Cast Offs with Ben and Daniel

In this very special QuaranStreams, Ben and Daniel talk to Broadway producer and director Richard Jay-Alexander about "Hey, Mr. Producer!" the 1998 concert honoring Cameron Mackintosh. The concert featured performances by Bernadette Peters, Lea Salonga, Elaine Paige, Colm Wilkinson, Judi Dench, Jonathan Pryce, Ruthie Henshall, Ellen Greene, Michael Ball, Tom Lehrer and many more, including Julie A...

In this episode, Ben and Daniel discuss the 1992 concert, Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall. This legendary night featured performances by Patti LuPone, Liza Minnelli, Glenn Close, Madeline Kahn, Bernadette Peters, Betty Buckley, Dorothy Loudon, Billy Stritch, Jerry Hadley, Eugene Perry, Herbert Perry, Harolyn Blackwell, Daisy Eagan, Patrick Cassidy, Victor Garber, Bill Irwin, and Karen Zie...

In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk about Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration. The online broadcast featured Meryl Streep, Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald, Mandy Patinkin, Christine Baranski, Donna Murphy, Sutton Foster, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Kelli O’Hara, Aaron Tveit, Maria Friedman, Iain Armitage, Katrina Lenk, Michael Cerveris, Brandon Uranowitz, Stephen...

In this very special QuaranStreams, Ben and Daniel talk to Tony-winning star Betty Buckley about the 1999 episode of Bravo Profiles, Betty Buckley: In Performance and in Person. Betty also tells stories from her career and talks about her time spent with fellow theater legends. Betty is known for her work on Broadway in shows such as 1776, Sunset Boulevard, Triumph of Love, Carrie, Song and Dance,...

In this episode, Ben and Daniel discuss the 1993 concert Jerry Herman's Broadway at the Hollywood Bowl. The tribute to Herman included performances by Broadway greats such as Carol Channing, Leslie Uggams, George Hearn, Bea Arthur, Lee Roy Reams, Karen Morrow, Florence Lacey, Lorna Luft, Davis Gaines, Michael Feinstein, and Rita Moreno, all backed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the directio...

In this episode, Ben and Daniel discuss the 1982 concert Showstoppers: The Best of Broadway. The evening is hosted by Tom Bosley and features Broadway favorites such as Ethel Merman, Barry Bostwick, Susan Browning, Len Cariou, Nell Carter, Diahann Carroll, Carole Demas, David Haskell, Glynis Johns, Donna McKechnie, Robert Morse, Pamela Myers, Stephen Nathan, Jerry Orbach, Anthony Perkins, Debbie R...

In this episode, Ben and Daniel discuss the 1998 Carnegie Hall concert, My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies. The concert was hosted by Julie Andrews and featured Broadway superstars such as Nell Carter, Lea DeLaria, Linda Eder, Jennifer Holliday, Anna Kendrick, Judy Kuhn, Priscilla Lopez, Dorothy Loudon, Rebecca Luker, Marin Mazzie, Andrea McArdle, Audra McDonald, Liza Minnelli, Debra Monk, R...

In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to Tony-nominated playwright and actor Charles Busch about the soundtrack to the 1983 film Yentl. They also discuss Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Linda Lavin, Julie Halston, Patrick Dennis, Mame, Michael Tanner, Tom Judson, Dick Gallagher, Lucie Arnaz, Lorna Luft, Michael Vollbracht, The Women, Carl Andress, Lynne Meadow, Tony Roberts, Paul Newman, Sasha Velo...

In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to actor and director Michael Arden about Joni Mitchell's 1971 album, Blue. They also discuss Audra McDonald, Ricky Ian Gordon, Follies, Imelda Staunton, Alexandra Silber, Indigo Girls, Sara McLachlan, Shawn Colvin, The Phantom of the Opera, Gillian Lynne, Ben Folds, Maggie Rogers, Lestat, Robyn, and Jan Maxwell. Michael talks about discovering Joni and how her...

In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to actor and singer Nathan Lee Graham about Lena Horne's 1981 live album, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music. They also discuss André De Shields, Billy Porter, Mame, Robin de Jesús, Showboat, Angela Lansbury, Jesus Christ Superstar, Judy Garland, Jenifer Lewis, James Brown III, Hal Prince, Susan Stroman, and Eartha Kitt. Nathan talks about social activism throu...

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, Dai...

In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to actor and comedian Drew Droege about Sylvester's 1982 album All I Need. They also discuss Audra McDonald, Eddie Murphy, Sandra Bernhard, Diana Ross, Har Mar Superstar, Robyn, Chloë Sevigny, Annette Funicello, John Waters, Sinead O’Connor, Melissa McCarthy, RuPaul, Jane Fonda. Michael Patrick King, Latrice Royale, Dianne Wiest, Kathleen Turner, Glenn Close, C...

In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to cabaret superstar and musical theater actress Marilyn Maye about her 1967 album Step To The Rear. They also discuss Jerry Herman, Mame, Hello Dolly, Mel Tormé, Rosemary Clooney, Barbara Cook, Tommy Tune, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, Billy Stritch, Tedd Firth, Provincetown, The Anchor Inn, Palm Springs, Feinstein's/54 Below, Birdland, and The...

In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to Tony-winning actress and singer Lena Hall about Guns N' Roses' 1987 debut album Appetite for Destruction. They also discuss Axl Rose, Cats, Billy Porter, Legally Blonde, Patti LuPone, Evita, Donna Summer, Tarzan, Kinky Boots, Jimi Hendrix, Rent, Janis Joplin, Damon Daunno, Jeff Buckley, David Bowie, and My Little Pony. Lena talks about her unique artistic jo...

In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to four-time Tony nominee Judy Kuhn about Joni Mitchell's landmark 1971 album Blue. They also discuss Laura Nyro, Neil Young, Carole King, Bob Dylan, Mary Beth Piel, Betty Buckley, and Yul Brynner. Judy talks about her love for Joni Mitchell, what the album means to her, and how it inspired her career. She also talks about her vocal training and how she has hea...

In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to drag performer and national treasure Russ King (aka Miss Richfield 1981) about the 1972 album Free To Be... You And Me. They also discuss Varla Jean Merman, Divine, Jinkx Monsoon, Marlo Thomas, Alan Alda, Rehoboth Beach, Cherry Grove, The Triad, Vonda Kay Van Dyke, Virginia Christine, Pixie Aventura, and Hedda Lettuce. Miss Richfield talks about performance...

In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to actor, singer, and drag legend Jeffery Roberson (aka Varla Jean Merman) about the 1966 cast recording of The Mad Show. They also discuss Coco Peru, Frank DeCaro, Heklina, Joanne Worley, Linda Lavin, The First Wives Club, Carol Burnett, Sandy Duncan, Barbra Streisand, Ann Reinking, Leslie Jordan, Marisol Montalvo, and Charles Busch. Varla talks about performi...

In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to singer and actress Linda Eder about Barbra Streisand's 1965 album My Name is Barbra. They also discuss Judy Garland, Shirley Bassey, Whitney Houston, Glenn Close, Frank Wildhorn, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sunset Boulevard, Eydie Gormé, Michael Bublé, Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Annie Get Your Gun, Vikki Carr, Eileen Farrell, Betty Bu...

In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to actor and drag star Cesar Villavicencio (aka Pixie Aventura) about Whitney Houston's Greatest Hits. They also discuss Freddie Mercury, Queen, Chita Rivera, Judy Garland, Bohemian Rhapsody, and RuPaul's Drag Race. Pixie talks about working with an audience, her process of creating unique and highly compelling material, and the importance of bringing about mor...

In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to Tony-winning Broadway star Faith Prince about Liza Minnelli's 1972 live album Liza with a Z. They also discuss Tina Landau, Fanny Brice, Funny Girl, Jule Styne, Judy Holliday, Mary Rodgers, Gwen Verdon, Fosse/Verdon, Scott Frankel, Comden and Green, and Marilyn Maye. Faith tells stories of how she landed lead roles in shows like Guys and Dolls, Bells Are Rin...

In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to three-time Tony nominee Carolee Carmello about the soundtrack to the 1973 film adaptation of Godspell. They also discuss Julie Andrews, The Sound of Music, Lesley Ann Warren, Marni Nixon, West Side Story, Evita, Mary Testa, Oliver, Gypsy, Barbra Streisand, Barbara Cook, Comden and Green, Falsettos, Kiss Me Kate, Marin Mazzie, and Parade. They talk about Caro...

In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to four-time Tony-winning lighting designer Kevin Adams about the soundtrack to the 1973 film Jesus Christ Superstar. They also discuss Hair, Barry Dennen, Barbra Streisand, Sandra Bernhard, Without You I'm Nothing, Jodie Foster, Madonna, Tommy, Rupert Everett, Michael Mayer, Spike Lee, Jennifer Holliday, Stephen Trask, and John Cameron Mitchell. Kevin shares s...

In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to Tony-winning Broadway star Laura Benanti about Tori Amos's 1992 album Little Earthquakes. They also discuss Patti LuPone, Arthur Laurents, Joni Mitchell, Elaine Stritch, Liza Minnelli, Marni Nixon, Lizzo, Brandi Carlile, and Julie Andrews. Laura talks about her starring roles in Broadway hits such as The Sound of Music, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakd...

In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to Tony-winning lyricist and director Scott Wittman about Frank Sinatra's 1966 live album, Sinatra at the Sands. They also discuss Bette Midler, Patti LuPone, Sammy Davis Jr, Edie Beale, Christine Ebersole, Count Basie, Barbara Cook, Dusty Springfield, Ute Lemper, and Bridget Everett. Scott talks about playing "cocktail lounge" growing up, and how his love for...

In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to cabaret superstar Natalie Douglas about Nina Simone's 1961 album Forbidden Fruit. They also discuss The Eagles, "South Pacific," Mitzi Gaynor, Roberta Flack, Barbra Streisand, Karen Mason, Joe Williams, and Dolly Parton. Natalie shares stories about moving to New York and working at famous piano bars such as Brandy's and The Duplex. She now sings to audience...