This week, Jamie and Rob round out the mission of the podcast by speaking with Broadway musician, music director, music supervisor, conductor, composer, and orchestrator Charlie Rosen. Together, they chat about Charlie’s life and career in the music world, from his Broadway debut at age 18 to his Tony Award-nominated orchestrations for “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”, and his work beyond the stage in film, TV, podcasts, and video games. Tune in to find out about the strangest instrument Charlie has orchestrated into a musical score!

This week’s music: “Entr’Acte” from “Honeymoon In Vegas: The Musical, Original Broadway Cast Recording”. “Backstage Romance” from “Moulin Rouge, Original Broadway Cast Recording”, “Sunday” from “Sunday In The Park With George”. “Populism Yea Yea” from “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson”. “Here I Come”, from “13, Original Broadway Cast Recording”, “Squib Stalks” from “Be More Chill, Original Broadway Cast Recording”, “Overture” from “Honeymoon In Vegas: The Musical, Original Broadway Cast Recording”.

For a special, two-part show, Jamie and Rob take an in depth look at the life, work, and legacy of Broadway composer and lyricist Jerry Herman—“the poet of the showtune”.  They chat with performers Joel Grey, Florence Lacey, Lee Roy Reams, and Alix Korey, music director Andy Einhorn, producer Barry Brown, and actress and cabaret star Molly Pope.  Part two focuses on his lesser known shows, “Milk and Honey”, “Dear World”, and “Mack and Mabel”, and his ultimate comeback hit: “La Cage aux Folles”.  Tune in to discover why there really is no tune like a showtune!

This week’s music: “Overture”, “Milk & Honey”, Shalom”, “Let’s Not Waste A Moment”, all from “Milk & Honey, Original Cast Recording”.  “Overture”, “Each Tomorrow Morning”, “I Don’t Want to Know”, “Dear World”, all from “Dear World, Original Cast Recording”.  “I Promise You A Happy Ending” from “Gifts of Love”.  “Look What Happened to Mabel” from “Mack & Mabel, 1995 London Cast Recording”.  “Just Go to the Movies” from “A Day In Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine, Original Cast”.  “Two A Day”, and “Kiss Her Now”, and “Jerry’s Girls” from “Jerry’s Girls”.  “It’s Today” from “An Evening with Jerry Herman”. “Finale”, “Prelude”, “A Little More Mascara”, “The Finale”, all from “La Cage aux Folles, Original Broadway Cast”.  “The Best of Times” courtesy of Molly Pope.  “I Am What I Am” and “Look Over There”, from “La Cage aux Folles, Original Broadway Cast”.  “Miss Whats Her Name”, from “Miss Spectacular”.  “I’ll Be Here Tomorrow” sung by Jerry Herman.

For a special, two-part show, Jamie and Rob take an in depth look at the life, work, and legacy of Broadway composer and lyricist Jerry Herman—“the poet of the showtune”.  They chat with performers Joel Grey, Florence Lacey, Lee Roy Reams, and Alix Korey, music director Andy Einhorn, producer Barry Brown, and actress and cabaret star Molly Pope.  Part one focuses on “Hello, Dolly!” and “Mame”, two of Jerry’s biggest hits, and “The Grand Tour”, one of his biggest flops.  Tune in to discover why there really is no tune like a showtune! 

This week’s music: “Overture”, “Mame, Original Cast Recording”. “I Wanna Make the World Laugh”, “Mack & Mabel, Original Cast Recording”, “Dancing”, and “Put on Your Sunday Clothes”, from “Hello, Dolly! New Broadway Cast (2017)”, “Mame”, “Mame, Original Cast Recording”. “It’s Today” from “An Evening with Jerry Herman”, and “It’s Today”, from “Mame, Original Cast Recording”. “Showtune”, from “Parade”. “We Need A Little Christmas”, from “Mame, Original Cast Recording”. “Just Leave Everything to Me” and “Before the Parade Passes By”, from “Hello, Dolly! Original Motion Picture Soundtrack”. “If He Walked Into My Life” from “The Best of Eydie Gormé”. “Hello, Dolly! from “Hello, Dolly! New Broadway Cast (2017)”. “I’ll Be Here Tomorrow”, “Mrs. S L Jacobowsky”, “I Belong Here”, and “Marianne”, all from “The Grand Tour Original Broadway Cast”.

Jamie and Rob kick off season three with 11-time Grammy Award nominated recording artist and Tony Award nominated star of stage and screen Vanessa Williams, one of the most respected and multi-faceted performers in the entertainment industry. Together, they discuss Vanessa’s work as a founder of Black Theatre United, her 1994 Broadway debut in “Kiss of the Spiderwoman”, her West End debut in “City of Angels”, the current shut down, her reflections on the work of Stephen Sondheim, and what she hopes to see when live performance returns.

 This week’s music: “Save the Best for Last”, “And the Moon Grows Dimmer”, “I Do Miracles”, “Where You Are”, “Gimmie Love”, “Kiss of the Spiderwoman” all from the 1994 cast recording of “Kiss of the Spiderwoman”.  “Good Thing Going”, “Losing My Mind/Not A Day Goes By”, and “Good Thing Going”, from “Sondheim on Sondheim”.  “Children Will Listen” from “Into the Woods”.  “Any Place I Hang My Hat is Home”, from “St. Louis Woman” and “Happy Days Are Here Again”

On this week’s show, Jamie and Rob close season two with the final installation of their special three part mini-series looking at some of the biggest Broadway musical hits of all time.  In part three, the British Invasion lands on our shores, and a Windy City murderess, an iconic mask, a helicopter, and La Vie Bohème visit Broadway! At the top of the episode, the always fabulous Jennifer Simard stops by to check in and say farewell for the summer.

This week’s music: “Overture”, “McCavity”, “Memory”, and “Skimbelshanks" from “Cats”, “La Journée”, “I Dreamed A Dream”, “Turning” from “Les Miserables”, “Overture”, and “Wishing You Were Here” from “The Phantom of the Opera”.  “Movie In My Mind”, “I’d Give My Life For You” and “American Dream” from “Miss Saigon”, Willamania” from “The Will Rogers Follies”, “Rent”, “I’ll Cover You”, “Seasons Of Love” and “Take Me For What I Am” all from “Rent”.  “Overture”, “I Can’t Do It Alone”, “All That Jazz” from Chicago” “He Lives In You”, from “The Lion King”, “Overture” and “The Face” from “The Producers”.  “Mamma Mia” and “The Winner Takes All”, from “Mamma Mia”, “Popular”, “For Good” from “Wicked” and “I Believe” from “The Book of Mormon”.

On this week’s episode, Jamie and Rob return to the world of famous (and infamous!) Broadway flop musicals with part two of our look at these flawed and fabulous gems. We investigate Dude(s), space travel, sequels, VAMPIRES and much, much more.  And, we finish out the show with a bit more about “Carrie” from the legendary Betty Buckley.

This week’s music: “So Long Dude” and “Pears and Apples”, from “Dude”, “In A Little Town”, from “The Human Comedy”, “Movin’ Out” and “Well I’m Not” from “Bring Back Birdie”, “But You Go On”, from “Annie 2: Miss Hannigan’s Revenge”,”I’m Leaving Texas” from “The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public”,  “Overture”, and “Garlic” from “Dance of the Vampires”, “Who Will Love Me As I Am?” from “Side Show”,“Tell My Father” from “The Civil War”, “Everything Taboo”, and “Stranger In This World”, from “Taboo”, and “Eve Was Weak” from “Carri

On this week’s episode, Jamie and Rob talk about the current state of Broadway amid the Covid-19 pandemic, what’s ahead, and what the road back to “normal” looks like with Dori Berinstein, a four-time Tony Award winning Broadway producer and founder of the Broadway Podcast Network, and Lee Seymour, a Senior Contributor on Arts and Hollywood at Forbes Magazine.  At the top of the show, Jamie and Rob get an exclusive look into what the American Theatre Wing has planned with its President and CEO, Heather Hitchens.

This week’s music:  “Changing Lives” and “The Lady’s Improving” both from “The Prom”.

DONATE: The Actor’s Fund

For their first “quarantine edition” episode, Jamie, Rob, and Jennifer chat remotely with Tony Award-winning director Rachel Chavkin.  As we navigate through this difficult moment, Rachel reflects on what artists can do to help, talks about her latest work, and shares information on some organizations that are doing great things to support artists, theater-makers, and just about everyone else. To close, Rob talks about what you can do to support your favorite non-profit theatre company.

This week’s music: “Doubt Comes In” and “We Raise Our Cups” both from “Hadestown”, and “Megamix: Take Me To The World”, from “Losing My Mind: A Sondheim Disco Fever Dream”.

On this week’s show, Rob and Jamie are joined at Orso Restaurant by actor, fellow podcaster, and all around fabulous human Ilana Levine. Together, they talk about Ilana’s performance in Richard Greenberg’s “The Perplexed” at Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC), her experience doing the 1999 revival of “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown”, and her extraordinary podcast, “Little Known Facts”. Later on, Rob talks about the history of MTC.

This week’s music:  “Chrysanthemum Tea” from “Pacific Overtures”, “Life Support” from “Rent”, and “Little Known Facts”, “My New Philosophy” “Happiness”, “Bows” all from “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown: New Broadway Cast, 1999”.

On this week’s episode, Rob and Jamie venture to the “City of Brotherly Love” to catch up with the fabulous Carolee Carmello.  As she winds down the national tour of “Hello, Dolly!”,  they sit down to discuss her remarkable career, her incredible voice, and what playing Dolly Levi has meant to her at this time in history.  Before that, Rob and Jamie geek out about their Carolee Carmello fandom and, a bit later, Rob gives a look into Philadelphia’s historic Academy of Music.

This week’s music: “Under Separate Cover”, from “A Class Act”, “The Winner Takes It All”, from “Mamma Mia”, “Prologue”, from “City of Angels”, “Rose’s Turn” from “Gypsy”, and “You Don’t Know This Man” and “All The Wasted Time” from “Parade”.

On this week’s show, Jamie and Rob are joined at Orso Restaurant by “one singular sensation”: Priscilla Lopez!  Currently starring in “Grand Horizons” on Broadway, Priscilla talks about her storied career, from her Broadway debut that wasn’t—the two performance flop “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”—to replacement gigs in “Company” and “Pippin”, and her landmark creation of Diana Morales in “A Chorus Line”.  She talks candidly about working with Michael Bennett, Bob Fosse, and Tommy Tune, and reflects back on a long and fabulous career in the theatre through 50 years and 15 Broadway shows.  Afterward, Rob gives a closer look at “A Day In Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine”, the 1980 musical for which Priscilla won a Tony Award.

This week’s music: “Nothing”, “What I Did For Love” from “A Chorus Line” and “Tick Tock” from “Company”.

On this week’s episode, Jamie and Rob are joined by Ben Brantley, co-chief theater critic for The New York Times.  A consummate journalist and celebrated writer, Ben talks about how he came to the Times, his tenure there since 1993, his writing process, what theater criticism means to him, and why he loves the theater.  A bit later in the show, Rob gives a look into the career of experimental playwright and director Richard Maxwell through the lens of a Ben Brantley review.

This week’s episode is a special live taping from the mainstage at BroadwayCon!  Jamie, Rob, and Jennifer are joined by stars of the critically acclaimed, Tony Award-winning best musical “Hadestown”: Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada, Jewelle Blackman, Yvette Nacer Gonzalaz, and Kay Trinidad. Together, they talk all things “Hadestown” and take questions from Twitter and Instagram, including how the show came together, stage mishaps, and what it’s like settling into a hit run.  A bit later, Rob gives us a deeper look into BroadwayCon itself, and at the top of the episode, Jennifer shares an update on rehearsals for “Company”.

This week’s music: “Road to Hell”, “When the Chips are Down”, “Come Home with Me”, “Hey Little Songbird”, “Wait for Me” all from “Hadestown, Original Broadway Cast Recording”.

On this week’s show, Jamie and Rob speak with Peter Lawrence, the man who literally wrote the book on stage management. With a career spanning four decades, Peter has worked as a production stage manager on over thirty Broadway shows, including “Ain’t Misbehavin’”, “Sunset Boulevard”, and “Spamalot”— often collaborating with legendary greats like Mike Nichols, Neil Simon, Gene Saks, and Manny Azenburg. Before we get to the interview, though, Rob shares something he needs to get off his chest.

This week’s music: “Just Go To The Movies", from “Jerry’s Girls”, “In the Beginning, Woman” from “Timbuktu” and “Borderline” from “Madonna”.

On this week’s episode, Jamie and Rob are back at Orso where they are joined by Tom Schumacher, President of the Disney Theatrical Group and Chairman of the Board of the Broadway League. Over the past twenty years, Tom has created and overseen the Broadway productions of “The Lion King”, “Mary Poppins”, “Peter and the Starcatcher”, “Newsies”, and “Aladdin”, to name only a few. Together, they discuss his incredible career, the impact of Disney on Broadway, and Tom’s spectacular book, “How Does The Show Go On”, now in its third edition.  A bit later, Rob gives us a look into The Center Theatre Group, the storied Los Angeles nonprofit theatre where Tom got his start, and before all that, Rob and Jamie address a little show called “Hamilton”..

This Week’s Music:  “Helpless” from “Hamilton”, “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” from “The Lion King”, “Arabian Nights” and “High Adventure” from “Aladdin”, “For The First Time” from “Frozen” and “She’s In Love” from “The Little Mermaid”

On this week’s show, Jamie, Rob, and Jennifer are joined by Tony and Academy Award nominated star of stage and screen, Barbara Barrie, who originated the role of Sarah in Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s landmark musical “Company” in 1970.  We discuss that iconic show, including her experience working with Harold Prince and Elaine Stritch, and the legendary eighteen hour recording session of the original cast album. Later on, Rob gives more background on the famous documentary about that recording session. 

This week’s music: “The Little Things You Do Together”, “Barcelona”, “Getting Married Today”, “Poor Baby”, “Company”, “Side By Side”, “Finale”, all from “Company”.

Happy New Year & Happy New Decade! On this week’s show, Rob and Jamie discuss their top ten favorite plays and musicals from the past decade, tweet us yours @fabulousInvalid!

This week’s music: “It Means Beautiful”, from “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie”, “Nothin'”, from “The Scottsboro Boys”, “Hey, Boys”, from “Love’s Labour’s Lost”, “Here Lies Love”, from “Here Lies Love”,

“Hello, Dolly!” from “Hello, Dolly! The 2017 Broadway Cast”, and “Out of the Darkness”, from “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie”.

On this week’s show, Rob, Jamie, and Jennifer are back at their usual table for the final Orso Restaurant episode of the decade! They’re joined by director Sammi Cannold, who just directed a stunning new production of “Evita” at New York City Center and will present Celine Song's “Endlings” at New York Theatre Workshop Off-Broadway this winter. Together, they discuss Sammi’s impressive career to-date, what’s next, and the importance of female mentorship in the theatre.

This week’s music: “Another Suitcase In Another Hall” and “Art Of The Possible” from the "Evita” Original Cast Album, “Prologue” from “Ragtime” and “Magic To Do” from “Pippin; New Cast Recording”.

We love a list! On this week’s show, Rob and Jamie discuss Rob’s top ten favorite shows from 2019 (plus a few of his honorable mentions) as reviewed on Stage Left. Tweet us your top ten @fabulousInvalid!

This week’s music: “Burning Down The House”, “American Utopia”, “Election Night”, from “Soft Power”, “Prologue”, and “Who’s That Woman” from “Follies: 2018 National Theater Recording”, “Road To Hell”and “Road To Hell, reprise”, from “Hadestown”and “Today” from “A Strange Loop”.

On a special summer bonus episode, Jamie and Rob travel up to Garrison, New York to experience the magic of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. After a picnic on the great lawn at Boscobel House and Gardens, and a performance of “Much Ado About Nothing”, they speak with conservatory company member Kayla Coleman, Director of Education and company member Sean McNall, and Artistic Director Davis McCallum, then catch the company’s first-ever musical, “Into the Woods”. Rob also offers a brief history of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival.

This week’s music: From “Into the Woods”, “I Know Things Now”, “Maybe They’re Really Magic”, “Ever After”.