Cast Offs with Ben and Daniel

In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to legendary writer and New York nightlife fixture Michael Musto about the 1968 album Diana Ross and The Supremes Sing and Perform Funny Girl. They also discuss The Wiz, Motown, Barbra Streisand, Mahogany, Liza Minnelli, Madonna, Evita, Nancy Walker, Mary Wilson, Follies, and Marilyn Maye. Michael talks about the first time he saw the movie Funny Girl, as well as his attempt to see Diana Ross live in Central Park. Michael can be seen performing live at venues around New York City, and his weekly column can be found on NewNowNext.

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In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to Real Housewives of New York City star Luann de Lesseps about Madonna's first album, Madonna. They also discuss Stevie Nicks, Natalie Cole, Desmond Child, Richard Jay Alexander, Billy Stritch, and Liza Minnelli. Luann talks about her current hit cabaret show, Countess and Friends, as well as her upcoming show, Marry... F**k... Kill. Luann is currently on tour and will be appear at BravoCon on November 15-17 in New York City.

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In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to Broadway star Telly Leung about the 1993 live album Patti LuPone Live! They also discuss Betty Buckley, Mandy Patinkin, 1776, The Baker's Wife, cabaret, cell phones in the theater, Rent, Into the Woods, and Tower Records. Telly shares stories about growing up in New York City, working with Sondheim, being "Broadway swollen," and landing his first Broadway role in Flower Drum Song. Since then, Telly has starred in other shows such as Pacific Overtures, Rent, Godspell, In Transit, and Aladdin.

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In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to playwright, composer, and lyricist Michael R. Jackson about Tori Amos's 1994 album Under the Pink. They also discuss Liz Phair, Joni Mitchell, Mariah Carey, alt rock, Fiona Apple, Show Boat, William Finn, In Trousers, Raisin, Sondheim, Company, Rent, and Passing Strange. Michael talks about how he discovered his favorite songwriters and how they influenced his own writing process. Michael's acclaimed new musical A Strange Loop recently played to sold-out audiences, and the cast recording is now available from Broadway Records.

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In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to actress and singer Bridget Everett about Prince's legendary 1984 album Purple Rain. They also discuss Bread, Barry Manilow, Bette Midler, Patti LuPone, Little Richard, Lillias White, The Life, Tina Turner, Kiki & Herb, Murray Hill, Allison Janney, Brooks Ashmanskas, RuPaul, karaoke, lowbrow brilliance, and finding solace in music. Bridget talks about growing up with six siblings and how she found her way from Kansas to New York's electrifying downtown scene. Bridget can be seen in a number of TV shows such as Inside Amy Schumer, Lady Dynamite, Unbelievable, and Camping, as well as the upcoming AJ and the Queen on Netflix.

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In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to Tony-winning actor Santino Fontana about Stevie Wonder's 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life. They also discuss Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters, Ragtime, Anthony Newley, Joanna Gleason, Julie Halston, Anyone Can Whistle, Yul Brynner's dressing room decor, and Ben's love for Dickinson's Witch Hazel Cleansing Wipes. Santino shares stories about high school musicals, onstage mishaps, and audition nightmares, and talks about his roles on TV shows such as Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Mozart in the Jungle. Santino can be seen on Broadway as Michael/Dorothy in the smash hit musical Tootsie, currently running at the Marquis Theatre.

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In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to Tony, Grammy, and Academy Award-winning composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz about Judy Collins' 1967 album Wildflowers. They also discuss Joni Mitchell, Laura Nyro, The Supremes, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Motown, Bye Bye Birdie, and Leonard Cohen. Stephen talks about the conception and creation of a number of his works, including Wicked, Godspell, Pippin, The Baker's Wife, Working, Rags, and The Prince of Egypt. He tells stories about working with artists such as Howard Ashman, Charles Strouse, Steven Spielberg, and Whitney Houston, and talks about collaborating with Alan Menken, with whom he wrote the songs for the hit Disney films Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Enchanted.

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In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to actor and comedian Cole Escola about Judy Garland's beloved 1961 Grammy-winning live album Judy at Carnegie Hall. They also discuss Bernadette Peters, Liza Minnelli, Barbara Cook, and Marin Mazzie. Cole talks about how he discovered each of these legendary performers and how live albums and concert patter have helped inform his own career. Cole currently writes for and stars in Amy Sedaris's Emmy-nominated show At Home with Amy Sedaris on truTV.

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In this very first episode, Ben and Daniel talk to Broadway star Mary Testa about Joe Cocker's 1970 live album Mad Dogs & Englishmen. They also discuss Leon Russell, Pink Floyd, Bonnie Bramlett, Bill Finn, Liza Minnelli, Chita Rivera, The Rink, Company, riffing Sondheim, belting, Les Misérables, character actors, foreign film, British television, and the current state of Broadway and cabaret. Mary also talks about her Tony-nominated performance in Broadway's smash hit revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!, currently running at The Circle in the Square Theatre in NYC.

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