Today, I am so honored to announce my episode with Tony-winning composer and lyricist Marc Shaiman, writer of the current Broadway smash hit Some Like it Hot. Tune in today to hear some of the stories of his long career, including the joy of working with Peter Allen, the disappointment of bringing Leader of the Pack to Broadway, the musical that started out as an adaptation of Stage Door, the bipolarity of working on Smash, what makes Bette Midler genius, starting out as an underage piano bar player, some of the small but important changes that Harvey Fierstein made to Hairspray, the inspiration behind Some Like it Hot, an unusual request from Rob Marshall, writing additional lyrics for The Music Man, the advice he would give to young writers, and more.

Today, I am so honored to announce my episode with Pulitzer Prize Winner Alfred Uhry. Alfred Uhry recently enjoyed great success with a revival of his musical Parade at Encores!, and he joins me today for a conversation about his legendary career, including what it was like being mentored by Frank Loesser, how he met Terrence McNally through John Steinbeck, when John Houseman introduced him to Patti LuPone, how figures from his childhood reacted to characters based on themselves, the art to writing a screenplay, why he admires A Strange Loop and Hamilton, the process of casting Driving Miss Daisy, why Alex Timbers is a brilliant director, the play that was about his parents, why Parade is relevant today, the dance piece that required a lot of research, and so much more.

A Note: This interview was recorded in April 2022, so all viewpoints reflect that time.

Today, I am so happy to announce my interview with a Broadway legend I’ve been wanting to talk to since I started this podcast—Tony winner Hal Linden. Having recently completed a successful run in Two Jews Talking, Hal joins us today to tell many of the stories of his long career, including: the role that George Abbott let him pick, how he became a non-traditional Sid Sorokin in a non-traditional revival of The Pajama Game, the Alan Jay Lerner musical he turned down, why he’s never played Tevye, the promise Lucille Ball made to him, a lesson from Judy Holliday about upstaging, why The Rothschilds is a problematic show, the dialogue he wrote for The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N, why Louis Jourdan was not right for On a Clear Day, plus stories about Michael Kidd, Sheldon Harnick, Sam Mendes, Ossie Davis, and more.

You won't want to miss this inside view into a bygone era of Broadway.

Today, I am so excited to announce my interview with  four-time Tony winner Tovah Feldshuh, who is currently starring opposite Lea Michele as Rosie Brice in Funny Girl on Broadway. Tune in to hear some of the stories of her legendary career, including what her research process was like for her current role, the classic sitcom that she turned down, the time she was compared to Elizabeth Taylor, why Lea Michele is perfect for “the most extraordinary female role in musical theater history,” the advice she got from Sam Levene, the irony of Rodgers & Hart, the great actress who officiated her wedding, the song that Comden and Green wrote for her, the George Bernard Shaw play she’d like to star in, and what the process was like of penning her successful memoir Lilyville. Plus, she shares her Tallulah Bankhead impression!

You won’t want to miss this fascinating and fun conversation with one of Broadway’s brightest lights.

Today, I am so happy to announce my interview with star of stage and screen Joyce Bulifant. On Saturday, October 8th, Joyce Bulifant will be performing her solo show, Remembering Helen Hayes with Love, in Rockland County. She will also be doing a conversation with Richard Skipper. You can find tickets to the event here:

https://www.nyackartsfestival.com/helen-hayes-memorial

And you can tune in today to hear some of the stories of her legendary career, including the upstaging techniques of Gypsy Rose Lee, how she got let go from The Brady Bunch, the hit movie that no one on the set was sure was funny, the directing style of Herman Shumlin, balancing dyslexia with a career in the arts, the magic of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the dance she taught Fred Astaire, how she got her part in The Happiest Millionaire, the process of writing her memoir, why Lillian Gish was like a “fairy godmother” to her, and so much more.

NOTE: This interview was recorded in April 2022, so all mentions of time reflect that period.

Today, I am so happy to annnounce my interview with veteran actor Simon Jones, star of The   Real Thing, Trouble in Mind, Waiting in the Wings, The Gilded Age, and so many more shows. Tune in today to hear some of the stories of his long career, including: a murderous slip-of-the-tongue by Angela Lansbury, the role that Lauren Bacall refused to play correctly, an ungracious invite from Joan Collins, his family connection to Daniel Craig, the rivalry between Rex Harrison and Claudette Colbert, how he knocked his teeth out during My Fair Lady, an alcoholic backstage ritual during Farinelli and the King, the young actor that Lawrence Olivier wanted to punch, the oddness of rehearsing with Nicol Williamson, a cryptic answer from Tom Stoppard, running the theater company TACT, the many reunions involved in The Gilded Age, his strange experience with Covid, and so much more. You won’t want to miss this episode with a delightfully funny gentleman of the theater.

Today, I am so happy to announce the release of my  interview with star of stage and screen,  Mrs. Anna herself, Constance Towers. Tune in today to hear some of the stories of her legendary career including: the sage advice that John Wayne gave, the scene that George Abbott wouldn’t direct, why Yul Brynner insisted on brown dressing rooms, dealing with “The King” onstage and off, the song that was the hardest to memorize, the role that she turned down, the film director that would shoot off a gun to get attention, how she began her charitable organization Project Connie, why she didn’t think she was right for her role in Showboat, her relationship with Richard Rodgers, the role that she performed the most times, working with Lillian Gish, the genius of John Ford, and so much more.

54 Below: https://54below.com/events/charles-kirschs-backstage-babble-live/

I am so happy to announce my episode with veteran performer David Jackson. David Jackson will be headlining at 54 Below on August 23rd. Tickets to see his wonderful show are available here:

https://54below.com/events/david-jackson/

Meanwhile, you can tune in today to hear some of the stories of David’s career, including: bearing witness to the start of the Easter Bonnet Competition, getting to perform onstage with Cyd Charisse, the two people who were supposed to headline La Cage on Broadway when it closed, the different ways that Grand Hotel can be interpreted, why Tommy Tune is a great collaborator, the reason he stopped dancing on Broadway, why his Broadway career made him a good salesman, the process of creating his upcoming show, and so much more!

You won’t want to miss this conversation with a true man of the theater—and you won’t want to miss his show.

Today, I am so happy to announce my new episode with  Broadway star Will Roland, who is  currently appearing in the hilarious The Panic of ’29 at 59E59 Theaters. You can purchase tickets for that show here:

The Panic of '29

Tune in today to hear some of the stories of Will’s career, including the changes in the tone of Dear Evan Hansen, the reason why Jeremy Heere is a universally relatable character, why all of social media is a “performance,” why adult audiences were pre-disposed against Be More Chill, the non-Cinderella story of The Black Suits, making a difference in the world through theater with The Bus, the type of comic role that he would like to play next, and more.

You won’t want to miss this honest but humorous conversation about how social media and theatrical success intersect in the modern day, featuring someone who has been part of two fascinating examples.

54 Below

Today, I am so honored to announce my episode with legendary Broadway performer Sandy Duncan, the star of Peter Pan, The Boy Friend, Chicago, and so many more shows on stage and on screen. Tune in today for an in-depth interview featuring many of the stories of her legendary career, including the eerie dream she had before the Tony Awards, why she dubs Finding Neverland “Never Never Never Never Land,” the challenges of taking on the role of Peter Pan, the unusual audition song she used early on, her accident during the run of Chicago, a difficult demand from Agnes DeMille, the condition on which she agreed to take over Valerie, what it’s like partnering with Gene Kelly, and the type of role that would make her come back to Broadway.

You won’t want to miss this conversation with one of the most talented triple threats in the industry.

Trivia Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O-Xnecg2ro