On this week’s show, Rob and Jamie are joined by three-time Tony Award winning composer, lyricist, conductor, arranger, orchestrator, director, and performer Jason Robert Brown, best known for his shows “Songs for a New World”, “Parade”, “The Last Five Years”, “13”, “The Bridges of Madison County”, and “Honeymoon in Vegas”. Together, they discuss his musical theatre work, solo albums, concerts, monthly residency at SubCulture, Eydie Gormé, the Muppets, and what it’s like making music in quarantine.
On this week’s show, Jamie, Jennifer, and Rob are joined by actor and director John Benjamin Hickey. Everyone checks in on how they’re dealing with the shut down and trying to stay sane, then John discusses his most recent projects: starring in last season’s “The Inheritance” and his Broadway directorial debut with Neil Simon’s “Plaza Suite”, and the group chats about John’s remarkable roles in “Love! Valour! Compassion!”, “Cabaret”, and his Tony Award-winning portrayal of Felix Turner in the 2011 revival of “The Normal Heart”. Jamie can’t turn down the opportunity to gush about Laura Linney, then Rob gives us a look at the incredible career of playwright Neil Simon.
This week’s show is a special tribute to the life and legacy of Bernard Gersten (1923-2020), a trailblazing producer and non-profit administrator responsible for the success of the Public Theater and Lincoln Center Theater (LCT). Jamie and Rob sat down with Bernard last summer for what would be his final interview. You’ll hear excerpts from that conversation along with remembrances and reflections from the Public Theater’s artistic director Oskar Eustis, LCT’s founding artistic director Gregory Mosher, LCT’s current producing artistic director André Bishop, and celebrated director Jerry Zaks. Tune in to hear the amazing, one-of-a-kind story of how Bernard Gersten shaped and changed the American theatre.
On this week’s show, Jamie and Rob share their interview with Matthew Lopez, playwright of “The Inheritance”, which played on Broadway this season. Together, they talk about Matthew’s inspiration for writing the play, the importance of sharing history and experiences across generations—particularly within the queer community—Matthew’s reaction to the critical response to the play, and his collaboration with director Stephen Daldry in staging this epic, two part, six act piece. Why were the actors barefoot? Tune in to find out!
On this week’s episode, Rob and Jamie chat with Rob’s high school friend, actor, author, activist, podcaster, and producer Jenna Ushkowitz. Together, they talk about Jenna’s diverse career, from making her Broadway debut at age nine in “The King and I” to her recent Tony Award-winning foray into producing, including her star turn on the hit TV series “glee”. Jenna participates in another round of “quarantine edition” quick questions with Rob and Jamie, and, of course, the three share their love for all things Donna Murphy.
