We all know that sex sells, but is that the only thing that drove thousands of people to see "Equus" back in the mid-1970s? Listen in on my discussion with McLean Fletcher  as we discuss the explosive intersection of sex, religion and psychology that playwright Peter Schaffer squeezes into this sometimes disturbing tale.

McLean starred in the Cadence Theatre production of the play in 2015 as Jill Mason, one of two characters who spend an extended scene naked on stage. McLean argues that the nudity wasn't really the point but also, in many ways, really was the point. She's smart, insightful and absolutely delightful in her analysis of the show, as well as a big fan of the Daniel Radcliffe starring revival in 2008.

And the episode provides a very specific reason to check out the related post on our website, ChasingPhantom.net. The short post is largely devotes to Frances Sternhagen, a Tony Award nominee for "Equus," that we tragically did not get a chance to talk about in the podcast. 

The chase is back on! Welcome to season 2 of the podcast dedicated to exploring...and sometimes explaining...Broadway's longest running shows!

Today's episode features a true Broadway history whiz: author, dramaturg & professor Jordan Schildcrout has studied long-running plays in more depth than perhaps anyone else on the planet. In his book, "In the Long Run: A Cultural History of Broadway's Hit Plays," Dr. Schildcrout looks at the Broadway landscape over more than 100 years, going deep on the longest running plays in each decade. It's a fascinating and super fun read filled with unexpected facts and interesting context. You can find out more about it at broadwayinthelongrun.com.

I asked Jordan to come on the podcast to talk about a show that has completely fallen off the radar of theater fans but that still stands as a breakthrough in history. "Lightnin'" was the first production to ever run more than 1,000 consecutive performances on Broadway after it opened back in 1918.

Though you may not know the play, you'll still want to listen in on our conversation exploring what the play's success said about the changes in professional theater at the time and what has happened to the long-running play since.

For links to video and some additional info on "Lightnin'," check out this episode's post on ChasingPhantom.net. You can also access previous episodes of the podcast and find more fun facts and information. Be sure to check out ChasingPhantom.net. We'll be back in 2 weeks!

We're back - better than ever! The second season of "Chasing Phantom" will feature celebrity guests, unexpectedly popular productions, and a cavalcade of trivia, insights and lively conversation about the longest running shows on Broadway. Be sure and check out the first episode where I chat with an author, professor and dramaturg who has written perhaps THE definitive book on long running plays.

That episode drops Sept. 4th and new episodes will follow every other week. Follow on Spotify now so you won't miss a single episode!

And be sure and check out our website, ChasingPhantom.net, for past episodes, additional information, photos and video clips.

For this very special episode, we welcome Barbra Streisand to "Chasing Phantom" to help us explore a show that was a monster hit in the 1930s. OK, it's more the spirit and definitely the Voice of Babs that highlights this exploration of "Pins and Needles," more than the actual person (though if someone wants to send me a Cease and Desist in such a way that my podcast blows up, I'm not above benefitting from the Streisand Effect!)

"Pins and Needles" foregrounded politics - union politics, no less - in a peppy, funny musical review that had all the powerful libs at the time happy as clams. The show leveraged the progressive humor of composer Harold Rome and a cast of actual union workers to draw consistently full houses for almost 4 years.

After thoroughly investigating the many rabbit holes the history of this production presents, I also give a little summary of the first season of Chasing Phantom and a little preview of the second season that will kick off in the fall.

And I couldn't have done any of it without Babs!

Check out the vintage clips and songs linked to at ChasingPhantom.net and check out the whole first season of conversation about Broadway's longest running shows. Have a question, complaint or suggestion? Please email me at [email protected].

"The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" is responsible for Mark Zuckerberg. Don't believe me? Listen as accomplished actor, director and video wizard Matt Polson and I wander around in nerd culture for a while, discussing this seminal musical. More than any show before or since, "Spelling Bee" demonstrated the unique attractions of live theater: with intense audience interaction and ad-libs aplenty, every performance was truly unique and you never knew what would unfold on any given night.

In this penultimate episode of season 1 of this podcast, Matt shares behind-the-scenes remembrances of how this show challenged him as an actor and makes the case that, in terms of audience response, this may be one of the best musicals ever.

There is plenty of video of the original cast of "Spelling Bee" that you can see at ChasingPhantom.net. Please drop me a line at [email protected] with comments, questions and suggestions.

Once again, the joy of this podcast for me is getting schooled on stuff I don't know about. In talking about "Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk," Dr. Julinda Lewis introduces me to a flurry of tap dance masters from the past that were influences on young Savion Glover. Glover first broke into the public consciousness in "The Tap Dance Kid," but with "Bring in 'da Noise," he solidified his standing as one of the most accomplished dancer / choreographers in Broadway's history. And he was only 22!

It's particularly timely to talk about "Bring in 'da Noise" this year because of the most recent Oscars awards. A still-young Jeffrey Wright was one of the stars of "Noise" and the show was developed and directed by George Wolfe. Wright was nominated for an Oscar this year for "American Fiction" and Wolfe was the producer/director of "Rustin" that garnered a nom for Colman Domingo (and that also featured Wright).

You will definitely want to check out my website, ChasingPhantom.net, for video of two of the tap masters that Julinda mentions, Peg Leg Bates and Sandman Sims. And please drop me a line at [email protected] with comments, questions and suggestions.

Before the iconic picture of Marilyn Monroe with her white dress billowing over a subway grate obliterated any other reference point, "The Seven Year Itch" was a long-running Broadway show. In fact, it was the longest running show of the 1950s and cemented the star power of the actor Tom Ewell who is not regularly remembered today (even though he would later star in the American premiere of "Waiting for Godot").

Just those facts alone make talking about this show interesting. Add in that my guest is psychologist / old movie superfan Jesse Rabinowitz, PhD, who calls "Itch" the "anti-Blue Velvet" and you have all the ingredients for a fascinating -- and occasionally spicy -- conversation about yet another "classic" that perhaps should be relegated to the dust bin of theatrical history.

Please be sure and check out my website, ChasingPhantom.net, for bonus material, links to videos, and additional facts and figures related to Broadway's longest running shows.  And please drop me a line at [email protected] -- I'd love to hear from you!

Leapin' Lizards, what is going on here? Chasing Phantom has been methodically working through the list of 1,000+ performances on Broadway from the bottom up but, this week, we take a radical leap into the higher realms of theater success with an exploration of the much-heralded, often-rejiggered, musically-rich smash that is "Annie."

And I know no one better to dig into the history and lore of this Broadway classic than "Annie" superfan, Holly Timberline. Given that she was a working musical theater actress when we met, it wasn't long into our relationship that I found out about her deep-seated, abiding love of this orphan-palooza. After we were married and had children of our own, "Annie" quickly became part of our family lexicon. The kids sand "It's the Hard Knock Life" when they were happy, "Castle on a Cloud" from "Les Mis" when they were sad.

Not only does Holly know a lot of early days "Annie" facts that only real fans know, she went to the original production multiple times when she was a teenager so saw different actors in various roles and met many of the youngsters playing orphans. We both relate our experiences seeing subsequent revivals and the most recent touring production that is currently appearing in cities across the country.

Be sure and check out the Chasing Phantom website for links to supplemental videos and other content related to this all-time favorite show. And please email [email protected] with questions, comments, complaints or suggestions for future episodes!

If you're reading this, I expect either you or someone you know has been in a production of "Guys and Dolls." There are so many reasons this show is a classic, from the colorful supporting characters to the silly romantic misadventures to the unbelievably catchy songs. The show has been revived 5 times but the 1992 production really set the template for how to successfully dust off a classic and breathe new life into it. It also was haled as a savior of American musicals at the time and proved the first of 3 key steps in the elevation of Nathan Lane from steady Broadway regular to superstar.

There's no one better suited to analyze the arrival of this singular hit back in 1992 than Phil Crosby, the executive director of Richmond Triangle Players. This is Phil's fourth appearance on the pod and, as per usual, he supplements his first-hand knowledge of the production with behind-the-scenes background on several of the key players in the show. Listen to hear why Phil considers this show "practically perfect."

And more than ever, you are going to want to check out our website, ChasingPhantom.net, for links to two priceless resources: 1) a two-hour opening night special covering "Guys and Dolls" highly-anticipated first official performance on Broadway and 2) the YouTube copy of the DVD "Guys and Dolls: Off The Record," the behind-the-scenes look at the recording of the production's cast album. Check it out!

It's both a relief and a delight when a show that premiered on Broadway more than 50 years ago isn't a challenge or a slog to get through. "Butterflies Are Free" is a play about a young blind man out on his own for the first time but, thanks to its breezy good humor, is also a fun and satisfying romantic comedy. For an older show, it has a wonderfully progressive non-ableist message but, instead of clobbering the audience with it, it lets some fairly realistic characters convey the lessons in a believable way. And as a nice bonus, all of the leads in the movie version are fabulous so you can enjoy this story anytime, oh like maybe on Valentine's Day!

Speaking of fabulous, my guest for the episode is Matt Bloch, an accomplished actor who played the lead character in "Butterflies" back in 2010. Just a college student at the time, he had the challenge of playing a person with a visual disability as one of his first professional gigs. Matt has a lot of insightful and fun things to say about the production he was in and about a more recent show he just appeared in that also prompts interesting thoughts about the portrayal of characters with disabilities on stage.

It's a great conversation that you're going to love! And if you like it, check out my website, ChasingPhantom.net, for previous episodes and more clips and commentary! Also, write me at [email protected] with questions, comments, or concerns, OR if you'd like to be a guest talking about one of Broadway's longest running productions. See you back here in two weeks!