Breaking the Curtain

Our dreams came true! We were beyond honoured to speak with Tony Award winner Lena Hall all about starring as Kenna in the new musical In Dreams now playing at the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto.

In Dreams tells the story of Kenna - a country-rock singer who brings her old bandmates back together for "the party of a lifetime" while keeping her true motivations a secret. Set in a Mexican restaurant in New Mexico that specializes in tacos, margaritas, and memorial services, this unexpected and moving new musical explores our longing for love and connection - all through the iconic songs of Roy Orbison.

Lena Hall is a Tony Award winner and Grammy nominee. Lena received widespread critical acclaim for her performance of the title role in the feature film Becks, (winner of the U.S. Fiction Award at the L.A. Film Festival). Hall stared as Miss Audrey in the hit sci-fi drama “Snowpiercer” alongside Jennifer Connelly and has been seen on HBO’s “Girls,” Amazon Prime’s “Good Girls Revolt,” and Paramount Plus’ “Evil.” Following Lena’s Tony-winning Broadway run in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Lena toured North America with Josh Groban on his “Stages” tour, and portrayed the dual starring roles of both Hedwig and Yitzhak in Hedwig and the Angry Inch in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Lena originated the role of Nicola in the Kinky Boots on Broadway, she appeared as Sloane in the New York Premiere of Jim Steinman's Bat Out of Hell, starred opposite Marisa Tomei in Lincoln Center Theatre’s “How To Transcend A Happy Marriage,” and most recently played Audrey in the hit Off-Broadway revival of “Little Shop Of Horrors.” 

CLICK HERE TO BOOK TICKETS FOR IN DREAMS

This is an extra special episode because we're chatting with Natalie Shaw who recently set out on her first National Touring Production playing Cady Heron in Mean Girls: The Musical!

We chat with Natalie all about adjusting to life on the road in a musical theatre production, the audition process for Mean Girls, which character she relates to the most, the time she fell down a 10-ft orchestra pit... And so much more!

Great Scott! We're joined by Back to the Future: The Musical's Liana Hunt, who currently stars in the Broadway production as Lorraine Baines.

Liana chats with us all about playing the iconic role in this epic history changing musical! She also shares her pre-show routine, the fan response to the musical adaptation, what it was like meeting Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson at the Broadway opening and more!

We hop in the DeLorean to travel through Liana's iconic career during a segment we called 'Back to the Future with Liana Hunt' where Liana shares with us memories from working on shows including Newsies, Wicked and Mamma Mia!

We recently attended the Opening Night performances of SIX and In Dreams.

Mirvish Productions is having such an incredible season and we’re so honoured to have been invited to attend these two amazing shows, which are the kick off of their 2023/2024 Season!

Listen to hear our review of these two epic shows!

Click here for more information!

On this episode, we discuss the stories behind two haunted theatres in North America: The Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto and the Nederlander Theatre in Chicago! We include the stories of our own personal hauntings inside the Royal Alexandra.

We also discuss potential hauntings and tragic events on Broadway based on old tales told on forums. Who knows... Maybe the 'Pearl Studios Shitter' is the real ghost of Broadway?

We are beyond thrilled to chat with Glinda Upland herself, Broadway's McKenzie Kurtz, who joined us to discuss the upcoming 20th Anniversary of Wicked!

In this episode, McKenzie shares her story of seeing Wicked on Broadway for the first time, booking the role, which Glinda costume is her favourite, her first flight inside the bubble and more!

McKenzie Kurtz made her Broadway debut as Princess Anna in FROZEN in February of 2020.

Most recently, and prior to her current role in Wicked, she appeared in NBC’s Annie Live! as the Star-to-Be, and as “Heather” in Marvel’s new television series SHE HULK on Disney+. In the fall of 2021, she performed in the out-of-town tryout of TRADING PLACES directed by Kenny Leon.

She graduated from the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre, and Dance with a BFA in Musical Theatre in 2019.

On this episode of Breaking the Curtain, we're kicking off our two-month Stagey Spooks Series with a very special crossover episode. We were so honoured to join Kara and Stephanie of Prophecy Girls: A Buffy Rewatch Podcast to discuss the musical elements of Once More, with Feeling.

"Once More, with Feeling" is the seventh episode of the sixth season of the supernatural drama television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the only one in the series performed as a musical.

Once More, with Feeling explores changes in the relationships of the main characters, using the plot device that a demon— "Sweet" —compels the people of Sunnydale to break into song at random moments to express hidden truths.

BREAKING THE CURTAIN

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PROPHECY GIRLS

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Welcome to our very first edition of THEATRE HOT TAKES where we anonymously read the Theatre Hot Takes our listeners submitted and discuss the topic with our own opinions!

00:47 - The BOOH LV cast was awesome

01:45 - Stunt casting should be given a chance

06:20 - Next to Normal is better than Dear Evan Hansen

09:07 - I love Hamilton and Wicked dearly, but they’ve had their day. They should close

11:30 - Audiences shouldn’t be allowed to drink alcohol at shows

14:46 - The New York Critics are harsh

17:08 - The West End is better than Broadway

21:16 - Hamilton is extremely overrated and not worth the hype

24:55 - Audience members are so entitled these days with no respect for the cast sometimes

25:20 - Cats is a genuinely good and enjoyable musical, people only bash it because it’s easy!

27:04 - Traditional soprano theatre voices <<<

34:43 - Bigger shows aren’t always the best, smaller shows are sometimes better

36:14 - If you’re going to a show set in high school you can’t really complain about “annoying teen fans”

37:43 - Diana The Musical is actually so good and campy. I think it'll come back like Carrie!

41:36 - Jukebox musicals are very overrated. I miss the old classic shows

45:39 - People can be a little too quick to defend their 'faves' when something is brought up that isn't good

47:35 - People take being a 'theatre fan' too seriously

We are beyond thrilled to be joined by Joe Iconis to chat about his upcoming new musical: The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical opening later this month at La Jolla Playhouse, the epic fan response on social media to Be More Chill, 'Broadway Here I Come' and much more!

Joe Iconis is a musical theater writer and performer. He has been nominated for a Tony Award, two Drama Desk Awards and a Lucille Lortel Award, is the recipient of an Ed Kleban Award, Jonathan Larson Award and Richard Rodgers Award. Joe’s musical Be More Chill (with Joe Tracz) opened on Broadway in 2019 at the Lyceum Theatre, following a sold-out Off-Broadway run at The Pershing Square Signature Center and a world premiere at Two River Theatre.

He is the author of Broadway Bounty Hunter (with Lance Rubin and Jason SweetTooth Williams; Barrington Stage Company and Greenwich House Theater Off-Broadway), Bloodsong of Love (Ars Nova, NAMT), The Black Suits (Center Theater Group, Barrington Stage Company), ReWrite (Urban Stages, Goodspeed Opera House), Theaterworks USA’s The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks and We The People. Musicals in development include Punk Rock Girl and Love In Hate Nation.

His music appeared on Season 2 of NBC’s “Smash,” with his song “Broadway, Here I Come!” hailed by The New York Times as a new entry in The Great American Songbook.

PRE-ORDER 'ALBUM' ON VINYL

A few months ago we had the pleasure of seeing A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical and it was SO GOOD, SO GOOD, SO GOOD! What we didn't know while in the audience is that we were witnessing Mary Page Nance's first performance in the role of Marcia Murphey.

Mary Page is a New York City-based Broadway Performer, Event Producer, Director/Choreographer, and Business Owner. During COVID, she opened a paper goods business called ⁠a page of mary⁠ where she sells her handmade goods that sell out in minutes! She produces, directs and choreographs events with Broadway Talent in the private sector and beyond, and also teaches Broadway Master Classes, and one on one privates.

As a performer, Mary Page was in the original casts of both Finding Neverland and Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812 on Broadway, and toured the country with the First National Company of Bright Star. She works frequently developing new musicals in the city, most recently: Black No More written by Black Thought and John Ridley, choreographed by Bill T Jones, and Lempicka, directed by Tony Award Winner Rachel Chavkin.

Mary Page is currently a member of "THE NOISE" in A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical!