LaChiusa’s Wild Party. Catch us reminiscing about the good , the bad and the ugly of theater, Gen Z’s and what it’s like to be  Jewish but look like a Wasp Patriarch. Produced by Dori Berinstein, edited by Alan Seales, music by Anthony Norman. A proud member of the Broadway Podcast Network.

Holiday Episode. Kenny and Mark swing into the holidays with a special one-off episode celebrating Madonna’s 1987 cover of the Eartha Kitt classic. Topics discussed include the Special Olympics, walking with Eartha Kitt through Times Square, Michael John LaChiusa’s The Wild Party, Madonna’s identity as a song stylist, Madonna’s commitment to charity and what makes a classic Christmas song. We will be taking a short break for holidays, returning on January 7. Follow us at @alliwant2doistalkaboutmadonna and here on iTunes. See you in 2020 (!!) and thank you for your support. We’ll keep talking if you keep listening. Notes: Legendary rock producer Jimmy Iovine produced this track and Madonna’s buddy Keith Haring did the album cover for A Very Special Christmas.Santa Baby performed by Eartha Kitt in New Faces (1954), directed by Harry Hornor, John Beal Eartha Kitt performing “When It Ends” from The Wild Party (2000) on BroadwaySilent Night performed by Stevie Nicks on Top of the Pops (1987)

A trio of reviews, featuring the hottest ticket in town currently, Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Fleabag, as well as The Donamr Warehouse's new play Appropriate, and Michael John LaChiusa's chamber musical Queen Of The Mist at The Charing Cross Theatre.- Opening/Closing Music: Little Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyonis: licensed under a CC Attribution License

Hear what Jason Robert Brown has to say to about his music, shows, and Hal Prince, the man he called a role model and friend. About the Guest The New York Times refers to Jason as “a leading member of a new generation of composers who embody high hopes for the American musical.” Jason’s score for THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY received two Tony Awards (for Best Score and Orchestrations). HONEYMOON IN VEGAS opened on Broadway in 2015 following a triumphant production at Paper Mill Playhouse. A film version of his epochal Off-Broadway musical THE LAST FIVE YEARS was released in 2015, starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan and directed by Richard LaGravenese. Other major musicals as composer and lyricist include: 13, PARADE (Drama Desk, New York Drama Critics’ Circle Awards for Best New Musical, Tony Award for Original Score); and SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD, a theatrical song cycle directed by Daisy Prince, which played Off-Broadway in 1995. Future projects include a new chamber musical created with Daisy Prince and Jonathan Marc Sherman called THE CONNECTOR; an adaptation of Lilian Lee’s FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE, created with Kenneth Lin and Moisés Kaufman; and a collaboration with Billy Crystal, Amanda Green, Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel on a musical of MR. SATURDAY NIGHT. For the new musical PRINCE OF BROADWAY, a celebration of the career of Harold Prince, Jason was the musical supervisor and arranger. Other New York credits as conductor and arranger include URBAN COWBOY the MUSICAL on Broadway; DINAH WAS, off-Broadway and on national tour; WHEN PIGS FLY off-Broadway; William Finn’s A NEW BRAIN at Lincoln Center Theater; the 1992 tribute to Stephen Sondheim at Carnegie Hall (recorded by RCA Victor); Yoko Ono’s NEW YORK ROCK at the WPA Theatre; and Michael John LaChiusa’s THE PETRIFIED PRINCE at the Public Theatre. Jason orchestrated Andrew Lippa’s JOHN AND JEN, Off-Broadway at Lamb’s Theatre. Additionally, Jason served as the orchestrator and arranger of Charles Strouse and Lee Adams’s score for a proposed musical of STAR WARS. As a soloist or with his band The Caucasian Rhythm Kings, Jason has performed concerts around the world. For the past four years (and ongoing), his monthly sold-out performances at New York’s SubCulture have featured many of the music and theater world’s most extraordinary performers. His newest collection, “How We React and How We Recover”, was released in June 2018 on Ghostlight Records. Connect with RDU on Stage Facebook – @rduonstage Twitter – @rduonstage Instagram – @rduonstage Web http://www.rduonstage.com/ (www.rduonstage.com) Support this podcast

Rob and Kevin are having a wild, wild party with the brilliant composer/lyricist Michael John LaChiusa whose works include Hello, Again, The Wild Party, First Ladies Suite, First Daughters Suite, Giant, Little Fish, See What I Wanna See, Bernarda Alba, Queen of the Mist, and so many others! Michael pulls back the curtain on his career to discuss how he chose to tackle the lives of America's First Ladies, what it was like creating The Wild Party and Hello, Again, and why he is the pioneer of the Upper West Side. Also, Michael shines the spotlight on Audra McDonald, George C Wolfe, and Mary Testa! 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

We’re getting all sorts of seasonal and cozy at the home of absolute goddess Julia Murney (The Wild Party! Wicked! A Class Act! Queen of the Mist! Sex and the City!) We were honored to be in the room with Julia and we got to ask about how she booked her career defining roles, what it was like to be in Andrew Lippa’s “The Wild Party” while Michael John LaChiusa’s “The Wild Party” played in NYC at the same time, the Green Girl Sisterhood, exhilarating backstage stories, Robert Goulet, Funny Girl, working with Jon Hamm, life hacks, tips and tricks for artists, and we play our audience favorite year end game “What Were YOU Doing On…,” Also, she doesn’t sweat. We. Are. Into. Julia. Murney. And. Pepper. Her. Dog. Forever. @pepamama Buy Julia Murney & Max Von Essen’s “O Holy Night” on iTunes! Holiday spirit for a good cause, honey!! IN THE ROOM WITH STEVEN & DANA is sponsored by Pink Party Rosé!! Brought to you by the makers of Babe Rosé. @drinkbabe Make sure to rate and review us on iTunes! XOXO

Michael John LaChiusa is a musical theatre and opera composer, lyricist, and librettist. He is best known for musically esoteric shows such as Hello Again, Marie Christine, The Wild Party, and See What I Wanna See. He was nominated for four Tony Awards in 2000 for his score and book for both Marie Christine and The Wild Party and received another nomination in 1996 for his work on the libretto for Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Not only did I learn a bunch during this podcast, but I had a blast talking to Michael John about how he became one of the most talked about musical theater artists of his generation, as well as . . . When people say something can’t be made into a musical, that’s when he gets really interested. A type of musical you’d be surprised that he’d want to write. What he tells his students at NYU most often about writing musicals. How he started his career by cold-calling industry heavyweights and dropping by theaters (everything people tell you not to do). How he feels about being a Tony Nominator This week's episode is brought to you by AJV Media. They're professional, easy to work with, and local to NY! If you're looking for a videographer and want more information, visit their website www.AJVMedia.com.  Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway www.theproducersperspective.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is always a shock when a fan meets the object of their fandom,, but when you are the object of the fan to whom you are also a fan, the mutual fandom is off the chain. I recently met the amazing Tony Award nominated, Michael John LaChiusa at the after party for the premiere of the film adaptation of his musical, HELLO AGAIN. He promised to come to the studio and do a proper interview with me. SO please enjoy my interview with the amazing, Michael John LaChiusa. About Michael John LaChiusa: https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Michael-John-LaChiusa/ About Hello Again The Movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3710966/ Please Support Keith Price's Curtain Call on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/keithpricecurtaincall Keith PRice's Curtain Call on Broadway World: https://www.broadwayworld.com/author/Keith-Price-s-Curtain-Call Subscribe to Keith Price's Curtain Call on Itunes: www.keithpricecurtaincall.com Follow @keithpricecurtaincall on Instagram Follow @kpcurtaincall @comedydaddy Like me on FB: https://www.facebook.com/Keith-Prices-Curtain-Call-1380539615593807/ Subscribe on You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCduwJ3ytmAwdJMQtGllk1Ig

To celebrate the film adaptation and release of Michael John LaChiusa's HELLO AGAIN, I recently caught up with the film's director, screenwriter, and the man himself, composer/lyricist, Michael John LaChiusa. Check out my conversations and stay tuned for an upcoming in depth interview with aforementioned Composer/lyricist. For tix to film: http://helloagainmovietix.com Please Support Keith Price's Curtain Call on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/keithpricecurtaincall Keith PRice's Curtain Call on Broadway World: https://www.broadwayworld.com/author/Keith-Price-s-Curtain-Call Subscribe to Keith Price's Curtain Call on Itunes: www.keithpricecurtaincall.com Follow @keithpricecurtaincall on Instagram Follow @kpcurtaincall @comedydaddy Like me on FB: https://www.facebook.com/Keith-Prices-Curtain-Call-1380539615593807/ Subscribe on You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCduwJ3ytmAwdJMQtGllk1Ig

Judy Kuhn has been nominated for four Tony Awards most recently for her starring role in the Tony award winning musical Fun Home. Also on Broadway she starred in the Roundabout’s hit revival of She Loves Me (Tony Nomination), Chess (Tony & Drama Desk Nomination), Les Miserables (Tony & Drama Desk Nomination), Rags (Drama Desk Nomination), Two Shakespearean Actors (Lincoln Center Theatre), Alan Menken & Tim Rice's King David, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood (original cast). Recent appearances incude: The Visit by John Kander, Fred Ebb & Terrance McNally at The Williamstown Theater Festival;  the orginal production of Fun Home Public Theater (Lucille Lortell Award); Fosca in the much lauded production of Stephen Sondheim & James Lapine’s Passion directed by John Doyle at the Classic Stage Co. (Drama League Award nomination) and and she appeared in the inaugural season of Encores! Off-Center in The Cradle Will Rock directed by Sam Gold. Other theater includes: Three Sistersadapted by Craig Lucas and directed by Bartlett Sher (Intiman), Passion (Kennedy Center’s Sondheim Celebration); U.S. premiere of Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles; Ricky Ian Gordon’sSycamore Trees (Helen Hayes Award/Signature Theater); Michael John LaChiusa’s The Highest Yellow, Eli’s Comin’  (Vineyard Theatre/Obie Award); The Ballad of Little Jo  (Steppenwolf Theatre Co./Jeff Award Nomination); As Thousand's Cheer (Drama Dept.); Tina Landau and Ricky Ian Gordon’s Dream True (Vineyard Theatre); The Glass Menagerie (McCarter Theatre), Martin Guerre(Hartford Stage), and Martha Clarke's Endangered Species (BAM). In London's West End she starred in Metropolis (Olivier Award Nomination). Judy sang the title role in Disney's Pocahontas as well as the in the sequel Pocahontas II: Journey To A New World. Other film and television appearances include:  Enchanted, Elementary (CBS) Hope & Faith (ABC), Law & Order (NBC), All My Children (ABC), The Secret Life of Mary Margaret...(HBO), My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies (PBS), The Kennedy Center Honors (CBS), The Les Miserables 10th Anniversary Concert (PBS), In Performance At The White House (PBS), and the independent feature Day on Fire in which she costarred and performed the soundtrack with John Medeski. Judy has performed on concert stages around the world including appearances at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Feinstein’s at The Regency, The Hollywood Bowl, The Philly Pops Orchestra and , The Royal Albert Hall and The Hippodrome in London. She can be heard on numerous original cast recordings as well as her solo CD’s: All This Happiness (PS Classics); Serious Playground: The Songs of Laura Nyro (Sh-K-Boom) and Just In Time: Judy Kuhn Sings Jule Styne.  

Welcome to Episode 35 of Products of the Mind. On this episode, I speak with Barry Edelstein, the Artistic Director of San Diego’s Old Globe Theater. “I tell young people who ask me all the time ‘what do you recommend?’ my answer is two things. Either just go with it and be as open as you can about every door that might open up in front of you, or fashion for yourself the most specific possible vision that you can of what you might want your life to be and make it happen.” Today’s episode is a great discussion with author, scholar, and artistic director of The Old Globe Theater, Barry Edelstein. Barry is a Shakespeare expert, educator, and director of some of the Bard’s most notable work. Barry talks about growing up immersed in theater and developing a love for the art and particularly Shakespeare. Originally set on acting, Barry learned he had a special talent for directing and production, and this talent allowed him to focus on doing what he loved without sacrificing his values. Now Barry is able to combine his love for theater with his desire to reconnect Shakespeare with the people. We’ll learn a bit of history on how accessibility to Shakespeare has changed over the years; how and when did Shakespeare’s art become less accessible to the working class, and more of a symbol of the social elite? More importantly, what is Barry doing now to give the gift of Shakespeare to everyone, regardless of social or economic class? Tune in to hear how Barry’s drive and zeal for all things Shakespeare is transforming the theater in new and innovative ways. We’ll also learn how technology and new interpretations of Shakespeare’s work are keeping things fresh after so many years. Don’t miss out on this great talk with Barry Edelstein! Links from today’s talk: The Old Globe Theater Joseph Papp Barry’s Old Globe Bio Globe for All Nicholas Hytner wiki Michael John LaChiusa wiki Barry talks with San Diego Magazine about his Production of Rain Thanks for Checking Out Products of the Mind! If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the top and bottom of this page. Also, please consider taking the few seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes. They’re very helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and I read every one. Finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live. Here are instructions on how to subscribe, rate, and review the show in iTunes. The Credits Products of the Mind is produced by Mana Monzavi. The theme music for this episode was provided by Le Chateau. The track name is “Bury You.” Go buy it on Soundcloud! This episode and these show notes © 2016 David Lizerbram

Today's guest, the great Mary Testa, has 13 Broadway credits, 2 Tony Award nominations, 26 off-Broadway credits, 2 Obie awards, and a Drama Desk award for her nearly four decades of outstanding work in the New York Theater. She talks to Theater People about her new album "Have Faith," which is her collaboration with Tony-winning orchestrator Michael Starobin ("Next to Normal," "Sunday in the Park with George"), and her work with the great composer/orchestrators William Finn, Aherns & Flaherty, and Michael John LaChiusa.

Bob Wilcox and Gerry Kowarsky review (1) FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, by Joseph Stein, Jerry Bock & Sheldon Harnick, at Stages St. Louis; (2) ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS, by Richard Bean, at The Rep; (3) DEATH OF A SALESMAN, by Arthur Miller, at Insight Theatre Co.; (4) PURLIE, by Ossie Davis, Philip Rose, Peter Udell, & Gary Geld, at The Black Rep; (5) THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK MUSICAL, by David Nehls & Betsy Kelso, at Dramatic License Productions; (6) THE NORMAL HEART, by Larry Kramer, at HotCity Theatre; (7) FIRST LADY SUITE, by Michael John LaChiusa, R-S Theatrics; (8) THE KING AND I, by Rodgers & Hammerstein, at Christ Memorial Productions; and (9) DEARLY DEPARTED, by David Botrell & Jessie Jones, at the Theatre Guild of Webster Groves.

Bob Wilcox and Gerry Kowarsky review (1) RACE, by David Mamet, at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, (2) A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, by William Shakespeare, at The Black Rep, (3) THE MAIDS, by Jean Genet, at Upstream Theater, (4) WEST SIDE STORY, by Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein, & Stephen Sondheim, at the Fox Theatre, (5) LOVE LETTERS, by A.R. Gurney, at Avalon Theatre Co., (6) AUTOBAHN, by Neil LaBute, at Soundstage Productions/R-S Theatrics, (7) RADIO FREE EMERSON, by Paul Grelling, at Washington Univ., and (8) HELLO AGAIN, by Michael John LaChiusa, at Webster Univ. Conservatory.

Bob Wilcox and Gerry Kowarsky review (1) RACE, by David Mamet, at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, (2) A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, by William Shakespeare, at The Black Rep, (3) THE MAIDS, by Jean Genet, at Upstream Theater, (4) WEST SIDE STORY, by Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein, & Stephen Sondheim, at the Fox Theatre, (5) LOVE LETTERS, by A.R. Gurney, at Avalon Theatre Co., (6) AUTOBAHN, by Neil LaBute, at Soundstage Productions/R-S Theatrics, (7) RADIO FREE EMERSON, by Paul Grelling, at Washington Univ., and (8) HELLO AGAIN, by Michael John LaChiusa, at Webster Univ. Conservatory.

Warning: ADULT SEXUAL CONTENT in this episodeOK, you're been warned.Month Upon a Time, Episode #5 (October): For a podcast that avoids repeat guests, I sure do a lot of double-dipping. But as you'll soon see, it's obvious why nobody but Julia Murney could sing this song....As I was reviewing the October ideas that had been sent to me, I couldn't help noting Eloise Akehurst's suggestion that I write a song about "Julia Murney's Cocktober." It was certainly a noteworthy trio of words, but probably not a song. Meanwhile, I was working with Jason Robert Brown at the time, and I asked him to give me an idea for an October-themed song, and he replied, "Julia Murney's Cocktober." Well, then it started to seem like a downright challenge. Besides, when two people give you the same idea and it's as specific (and outrageous) as this one, it's time to do some research. So I tracked down Julia to get the first-hand version of the story, and thus this song was born.It's not an accurate retelling - the names and dates have been changed to protect the innocent - but it was certainly inspired by her oh-so-true story.Since her last visit to the podcast, Julia has kept busy as the belty green gal on tour and Broadway, not to mention pursuing an active concert and, as evidenced here, voice-over career. Also, her debut CD, I'm Not Waiting, which had yet to be released the last time she was on the podcast, is now available!This month finds her back on the boards in the new Michael John LaChiusa musical, Queen of the Mist, with The Transport Group. It's so nice to have her back where she belongs.This episode was recorded October 30, 2011.

Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award honored playwright Doug Wright discusses his virtually genetic passion for theatre and how that matched up with his conservative Texas childhood; his escape to New Haven and later New York for college and grad school; his early work at the O'Neill Theatre Center and the Yale Repertory Theatre; why he describes his early plays, including "Interrogating the Nude" and "Watbanaland", as having been fueled by rage; how "Quills" was inspired in part by the political culture wars of the mid-90s; where he found inspiration for the macabre and comic one-acts collected as "Unwrap Your Candy"; how he feels about having personally revealed himself in his writing, both as a character in "I Am My Own Wife" and in his essay for the book "The Play That Changed My Life"; why he signed on to collaborate with Scott Frankel and Michael Korie on the musical of "Grey Gardens" after the failure of his only prior musical, "Buzzsaw Berkeley" with Michael John LaChiusa; what drove him to actively lobby for the position of bookwriter on Disney's "The Little Mermaid"; and whether he plans to do more directing after adapting and staging Strindberg's "Creditors" at the La Jolla Playhouse in the summer of 2009. Original air date - January 25, 2010.

Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award honored playwright Doug Wright (2004 Tony Award winner for Best Play for “I Am My Own Wife”) discusses his virtually genetic passion for theatre and how that matched up with his conservative Texas childhood; his escape to New Haven and later New York for college and grad school; his early work at the O'Neill Theatre Center and the Yale Repertory Theatre; why he describes his early plays, including “Interrogating the Nude” and “Watbanaland”, as having been fueled by rage; how “Quills” was inspired in part by the political culture wars of the mid-90s; where he found inspiration for the macabre and comic one-acts collected as “Unwrap Your Candy”; how he feels about having personally revealed himself in his writing, both as a character in “I Am My Own Wife” and in his essay for the book “The Play That Changed My Life”; why he signed on to collaborate with Scott Frankel and Michael Korie on the musical of “Grey Gardens” after the failure of his only prior musical, “Buzzsaw Berkeley” with Michael John LaChiusa; what drove him to actively lobby for the position of bookwriter on Disney's “The Little Mermaid”; and whether he plans to do more directing after adapting and staging Strindberg's “Creditors” at the La Jolla Playhouse in the summer of 2009.

Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award honored playwright Doug Wright discusses his virtually genetic passion for theatre and how that matched up with his conservative Texas childhood; his escape to New Haven and later New York for college and grad school; his early work at the O'Neill Theatre Center and the Yale Repertory Theatre; why he describes his early plays, including "Interrogating the Nude" and "Watbanaland", as having been fueled by rage; how "Quills" was inspired in part by the political culture wars of the mid-90s; where he found inspiration for the macabre and comic one-acts collected as "Unwrap Your Candy"; how he feels about having personally revealed himself in his writing, both as a character in "I Am My Own Wife" and in his essay for the book "The Play That Changed My Life"; why he signed on to collaborate with Scott Frankel and Michael Korie on the musical of "Grey Gardens" after the failure of his only prior musical, "Buzzsaw Berkeley" with Michael John LaChiusa; what drove him to actively lobby for the position of bookwriter on Disney's "The Little Mermaid"; and whether he plans to do more directing after adapting and staging Strindberg's "Creditors" at the La Jolla Playhouse in the summer of 2009. Original air date - January 25, 2010.

Composer Michael John LaChiusa, and directors Diane Paulus and Stephen Wadsworth have all worked in the once mutually-exclusive worlds of opera and theatre. They share their thoughts about the nature of each of these entertainment forms, how they differ and what they share; the use of amplification and how it affects productions in both opera and theatre; the so-called "American Idol" effect on musical performers; changes in training for opera singers; the differing scale - and manner - of pay; whether super-titles enhance or distract from opera performances; and the importance of the director's role and how it differs in theatre and opera.

This week we sit down with the creative team behind Like You Like It at the Gallery Players in Brooklyn, and we get to hear a live in-studio performance of one of the songs from the show. We also sit down to talk to Tony Nominated Michael John LaChiusa about his latest cd release for Little Fish, and we get to hear a few of his songs from the show as well. In the studio we also have Melinda Atwood who comes by to talk about her work with Dance Break. We also listen to an excerpt from the cast album of Illyria that will be performed in honor of the Prospect Theatre Company's 10th anniversary. Also, this week Michael Yeargan, the set designer of South Pacific drops in to share some of his secrets of the trades with us.

Special Episode #6: Kate Shindle may have come to our attention first as Miss America 1998, but she has clearly staked out a place of her own in the musical theatre world. She's appeared on Broadway in Jekyll and Hide, headlined as Sally Bowles in the Sam Mendes/Rob Marshall revival of Cabaret, and originated the role of Vivienne in Legally Blonde, the musical.Kate was always on my radar because a) she's a fellow Northwestern University alum, and b) she was a super cool Miss A., in that she was really talented and she had a great platform (AIDS awareness and education). So when I was asked to write a song for a benefit and I heard Kate was one of the singers I could write for, I snapped her up PDQ! It's great to finally work with her after years of rubbing elbows at Northwestern events and Julia Murney's annual Pancakes and Bacon Party.The benefit, called Broadway in South Africa, will take place on October 6th at Symphony Space. Ten songwriters (including Henry Krieger, Michael John LaChiusa and Bill Russell) were asked to write songs inspired by the essays and drawings of South African children. I took my inspiration from Khensoni Mabaso's sketch of Johannesburg, which features a very tall building with the word "Voda" on top. This piqued my curiousity, so off I went to research what turned out to be the Ponte City Tower, a 54-story cylindrically-shaped apartment building with a hollow core. ("Voda" is short for Vodacom, a cellular phone company that owns a huge LED wraparound sign on the top three stories of the building.)When Ponte was built in 1975, the surrounding neighborhoods were "whites only," but with the end of Apartheid, the area quickly filled with blacks and immigrants, and the white people fled to the suburbs. The building became notorious for criminal activity, suicide jumpers, and the garbage that built up inside the core.The building is currently being renovated and resold as high-style condos. Last October, before the sales office opened, the building co-sponsored an event with the city to offer people the opportunity to "Abseil off Ponte," i.e. rappel down the building on ropes like mountain climbers use.(Sorry to those who downloaded the original version of this episode with the audio issues. This new version is issue-free.)"The Core of Ponte" was recorded on 9/27/08.

"Tom Sawyer"Music and Lyrics by Michael John LaChiusaSung by Michael ArdenAccompanied on the piano by Jeff Blumenkrantz

Special Episode #2: I'm so thrilled to be joined today by the uber-talented and outrageously foxy Michael McElroy. You probably remember his stand-out, Tony-nominated performance as Jim in the Deaf West/Roundabout revival of Big River a few seasons ago. Or perhaps you have been enjoying his fantastic performances on the original cast recordings of Michael John LaChiusa's The Wild Party or Violet or Blue or Tommy. Or maybe you watched him in the Chenoweth/Lupone Candide telecast (with Yours Truly). Or maybe you're a fan of The Broadway Inspirational Voices, the gospel choir that he founded and directs. Or maybe you heard his killer gospel arrangement of Sondheim's "Sunday" for Billy Porter's CD, At the Corner of Broadway and Soul. Or maybe you just like checking out pictures of his cute self. No matter how you slice it, he comes up delicious and nutricious.For this second special episode, I'm breaking tradition. Instead of a performance recorded live at my piano, I'm using a recording from a concert of my music presented at Birdland on November 20th, 2006. The song, "Vonce," like "Man in the Moon," is a spec song I wrote this past summer to audition to be the composer/lyricist of a new musical. (I'm currently working on that show, although I'm still not at liberty to discuss it freely.) It's unlikely that this song will end up in the show, but I wanted to share it with you all, because Michael sings it so beautifully. As it is a jazz tune, I felt that this concert recording with band was a much better way to present the song. Michael and I got amazing support that night from Todd Groves on sax, Peter Donovan on bass, and Sean McDaniel on drums. (The interview with Michael was recorded 1/13/07.)Bonus video! My friend (and Freefall star) David Perlman was kind enough to videotape that Birdland concert for me, so you can also check out Michael singing the song on YouTube!

An in-depth look at the creation of the Off-Broadway musical, with author Michael John LaChiusa, director Ted Sperling, musical stager Jonathan Butterell and actors Marc Kudisch and Mary Testa.

An in-depth look at the creation of the Off-Broadway musical, See What I Wanna See, with author Michael John LaChiusa, director Ted Sperling (who won a Tony for his orchestrations of Light in the Piazza), musical stager Jonathan Butterell and actors Marc Kudisch and Mary Testa.

Bonus Episode #5: If Yo Yo Ma is the cello star of the classical world, I'm going to say that Peter Sachon is the cello star of the musical theatre world. Not only has he played on such wonderful shows (and recordings) as the recent Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof, Off Broadway's A Man of No Importance and The Thing About Men, and the magically delicious The Light in the Piazza, but he's an entrepreneur as well.Peter hatched the idea to approach a handful of composers/orchestrators/musical directors and ask them each to contribute an original cello piece to a program he called The Cello Project, which he performed in March 2005 at Symphony Space, courtesy of The New Voices Collective. (Some of the composers represented on that bill were Stephen Schwartz, Michael John La Chiusa, Bruce Coughlin, Steve Marzullo, and myself.)The evening was such a success that he followed it up with The Cello Project II roughly a year later, adding Stephen Flaherty, Ricky Ian Gordon, Jeff Marx, Andrew Lippa and Ted Sperling (among others) to the list of contributors. The music was wonderful, and the playing was virtuosic. (Not to mention, he's pretty easy on the eyes.)On today's bonus episode (and just to be clear, bonus episode means that the featured song does NOT appear in my published songbook), Peter plays my contribution to The Cello Project, "Vouloir," written for cello and piano. Recorded 5/5/06.

Composer Michael John LaChiusa explains his longtime fascination with the works of Lorca, which led to his new musical work "Bernarda Alba"; how he transformed a trio of Japanese stories into "See What I Wanna See"; tantalizingly hints at other literary works that he may pull off his shelf and adapt one day; and describes writing for the voices of performers like Audra McDonald and others. Original airdate - March 24, 2006.

Composer Michael John LaChiusa explains his longtime fascination with the works of Lorca, which led to his new musical work "Bernarda Alba"; how he transformed a trio of Japanese stories into "See What I Wanna See"; tantalizingly hints at other literary works that he may pull off his shelf and adapt one day; and describes writing for the voices of performers like Audra McDonald and others. Original airdate - March 24, 2006.

During previews for the new musical "Bernarda Alba", director-choreographer Graciela Daniele recalls being compelled to explore American musical theatre after encountering "West Side Story" while she was living in Paris, her apprenticeship with such dance masters as Jack Cole and Bob Fosse, and her collaborations with composers Michael John LaChiusa, William Finn, and Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens. Original airdate - March 10, 2006.

During previews for the new musical "Bernarda Alba", director-choreographer Graciela Daniele recalls being compelled to explore American musical theatre after encountering "West Side Story" while she was living in Paris, her apprenticeship with such dance masters as Jack Cole and Bob Fosse, and her collaborations with composers Michael John LaChiusa, William Finn, and Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens. Original airdate - March 10, 2006.

Episode #6: How did I get so lucky to have such talented friends?? This week, it's the remarkable Judy Blazer, who stopped by after a day of rehearsing for Michael John LaChiusa's latest, Bernarda Alba, coming soon to the Mitzi Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center. Judy lends her comic genius to "It'll Work for You," a Jewish mother's reaction to her composer son's recent coming-out. (Can you guess who might have inspired this song?) I wrote music and lyrics for this one. After the song, Judy and I chat about Bernarda Alba as well as Judy's mystery contribution to The Light in the Piazza. Recorded 1/12/06.I'm thrilled to report that Judy will be among the special guest stars appearing with me at Birdland on February 13th. In the meantime, check out Judy's tracks on these two recordings: Leonard Bernstein's New York and Hello Again. Amazing! Take a minute to browse Judy's impressive Amazon.com discography.