This week we're spending another winter in a summer town as we cover the terrific 2006 musical GREY GARDENS.
Here to not only have his cake but chew it and masticate it is the great Drew Droege (MESSY WHITE GAYS, TITANIQUE). Drew takes us through lesser-known accounts and perspectives on the Beale women, all while raising up the non-conformist ladies whose voices and humor give us life!
Follow Drew on Instagram at @drewdroege and buy tickets to his new play at messywhitegays.com.
If you enjoyed this episode...wait for next week's. It's a companion piece!
Join us at PATREON! for bonus episodes and an upcoming Christmas gift! Be sure to follow and share our content on Instagram and TikTok and subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts! Looking to give back? We have designs at our TeePublic Store, and the profits we receive are donated to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Above all, thank you for being part of this wonderful podcasting community.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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BONNIE & CLYDE with Ivan Menchell
Today we finish up our fall American Dream Miniseries with a surprise fourth episode dedicated to the listener requested BONNIE & CLYDE.
This musical, maybe even more than the others we've covered in this miniseries, most easily represents the experience of Americans in 2025. Let that sink in for a minute!
Here to discuss it is the show's book writer, Ivan Menchell (BONNIE & CLYDE, CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, DEATH NOTE) who provides fascinating context regarding his approach to these legendary characters and the explanation behind the show's short Broadway run.
Follow Ivan on Instagram at @ivanmenchell
For more Frank Wildhorn, listen to JEKYLL & HYDE with Rebecca Spencer
Join all the cool people at PATREON! for bonus episodes (including one today featuring BONNIE & CLYDE superfan Jennifer Lyn), essays, and polls. Share our episodes and videos on Instagram and TikTok. Don't forget about our TeePublic Store where the profits we receive are donated to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Above all, thank you for being part of this wonderful podcasting community.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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BARNUM with Ryan VanDenBoom
The third entry in our "American Dream" miniseries of listener requests is the 1980 musical BARNUM. Now, that means it is not THE GREATEST SHOWMAN, and please don't come for Jeff if he speaks too candidly about that musical!
Instead, join us for a lively discussion regarding the showmanship of P.T. Barnum and the musical that bears his name as well as the complex legacy of characters like him in American History.
Here to discuss it all is someone who knows a thing or two about showmanship. He can currently be seen in the Broadway smash MJ and recently choreographed a new production of BARNUM: it's Ryan VanDenBoom! (BANDSTAND, SOMETHING ROTTEN, and more.)
Follow Ryan on Instagram at @ryanvandenboom
If you liked this episode, check out THE MUSIC MAN with Teri Bibb
Join all the cool people at PATREON! for bonus episodes, essays, and polls. Share our episodes and videos on Instagram and TikTok. Don't forget about our TeePublic Store where all the profits we receive are donated to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Above all, thank you for being part of this wonderful podcasting community.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1776 with Howard Sherman
The second episode in our "American Dream miniseries" is dedicated to 1776, the listener requested, Best Musical winner of 1969. It's a surprisingly unconventional musical about the very beginnings of a government that is currently, as of this moment, shut down.
Join our special guest Howard Sherman (arts administrator, writer, and advocate) as we look at how 1776 and HAIR could have premiered on Broadway at the same time and look to its characters for lessons on debate and disagreement.
We honestly didn't think this episode would be so relevant right now.
Read some of Howard's terrific work on his website https://hesherman.com/ and follow him on instagram at @hesherman.
If you enjoyed this episode, check out HAIR with Jordan Dobson .
Join us at PATREON! for exclusive access to our library of bonus episodes, essays, and mini series. Follow and share our content on Instagram and TikTok. Don't forget to order something fun on our TeePublic Store. All of our profits go the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
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RAGS with Samantha Massell
Today we begin a mini-series on "A Musical Theatre Podcast" that will explore "the American Dream." These are musicals you listeners have requested that all have one thing in common: "being an American is a beautifully complicated thing."
First up is the 1987 musical RAGS created originally by three titans of the art form: Charles Strouse (BYE BYE BIRDIE, ANNIE), Stephen Schwartz (WICKED, PIPPIN), and Joseph Stein (FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, ZORBA). Here to discuss it with us is the star of many of those musicals and a fan of all of their creators, Samantha Massell (RAGS, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF).
There are so many synchronicities that happened during this conversation that you will have to agree this episode happened at exactly the right time with exactly the right people.
Be sure to follow Samantha on Instagram at @smassellsings to learn more about her upcoming projects.
If you enjoyed this episode, go back to the very beginning for "A Musical Theatre Podcast" and enjoy FIDDLER ON THE ROOF with Glenn Rosenblum
Join us on PATREON! for bonus episodes, contests, and polls! Don't forget to like and share our episodes on Instagram and TikTok. We have fun playlists on Spotify to keep you company in between episodes and be sure to check out our TeePublic Store where our profits from the designs are donated to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Above all, thank you for being part of this wonderful podcasting community.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Conversations revealing the cultural and emotional impact of our favorite musicals in theatre history.
On each episode of “A Musical Theatre Podcast,” Jeff welcomes a special guest to explore one musical from theatre history. Together they get to the heart of the show’s cultural and emotional impact by looking at its creators, context, and storytelling. Always fun and heartfelt, this is the podcast to celebrate the humanity of our musical theatre art form.
New Zealand