Broadway Breakdown

Matt takes on a double bill of female friendship on Broadway: the champagne-fueled revival of Noël Coward’s Fallen Angels and the long-gestating new musical Beaches . Matt digs into performance highlights, structural issues, and what—if anything—either show has going for it as the Tony Awards race heats up. Important Links * Broadway Breakdown Live: Green Room 42 Tix! * Broadway Breakdown: Youtube...

Matt takes on the Broadway transfer of Schmigadoon! , unpacking why the stage adaptation works better for him than the original series—while still falling short of greatness. He dives into the show’s Golden Age inspirations, the tension between parody and sincerity, and where the book and score feel frustratingly surface-level. Along the way, he highlights standout performances, sharp design work,...

Matt dives into three very different theatrical experiences: the provocative West End transfer Giant , the uneven stage adaptation of Dog Day Afternoon , and a bold new revival of Death of a Salesman . From thorny questions of artistic responsibility and antisemitism to misjudged tonal shifts and a reinvigorated American classic, this episode explores what works, what doesn’t, and how each show ma...

After a beloved and successful Off-Broadway run, Titanique has finally arrived on Broadway at the St. James Theatre. And Matt is here to review it! Exploring whether the delirious parody of Titanic can scale up to a 1,000+ seat Broadway house, Matt also discussed new cast members, updated jokes, and sparkly new designs. Matt also breaks down what works—and doesn’t—in the transition, before assessi...

Matt delivers a full-throated review of his most anticipated musical production this season: Cats: The Jellicle Ball . Not just a revival of the world-infamous musical Cats , but a ballroom-inspired queer explosion, transferred from the PAC in 2024. After seeing it twice (and once downtown), Matt breaks down why this bold, joyful production not only works—but might be the most thrilling musical re...

As the 2025/2026 barrels towards the finish line, Matt is joined by Breakdown fave Sam Eckmann (Gold Derby) to discuss how this year’s Tony race has changed. From a surprisingly thin Best Musical field to a hyper-competitive Play Revival race, they explore how industry sentiment, voter behavior, and late-season openings could reshape the narrative in the final stretch. If you think you know where...

Few films blur the line between autobiography and spectacle quite like All That Jazz . In this Deep Dive, Matt is joined by Podmother Ali Gordon to unpack this fever dream of a film that acts as both a harsh backstage look of the world of Broadway and an ever harsher self-portrait of director Bob Fosse. Together, Matt and Ali explore how the movie captures the obsession, ego, and cost of making ar...

It’s Matt’s birthday (almost), which means it’s time for the annual tradition: handing the mic (metaphorically) over to the listeners. In this wide-ranging, unfiltered Q&A, Matt tackles everything from dream casting do-overs and Broadway flops to industry gossip, personal reflections, and the future of Broadway Breakdown itself. It’s equal parts theater nerder-y, hot takes, and just enough chaos t...

In this episode, Matt takes on The Wild Party at City Center Encores!, digging into its place in the musical theater canon, how this production stacks up, and whether the piece’s notorious decadence still hits—or just lingers. Important Link Broadway Breakdown: Substack Broadway Breakdown: Discord Time Stamps 00:00 – Intro and framing The Wild Party in the musical theater landscape03:20 – The two...

Backstage Pass is a special Broadway Breakdown mini-series taking listeners behind the curtain of the Off-Broadway production Marcel on the Train at Classic Stage Company. Across the season, we’ve explored every layer of the process—from producing and writing to design and performance—offering a rare, holistic look at how a new play gets made. This final episode turns its focus forward: what happe...

Backstage Pass is a special Broadway Breakdown mini-series taking listeners behind the curtain of the Off-Broadway production Marcel on the Train at Classic Stage Company. Across the series, host Matt Koplik sits down with the artists shaping the production—from producers and writers to the creative team building the world of the show. Each episode explores a different aspect of the theatrical pro...

Series Summary Backstage Pass is a new mini-series from Broadway Breakdown that pulls back the curtain on the making of a show in real time. In this episode, Matt sits down with the creators of Marcel on the Train —writer/star Ethan Slater and writer/director Marshall Pailet—to explore how the project came together and how they transformed the remarkable true story of Marcel Marceau into a theatri...

Backstage Pass is a special mini-series from Broadway Breakdown that pulls back the curtain on how a show actually gets made. Across the series, we follow the Off-Broadway premiere of Marcel on the Train—from early conversations and creative development to opening night—through candid conversations with the artists and producers bringing it to life. The Guest This episode features producer Jill Ra...

Series Summary Welcome to Backstage Pass , the brand-new mini-series from Broadway Breakdown. Whether it’s analyzing shows from yesteryear or documenting the process as it happens, we’re here to pull back the curtain and give you the inside scoop. First up: the Off-Broadway journey of Marcel on the Train . The Guests Mitch Marois and Maxwell Beer are the driving forces behind Marcel on the Train ,...

It’s a bite-sized Broadway Breakdown this week as Matt catches up on some big Broadway news: The Tony Awards Administration releases more eligibility rulings, TITANIQUE, SCHMIGADOON and ROCKY HORROR all announced the rest of their casting…not to mention Encores’ WILD PARTY. Plus The Fear of 13 comes in at the last second to shake things up. And two star-powered vehicles are announced to kick off t...

CONTENT DISCLAIMER: This episode discusses a play which depicts predatorial relationships, sexual assault, and grooming.  In this episode, Matt sits down with Breakdown fam Margaret Hall ( Playbill , Gemignani ) to unpack Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize–winning play How I Learned to Drive . Together, they explore the play’s nonlinear structure, its daring tonal shifts, and nuanced depiction of predat...

Episode Summary In the conclusion of our two-part deep dive into Cabaret , Matt is joined once again by Tom Pecinka to unpack the musical’s legacy, reinventions, and enduring cultural impact. From the iconic 1972 film to radically reimagined revivals, this episode explores how Cabaret continues to evolve—and why it remains one of the most politically urgent musicals ever written. Important Broadwa...

In this first installment, Matt and Tony nominee Tom Pecinka ( Stereophonic ) unpack one of Broadway’s most endlessly reinvented—and debated—musicals: Cabaret . From its roots as a radical concept musical to the ever-evolving interpretations of the Emcee and Sally Bowles, this episode explores why Cabaret refuses to sit still—and why that’s exactly the point. Guest Introduction Tom Pecinka is a To...

Matt takes Broadway Breakdown across the pond with a candid, opinionated rundown of his January London theatre trip—covering big-budget spectacle, prestige revivals, crowd-pleasing comedy, and one very lovable bear. From roller-skating Andrew Lloyd Webber excess to a visually inventive Into the Woods and a genuinely joyful new musical, this episode digs into what’s working on the West End right no...

It’s never too early to argue about the Tonys. In this episode, Matt is joined by Broadway obsessives Richie Grasso and Jeff Malone (Half Hour, Half Hour with Jeff & Richie ) to make wildly premature, deeply passionate predictions about the current season. Together, they size up contenders, clock narrative momentum, question voter behavior, and debate what actually wins awards versus what deserves...

Matt revisits the Oscar-winning 2002 film adaptation of Chicago to unpack how it cracked the code for movie musicals in the 21st century. Joined by Casey Balsham (podcast It’s Broadway B*tch), the two explore why Chicago ’s cinematic choices worked where so many others failed, how the film reframed Bob Fosse’s theatrical language, and why Chicago still looms large over every musical-to-film adapta...

The year has ended, but the season is still going. So we’re doing what Broadway Breakdown does best…reviewing and ranking!!! Matt saw nearly 30 shows so far this season both Broadway and Off-Broadway and he wants to gather his thoughts on how he feels about them all. Some good, a few great, a couple somewhat bad…let’s dig in! BROADWAY BREAKDOWN LINKS: Broadway Breakdown Discord: Here Broadway Brea...

Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie is one of the most produced and most analyzed plays in the American canon…and now it’s our turn! Matt and guest Amy Jo Jackson explore the play’s autobiographical roots and why memory—not realism—is the engine that drives its enduring emotional power. From Laura’s fragility to Amanda’s survival instincts, this episode argues for Menagerie as a living, elast...

Edward Albee’s final play to open on Broadway remains one of the most controversial: The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? In this Deep Dive, Matt and guest Robert W. Schneider unpack its infamous premise and explore why a play so boldly bonkers can be so shockingly rewarding. The two also explore how Albee weaponizes language, social taboos, and why the play’s legacy is still undefined. Robert W. Schneider...

Our Deep Dive of Great Comet comes to its conclusion. Actor/singer/diva/Great Comet superfan Natalie Walker remains to dig into the show’s electrifying soundscape, its roots in War and Peace , and how Dave Malloy explodes character, form, and musical vocabulary. Matt and Natalie break down what makes Comet such a singular theatrical experience—structurally, emotionally, and spiritually—and why its...