This week’s show features our sit down with Heather Hitchens, President and CEO of the American Theatre Wing, and Patrick Pacheco, a journalist and award-winning commentator who served as editor of American Theatre Wing, an Oral History, a beautiful book published last year to celebrate 100 years of The Wing—an organization dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theater.  We discuss the mission of the Wing over the last one hundred years, diversity, inclusion, education, and what the future looks like.  But before that, Jennifer, Jamie, and Rob each share the show that “did it” for them.

 This week’s music: Irene Ryan singing “No Time At All” from “Pippin”, “Charming” from “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812”, and “Far From the Home I Love” from the Original Cast Recording of “Fiddler on the Roof.”

On this week’s show, we speak with Jacob Dickey, who is currently in the ensemble of Disney’s “Aladdin” on Broadway where he also covers the roles of Aladdin and Kassim.  We talk with Jacob about what it is like working on his first Broadway show, covering multiple roles, being in a long run of a show, “Aladdin Camp,” and his love for biscuits.  Before that, Rob and Jamie welcome back Leslie Kritzer.  And later in the show, Rob takes us through a little history of Disney Theatrical Productions and the New Amsterdam Theatre
 
This week’s music: Coronet Man from “Funny Girl,” All That’s Known from “Spring Awakening," When You Believe from "Prince of Egypt" (featuring Jacob Dickey), Arabian Night’s, Proud of Your Boy (featuring Jacob Dickey) and Babkak, Omar, Aladdin, Kassim all from Disney’s “Aladdin."

On this week’s show, we speak with Jon Hoche, Danny Miller, and Jacob Williams who are “The Voodoo Team” from King Kong on Broadway. Jon is the voice of Kong, Danny is responsible for Kong’s jaw movement and facial expressions, and Jacob calls the cues and operates Kong’s shoulders, arms, and wrists. Together, they help bring Kong to life on stage eight times a week. They share with us some secrets about the creature and talk about the magic of the show and their life-long work in puppetry. But, before that, Rob and Jamie talk about a lucky stash of vintage Playbills.

On this week’s show, we speak with Broadway star and cabaret legend, Christine Andreas.  We discuss Christine’s brilliant fourth solo album, “Piaf: No Regrets,” being haunted by Edith Piaf, and her star turn in My Fair Lady and Oklahoma! to name a few. Jennifer, Rob, and Jamie discuss Skittles™: The Musical and Rob gives us a closer look at Edith Piaf.

This week’s music: Christine Andreas singing “Hymne À L’Amour,” “La Vie En Rose,” “I Could Have Danced All Night’, “Out Of My Dreams,” "Non, Je Regrette Rien,” and “Many A New Day." 

On this week’s show, we speak with “Dear Evan Hansen” and “The Real O’Neals” star Noah Galvin who is about to appear in MCC’s “Alice by Heart”, a new musical.  Noah discusses beginning his career at the age of ten, working in almost every off-Broadway house in New York City, the differences between TV and theater, his newfound love of baking, and the cuisine of Yotam Ottolenghi. Before all of that, Rob and Jamie discuss the recent passing of Broadway legend Carol Channing.

This week’s music: Carol Channing singing “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” and “So Long Dearie.”  From “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown” 1999 Revival, “The Kite” and “Bows: Happiness."

This week’s show we continue our conversation with "Jersey Boys” and "The Cher Show" book writer Rick Elice.  This time we dip back to the late 70’s and early 80’s to discuss New York theater at that time and what it was like being at the start of what became one of the most powerful advertising agencies on Broadway.  

This week’s music: “A Little Priest” from “Sweeney Todd,” “I Hope I Get It,” “I Can Do That,” “The Music and the Mirror” from “A Chorus Line,” “Broadway Baby” from “Follies,” Carol Burnett singing, “Let Me Entertain You” and Lauren Bacall singing “Welcome to the Theater,” from “Applause."

This week’s show is part one of our conversation with "Jersey Boys” and "The Cher Show" book writer Rick Elice. Taped at Orso Restaurant in December, on this episode we dive into Rick’s process for writing “The Cher Show” and his experience working with the one and only Cher. But before all that, Jamie and Rob discuss the January closings on Broadway and later with “You May Be Wondering,” Rob offers a little more history on the phenomenon of jukebox musicals.
 
This week’s music: The Four Lads singing “Another Op’nin’, Another Show,” Sonny & Cher singing “The Beat Goes On,” and Cher singing “Strong Enough” and “Dark Lady."

This week we chat with Broadway showstopper Bonnie Milligan.  We talk to Bonnie about face masks, accents, Netflix, and our shared love of Rachel York.  Bonnie tells us about her opening night on Broadway, what she admires about her character, Pamela, in “Head Over Heels”, The Go Go’s, and her journey from cabaret sensation to Broadway.  Jamie and Bonnie also geek out over Doris Day.

This week’s music: Bonnie singing “Beautiful” and “Automatic Rainy Day” from “Head Over Heels.”  Doris Day’s “Everybody Loves A Lover."

‘Tis the season for year-end top ten lists. On this week’s show, Rob and Jamie discuss Rob’s top ten favorite shows from 2018 (plus a few of his honorable mentions) as reviewed on Stage Left. Tweet us your top ten @FabulousInvalid!

This week’s music includes: “If I Were a Rothchild” from the National Yiddish Theater's “Fiddler on the Roof," “I’ve Got a Feeling I’m Falling” from "Aint Misbehavin’,” “Telephone” from “An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May,” and “Silent Night / 11 O’ Clock News” with vocals by Rick Miramontez, Ralph Howard, Daphne Ruben-Vega and Phoebe Snow.

On this episode, Jamie, Rob, and Jennifer chat with “Mean Girls” very own Gretchen Wieners, Ashley Park.  We talk inclusion, diversity, angel cards, Jennifer and Ashley discuss both playing Tuptim (at different times), how mean the “Mean Girls” really are, and Jamie geeks out on "Tales of the City.”  Rob schools Jamie on The Jimmy Awards and gives us a bit more information on what the top arts colleges are today.

 This week’s music: Ashley Park singing “My Lord And Master” from “The King And I,” “Gossip” from “Sunday in the Park with George,” “What’s Wrong with Mean?” and “Meet the Plastics” both from “Mean Girls.” 

On this episode, Jamie, Rob, and Jennifer chat with actor, author, and activist Eric Ulloa about Muppets and mass gun violence.  As we mark the sixth anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting, we discuss “26 Pebbles”, a documentary play Eric created from the voices of the residents of Newton, Connecticut in the aftermath of that tragedy, and the ways in which theatre can inspire activism, breed empathy, and remind us of our common humanity.  Later, Rob discusses some things you can do to help.  

 This week’s music: "The Muppet Show Theme," Philip Glass, “Blood Oath,” Jason Robert Brown singing, “A Song About Your Gun,”  “The Gun Song” from “Assassins,” “21 Guns” from “American Idiot.”  Carole King’s “Smackwater Jack,” “Fame” from the film “Fame” and “The Country’s In The Very Best Of Hands” from Lil’ Abner."

On this episode, Jamie, Rob, and Jennifer chat with Tony Award-winning playwright, librettist, screenwriter, and activist David Henry Hwang. We discuss David’s very early start as a playwright, his complicated relationship with “The King And I” and how the 2016 election changed the course of his newest work, “Soft Power.” David also discusses his role as Chair of the American Theater Wing, his lifelong activism, including his views on color conscious casting, and his brief stint in a punk band.

This week’s music: We hear a brief clip from David’s punk band days with John Vomit and the Leather Scabs, “I Suck,” a small sample of the score from “Soft Power” and “One Hundred Million Miracles” from the 2001 Revival of “Flower Drum Song."

On this episode, Jamie, Rob and Jennifer chat with actor, writer, director and “theater maker” Arian Moayed. We discuss his short form thriller, “The Accidental Wolf,” playing a wonderful yet terrible character on HBO’s “Succession,” the obstacles we all face day to day, making a nonprofit from scratch, and the incredible work his company, Waterwell, is doing every day. Jennifer, Jamie, and Rob have a big “Take Two” to discuss, and Rob walks us through the Vomitorium (which probably isn’t what you think it is).

This week’s music: Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke,” “Big Easy” from “The Accidental Wolf,” Liz Callaway’s rendition of Frank Losser’s “My Heart Is So Full Of You,” and “Kindness” from “Bright Lights Big City."

This week, we’re coming to you from Orso Restaurant! Rob and Jamie (Jennifer is busy on stage) discuss London theater and sit down with Tony Award-winning designer and architect David Rockwell. David discusses getting his start and how he prepares for designing his shows, which include “Hairspray,” “She Loves Me,” “Tootsie,” “Kiss Me Kate” and “The Rocky Horror Show.” Rob digs a little deeper into The Rockwell Group’s latest project, The Shed, which will be a new arts complex opening in 2019. And, as always, “Fiddler On The Roof” comes up.

This week’s music: “Road To Hell (Live)” from, “Hadestown, The Myth, The Musical.”  “Family” from “Dreamgirls,” “Company” from “Company” and “Floor Show” from “The Rocky Horror Show."

On this episode, Jamie, Rob and Jennifer chat with Jackie Hoffman about offending everyone, neurosis, Ambien vs. Unisom, Fiddler on the Roof, and that Jessica Lange is a very nice lady.  Rob gives a look into the wonderful character actress, Molly Picon.

 This week’s music: Molly Picon singing, “Do You Love Me” from a London studio cast recording of Fiddler On The Roof where she plays Golde.  Two excerpts from “Jackie Hoffman: Live at Joe’s Pub” and Jackie and Mary Testa singing, “Evil Woman” from Xanadu.

On this episode Rob and Jamie chat with legendary theatre, dance, and opera lighting designer Natasha Katz, whose roster of over 60 Broadway credits include Tony Award-winning designs for Aida, The Coast of Utopia, Once, The Glass Menagerie, An American in Paris, and Long Day’s Journey Into Night. A New York native and American Theatre Wing Trustee, Natasha is joining us on her dinner break from the Longacre Theatre where her latest project, the new musical The Prom, is playing.

This week’s music: “Expressing Yourself” from Billy Elliot, “Land of Hopes and Dreams,” from Bruce Springsteen on Broadway, “You Happened,” from The Prom and Ethel Merman’s notorious disco version of “There’s No Business Like Show Business."

On this week’s show, we talk with two time Olivier Award winner and Tony Award nominee Tracie Bennett. Tracie is best known for her roles in the West End stage at Velma Von Tussle in Hairspray, Laura Henderson in Mrs. Henderson Presents, and Carlotta Campion in Follies. Tracie discusses playing Judy Garland, working with Stephen Sondheim, training to be a stunt woman, getting her start on the popular British Soap Opera, “Coronation Street,” and why the show must always go on. Rob, Jamie and Jennifer discuss what you can do to help in the Midterm Elections (VOTE) and what Halloween looks like backstage on Broadway.

This week’s music:  “The Theme From Halloween,” “Freedom” from “Shenandoah.” Our very own Jennifer Simard singing “Never Can Say Goodbye” from Disaster, The Musical.  Judy Garland, singing “After You’ve Gone,” and Tracie Bennett singing “Smile” from End of the Rainbow.

On this episode, we chat with actress and playwright Jocelyn Bioh, whose play, School Girls: Or, the African Mean Girls Play, is currently running off-Broadway. We discuss her brilliant play, colorism, taking chances, working the Shrek lottery, and reality television.  Rob, Jamie and Jennifer discuss hugs (not Jamie’s favorite thing), making art, revivals and death (a podcast favorite).  Rob gives us a look inside New York’s incredible MCC Theater, where School Girls is currently playing.

On this week’s show, we talk to legendary theater photographer Joan Marcus about what production photography means today, her favorite photos and just how tough it is to get those iconic shots. Jamie, Rob and Jennifer also discuss "My Favorite Murder," twice, the lack of musical revivals this season, confess a few sins and give a special shout-out to our very own Leslie Kritzer.

Coming to you live from Orso restaurant, we talk to the incredible Marsha Mason about Neil Simon, organic farming, race car driving, dancing with Clint Eastwood and how she saved A Chorus Line (seriously).  Join us while we eat some great food, chat with Marsha, learn about Joe Allen, bitch about the Kavanaugh confirmation and Jamie confesses his creepy obsession with Upper West Side filming locations.