Broadway Breakdown Announcements, Heathers Off-Broadway Return + Ron Fassler on Broadway’s Juiciest Replacement Stories

This episode kicks off a new season of Broadway Breakdown with some big announcements, followed by a double feature: Matt’s in-depth review of the Heathers revival at New World Stages, followed by a conversation with actor, writer, and historian Ron Fassler about his new book The Show Goes On: Broadway, Hirings, Firings, and Replacements. From high school cliques and camp satire to Broadway’s backstage legends, it’s a jam-packed return.

Ron Fassler is a longtime Broadway insider whose fifty years of theatergoing have made him a walking encyclopedia of stage history. An actor turned author, he’s written extensively about the greats (and near-misses) of Broadway past. His latest book dives into the wild, heartbreaking, and often hilarious realities of replacement casting, making him the perfect guest to unpack the lore of Broadway survival stories.

Resources & Links

Broadway Breakdown Substack – essays, reviews, and extras from the podDiscord community – join the conversation with other BreakdownersTickets to Broadway Breakdown Cabaret – Nov 14 at Green Room 42

Ron Fassler’s The Show Goes On (available directly from the author, not Amazon)

Timestamps

0:00 – Announcements & Updates19:04 – Heathers Review54:20 – Ron Fassler Interview

Key People Mentioned

Heathers creative team: Laurence O’Keefe & Kevin Murphy (music & lyrics), Andy Fickman (director)Original film cast: Winona Ryder, Christian SlaterHeathers Off-Broadway revival cast: McKenzie Kurtz, Elizabeth Teeter, Erin Morton, Casey Likes, Lorna Courtney

Ron Fassler’s book subjects: Beanie Feldstein, Lea Michele, Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Henry Goodman, Richard Dreyfuss, Hugh Jackman, Patti LuPone, Glenn Close, Liza Minnelli, Richard Burton, Anne Miller, Robert Goulet, Cliff Gorman

Listener Discussion Questions

"Do you think Heathers works better as a biting teen satire film or as a campy, optimistic musical?"

"What’s the most surprising or memorable replacement casting you’ve ever seen (or wish you had)?"

"For theater adaptations: should musicals lean into optimism, or stay true to a darker original source?"

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