ON BROADWAY

I chat with Danny Kornfeld, one of the stars of the new Barry Manilow/Bruce Sussman musical Harmony. We talk about the show and his life in the theater.

The 16th episode in a series on the complete works of Stephen Sondheim. Rick Pender, the author of the The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia, is our musical guide. For this episode, we feature the musical Road Show (also known as Bounce and Wiseguy). Rick will talk about how Sondheim worked with a number of collaborators to create the show that never made it to Broadway.

The 15th episode in a series on the complete works of Stephen Sondheim. Rick Pender, the author of the The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia, is our musical guide. For this episode, we feature the original production of 1994’s Passion. Rick will talk about how writer/director James Lapine and Sondheim collaborated on the show to create one of the composer’s most unique musicals.

For the Halloween season, an interview with Robert Viagas on his book Good Morning, Olive. The book is about the ghosts that haunt Many of Broadway's busiest theatres and around the world. Robert Viagas, was the editor-in-chief of Encore Monthly, the national theatre magazine. He has more than thirty-five years' experience, much of it working on Broadway with Playbill Inc. He is the founding editor of Playbill.com and is the author of 22 books.

I chat with Laurence Maslon, the author of the book, I'll Drink to That!: Broadway's Legendary Stars, Classic Shows, and the Cocktails They Inspired. “The book expertly mixes clever cocktails that pay homage to unforgettable Broadway shows with authentic recipes for drinks that played supporting roles in beloved shows. Mason provides a history of the cocktail on Broadway along with a trove of theatrical anecdotes."

The 14th episode in a series on the complete works of Stephen Sondheim. Rick Pender, the author of the The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia, is our musical guide. For this episode, we feature the original production of the 1987 Stephen Sondheim musical, Into the Woods, which ran for 765 performances on Broadway.

Interview with Michael Urie (Professor Robert Langdon) and Hannah Cruz (Cryptologist Sophie Neveu) who are starring in the American premiere of play based on the best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code. The show is playing at the Ogunquit Playhouse (http://www.ogunquitplayhouse.org/) through September 23.

An interview with Greg Dassonville (https://www.dassonvogue.com/), a stylist who has revolutionized how people approach shopping and wearing clothing for all occasions. Since his start, Greg has provided styling for The Tony Awards, The Emmy Awards, Broadway Opening Nights, Concerts, Editorials, and various Red Carpets for Movie premieres. For the 2023 Tony Awards, Greg provided styling for Tony Award Nominee Betsy Wolfe of & Juliet and for Adrianna Hicks of Some Like It Hot. On the podcast, Greg will talk about how he started his business, his views of styling, the collaborative nature of his work, and some of the celebrities he has worked with on the red carpet. Pictures of his work will also be available on the BroadwayRadioPrograms.com website.

On our podcast this week, I chat with Seth Bisen-Hersh, composer/lyricist whose musical, Love Quirks, ran Off-Broadway last summer. We talk about the show and issues trying to mount a musical in New York City. We also discuss his new film project and his hobby of creating crossword puzzles.

The 13th episode in a series on the complete works of Stephen Sondheim. Rick Pender, the author of the The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia, is our musical guide. For this episode, we feature the 1965 Stephen Sondheim/Richard Rodgers musical, Do I Hear a Waltz, his last Broadway show where he only wrote lyrics.

The 12th episode in a series on the complete works of Stephen Sondheim. Rick Pender, the author of the The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia, is our musical guide. For this episode, we feature the 1962 Stephen Sondheim musical, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, his first Broadway show where he wrote both music and lyrics.

For this week’s On Broadway podcast, I chat with author and critic Elysa Gardner on her book, “Magic To Do: Pippin's Fantastic, Fraught Journey to Broadway and Beyond,” which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Stephen Schwartz musical.

My interview with Kristin Stultz Pressly on her book, I Can’t Give You Anything but Love, Baby: Dorothy Fields and Her Life in the American Musical Theater. Dorothy Fields was America's most brilliant and successful female lyricist. Working with thirteen different composers, Fields wrote the lyrics and/or librettos for unforgettable masterpieces, such as Annie Get Your Gun, Redhead, and Sweet Charity. Her more than four hundred songs include the standards "On the Sunny Side of the Street," "Pick Yourself Up," "The Way You Look Tonight," and "I Can't Give You Anything But Love."

The 11th episode in a series on the complete works of Stephen Sondheim. Rick Pender, the author of the The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia, is our musical guide. For this episode, we feature the 1971 Stephen Sondheim musical, Follies.

On this episode, I chat with Tony Award–winning designer Derek McLane and fashion and entertainment writer Eila Mell on their book, Designing Broadway: How Derek McLane and Other Acclaimed Set Designers Create the Visual World of Theatre. It is a richly illustrated and information-packed celebration of Broadway set design reflecting on some of the greatest stage productions of the past few decades.

We chat with Jack O’Brien, the former long-serving Artistic Director of the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California (1981 – 2007) and multi-Tony Award winning Director, including the original production of Hairspray. We discuss his latest book, Jack in the Box: or, How to Goddamn Direct, where he talks about directing essentials as well as stories about theater personalities he has worked with including Mike Nichols, Neil Simon, Tom Stoppard and John Goodman.

The 10th episode in a series on the complete works of Stephen Sondheim. Rick Pender, the author of the The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia, is our musical guide. For this episode, we feature the 1959 Stephen Sondheim-Jule Styne collaboration, Gypsy, which starred Ethel Merman.

I chat with Ted Chapin, the author of the book - Everything was Possible: The Birth of the Musical Follies. Visit the show page at https://broadwayradioprograms.com/2023/01/interview-with-ted-chapin/.

I chat with Musical Director Andrea Grody who has helmed such Broadway productions as The Band's Visit and Tootsie. She also worked on the Off-Broadway musical SUFFS. In addition, Ms. Grody has written a musical about individuals on the autism spectrum, Strange Faces.

I chat with Jesse Green, chief theater critic for The New York Times and co-author of the Mary Rodgers memoir -- Shy: The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers. Visit the show page at https://broadwayradioprograms.com/2023/01/interview-with-jesse-green/.