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The Playbill Podcast: A Show on Broadway: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Playbill, Inc.
The two most common questions anyone at Playbill gets from friends or family are: "What's on Broadway? And what should I see?" The Playbill Podcast is here to help. Each episode highlights a currently running Broadway show and features an interview with members of the cast and/or creative team. Hosted by Alex Birsh (Playbill's VP & COO), the podcast is co-hosted by an interchanging "theatre friend," someone at or connected to Playbill who is well-versed in Broadway within their own social circles, and often answers the question, "What Broadway show would I like?" Whether you’re a Broadway veteran or just starting to explore, the Playbill Podcast brings you the magic of Broadway, one show at a time.
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- Jun 17, 202653 min
Cats: The Jellicle Ball with Junior LaBeija, Bill Rauch, and Zhailon Levingston
"Was there ever a Cat(s) so clever?" That is what people are saying about Cats: The Jellicle Ball, the outstanding revival based on the award-winning and long-running musical Cats by Andrew Lloyd Webber, itself based on TS Elliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. This reimagining has breathed extravagant new life into the work by setting Cats in an entirely different context: the legendary Ballroom scene, filled with runways, house mothers, and inspired runway choreography.The production began its life at the Perelman Performing Arts Center in 2024 under the ideation and direction of Artistic Director Bill Rauch and Zhailon Levingston. It was brought to Broadway this season to immediate fanfare, earning a whopping 9 Tony Award nominations and three Tony Award victories, including Best Direction, which went to both Rauch and Levingston.In this episode, host Alex Birsh (Playbill's COO and SVP) talks to a theatre friend who’s seen the show and suggests it for those who ask them, "What should they see on Broadway?” And then he brings on his special guests, the Tony Award-winning directors of the show, Bill Rauch and Zhailon Levingston, as well as Junior LaBeija, an icon of the Ballroom scene. Junior was the emcee in the famous Paris is Burning documentary, and currently plays Gus in this production. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Jun 2, 20261h 10m
The Lost Boys with Patrick Wilson, James Carpinello, and Marcus Chait
If you’ve ever moved to a new town, you know how much of a pain it is. For the Emerson family in the 1980’s, they feel that in a major way as they move to Santa Carla, California. Their biggest obstacles, it turns out? The vampires who reside there. If this sounds familiar to you, then you remember the 1980’s classic Joel Schumacher movie with the same title, The Lost Boys. The stage musical adaptation has taken Broadway by storm, with direction by two-time Tony winner Michael Arden and set design by Tony winner Dane Laffrey. The musical stars Shoshana Bean as Lucy Emerson, and her boys, Michael and Sam, are played by LJ Benet and Benjamin Pajak, respectively. They run into trouble thanks to David, a resident bad boy and vampire, played by Ali Louis Bourzgui, and his band of vampires. This show has earned 12 Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical. If you want to dive deep into the making of it, the lead producers of the project hosted a three-part series right here on the Playbill Podcast called Time To Kill, so head on back to earlier this year to check those out if you’re interested. But we wanted to give the show the official Playbill Podcast treatment, so host Alex Birsh (Playbill's COO and SVP) brings on a theatre friend to hear why they believe The Lost Boys is very much worth the price of admission. And then he brings on his special guest: lead producers Patrick Wilson, Marcus Chait, and James Carpinello, and they go into what it’s been like to make so many changes during previews and how much of a thrill it is to see audiences drink up this mega musical of theirs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- May 28, 20261h 11m
Joe Turner's Come and Gone with Ruben Santiago-Hudson and Joshua Boone
Throughout his life, the legendary and groundbreaking playwright August Wilson wrote ten plays chronicling the Black experience, decade by decade, throughout the twentieth century; what has been referred to as The Pittsburgh Cycle. Joe Turner’s Come and Gone takes us to the earliest chapter, 1911, just a few decades removed from the end of slavery, in the middle of the Great Migration, when hundreds of thousands of Black Americans were making their way north.The play unfolds in a Pittsburgh boarding house run by Seth Holly, played by Cedric the Entertainer, who always seems to have a steady stream of wanderers passing through his doors. His wife, Bertha, played by Taraji P. Henson, keeps the household warm, steady, and welcoming. In their world is Bynum Walker, played by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, and he’s considered a “conjure man” who speaks in riddles and visions, and of a "shiny man" he once encountered on the road, as this man carries the secret of binding people to their purpose, to “their song” as he says. And then there's Herald Loomis, played by Joshua Boone. Seven years before the time of the play, Loomis was captured by Joe Turner, who is based on a real historical figure -- a white man in Tennessee connected to the governor who would capture Black men off the roads and force them into years of illegal servitude on his chain gang. By the time Loomis escapes, he has lost everything, including his sense of self. He arrives at the boarding house with his young daughter Zonia, desperate to find his wife Martha.That is the setting of the play, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, and everything that follows is truly must-see theater, thanks to the outrageous cast, the direction from Broadway legend Debbie Allen, Costume Design by Paul Tazewell, and Set design by David Gallo.In this episode, host Alex Birsh (Playbill COO and SVP) brings on Tony nominee Joshua Boone and Tony winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson, who was nominated for his portrayal of Bynum, to discuss their experience in the play and why this show is so meaningful to them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- May 20, 202658 min
Chess with Aaron Tveit
How does a simple Chess rivalry become more than just one person against another? How about...when both players are involved in a love triangle? And the two players are American and Russian, with their nations locked in a Cold War? This is the backdrop of the musical CHESS, the epic tale by Sir Tim Rice and two members of ABBA, Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus.Originally conceived in the early 1980’s as a world-renowned concept album by Rice, Andersson, and Ulvaeus, it had a successful run in London before it was brought to Broadway in the late 80’s. It was changed quite a bit for its American run, and the newer version of the show only made it through 68 performances on Broadway in 1988.So many fans over the years have clamored for this show to get a proper Broadway revival, and we finally got it thanks to a new book by Danny Strong, direction by Michael Mayer, and a remarkable cast at the helm: Lea Michelle as Florence, Aaron Tveit as Freddie, and Nicolas Christopher as Anatoly. In this episode, host Alex Birsh (Playbill's C.O.O. and SVP) brings on a theater friend who suggests the show when someone asks them, "what should I see on Broadway?"And then he brings on his special guest, one of the stars of the show, Aaron Tveit, and who talks about the challenges and the joys of bringing this production to fans each night. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- May 15, 202656 min
Schmigadoon! with Alex Brightman and Sara Chase
Have you ever wished to find yourself IN a musical? That is the fate of boyfriend and girlfriend Josh and Melissa, who get trapped in the town of Schmigadoon, influenced by the Golden Age of musical theatre (and named after the Broadway classic Brigadoon). First performed at The Kennedy Center in 2025, the stage rendition of the streaming series of the same name (on AppleTV+) has just been nominated for a staggering 12 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.In this episode, host Alex Birsh (Playbill's COO and SVP) brings on a theater friend who suggests the show when someone asks what to see on Broadway.And then Birsh brings on the two stars of the show, Alex Brightman and Sara Chase, the latter of whom earned her first Tony award nomination for the role. The two of them talk about what it's like to take on characters who are stuck in a musical.Get ready to cross that bridge and try some corn puddin', as we head to the Nederlander Theatre on 41st Street for Schmigadoon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- May 12, 20261h 3m
David Rockwell on his legendary career on Broadway and beyond
In this episode, we focus not on a particular show but on a remarkable talent who has helped change the landscape of the theatrical world, literally and figuratively: the renowned architect and Tony Award-winning set designer David Rockwell. It is staggering to unpack all the sets he has designed in the last multiple decades, such as the Rocky Horror revival in 2000, Hairspray, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Normal Heart, Kinky Boots, Side Show, On the Twentieth Century, She Loves Me, Falsettos, Kiss Me Kate, the Chess Revival, and he just earned a Tony nomination for his scenic design for the recently-opened play Fallen Angels. It’s his first nomination since he won for Best Scenic Design of a Musical in 2016 for She Loves Me. But we did first characterize him as an architect, and that is not only how his working life began, but continues to shine within, as he and his firm have had their hands in a remarkable amount of legendary projects in hospitality, like Nobu, The Corner Store, Din Tai Fung, the W Hotel, The Civilian Hotel, and more.Host Alex Birsh talks with David about some of those career highlights, how he got into this line of work, and what gets his creativity going when he’s faced with a new project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Apr 30, 202650 min
Dog Day Afternoon with Jon Bernthal
What lengths would you go to for the person you loved, and what lengths would the public love you for it? Those are the central themes of the play Dog Day Afternoon, an adaptation of the 1975 movie, itself a dramatization of real-life events that happened in 1972. Adapted for the stage by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis, the story centers on two men, Sonny and Sal, and their quest to rob a bank in New York City in the summer of '72. Played by real-life friends Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Sonny and Sal hold up the bank, but the cast of characters in and around the bank have enough talent to STEAL in their own right, as in the show, thanks to the excellent performances by Jessica Hecht and John Ortiz.In this episode, host Alex Birsh (Playbill's C.O.O. and SVP) talks to a theatre friend who’s seen the show and suggests it when they’re asked, "What show do you recommend seeing on Broadway?"And then he brings on his special guest, the Emmy Award-winning powerhouse Jon Bernthal. They talk about the joy he is having bringing this piece to Broadway, welcoming all kinds of audiences into the theater, and the love he has for his native Ojai and creating the Ojai Theater Festival last year.Lock the doors, count your money, and yell ATTICA as we take you to the August Wilson Theatre on 52nd Street for Dog Day Afternoon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Apr 21, 202648 min
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) with Christiani Pitts, Sam Tutty, and Tim Jackson
Have you ever been lucky enough to visit somewhere, or meet someone, and feel almost immediately that your life is about to change? That is what the character Dougal feels about New York and his unofficial tour guide, Robyn, in the Broadway musical Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York.First developed in England, the musical tells the story of Dougal’s 48-hour visit to New York on a mission to connect with members of his family at an upcoming wedding. But, as you can tell by the title of the show, he and Robyn have a job to do before the big day, and they navigate through the third character of the play, New York City itself. In this episode, host Alex Birsh brings on a theater friend who suggests the show when someone asks them, What should I see on Broadway?And then he brings on his special guests: Sam Tutty, who plays Dougal, Christiani Pitts, who plays Robyn, and director and Choreographer Tim Jackson, and they talk about what it’s like to bring this very creative and special show to Broadway audiences. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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About The Playbill Podcast: A Show on Broadway
The two most common questions anyone at Playbill gets from friends or family are: "What's on Broadway? And what should I see?" The Playbill Podcast is here to help. Each episode highlights a currently running Broadway show and features an interview with members of the cast and/or creative team. Hosted by Alex Birsh (Playbill's VP & COO), the podcast is co-hosted by an interchanging "theatre friend," someone at or connected to Playbill who is well-versed in Broadway within their own social circles, and often answers the question, "What Broadway show would I like?" Whether you’re a Broadway veteran or just starting to explore, the Playbill Podcast brings you the magic of Broadway, one show at a time.
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