Broadway Breakdown

Families are tough…especially ones with secrets. Matt reviews the revival of the Tony and Pulitzer nominated play Other Desert Cities. The starry revival is the hottest ticket in town…but is it the best?

Important Links:

* The Broadway Breakdown Green Room: Patreon

* Broadway Breakdown: Discord

* Broadway Breakdown: Substack

* Broadway Breakdown: Youtube

Listener Questions:

* “Have you ever seen a show that you felt would be immediately improved if actors switched roles?”

* “What, in your opinion, makes a great director?”

* “Can we ever sit with family politics on stage again?”

So much Off-Broadway. Such Theatre. Most Reviews. Matt delves into the Broadway-hopeful musical THE HEART, plus Mona Pirnot’s latest masterpiece I BECAME WE and a few other Off-Broadway productions he came across on his Drama Desk endeavors. Take a peek!

Important Links:

* The Broadway Breakdown Green Room: Patreon

* Broadway Breakdown: Discord

* Broadway Breakdown: Substack

* Broadway Breakdown: Youtube

Time Stamps:

0:00 Intro

2:40 New Apple review

4:00 I Became We

12:14 Copperfield the Musical

15:36 Aftermath

20:39 The Hairy Ape

28:14 Good Time, Charlie

32:52 We’ll See

38:25 Degenerates

46:06 Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen

52:54 The Heart

Listener Questions:

* “What is the line between a play that’s pushing the envelope and just being tasteless?”

* “Does stage drama have to always be dynamic to be compelling?”

* “When have you watched a show and felt manipulated?”

Spooky Sickness! Ghosts and Corsets! Wigs and Jump Scares! That’s right, we’re talking Moliere and haunted homes.

Matt reviews two plays that are scaring Broadway (in two very different ways): PARANORMAL ACTIVITY and THE IMAGINARY INVALID. Answering questions like: how do you instill fear into a 1200 seat house? Why do conflicting acting styles ruin comedy? Do actors make good directors? Find out!!

Important Links:

* Broadway Breakdown Green Room: Patreon

* Broadway Breakdown: Discord

* Broadway Breakdown: Substack

* Broadway Breakdown: Youtube

Time Stamps:

00:55 Paranormal Activity

20:55 The Imaginary Invalid

Listener Questions:

“Is it possible to truly scare a Broadway audience for a full length play? When was the last time that happened?”

“Why do modern creatives have trouble translating Moliere?”

“What does it take to make centuries-old pieces succeed?”

So. Mean. Such School. Much Girl.

Matt reviews the latest show at Manhattan Theatre Club: SCHOOL GIRLS or THE AFRICAN MEAN GIRLS PLAY. Spoiler alert: he absolutely loooved it. Matt goes into the brilliance of the performances, the magic of playwright Jocelyn Bioh’s writing, and what exactly he means by “how to use Patina Miller.”

Important Links:

* Broadway Breakdown Green Room: Patreon

* Broadway Breakdown: Discord

* Broadway Breakdown: Substack

* Broadway Breakdown: Youtube

Listener Questions:

“Can a comedy also make a statement? Should they just try to entertain?”

“What is a character in theater who started hateful and ended sympathetic?”

“What role would you cast Patina Miller in?”

One of the most likable men in theater reviews the latest show by one of the most likable men in Hollywood. And with the assistance of his grandmother! Matt saw BILLY CRYSTAL 860 and discusses the trickiness of being intimate without being revealing, the balancing act of pain and humor, and how Ben Vereen stole Robert Morse’s Tony (according to some). Get a kick out of Sally!

Important Links:

* Broadway Breakdown Green Room: Patreon

* Broadway Breakdown: Discord

* Broadway Breakdown Substack

* Broadway Breakdown: Youtube

It’s time! It’s here! You submitted, Sally Bowl received, and Matt withdrew 12 random selections (plus one Matt pick) for the next series of Broadway Breakdown Deep Dives. Classic movie musicals! Less class movie musicals! Iconic Broadway plays and musicals…notorious flops. It’s all here for the next 13 Deep Dives. Take a listen and find out what we got!!!

Important Links:

* Broadway Breakdown: Green Room (Patreon)

* Broadway Breakdown: Discord

* Broadway Breakdown: Substack

* Broadway Breakdown: Youtube

Matt’s a Drama Desk Voter, have ya heard? Which means he sees SO much theatre. YAY! But also that means he doesn’t have as much time to record. BOO! Solution for now? A giant Review Round Up Episode covering over a dozen different performances!! What came out on top? What was forgettable? And what evening made Matt weep from start to finish? Also…how exactly does Elizabeth Holmes play into all of this??

Important Links:

* Broadway Breakdown: THE GREEN ROOM (Patreon)

* Broadway Breakdown: DISCORD

* Broadway Breakdown: SUBSTACK

* Broadway Breakdown: YOUTUBE

Time Stamps:

0:00 Hello and a New Review

2:20 Shuffle Along Reunion Concert

7:54 Garry Starr Classic Penguins

11:57 Music City

12:52 Truly, Howard Hughes

14:02 In Honor of Jean-Michel Basquiat

15:44 Arias with a Twist

17:56 Delirium

22:00 Pre-Existing Condition

27:30 A Ghost in Your Ear

30:09 Anon

36:20 Soon

49:20 Slam Frank

1:02:50 Midnight

Listener Questions:

“Is being controversial synonymous with being important?”

“Are there story ideas that are actually off-limits?”

“Should we cater to shorter attention spans or do we need to challenge them?”

Fame, humanity...DEMONS?!?!?

We’re reviving Jukebox That Musical!! And who better to bring it back than Bio Mother John Wascavage and Podmother Ali Gordon?

Matt, John and Ali go through the catalogue of Lady Gaga (thanks to your votes) and come up with a bonkers musical that’s part social commentary, part lusty monster mash. We’d say more but you should hear it to believe it. DONATELLA!

Important Links:

* Broadway Breakdown Discord: Join Here

* Broadway Breakdown Green Room (Patreon): Join Here

* Broadway Breakdown Substack: Join Here

* Broadway Breakdown Youtube: Join Here

Matt went to London and saw 8 shows. Also…we’re back!!!! Take a journey as Matt struggles to travel anywhere and wipes himself out seeing more shows than he had days in England.

Important Links:

* Broadway Breakdown Discord: Join Here

* Broadway Breakdown Green Room (Patreon): Join Here

* Broadway Breakdown Substack: Join Here

* Broadway Breakdown Youtube: Join Here

Time Stamps:

2:00 Voting for the next Deep Dives

5:30 Matt and London: A History

9:54 Midnight at the never Get

25:30 Avenue Q

35:33 Sinatra

52:42 How the Other Half Loves

1:06:21 Cats

1:15:13 Kimberly Akimbo

1:25:02 The Producers

1:35:48 Thelma and Louise

1:59:40 What’s Next

Full Episode Here: The Broadway Breakdown Green Room

INTRODUCING! The debut of the Broadway Breakdown FANTASY DRAFT! It’s like Fantasy Football. Except without the pesky football. And without a cash prize. Just all of your opinions on what we picked.

Breakdown regulars Adam Elsberry (@adamels), Margaret Hall (@itsmargarethall), Rob W. Schneider (@robwschneider) and newcomer Steve Tipton (@stevetiptonnyc) all stop by the Green Room for a new Round Table. Drafting the Tony winners for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical!!! Who gets Patti in Gypsy? Did someone choose Mary Martin in South Pacific? And what of Diahann Carroll in No Strings or Barbara Harris in The Apple Tree? FIND OUT!!! .

Let us know YOUR Fantasy Draft Picks as well!

Categories:

One and Done (One nomination/One win. Nothing else)

Second Wins (Second win in THIS category, not overall)

Singularly Anointed (Only actress out of many to win for this role)

Contentious

Untouched/Iconic

Soap Box

Final Girl (The performance you just can’t NOT pick)