Singular Sensation: The Podcast

Daphne Rubin-Vega, the original Mimi in Rent, and her personal wardrobe were invaluable resources for Rent costume designer Angela Wendt. With only $500 to create the original Rent costumes and set design, Angela was able to bring creator Jonathan Larson's vision to life and to fulfill his dream of Rent becoming a powerful 90's fashion "influencer." Join Angela and Daphne as they reminisce about helping to shape one of the greatest musicals of all time. 

This episode features never-before-heard excerpts from the interviews Michael Riedel recorded while writing his 2020 best-selling book Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway.

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Daphne Rubin-Vega brought such undeniable grit, free spirit, and Lower East Side authenticity to her Mimi audition that the Rent team knew they found their Cat Scratch Club dancer. Listen to Michael Riedel's never before heard interview with Daphne as she reflects on scoring this life-changing role and the extraordinary Rent roller coaster that followed. Rent Producers Jeffrey Seller and Kevin McCollum, as well as New York Theatre Workshop Artistic Director Jim Nicola, also share their very vivid behind-the-curtain memories.

This episode features excerpts from Michael Riedel’s interviews for his 2020 best-selling book Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway. 

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How did the groundbreaking rock opera Rent get its start? New York Theatre Workshop Artistic Director Jim Nicola, Director Michael Greif, and Producer Jeffrey Seller dive back in time to share what initially drew them to Jonathan Larson and to his revolutionary new musical Rent. 

This episode features never-before-heard excerpts from the interviews Michael Riedel recorded while writing his 2020 best-selling book Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway.

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How did Rent get to Broadway? The trajectory is unexpected and spectacular. Producer Robyn Goodman, Artistic Director Jim Nicola, and Rent creator Jonathan Larson’s father and sister recount Rent’s trajectory from blank page to the show’s monumental New York Theatre Workshop production. Theatre would never be the same.  

This episode features never-before-heard excerpts from the interviews Michael Riedel recorded while writing his 2020 best-selling book Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway.

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Listen in on this never before heard, very candid interview with Rent creator Jonathan Larson’s father, Allan Larson, and Jonathan’s sister, Julie Larson, as they share stories about Jonathan’s early passion for musical theatre, his extraordinary early musical gifts, and Jonathan’s deep desire to make musical theater relevant again for a whole new generation.

This episode features never-before-heard excerpts from the interviews Michael Riedel recorded while writing his 2020 best-selling book Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway.

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Based on Michael Riedel’s spectacular book Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway, the Rent miniseries explores the creation of the landmark musical with those who were there. Rent marks a major turning point in the history of American musical theatre. Before Rent, the British spectacles dominated - Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, Cats, and Sunset Boulevard. When Rent, composed and written by Jonathan Larson, exploded onto the scene, the show ignited huge excitement from a young audience and changed the entire trajectory of the art form forever.  

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Patti LuPone got her pool, but Glenn Close got the Tony. In this never-before-heard dressing room interview about Sunset Boulevard, Patti LuPone dives deep on the competition between her and fellow Norma Desmond, Glenn Close. Plus you don’t want to miss what she has to say about Faye Dunaway.

This episode features never-before-heard excerpts from the interviews Michael Riedel recorded while writing his 2020 best-selling book Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway.

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Listen in on this never-before-heard dressing room interview with Sunset Boulevard’s original Norma Desmond, Patti LuPone, to hear her take on the challenges of creating the role in London and the origins of her infamous feud with Andrew Lloyd Webber.

This episode features never-before-heard excerpts from the interviews Michael Riedel recorded while writing his 2020 best-selling book Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Glenn Close discusses returning to Sunset Boulevard for the 2017 Broadway revival. She shares how the production evolved since Broadway in 1994 and how she was able to dive even deeper into the role of Norma Desmond. 

This episode features never-before-heard excerpts from the interviews Michael Riedel recorded while writing his 2020 best-selling book Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tony-winning star Glenn Close shares her Norma Desmond memories - from her first Sunset Boulevard audition for Andrew Lloyd Webber, to her experience launching a show about a Hollywood star in Hollywood, to originating the role on Broadway. 

This episode features never-before-heard excerpts from the interviews Michael Riedel recorded while writing his 2020 best-selling book Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices