When Lightning Strikes!

Jonathan Judge-Russo is a prolific actor and producer. He is currently starring in the Off-Broadway musical Music City at St. Luke's Theatre. A true multi-hyphenate, as a producer he is also developing a plethora of film and television projects. As the founding artistic director of Animus Theatre Company, he has produced more than 50 plays, musicals, festivals, and readings since its launch in 2011.

This episode was recorded August 26, 2026.

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Max Clayton stars in the hit musical Schmigadoon!, which won the Tony Award for Best Musical. Clayton, plays dashing Danny Bailey in the show. He was honored with the Chita Rivera Award along with Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations for his riveting and showstopping performance. His other stage credits include Chicago, The Music Man, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Hello, Dolly!, Pretty Woman, Bandstand, Something Rotten!, On the Town, Gigi, A Chorus Line and more. On screen, he can be seen in Kiss of the Spider Woman, White Noise, and Dear Edward.

Schmigadoon's original cast recording will be released on August 21 in partnership with Joy Machine Records and will include the entire Tony Award-winning score and orchestrations.

This episode was recorded on July 22, 2026.

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Neyla Pekarek is a two-time Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter, cellist, and former member of The Lumineers. Currently she is channeling her gift for storytelling into original stage musicals, including "Rattlesnake Kate" and her newest work, "The Queen of Magic." Now on Joy Machine records, "The Queen of Magic" album is inspired by the remarkable life of pioneering magician Adelaide Herrmann. A contemporary of Harry Houdini, Adelaide transformed the world of magic by reinventing the traditional 19th-century magic show into the dazzling theatrical spectacle audiences know today.

In August 2026, Neyla celebrates "The Queen of Magic" with a special “Vaudevillian Extravaganza,” featuring curiosities and amusements from special guests, in New York at The Green Room 42 on Thursday, August 13 and at The Cat’s Crawl Los Angeles on Thursday, August 27. Neyla will also perform a solo concert at Theatre SilCo in Silverthorne, Colorado on Sunday, August 23. Learn more at neylapekarek.com.

This episode was recorded on July 16, 2026.

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Maryann Plunkett can currently be seen in Erica Murray’s The Loved Ones at Irish Repertory Theatre. A Tony Award winner for Me and My Girl, she earned a second Tony nomination for her performance in The Notebook. Over her four-decade career, she has delivered acclaimed performances in countless productions, including Agnes of God, Sunday in the Park with George, The Seagull, Saint Joan, Richard Nelson's Rhinebeck Panorama, and many others. Her film and television work includes Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Manifest, and Dr. Death. She and her equally brilliant husband Jay O. Sanders were jointly awarded a Special Citation for Lifetime Achievement by the New York Drama Critics Circle.

This episode was recorded July 20, 2026

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Adrienne Campbell-Holt is an director, choreographer, and the founding artistic director of Colt Coeur. Known to champion bold new plays and innovative artists, her newest production, Camping, by Victoria Lynne Barclay is currently playing at HERE Arts Center.

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Todd Almond is an actor, songwriter, and playwright currently performing his riveting show I'm Almost There at BAM Fisher. His many credits include the Bob Dylan musical Girl from the North Country and the HBO series Gossip Girl. He also wrote three Public Works musicals for the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, is currently the orchestrator and music supervisor on Girl Interrupted and has collaborated with countless artists, including Martyna Majok, Aimee Mann, Laura Benanti, Sarah Ruhl, Courtney Love, Judy Kuhn, Kelli O'Hara, and Andrew Rannells.

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Eisa Davis is playwright, actress, and singer-songwriter. A Pulitizer Prize finalist, she is the co-creator of the "Warriors" concept album with Lin-Manuel Miranda. And her previous works include the plays Bulrusher and Angela's Mixtape. Her newest play Girls Chance Music, made its world premiere at the Vineyard Theatre and is playing there until June 21. On the first day of rehearsal, Eisa sat down to talk about the production, which was inspired by the music school she attended in Berkeley, and how that experience helped shape her in seismic ways.

This episode was recorded April 29, 2026.

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Filmmakers and spouses Michael Schelp and Dr. Alan Younkin created the documentary Iowa Vet: Dogs, Cats, Corn, & Murder, which chronicles Dr. Younkin’s journey from his childhood on his family’s historic Iowa farm to building a successful animal hospital, while navigating the twists and challenges that helped shape his life. The film is currently playing at Cinema Village in Manhattan, with screenings running through June 18. Visit www.IowaVet.net for more details.

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Tim Jackson is a prolific Tony-nominated director and choreographer whose work includes Broadway, the West End, film and television. He developed, directed, and choreographed Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York), now playing on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre. The show has been nominated for eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Direction for Tim. His credits also include Dylan Mulvaney’s The Least Problematic Woman In The World, the Tony–winning revival of Merrily We Roll Along, and Something Rotten which opens at the Manchester Opera House on June 16th.

This interview was recorded on June 1, 2026.

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Marianna Gailus currently stars in New Born opposite Hugh Jackman and Sepideh Moafi at Minetta Lane Theatre. Directed by Ian Rickson, the play is presented by Audible Theater and TOGETHER, the theatrical partnership led by Sonia Friedman and Hugh Jackman. The company is devoted to creating affordable, intimate, actor-driven storytelling. A graduate of Yale University and Juilliard, Marianna’s theater credits include Hedda Gabler, Sylvia, Sylvia, Sylvia, and Vanya, in which she understudied Andrew Scott.

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