Today we welcome Jack Viertel, one of Broadway’s most influential voices and now a novelist. For decades, Jack shaped the landscape of American theatre as the longtime creative force behind Jujamcyn Theaters, the Artistic Director of New York City Center’s Encores! series, and the mind behind shows like Smokey Joe’s Café, After Midnight, and The Prom. He also penned the best-selling book The Secret Life of the American Musical, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the craft of Broadway storytelling. Now, Jack is stepping into a new chapter with his son Josh, writing their debut thriller The Glass Eel, a gripping environmental crime novel that takes readers into the high-stakes world of black-market eel poaching off the coast of Maine.

We also dive into Jack’s latest theatrical work, the brand-new jukebox musical Let the Good Times Roll: A New Orleans Gumbo, which just premiered at the Phoenix Theatre Company in Arizona. With music spanning from Bessie Smith to Harry Connick Jr. and Rebirth Brass Band, this show brings the soul of New Orleans to the stage in a way only Jack could imagine. From Broadway blockbusters to literary crime drama to brand-new musical frontiers, this chat with Jack Viertel is a journey through the past, present, and future of storytelling.

📺 Watch on Broadway World and the Broadway Podcast Network
🎧 Stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, or YouTube
🌐 RobertBannon.com | Instagram: @RobertMBannon