Our guest on this podcast is the playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. A few months ago his play “Appropriate” won the Tony for best revival (star Sarah Paulson won for best actress), and it’s only the latest in a growing exemplary body of work that also includes “An Octoroon” and the Pulitzer finalists “Gloria” and “Everybody.”

Woolly Mammoth’s production of “The Comeuppance” is running until Oct. 6 so there’s still time to catch it. Branden’s next project in NYC is his collaboration with Alina Troyano “Give Me Carmelita Tropicana!,” which starts at Soho Rep on Oct. 23.

In this action-packed episode, Branden talks about his formative time in Berlin, the revivals he’d like to see (bring on “The Bald Soprano”!), the adaptation of “An Enemy of the People” that almost was, star casting, the crucial role played by James Houghton at Signature Theater (where “Appropriate” had its NYC premiere in 2014), and so much more.

Welcome to what Peter called “the most salacious podcast” around!

Thanks to Christian Huygen for our theme music.

One of the biggest stage hits of the year in New York City has been “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” which reimagines Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical as a ballroom competition. And there are no cats!

In this episode, we talked to the show’s directors, Bill Rauch (who is also the artistic director of the Perelman Performing Arts Center, which originated the production) and Zhailon Livingston about what “Cats” means to them, how they approached the staging, their hopes for its future life — and what Lord Andrew thought of their take. Even if you think you don’t like “Cats,” you’ll want to listen to this one.

Wait, is it Lord or Sir Andrew? Elisabeth got it wrong, of course. We thought about saving her mistake for a special bloopers episode, but no, here it is.

Thanks to Christian Huygen for our theme music.

We’re longtime fans of Conrad Ricamora, going all the way back to “Here Lies Love” at the Public, and we could not be any more pleased to have him on the podcast. He is currently playing Mary’s husband in Cole Escola’s hit Broadway comedy “Oh, Mary!” And the show truly is a hit: We recorded the episode right before the announcement of an extension through Nov. 10. Not only that, but “Oh, Mary!” recently broke the Lyceum’s all-time box-office record by grossing just over $1 million in a week.

So, about Mary’s husband: since she’s Mary Todd Lincoln, it follows that Conrad is playing Abraham. Just not the Abraham Lincoln you might be familiar with.

It was a pleasure to talk with him about some key moments of his career: “Here Lies Love” at the Public and on Broadway, Bartlett Sher’s “The King and I,” Jeanine Tesori and David Henry Hwang’s “Soft Power,” the popular revival of “Little Shop of Horrors.” Conrad was candid about the issues of stereotyping that long have hampered Asian American actors. And tennis, of course.

Here’s Elisabeth’s interview with Conrad, from when he went into “Little Shop of Horrors.”

Thanks to Christian Huygen for our theme music.

Peter’s recent piece in Arts & Leisure section about five remarkable women who worked together at Off Broadway’s Public Theater a decade ago, and all have gone on to leadership roles at other major institutions. Click here for a gift article!

And look, here’s another gift article: Elisabeth’s piece about the tears threatening to flood Broadway stages.

Thanks to Christian Huygen for our theme music.

In the Broadway musical based on “The Notebook,” three couples play Noah and Allie at various stages. No slight to the other two pairings, but for many audience members the emotional favorites are Dorian Harewood and Maryann Plunkett, Older Noah and Older Allie, as they are credited — and both have been nominated for a Tony Award.

Maryann is a regular presence on stage: She was in every installment of the Richard Nelson cycles “The Apple Family Plays,” “The Gabriels” and “The Michaels” and has appeared in many, many other productions all over town. She made her Broadway debut in “Agnes of God” in the early 1980s and won a Tony for the musical “Me and My Girl” in 1987. She even replaced Bernadette Peters in “Sunday in the Park With George”! 

Dorian made his Broadway debut in the John Guare-Galt McDermot musical “Two Gentlemen of Verona” in 1973, but “The Notebook” is the first time he’s been back on Broadway since “The Mighty Gents” in 1978. His screen career includes “The Jesse Owens Story” and “Roots: The Next Generations.”

Reading material: Elisabeth’s article about the high number of audience members crying at the theater this season includes “The Notebook,” of course.

Thanks to Christian Huygen for our theme music.

It’s another crowded week in our virtual studio as once again we welcome three guests at once — and we can handle them!

It’s always interesting to check in with a play months into its run, and after a transfer to Broadway: How has the show evolved? What’s happening with the staging and the cast? Playwright David Adjmi dropped by Marks & Vincentelli in January to talk about the genesis of Stereophonic; now he’s come back with director Daniel Aukin and actor Will Brill to tell us how the show is going — especially as it’s earned the most Tony nominations ever for a play, with a whopping 13.

Peter called Stereophonic “the best play of the year” in 2023. As a brief reminder, it’s set in a 1970s recording studio as an unnnamed band is struggling to lay down the tracks for a new album, and it features terrific original songs by Will Butler (Elisabeth wrote about the background last year). Brill plays the bassist, Reg, and is one of five cast members to earn Tony nominations.

Backstage stories hold a special appeal in theater, but they’re usually about theater itself, not a rock band. Join us as we return to the world of Stereophonic, which is rich enough to sustain more heady conversation.

Thanks to Christian Huygen for our theme music.

We were psyched to talk to one of our favorite artists, Judy Kuhn, about her performance in the Michael Friedman and Daniel Goldstein musical “Unknown Soldier” at Arena Stage, and about some of her earlier turns — you probably remember her as the mother in “Fun Home,” Fosca in the 2013 revival of “Passion,” Cosette then Fantine in different productions of “Les Misérables,” Florence in “Chess.” The list is long and impressive. Next up is the Encores! production of “Titanic” on June 11-23.

Judy is one of the finest, most sensitive musical-theater actors you could dream of seeing on a stage, and it was a total treat to chat with her.

Some links:

“Unknown Soldier” at Arena Stage

Judy’s online home

Peter’s saw some “Succession” stars on stage.

Elisabeth reviewed the new musicals “Hell’s Kitchen” and “The Heart of Rock and Roll,” and wrote about four current screen-star turns on Broadway.

Thanks to Christian Huygen for our theme music.

In this new episode, we go where we have not gone before: three guests at once!

We are in agreement on this one: “Dead Outlaw” is one of the best new musicals of the year. The production is running only until April 14, at the Minetta Lane Theater, but it will live forever as a recording by Audible, which is producing it. To talk about this strange — but true! — tale of an outlaw manqué whose mummified body ended up being exhibited in an amusement park, we welcomed David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna, who wrote the score, and Itamas Moses, who wrote the book. Astute readers will have noticed that Yazbek and Moses had already collaborated on “The Band’s Visit,” and that musical’s director, David Cromer, also steered “Dead Outlaw.” Be warned, however, that the rambunctious new show has little in common with its Tony-winning predecessor, other than being of the highest quality.

Trust us: any time spent with these three men is time well spent. And as a bonus, the episode includes practical tips about what not to do if you ever find yourself auditioning for a David Yazbek musical.

Some links:

“Dead Outlaw”

That time when “Three on the Aisle” (this podcast’s predecessor) talked to David Yazbek.

Peter’s interview with Ralph Fiennes, who’s bringing his “Macbeth” to Shakespeare Theater Company (though the show will be at a performance space converted from the former Black Entertainment Television studios in Northeast Washington) in April.

Elisabeth’s reviews of “Water for Elephants” and “The Who’s Tommy.”

Thanks to Christian Huygen for our theme music.

The stars of Broadway’s “Days of Wine and Roses” are our guests for a conversation about their collaboration on this new musical about the wrenching paradox of love in midst of addiction, with a score by Adam Guettel and book by Craig Lucas.

Thanks to Christian Huygen for our theme music.

Our guest today is a powerbroker. No, really. As a casting director, Bernard (Bernie to most people) Telsey wields considerable power — and he tries to use it for good, not evil. Telsey’s breakthrough came when he helped put together the original cast of “Rent,” back in the mid-1990s. Since then he’s worked on a gazillion shows on Broadway, Off and around the country, as well as on movies and TV — Telsey is probably the main reason every nook and cranny of HBO’s “The Gilded Age” is filled with Broadway people. As if this weren’t enough, he was one of the co-founders of the MCC company in 1986.

Yes, we talked about “Rent” and “The Gilded Age,” but we also discussed the concept of miscasting, counterintuitive decisions, the disappearance of terms like “non-traditional” and “color-blind” casting, and why musical-theater performers are just the best. Annaleigh Ashford might have been mentioned a few times.

Listen on!

Thanks to Christian Huygen for our theme music.