Broadway Breakdown

"What you want is ME!" Omigod you guys! We're talking LEGALLY BLONDE! The musical that was doubted, praised, maligned, then praised again! Breakdown alum Abby Goldfarb (HARMONY, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF) comes back to discuss with Matt all things Law school, high belting, and female power! It's fun, funny and Matt NEVER shuts up. BEND AND SNAP KIDS! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/...

"Just THINK!" Oh the thinks you can think....and the flops that can flop...and come back again and again! We're talking about SEUSSICAL! The costly Broadway embarrassment that was plagued by creative overhauls and bad press, but would go on to become one of the most produces musicals in the COUNTRY! Fellow Broadway podcaster Jeffrey Scott Parsons (A Musical Theatre Podcast) joins the Breakdown to...

"All the wasted time..." The sadness, the drama, the MUSIC! It's PARADE! Friend and listener Jonathan Chisolm stops by the Breakdown to discuss with Matt the sad, yet moving Tony-winning musical. The two also discuss the downside of grandeur, the allure of obtuseness and Carolee Carmello's belt. REAL BIG NEWS! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices This is a public episode....

"Come look at the freaks..." The shock! The wonder! The BELTING! We're talking SIDE SHOW, kids! Guncle of the pod Adam Elsberry returns to discuss with Matt the cult classic musical about conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton on the longest episode yet. The two also discuss the importance of stagecraft, the combination of camp and greatness, and why the show's revival was bad. I WILL NEVER LEAVE...

"And Eve was weak..." It was once known as the flop to end all flops...and it just won't DIE. That's right! We're heading to the prom with CARRIE! Returning guest Preston Max Allen (We Are the Tigers, The Rage: Carrie 2) is back on the Breakdown to discuss with Matt what makes a monster, camp theatre, and why the revised version of CARRIE should just be called "Sue." WE'RE OUT FOR BLOOD! Learn mor...

"I will live in Disneyland..." IT'S. FINALLY. HAPPENING. We're talking about SMILE, baby!!!!!!!! Listeners rejoice!!! Godmother of the Breakdown Ali Gordon returns to discuss with Matt one of his favorite musicals. The two also discuss Drop Dead Gorgeous, Howard Ashman, and the importance of specificity. SHINE, BITCH!!!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices This is a publ...

"I hear America singing..." Critics hated it. It nearly ruined Stephen Schwartz's Broadway career. It...had a TV movie? It...gets done all the time across the country? It...is the only Broadway musical Patti Lupone ever did where she DIDN'T sing?? Crazy, we know, but that's WORKING. The Broadway musical that tried to be A CHORUS LINE for blue-collar audiences and failed miserably. Fellow podcaster...

"Time heals everything..." Movies! Cocaine! Murder! It's MACK AND MABEL! The Jerry Herman flop that won't die, yet probably should...? Fellow podcaster Kimberly Cooper-Schmidt (Broadwaysted, Broadway Baby) comes back to the Breakdown to discuss toxic romance, Bernadette Peters, and what no one will admit about this troubled musical. TAP YOUR TROUBLES AWAY! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...

*BONUS* Here’s a special preview of the Cautionary Tales podcast from Pushkin Industries. On Cautionary Tales, bestselling author Tim Harford shares stories of human error, natural disasters, and tragic catastrophes from history that contain valuable lessons for today. In this preview, you’ll hear about Movin Out', the 2002 Billy Joel-inspired Broadway show created by dance legend Twyla Tharp. Whe...

"We're neither good, nor wise, nor pure..." The show lasted 73 performances...and has now been performed all over the world. AND was revived on Broadway TWICE! It's CANDIDE! Breakdown alum Jessie Field (Charlotte Lucas is 27 and Not Dead) returns to discuss with Matt whether the show is an operetta or a musical, who did "Glitter and Be Gay" best, and why we keep going on...despite the tragedies. B...

"I'm wild again, beguiled again..." WE BACK and with a whole new series! Starting off with PAL JOEY: the classy Rodgers/Hart musical that made Broadway go "...this character's kind of a dick, right?" New guest Ben RImalower (PATTI ISSUES, CAST OFFS) joins the Breakdown to discuss subtly sexy lyrics, Ben's obsession with Patti, and the origin of the word "Stereotype." ZIP, BABY! Learn more about yo...

"Welcome to our house on Maple Avenue..." It's the END of TESORI HOUR! And we're closing out with a big one...FUN HOME! The show that gets Jeanine her much deserved Tony and an official placement in the Broadway firmament. Composer Julia Meinwald (PREGNANCY PACT) comes by the Breakdown to discuss with Matt this exceptional work of musical theatre. The two also discuss the importance of finding the...

"I am on my way..." Who doesn't want to look like a million different movie stars? It's VIOLET everyone! Writer Eli Cohen (THE CHOSEN ONE) stops by the Breakdown to discuss with Matt the musical that should've launched Jeanine Tesori into the Broadway stratosphere, but took 17 years to finally make it. The two also discuss crying in the theatre, parents, and how Matt intends to troll the Marvel fa...

"I've always been a morning person..." It's big, it's green, it's gassy...it's SHREK! We continue Tesori Hour with Jeanine's biggest, crassest musical yet with frequent collaborator David Lindsay-Abaire. Musical theatre writer Timothy Huang (AMERICAN MORNING, THE VIEW FROM HERE) stops by the Breakdown to talk with Matt about finding love through flatulence, knowing what kind of show you are, and t...

"There is only underwater..." It wouldn't be Breakdown without some twists and turns! Acclaimed playwright and journalist Marcus Scott (TUMBLEWEED, CHERRY BOMB, FIDELIO at the Metropolitan Museum of Art) stops by the Breakdown to discuss one of the dramatic masterpieces of the 21st Century: CAROLINE, OR CHANGE. However, due to timing, Marcus is only available for 2/3 of the episode, so Matt has to...

"Only in New York..." WELCOME BACK!!!! It's a brand new year and we got a brand new series: TESORI HOUR, covering the 5 Broadway musicals of Tony winning composer Jeanine Tesori. First up: THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE. Writer Jessie Field (Charlotte Lucas is 27 and Not Dead) joins the Breakdown to discuss with Matt the zany 20's comedy that's also Jeanine's Broadway musical theatre debut. The two also...

"History's about to get overthrown..." Divorced, beheaded, LIVE!! It's the final episode of The British Invasion and we're covering the most recent British import to dominated Broadway: SIX. Katie Johantgen (@katiejoyofosho) joins the Breakdown to discuss with Matt all things Tudors, marriage, and pop music! Plus, Matt's final ranking of the covered British shows and an announcement for the next s...

"We are REVOLTING!" It's Loud, it's Quiet, it's Naughty, it's the Smell of Rebellion...it's MATILDA! The musical critics loved and American audiences...didn't really. Fellow podcaster Marc Tumminelli (LITTLE ME) comes on the Breakdown to talk with Matt about the British antidote to ANNIE. The two also talk about the downside of falling in love with a show through a cast recording, having too many...

"Like electricity..." Boys doing Ballet?! What's next, a British musical coming to Broadway and winning 10 Tony Awards? Yes ma''am because this week it's BILLY ELLIOT! Original cast member and one part of the Broadway Husbands Stephen Hanna (BILLY ELLIOT, HELLO DOLLY, ON THE TOWN) visits the Breakdown to discuss with Matt all things dancing, dead mums, and Thatcherism. The two also discuss the wei...

"What have we learned this week...?" Things get pensive and classy get this week with the Tony-winning hit THE HISTORY BOYS. Podcast alum James Crichton (UNKNOWN SOLDIER, ACTORS: ON PROCESS) returns to the Breakdown to discuss with Matt the '06 super-smash. The two also discuss the difference between being "intelligent" and being "clever," the purpose of Broadway Breakdown, and why gaining knowled...

"I don't wanna talk..." Spangles, jumpsuits and long-lost fathers...it's MAMMA MIA, henny! Casting director Kate Lumpkin comes aboard the Breakdown to discuss with Matt the jukebox musical that made ABBA cool again and Meryl Streep an international movie star! The two also discuss the power of being at the right place at the right time, gender norms and the power of owning your sexual past. DOES Y...

"Eternal youth is worth a little suffering..." It's big, it's bold, it's BACK! The British Invasion comes to a crashing halt with the landing of the Desmond Mansion, bankrupting a billion dollar production company and causing multiple leading ladies to claw at Andrew Lloyd Webber's throat. That's right...it's SUNSET BOULEVARD. Friend of the Pod Justin Mendoza (BOOK OF MORMON, WICKED) comes back to...

"Did you hear the story of the Johnstone twins...?" It ran for over 20 years on the West End...and for 2 on Broadway. It's about class, murder, and...Marilyn Monroe? Just roll with it! Fellow podcaster Kyle Marshall (PUTTING IT TOGETHER) joins the Breakdown to talk about the British sensation that barely made a blip across the pond. The two also discuss overusing similes, avoiding your fate, and t...

"Let your mind start a journey to a strange new world..." It's the longest running Broadway production. The ultimate "Mask4Mask" musical. The show that's kept classic sopranos employed for over 30 years. It's PHANTOM OF THE OPERA! That's right: the most enduring Andrew Lloyd Webber musical is here to be discussed and debated. Long-time friend Sofia Christensen joins the Breakdown to talk with Matt...

"Do you hear the people sing?" C'est le gros chien: LES MISÉRABLES! Aka LES MIZ! The epic 3 hour pop-opera is given the epic Breakdown treatment with the grand return of our dearly loved Sutton Lee Seymour(@suttonleeseymour)!! Matt and Sutton get Parisian as they discuss the worldwide phenomenon and its impact on theatre kids everywhere. The two also discuss ruining your life over carbs, that time...