Broadway Breakdown

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)

Matt is a fancy Drama Desk voter now, which means he has to see a LOT more shows! It’s quiet on Broadway right now, so Matt’s been seeing a whole bunch of Off-Broadway productions and he’s coming back early on the Breakdown to do a Summer Review Wrap Up! Followed up by a talk with Matt Rodin (@whoismattrodin) about his new site theater.games and how it’s combining fun and education for theater lovers everywhere!!!

Broadway Breakdown Links:

* The Broadway Breakdown Green Room (Patreon!)

* Broadway Breakdown: Discord

* Broadway Breakdown: Substack

* Broadway Breakdown: Youtube

02:32 - A Walk on the Moon

08:40 -An American Daughter

14:36 - Giulia: The Poison Queen of Palermo

22:47 - The Winter’s Tale

26:58 - The Circuit

28:28 - The Pass

32:55 - Disruption

36:06 - Are You Mad at Me?

38:53 - The Maids

42:05- The Saviors

46:24 - Birthright

52:50 - Talk w/ Matt Rodin

While you’re waiting for Broadway Breakdown to come back in full, enjoy this crossover bonus episode of Matt on the podcast Behind the Awards. Once again talking all things Fall Broadway!!!

New episodes will be coming again before you know it, but until that happens check into the Broadway Breakdown Green Room and submit your question’s for our first exclusive Q&A! Plus some other updates about how Matt’s Drama Desk voter-ship will effect the podcast.

Join the Green Room and Submit Your Questions Here!

Broadway Breakdown: Discord

It’s our first Patreon exclusive!!!! Take a listen and decide if you want to get inside the Broadway Breakdown Green Room:

Join Us Here!

Friends of the pod Robbie Rozelle (@divarobbie), Rachael Anderson and Will Anderson (@the_theater_lovers) have come along to compile a list (with some help of other Breakdown friends) of the top 50 opening numbers in musical theater history and rank them! It’s messy. It’s analytical. In short: what you’ve come to expect from Broadway Breakdown.

Welcome to the Green Room, kidz ;)