Podcasts
Fifty Key Stage Musicals: The Podcast
A supplement to the book FIFTY KEY STAGE MUSICALS
Behind the MusicInside the BizTheatre History
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All Seasons
Ch. 50- DEAR EVAN HANSEN
DEAR EVAN HANSEN. COMPOSER: Benj Pasek & Justin Paul. LYRICIST: Benj Pasek & Justin Paul. BOOK: Steven Levenson. DIRECTOR: Michael Greif. CHOREOGRAPHER: Danny Mefford. PRINCIPLE CAST: Rachel Bay Jones (Heidi), Laura Dreyfuss (Zoe), Ben Platt (Evan), OPENING DATE: Nov 14, 2016.
36 mins
5/31/22
Ch. 49- HAMILTON
HAMILTON. COMPOSER: Lin-Manuel Miranda. LYRICIST: Lin-Manuel Miranda. BOOK: Lin-Manuel Miranda. DIRECTOR: Thomas Kail. CHOREOGRAPHER: Andy Blankenbuehler. PRINCIPLE CAST: Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton), Leslie Odom Jr. (Burr), Phillipa Soo (Eliza) OPENING DATE: August 6th, 2015.
51 mins
5/30/22
Ch. 48- FUN HOME
FUN HOME. COMPOSER: Jeanine Tesori. LYRICIST: Lisa Kron. BOOK: Lisa Kron. SOURCE: Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel Fun Home (2006) DIRECTOR: Sam Gold. CHOREOGRAPHER: Danny Mefford. PRINCIPLE CAST: Michael Cerveris (Bruce), Sydney Lucas (Young Alison) Beth Malone (Old Alison) OPENING DATE: Apr 19, 2015.
41 mins
5/29/22
Ch. 47- NEXT TO NORMAL
NEXT TO NORMAL. COMPOSER: Tom Kitt. LYRICIST: Brian Yorkey. BOOK: Brian Yorkey. DIRECTOR: Michael Greif. CHOREOGRAPHER: Sergio Trujillo. PRINCIPLE CAST: Alice Ripley (Diana), J. Robert Spencer (Dan), Aaron Tveit (Gabe) OPENING DATE: Apr 15, 2009.
49 mins
5/28/22
Ch. 46- IN THE HEIGHTS
IN THE HEIGHTS. COMPOSER: Lin-Manuel Miranda. LYRICIST: Lin-Manuel Miranda. BOOK: Quiara Alegria Hudes. DIRECTOR: Thomas Kail. CHOREOGRAPHER: Andy Blankenbuehler. PRINCIPLE CAST: Robin De Jesus (Sonny), Mandy Gonzalez (Nina), Lin-Manuel Miranda (Usnavi), OPENING DATE: Mar 09, 2008.
47 mins
5/27/22
Ch. 45- JERSEY BOYS
JERSEY BOYS. COMPOSER: Bob Gaudio. LYRICIST: Bob Crewe. BOOK: Marshall Brickman, Rick Elice. DIRECTOR: Des McAnuff. CHOREOGRAPHER: Sergio Trujillo. PRINCIPLE CAST: Christian Hoff (Tommy), Daniel Reichard (Bob), John Lloyd Young (Frankie) OPENING DATE: Nov 06, 2005.
48 mins
5/26/22
Ch. 44- WICKED
WICKED. COMPOSER: Stephen Schwartz. LYRICIST: Stephen Schwartz. BOOK: Winnie Holzman. SOURCE: Gregory Maguire’s book Wicked: The Life and Times of The Wicked Witch of The West (1995) DIRECTOR: Joe Mantello. CHOREOGRAPHER: Wayne Cilento.
1 h 38 mins
5/25/22
Ch. 43- MAMMA MIA
MAMMA MIA. COMPOSER: Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus. LYRICIST: Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus. BOOK: Catherine Johnson. DIRECTOR: Phyllida Lloyd. CHOREOGRAPHER: Anthony Van Laast. PRINCIPLE CAST: Judy Kaye (Rosie), Karen Mason (Tanya), Louise Pitre (Donna) OPENING DATE: Oct 18, 2001.
44 mins
5/24/22
Ch. 42- THE PRODUCERS
THE PRODUCERS. COMPOSER: Mel Brooks. LYRICIST: Mel Brooks. BOOK: Mel Brooks, Thomas Meehan. SOURCE: Mel Brooks’ film The Producers (1967) DIRECTOR: Susan Stroman. CHOREOGRAPHER: Susan Stroman. PRINCIPLE CAST: Matthew Broderick (Leo), Cady Huffman (Ulla), Nathan Lane (Max) OPENING DATE: Apr 19, 2001.
40 mins
5/23/22
Ch. 41- SEUSSICAL
SEUSSICAL. COMPOSER: Stephen Flaherty. LYRICIST: Lynn Ahrens. BOOK: Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. SOURCE: The stories of Dr. Seuss (c. 1950s) DIRECTOR: Rob Marshall. CHOREOGRAPHER: Kathleen Marshall.
44 mins
5/22/22
Ch. 40- RENT
RENT. COMPOSER: Jonathan Larson. LYRICIST: Jonathan Larson. BOOK: Jonathan Larson. SOURCE: La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini (1896) DIRECTOR: Michael Greif. CHOREOGRAPHER: Marlies Yearby. PRINCIPLE CAST: Adam Pascal (Roger), Anthony Rapp (Mark), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Mimi) OPENING DATE: Apr 29, 1996.
40 mins
5/22/22
Ch. 39- GREASE (1994)
GREASE (1994) COMPOSER: Jim Jacobs, Warren Casey. LYRICIST: Jim Jacobs, Warren Casey. BOOK: Jim Jacobs, Warren Casey. DIRECTOR: Jeff Calhoun. CHOREOGRAPHER: Jeff Calhoun. PRINCIPLE CAST: Ricky Paull Goldin (Danny), Rosie O’Donnell (Rizzo), Susan Wood (Sandy) OPENING DATE: May 11, 1994.
56 mins
5/20/22
Ch. 38- BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. COMPOSER: Alan Menken. LYRICIST: Howard Ashman, Tim Rice. BOOK: Linda Woolverton. SOURCE: Disney’s animated film Beauty and The Beast (1991) DIRECTOR: Robert Jess Roth. CHOREOGRAPHER: Matt West.
1 h 14 mins
5/19/22
Ch, 37- FALSETTOS
FALSETTOS. COMPOSER: William Finn. LYRICIST: William Finn. BOOK: William Finn and James Lapine. DIRECTOR: James Lapine. PRINCIPLE CAST: Stephen Bogardus (Whizzer), Michael Rupert (Marvin), Barbara Walsh (Trina) OPENING DATE: Apr 29, 1992.
45 mins
5/18/22
Ch. 36- THE SECRET GARDEN
THE SECRET GARDEN. COMPOSER: Lucy Simon. LYRICIST: Marsha Norman. BOOK: Marsha Norman. SOURCE: Frances Hodgson Burnett’s book The Secret Garden (1911) DIRECTOR: Susan H. Schulman. CHOREOGRAPHER: Michael Lichtefeld.
51 mins
5/17/22
Ch. 35- MISS SAIGON
MISS SAIGON. COMPOSER: Claude-Michel Schonberg. LYRICIST: Richard Maltby Jr & Alain Boublil. BOOK: Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schonberg. SOURCE: Giacomo Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly (1904) DIRECTOR: Nicholas Hytner. CHOREOGRAPHER: Bob Avian.
1 h 45 mins
5/16/22
Ch. 34- THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. COMPOSER: Andrew Lloyd Webber. LYRICIST: Charles Hart. BOOK: Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber. SOURCE: The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (1909) DIRECTOR: Hal Prince. CHOREOGRAPHER: Gillian Lynne.
55 mins
5/15/22
Ch. 33- LES MISERABLES
LES MISERABLES. COMPOSER: Claude-Michel Schonberg. LYRICIST: Herbert Kretzmer. BOOK: Alain Boublil, Claude-Michele Schonberg, Jean-Marc Natel. SOURCE: Victor Hugo’s novel Les Miserables (1862) DIRECTOR: Trevor Nunn and John Caird.
52 mins
5/14/22
Ch. 32- LA CAGE AUX FOLLES
LA CAGE AUX FOLLES. COMPOSER: Jerry Herman. LYRICIST: Jerry Herman. BOOK: Harvey Fierstein. SOURCE: Jean Poriot’s play La Cage Aux Folles (1973) DIRECTOR: Arthur Laurents. CHOREOGRAPHER: Scott Salmon.
45 mins
5/13/22
Ch. 31- CATS
CATS. COMPOSER: Andrew Lloyd Webber. LYRICIST: TS Eliot. BOOK: N/A. SOURCE: T.S. Eliot’s book of poetry Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats (1939) DIRECTOR: Trevor Nunn. CHOREOGRAPHER: Gillian Lynne.
1 h 7 mins
5/12/22
Ch. 30- DREAMGIRLS
DREAMGIRLS. COMPOSER: Henry Kreiger. LYRICIST: Tom Eyen. BOOK: Tom Eyen. DIRECTOR: Michael Bennett. CHOREOGRAPHER: Michael Bennett and Michael Peters. PRINCIPLE CAST: Loretta Devine (Lorrell), Jennifer Holliday (Effie), Sheryl Lee Ralph (Deena) OPENING DATE: Dec 20, 1981.
44 mins
5/11/22
Ch. 29- SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET
SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET. COMPOSER: Stephen Sondheim. LYRICIST: Stephen Sondheim. BOOK: Hugh Wheeler. SOURCE: Sweeney Todd by Christopher Bond. DIRECTOR: Harold Prince. CHOREOGRAPHER: Larry Fuller.
45 mins
5/10/22
Ch. 28- AIN'T MISBEHAVIN
AIN’T MISBEHAVIN. COMPOSER: Fats Waller. LYRICIST: Fats Waller. BOOK: Richard Maltby Jr and Murray Horwitz. DIRECTOR: Richard Maltby Jr. CHOREOGRAPHER: Arthur Faria. PRINCIPLE CAST: Nell Carter (Nell),Andre DeShields (Andre), Ken Page (Ken) OPENING DATE: May 09, 1978.
41 mins
5/9/22
Ch. 27- ANNIE
ANNIE. COMPOSER: Charles Strouse. LYRICIST: Martin Charnin. BOOK: Thomas Meehan. SOURCE: Harold Gray’s comic strip Little Orphan Annie (1920s) DIRECTOR: Martin Charnin. CHOREOGRAPHER: Peter Gennaro.
56 mins
5/8/22
Ch. 26- A CHORUS LINE
A CHORUS LINE. COMPOSER: Marvin Hamlisch. LYRICIST: Ed Kleban. BOOK: Nichola Dante and James Kirkwood. DIRECTOR: Michael Bennett. CHOREOGRAPHER: Michael Bennett. PRINCIPLE CAST: Donna McKechnie (Cassie), Priscilla Lopez (Diana), Robert LuPone (Zach) OPENING DATE: July 25th, 1975.
58 mins
5/7/22
Ch. 25- THE WIZ
THE WIZ. COMPOSER: Charlie Smalls. LYRICIST: Charlie Smalls. BOOK: William F. Brown. SOURCE: L. Frank Baum’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) DIRECTOR: Geoffrey Holder. CHOREOGRAPHER: George Faison.
53 mins
5/6/22
Ch. 24- NO, NO, NANETTE (1971)
NO, NO NANETTE (1971) COMPOSER: Vincent Youmans. LYRICIST: Irving Caesar, Otto Harbach. BOOK: Otto Harbach, Frank Mandel. DIRECTOR: Burt Shevelove. CHOREOGRAPHER: Donald Saddler. PRINCIPLE CAST: Ruby Keeler (Sue), Patsy Kelly (Pauline), Susan Watson (Nanette) OPENING DATE: Jan 19, 1971.
52 mins
5/5/22
Ch. 23- COMPANY
COMPANY. COMPOSER: Stephen Sondheim. LYRICIST: Stephen Sondheim. BOOK: George Furth. DIRECTOR: Hal Prince. CHOREOGRAPHER: Michael Bennett. PRINCIPLE CAST: Beth Howland (Amy), Dean Jones (Bobby), Elaine Stritch (Joanne) OPENING DATE: Apr 26, 1970.
57 mins
5/4/22
Ch. 22- PROMISES, PROMISES
PROMISES, PROMISES. COMPOSER: Burt Bacharach. LYRICIST: Hal David. BOOK: Neil Simon. SOURCE: The Apartment by I.A.L. Diamond and Billy Wilder (1960) DIRECTOR: Robert Moore. CHOREOGRAPHER: Michael Bennett.
57 mins
5/3/22
Ch. 21- HAIR
HAIR. COMPOSER: Galt MacDermot. LYRICIST: Gerome Ragni, James Rado. BOOK: Gerome Ragni, James Rado. DIRECTOR: Tom O’Horgan. CHOREOGRAPHER: Julie Arenal. PRINCIPLE CAST: Lynn Kellogg (Sheila), James Rado (Claude), Gerome Ragni (Berger), OPENING DATE: Apr 29, 1968.
48 mins
5/2/22
Ch. 20- CABARET
CABARET. COMPOSER: John Kander. LYRICIST: Fred Ebb. BOOK: Joe Masteroff. SOURCE: Christopher Isherwood’s The Berlin Stories (1945) DIRECTOR: Hal Prince. CHOREOGRAPHER: Ron Field. PRINCIPLE CAST: Bert Convy (Cliff), Joel Grey (Emcee), Jill Hayworth (Sally).
56 mins
5/1/22
Ch. 19- FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. COMPOSER: Jerry Bock. LYRICIST: Sheldon Harnick. BOOK: Joseph Stein. SOURCE: Sholem Aleichem’s short stories Tevye the Dairyman (1894) DIRECTOR: Jerome Robbins. CHOREOGRAPHER: Jerome Robbins.
49 mins
4/30/22
Ch. 18- HELLO DOLLY
HELLO DOLLY. COMPOSER: Jerry Herman. LYRICIST: Jerry Herman. BOOK: Michael Stewart. SOURCE: Thornton Wilder’s play The Merchant of Yonkers (1938) DIRECTOR: Gower Champion. CHOREOGRAPHER: Gower Champion.
1 h 4 mins
4/29/22
Ch. 17- THE FANTASTICKS
THE FANTASTICKS. COMPOSER: Harvey Schmidt. LYRICIST: Tom Jones. BOOK: Tom Jones. SOURCE: Edmond Rostand’s play Les Romanesques (1894) DIRECTOR: Word Baker. PRINCIPLE CAST: Rita Gardner (Luisa), Kenneth Nelson (Matt), Jerry Orbach (El Gallo) OPENING DATE: May 3, 1960.
49 mins
4/28/22
Ch. 16- GYPSY
Continuing the tradition of Show Boat and Oklahoma!, Gypsy furthered the parameters of a musical drama that went beyond the bounds of musical comedy. It is significant for its critical acclaim as a complicated and layered piece of literature within the American musical theatre canon.
43 mins
4/27/22
Ch. 15- WEST SIDE STORY
WEST SIDE STORY. COMPOSER: Leonard Bernstein. LYRICIST: Stephen Sondheim. BOOK: Arthur Laurents. SOURCE: William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet (1595) DIRECTOR: Jerome Robbins. CHOREOGRAPHER: Jerome Robbins.
1 h 11 mins
4/26/22
Ch. 14- MY FAIR LADY
MY FAIR LADY. COMPOSER: Frederick Loewe. LYRICIST: Alan Jay Lerner. BOOK: Alan Jay Lerner. SOURCE: Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw (1913) DIRECTOR: Moss Hart. CHOREOGRAPHER: Hanya Holm. PRINCIPLE CAST: Julie Andrews (Eliza), Rex Harrison (Higgins), Stanley Holloway (Doolittle) OPENING DATE: March 15th, 1956.
1 h 1 min
4/25/22
Ch. 13- THE THREEPENNY OPERA
THE THREEPENNY OPERA. COMPOSER: Kurt Weill. LYRICIST: Bertolt Brecht. BOOK: Bertolt Brecht (Adaptation by Marc Blitzstein) DIRECTOR: Carmen Capalbo. PRINCIPLE CAST: Beatrice Arthur (Lucy), Lotte Lenya (Jenny), Scott Merrill (Macheath) OPENING DATE: March 10th, 1954.
57 mins
4/24/22
Ch, 12- GUYS AND DOLLS
GUYS AND DOLLS. COMPOSER: Frank Loesser. LYRICIST: Frank Loesser. BOOK: Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling. DIRECTOR: George S. Kauffman. CHOREOGRAPHER: Michael Kidd. PRINCIPLE CAST: Robert Alda (Sky), Isabel Bigley (Sarah), Vivian Blaine (Adelaide), Sam Levene (Nathan) OPENING DATE: Nov 24, 1950.
47 mins
4/23/22
Ch. 11- OKLAHOMA
OKLAHOMA. COMPOSER: Richard Rodgers. LYRICIST: Oscar Hammerstein II. BOOK: Oscar Hammerstein II. SOURCE: Lynn Riggs play Green Grow The Lilacs (1930) DIRECTOR: Rouben Mamoulian. CHOREOGRAPHER: Agnes DeMille.
51 mins
4/22/22
Ch. 10- PAL JOEY
PAL JOEY. COMPOSER: Richard Rodgers. LYRICIST: Lorenz Hart. BOOK: John O’Hara. SOURCE: John O’Hara’s short stories (1930s) DIRECTOR: George Abbott. CHOREOGRAPHER: Robert Alton. PRINCIPLE CAST: Leila Ernst (Linda), Gene Kelly (Joey), Vivienne Segal (Vera), OPENING DATE: Dec 25, 1940.
45 mins
4/21/22
Ch. 9- THE CRADLE WILL ROCK
THE CRADLE WILL ROCK. COMPOSER: Marc Blitzstein. LYRICIST: Marc Blitzstein. BOOK: Marc Blitzstein. DIRECTOR: Orson Welles. PRINCIPLE CAST: Howard DaSilva (Foreman), Will Geer (Mister), Olive Stanton (Moll) OPENING DATE: June 16th, 1937.
46 mins
4/20/22
Ch, 8- PORGY AND BESS
PORGY AND BESS. COMPOSER: George Gershwin. LYRICIST: Ira Gershwin, DuBose Heyward. BOOK: DuBose Heyward. SOURCE: Porgy by DuBose Heyward (1925) DIRECTOR: Rouben Mamoulian. PRINCIPLE CAST: Anne Brown (Bess), John W.
35 mins
4/19/22
Ch. 7- ANYTHING GOES
ANYTHING GOES. COMPOSER: Cole Porter. LYRICIST: Cole Porter. BOOK: Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, revisions by Howard Lindsay & Russell Crouse. DIRECTOR: Howard Lindsay. CHOREOGRAPHER: Robert Alton.
51 mins
4/18/22
Ch. 6- OF THEE I SING
OF THEE I SING. COMPOSER: George Gershwin. LYRICIST: Ira Gershwin. BOOK: George S. Kaufman, Morrie Ryskind. DIRECTOR: George S. Kaufman. CHOREOGRAPHER: Chester Hale. PRINCIPLE CAST: William Gaxton (Wintergreen), Victor Moore (Throttlebottom), Lois Moran (Mary) OPENING DATE: Dec 26, 1931.
47 mins
4/17/22
Ch. 5- SHOW BOAT
SHOW BOAT. COMPOSER: Jerome Kern. LYRICIST: Oscar Hammerstein II. BOOK: Oscar Hammerstein II. SOURCE: Edna Ferber’s novel Show Boat (1926) DIRECTOR: Zeke Colvan, Oscar Hammerstein II. CHOREOGRAPHER: Sammy Lee.
45 mins
4/16/22
Ch. 4- SHUFFLE ALONG
SHUFFLE ALONG. COMPOSER: Eubie Blake. LYRICIST: Noble Sissle. BOOK: F.E. Miller, Aubrey Lyles. DIRECTOR: Walter Brooks. PRINCIPLE CAST: Lottie Gee (Bessie), Aubrey Lyles (Sam), F.E. Miller (Steve) OPENING DATE: May 23, 1921. CLOSING DATE: Jul 15, 1922.
49 mins
4/15/22
Ch. 3- THE MERRY WIDOW
The Merry Widow. COMPOSER: Franz Lehar. LIBRETTISTS: Viktorr Leon, Louis Stein. SOURCE: L'Attache d'ambassade (1861) by playwright Henri Meilhac. PRINCIPLE CAST: Mizzi Günther (Hanna), Siegmund Natzler (Baron Zeta), Louis Treumann (Danilo), Annie Wünsch (Valencienne) OPENING DATE: Dec 30, 1905.
36 mins
4/14/22
Ch. 2- HMS PINAFORE
HMS PINAFORE; OR, THE LASS WHO LOVED A SAILOR. COMPOSER: Arthur Sullivan. LYRICIST: W.S. Gilbert. BOOK: W.S. Gilbert. DIRECTOR: W.S. Gilbert. CHOREOGRAPHER: John D’Auban. PRINCIPLE CAST: Blanche Roosevelt (Josephine), J.H.
1 h 21 mins
4/13/22
Ch. 1- THE BLACK CROOK
THE BLACK CROOK. COMPOSER: Thomas Baker, George Bickwell, Giuseppe Operti. LYRICIST: Theodore Kennick. BOOK: Charles M Barras. STAGED BY:: David Costa. PRINCIPLE CAST: J.W. Blaisdell (Count), George Boniface (Rodolophe), Rose Morton (Amina) OPENING DATE: September 12th, 1866.
44 mins
4/12/22
INTRODUCTION
Hosts Robert W. Schneider & Andrew Child discuss the objective of the book and podcast for listeners and scholars. This episode focuses on the genesis of the book, how the titles were chosen, how its authors were chosen, and the future of this publication.
48 mins
4/11/22
Fifty Key Stage Musicals: The Podcast TRAILER
In Fifty Key Stage Musicals: The Podcast co-hosts Robert W. Schneider and Andrew Child do an in-depth exploration of fifty musicals that altered the landscape of American Musical Theater, all of which are explored in the Routledge Press book, Fifty Key Stage Musicals.
2 mins
4/6/22
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