Theater People

YOU GUYS! The "Come From Away" obsession continues! For today’s episode, I had the great honor of sitting down for a chat with the Irene Sankoff and David Hein who conceived the show and wrote the music, book, and lyrics. I could barely contain myself. The show, of course, is nominated for 7 Tony Awards this year including Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score for Irene and Davi...

I still can't breathe, you guys! Words cannot explain the pure exhilaration of sitting across the table from the one and only Betty Buckley and the concentration it took trying to sound smart while asking her questions! This Tony-winning Broadway legend certainly needs no introduction, but for the uninitiated, Betty made her Broadway debut in 1969 in 1776--a role she won on her VERY FIRST DAY...

Full Disclosure, you guys, I’m OBSESSED with "Come From Away" And I’m equally obsessed with today’s guest, Caesar Samayoa. Caesar plays multiple roles in the show including Kevin, who is one half of a gay couple in which both men are named Kevin, and Ali, a Muslim chef, both of whom are stranded in Gandor, Newfoundland on September 11th 2001 during the true events that make up the plot o...

This was, without a doubt, one of the most fun and interesting interviews I've ever done, you guys. Gabriel Ebert talks being cast as Mr. Wormwood in "Matilda" at the age of 24--winning a Tony Award for the role at age 25--and a new and BRILLIANT play called "Gently Down the Stream" which is currently playing off-Broadway at the Public Theater.

You Guys, I said it the day it happened and I'll say it again: The chat I had with Miss Saigon's Eva Noblezada is one of the most memorable I've ever had. I can't put my finger on exactly why, but I found her to be SO charming and SO funny and SO downright personable that I just wanted to talk to her for hours. I won't give too much away here, but her story of being litera...

At Long Last the Jenn Colella interview is here! We couldn't be more excited to talk with the fabulous Broadway star about her work in this season's "Come From Away" and to hear her AMAZING and HILARIOUS stories from "If/Then," "Chaplin," "High Fidelity," and "Urban Cowboy." We're obsessed with her and you need to be too! Enjoy!

You guys, We're OBSESSED with Ariana DeBose! Ariana is Currently co-starring as Jane in the critically acclaimed "A Bronx Tale"--directed by Robert De Niro and Jerry Zacks. She made her Broadway debut in 2012 in "Bring it On: The Musical" (one of my faves!) and went on to join the Broadway cast of "Pippin." In 2013 was invited by Lin-Manuel Miranda to participate...

28-year-old Gideon Glick is giving one of the most buzzed-about performances on Broadway this season as Jordan Berman, an unlucky in love New York City bachelor in the play "Significant Other." It was such a pleasure chatting with him about this star-making turn, his real life love life (which is going great!), and his earlier work on Broadway--2006's "Spring Awakening" an...

I LOVE NATHAN LEE GRAHAM! As a lot of you know, I'm a bit of a gay history nerd, so I was thrilled recently to get to see Nathan--one of my favorite NYC actors--in the new off-Broadway musical, "The View Upstairs." The show tells the little-known true story of The Upstairs Lounge--one of the country's first gay bars--where an arsonist set a fire which killed many of the bar&apo...

YOU GUYS!!! I've been pursuing this interview with Rebecca for YEARS! I'm totally obsessed. I first fell in love with this incredible woman in 2008 when I saw her in the Broadway production of "Passing Strange"--a show she'd been with since the 2007 production at The Public Theater. I fell even deeper in love with her when I saw her in 2010's "American Idiot,&quo...

You Guys! It was such a thrill to spend an afternoon chatting with the perfectly British and perfectly handsome and perfectly hilarious Michael Xavier. Currently starring opposite Glenn Close in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway, Michael is on loan to us from Mother England where he is one of the West End's biggest stars. With two Olivier nominations to his name, he's brought his charm and ta...

YOU GUYS!! Theater People is 100 episodes old!! To mark the occasion, we recorded this episode live at BroadwayCon. Basically I made some of my favorite guests listen to me talk about how much I love them. Hilarity ensued! Enjoy!

What an episode, you guys! In the first segment two-time Tony winner (and five time nominee!!!) Michael Cerveris is back to talk making his own music, acting, and life post-"Fun Home." In the Second half of the show, two of our favorite guests ,Jose Llana and Laura Michelle Kelly, return to talk all things "The King and I" tour! Enjoy!

You guys, we've been working on locking down an interview with today's guest Rory O'Malley for YEARS! He was originally scheduled to be the THIRD ever guest of Theater People! For this episode we talk all things "Hamilton"--he was King George on Broadway before heading off in the role on the national tour. We also talk about "Book of Mormon," "Little Miss Su...

We are SOOOOO excited to finally welcome everyone's favorite Screltress, Shoshana Bean to the show! As if I need to tell you guys, Shoshana made her Broadway debut in 2002 in the original cast of "Hairspray." She, of course went on to be the first replacement for the role of Elphaba in the Broadway company of "Wicked." She is also beloved internationally as a recording art...

YOU GUYS!! today is the day that we get to bring you our interview with the one and only Rachel Bay Jones. You all helped us book her when you all responded to my call via twitter to let her know just how much we wanted to chat with her. She is amazing and hilarious. She made her Broadway debut in 1989 in "Meet me in St Louis", She was in the recent Broadway revival of "Hair",...

We are SO SO SO excited to welcome Tony-winning actress LaChanze back to the podcast! For this return visit, we get to talk about her life and career in a way that we didn't the first time. We start with a little bit of background about growing up and discovering her talent at a young age, we then talk about her iconic work in "Once On This Island," "Bubbly Black Girl...,"...

Tony nominee--and just fabulous human--Orfeh has an incredible story of growing up in NYC, going to high school at the famed La Guardia High School (the "FAME" school), starting a pop band and getting a record contract that took her all over the world, and then landing on Broadway in such shows as "Saturday Night Fever," "Footloose," and "Legally Blonde"--ea...

The handsome and charming Michael Park is currently co-starring in this season's hottest new musical, "Dear Evan Hansen." Michael has been a working NYC-based actor for almost 25 years. He got his start off-Broadway in the almost legendary productions of Michael John Lachiusa's "Hello Again" and Jeanine Tesori's "Violet." Prior to "Dear Evan Hansen...

The genius Orchestrator / Arranger / Musical Director tells all about his experiences working on Dear Evan Hansen, Hamilton, In the Heights, and more! We go deep and get great stories of working alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda, Phillipa Soo, Tommy Kail, Michael Greif, Ben Platt, and more!

We're OBSESSED with Emily Skinner and we FINALLY get to meet her!! Emily made her Broadway debut in 1997 in the original Broadway cast of "Jeckyll & Hyde." Less than a year later she originated the role of Daisy Hilton in "Side Show." She was next seen in "James Joyce's The Dead" before originating the role of Vicki Nichols in "The Full Monty."...

For today's show, we're doing something a little different! We're traveling to Philadelphia, PA to spend the afternoon with the creative team behind the fabulous new musical "Found," which is now playing at the gorgeous Philadelphia Theatre Company. The show, which began in the basement theater of the Drama Bookshop and had it's off-Broadway premiere last year at the...

Today's the day, Theater People! Our brand new podcast," Broadway Backstory", premieres today! Episodes 1 and 2 tell the incredible true backstory of the Tony Award winning "In The Heights". We're playing the first 20 minutes of episode 1 here, but you can get the first two full episodes RIGHT NOW by searching iTunes, Stitcher, Googleplay or any other podcast catcher...

We loved chatting with this guy!! He's funny, charming, has a GREAT head of hair, and really knows how to tell a story! Brandon made his Broadway debut in 2011's "Baby It's You." He received a Tony nomination for his turn as Adam Hochberg in last season's "An American in Paris," and can now be seen eight times a week as Mendel in William Finn's and Jame...

WE"RE OBSESSED! We had the MOST fun hanging out with Mandy Gonzalez in her dressing room backstage at the Richard Rodgers Theater before a performance of "Hamilton." It had been less than two weeks since she'd taken over the role of Angelica, and she still hadn't completely moved in! Mandy made her Broadway debut in 2000 in "Aida" as the Amnneris standby-she even...