Peter Filichia, James Marino, and Michael Portantiere talk about Merrily We Roll Along @ Signature Theatre (Arlington, VA), Cat Cohen: Broad Strokes @ the Lucille Lortel Theatre, Paranormal Activity, The Pass @ La Mama, The House of the Negro Insane @ 59e59, Safe House @ Theater Row, and The Real Ivanov @ The Lynn F. Angelson Theater.

“This Week on Broadway” has been coming to you every week since 2009. It is the longest-running running Broadway and theatrical podcast with hundreds of shows giving thousands of reviews and interviews.

Subscribe to BroadwayRadio in Apple Podcasts by CLICKING HERE.

Support BroadwayRadio on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/broadwayradio

Patreon listeners get This Week on Broadway first, on Sunday afternoon before it is released to the general public on Sunday evening.

Panel:

Peter Filichia | [email protected] | Facebook
PETER FILICHIA is a playwright, journalist, and historian with a number of books. Peter’s new day-by-day desk calendar – A SHOW TUNE FOR TODAY – 366 Songs to Brighten Your Year – is available at finer retailers!

Showtune for Today: Rain on the Roof from Follies (in Concert)

Michael Portantiere | [email protected] | Facebook
MICHAEL PORTANTIERE has been a theater journalist for more than 50 years. The founder and editor of CastAlbumReviews.com. He is also a theatrical photographer whose photos have appeared in The New York Times and other publications. Additionally, Michael is known as a producer and director of shows at 54 Below, the Laurie Beechman Theatre, and other venues.

Coming up: 54 Loves Cast Albums! 3rd Edition – October 4, 2026,

James Marino | [email protected] | Facebook
BroadwayStars

Note: This week we had listeners join us while recording. These listeners are Patreon members who support BroadwayRadio. If you would like to join us in the future, become a supporter at Patreon.com/BroadwayRadio.

Sponsor:

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Reviews:

MP: Merrily We Roll Along @ Signature Theatre (Arlington, VA), through November 1, 2026

PF: Cat Cohen: Broad Strokes @ the Lucille Lortel Theatre, through September 25, 2026

Cat Cohen: Broad Strokes is written by and starring Cat Cohen, with music by Cohen and David Dabbon, and directed by Alex Timbers.
After suffering a stroke at 30 caused by a literal hole in her heart, comedian Cat Cohen transforms this near-death experience into a wildly funny, song-filled one-woman show about mortality, hypochondria and the undeniable thrill of being the main character. Equal parts confessional comedy and sparkling musical cabaret, Cat Cohen: Broad Strokes is Cohen at her sharpest, funniest, and most fabulously vulnerable.

MP: Paranormal Activity @ August Wilson Theatre, through January 3, 2027
When You Close Your Eyes, What Do You See?
James and Lou move from Chicago to London for a fresh start. But as the young couple settles into their new home, Lou is certain that something isn’t right, and before long they will both have to grapple with the same truth: places aren’t haunted, people are.
An entirely new story inspired by the iconic film series, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY comes to Broadway direct from smash-hit, critically acclaimed runs in Chicago, Los Angeles, and London. Now in performances for a limited time only.

PF + MP: The Max Hunter Company presents The Pass @ La Mama, extended through September 18, 2026

A hotel room in Eastern Europe, 2014. On the eve of their first Champions League match, two rising British football stars find themselves facing something neither preseason training nor media coaching could prepare them for.

John Donnelly’s The Pass is directed by Max Hunter (Bull) and stars Matisse Ratron-Neal (Girl Says Woman Says Man Says), Terry Bell (The Skin of Our Teeth), Ino Badanjak (Queens), and Oliver Rowland-Jones (Oedipus).

The Pass features set design by Seth Byrum, lighting design by Cheyenne Sykes, costume design by Amanda Roberge, sound design by Megan Culley, prop design by Thomas Jenkeleit, video design by Dwight Bellisimo, and intimacy coordination by Alysia Homminga. Julian X will serve as associate director, Roger Lipson as production stage manager and Lexi Holder as Assistant Stage Manager. Casting is by Sujotta Pace, CSA / C12 Casting.

PF: The House of the Negro Insane @ 59e59, through September 6, 2026
By Terence Anthony
Directed by Daniel Carlton
With Benjamin Rowe, Rob Penty, Wadiah Waliah, and Sidney Hatcher

The year is 1935. For years, Attius has lived behind the imposing walls of Central State Hospital – one of only seven US psychiatric institutions built to house “insane and idiotic negroes” – where the homeless and destitute are confined alongside the diseased and the criminally insane.

Attius has carved out a meager existence within the hospital building coffins, quietly crafting the final boxes for those who will never see freedom again. But everything changes when two new patients arrive, and Attius is forced to confront a possibility he buried long ago – a chance at life beyond the walls.

MP: Safe House @ Theater Row, through September 13, 2026
Safe House is a family drama set in the days leading up to a U.S. presidential election. Convinced the second American civil war is imminent, Rock, a father secretly dying of a hereditary neurodegenerative disease, becomes consumed by the need to protect his family. In the basement of his Pennsylvania suburban home, transformed, beam by beam, into a doomsday bunker, he has built what he believes is the last safe place on earth. But when his estranged teenage daughter returns home pregnant, the tensions that have long simmered beneath the surface of the household break open, and the father’s obsession with safety turns into something else entirely. What follows is a reckoning with fear, and the consequences of confusing love with control.

The cast will feature Tony Award-winner Karen Ziemba and three-time Tony Award-nominee Marc Kudisch alongside Anna Roman, Grace Church, Justin Lee Miller, Glenn Seven Allen, and Julianna Layne.

PF: The Real Ivanov @ The Lynn F. Angelson Theater, through September 19, 2026

A comedy about despair
In the course of a year, Nikolai Ivanov—mid-30s, once charismatic and admired—has become overwhelmed and depressed. Everyone around him thinks they know why. Ivanov isn’t convinced. Laura Strausfeld’s faithful, fast-paced, and gripping adaptation captures the central insight of Chekhov’s first masterpiece: misunderstanding one another is both comic and calamitous.
“I don’t understand you, you don’t understand me, and least of all do we understand ourselves.”

Discussion:

Future Episodes:

Peter’s Brainteaser:

What do Arthur Kopit and Theodore S. Williams have in common?

Michael’s Musical Moments

Merrily We Roll Along at Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA

Music Opener: “Merrily We Roll Along”

Music Closer: “Our Time”

Support BroadwayRadio on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/broadwayradio

Patreon listeners get “This Week on Broadway” on Sunday afternoon before it is released to the general public on Sunday evening.

Explicit: No

Contact Info:

Email addresses: See above in bios

BroadwayRadio Phone / Voicemail: +1-888-285-4666

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Subscribe:

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…and anywhere that you can listen to finer podcasts.

Reviews for ‘Paranormal Activity’ are scary good, 2 plays set for fall on Broadway, reimagined ‘Fantasticks’ announces incredible cast

Every week, Matt Tamanini will bring you the biggest news from across the theatrical landscape and will prepare you for what’s ahead over the next seven days.

Any and all feedback is appreciated:
Matt Tamanini: [email protected] | @BroadwayRadio

For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the episode name.

1) ‘Paranormal Activity’ opens to strong reviews on Broadway
https://didtheylikeit.com/shows/paranormal-activity/

2) 2 challenging plays announce fall Broadway runs

• https://deadline.com/2026/08/here-there-are-blueberries-broadway-debut-1237060798/
• https://deadline.com/2026/08/downstate-broadway-scott-rudin-joe-mantello-1237062672/

3) Broadway show and casting news

• https://deadline.com/2026/08/fantasticks-broadway-cast-1237049773/
• https://deadline.com/2026/08/rupert-grint-harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-broadway-1237050854/
• https://playbill.com/article/jennifer-simard-will-be-schmigadoon-s-new-mildred-layton-on-broadway
• https://playbill.com/article/aly-michalka-and-spencer-sutherland-will-make-broadway-debuts-in-juliet
• https://deadline.com/2026/08/six-broadway-musical-closing-date-1237052228/
• https://deadline.com/2026/08/dreamgirls-broadway-postponed-1237051711/

4) Off-Broadway show and casting news

5) Kathleen Marshall to direct ‘August Rush’ musical
https://playbill.com/article/kathleen-marshall-will-direct-world-premiere-of-august-rush-a-new-musical-part-of-old-globe-2027-season

https://deadline.com/2026/08/anna-camp-jasmine-cephas-jones-cast-222-a-ghost-story-1237045455/

https://playbill.com/article/penelope-musical-starring-grace-mclean-added-to-classic-stage-company-season

https://playbill.com/article/tony-winner-ali-stroker-and-olympic-gold-medalist-laurie-hernandez-will-join-spelling-bee-for-final-weeks

https://playbill.com/article/heidi-blickenstaff-joaquina-kalukango-jason-tam-more-will-lead-the-heart-at-roundabout-theatre

https://playbill.com/article/taylor-iman-jones-justin-collette-donna-lynne-champlin-more-will-star-in-the-kings-critique-musical-off-broadway

Peter Filichia, Jena Tesse Fox, and James Marino talk about City of Angels @ Ogunquit Playhouse, Rhinoceros @ A.R.T, Les Miserables @ Hudson Valley Shakespeare, Paranormal Activity @ August Wilson Theatre, and Operation Mincemeat @ John Golden Theatre.

“This Week on Broadway” has been coming to you every week since 2009. It is the longest-running running Broadway and theatrical podcast with hundreds of shows giving thousands of reviews and interviews.

Subscribe to BroadwayRadio in Apple Podcasts by CLICKING HERE.

Support BroadwayRadio on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/broadwayradio

Patreon listeners get This Week on Broadway first, on Sunday afternoon before it is released to the general public on Sunday evening.

Panel:

Peter Filichia | [email protected] | Facebook
PETER FILICHIA is a playwright, journalist, and historian with a number of books. Peter’s new day-by-day desk calendar – A SHOW TUNE FOR TODAY – 366 Songs to Brighten Your Year – is available at finer retailers!

Showtune for Today: A New Life from Jekyll & Hyde

Peter’s play, “Larry, The Big-Time Broadway Producer,” will be presented by Enter Stage Left Theater in October 2026

On Thursday, August 27, Theater 555 (555 West 42nd Street) was a concert reading of Peter’s play, “My Little Afternoon”

Jena Tesse Fox | Twitter | Instagram
JENA TESSE FOX has written about theater for many publications, including Playbill Magazine, BroadwayWorld, Time Out New York and HowlRound. She is a member of The League of Professional Theatre Women and the Drama Desk, and is a contributor to BroadwayRadio

Michael Portantiere | [email protected] | Facebook
MICHAEL PORTANTIERE has been a theater journalist for more than 50 years. The founder and editor of CastAlbumReviews.com. He is also a theatrical photographer whose photos have appeared in The New York Times and other publications. Additionally, Michael is known as a producer and director of shows at 54 Below, the Laurie Beechman Theatre, and other venues.

James Marino | [email protected] | Facebook
BroadwayStars

Note: This week we had listeners join us while recording. These listeners are Patreon members who support BroadwayRadio. If you would like to join us in the future, become a supporter at Patreon.com/BroadwayRadio.

Sponsor:

Pre:

The BroadwayRadio App is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play for Andorid!

Please let us know if you run into any problems or have suggestions.

Reviews

PF: City of Angels @ Ogunquit Playhouse, July 23 through August 22 in Ogunquit, Maine

Alysha Umphress as Bobbi

PF: Rhinoceros @ A.R.T., through Sep 27
Everything seems normal one Sunday morning…until it’s not. One by one, friends and colleagues transform into rhinoceroses, and Berenger is forced to decide: will he follow the crowd or stand his ground? As resonant as when it premiered in the wake of the Second World War, Rhinoceros reminds us of the importance of holding on to our humanity amidst mounting pressures to conform. Eugène Ionesco’s landmark play is staged in a new adaptation by A.R.T. based on Derek Prouse’s seminal translation.

Tony Award winner Diane Paulus (“one of the most imaginative forces working in theater,” Broadway.com) directs her final production at the Loeb Drama Center before the A.R.T.’s move to its new home in Allston, the Goel Center for Creativity & Performance.

PF: Dive In Productions Dive In-cubator presents New Works Festival @ New Hampshire theater project
Mortals vs Zeus

PF: Les Miserables @ Hudson Valley Shakespeare, through September 27, 2026

PF + JTF: Paranormal Activity @ August Wilson Theatre, through January 3, 2027
When You Close Your Eyes, What Do You See?
James and Lou move from Chicago to London for a fresh start. But as the young couple settles into their new home, Lou is certain that something isn’t right, and before long they will both have to grapple with the same truth: places aren’t haunted, people are.
An entirely new story inspired by the iconic film series, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY comes to Broadway direct from smash-hit, critically acclaimed runs in Chicago, Los Angeles, and London. Now in performances for a limited time only.

JTP: Operation Mincemeat @ John Golden Theatre

Reddit: The Mincemeat cast is currently minced meat, please send healing vibes to the Golden

The Mincemeat cast is currently minced meat, please send healing vibes to the Golden
byu/cjinoz inBroadway

Discussion:

The Farnsworth Invention
Opening Date: Dec 03, 2007
Closing Date: Mar 02, 2008
Performances: 104

Future Episodes:

Peter’s Brainteaser:

This lyricist and occasional bookwriter never won a Tony, and in fact was only nominated once, because the bulk of his work occurred before the Tonys were established. At least he’d won a Best Song Oscar.

His biggest Broadway hit was soon followed by one of his biggest Broadway flops. He did these two musicals with different composers, but these two music men’s last names just happened to rhyme – perfectly.

Who is he? What were the two musicals? What were the composers’ last names that rhyme?

Michael’s Musical Moments

Music Opener:

Music Closer:

Support BroadwayRadio on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/broadwayradio

Patreon listeners get “This Week on Broadway” on Sunday afternoon before it is released to the general public on Sunday evening.

Explicit: No

Contact Info:

Email addresses: See above in bios

BroadwayRadio Phone / Voicemail: +1-888-285-4666

BroadwayRadio: Facebook | Instagram

Subscribe:

Patreon | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | iHeart Radio | TuneIn | Pandora | YouTube Music

…and anywhere that you can listen to finer podcasts.

James Marino, Michael Portantiere, and Carey Purcell review La Femme Theatre Production of An American Daughter @ The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center, The Winter’s Tale @ Delacorte Theater, The Lisbon Traviata @ Bridge Street Theatre, The Pass @ La Mama, West Side Story (movie) at the Paris movie theater, The Saviors @ Atlantic Theater Company, and Hungry Women @ SoHo Playhouse

“This Week on Broadway” has been coming to you every week since 2009. It is the longest-running running Broadway and theatrical podcast with hundreds of shows giving thousands of reviews and interviews.

Subscribe to BroadwayRadio in Apple Podcasts by CLICKING HERE.

Support BroadwayRadio on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/broadwayradio

Patreon listeners get This Week on Broadway first, on Sunday afternoon before it is released to the general public on Sunday evening.

Panel:

Peter Filichia | [email protected] | Facebook
PETER FILICHIA is a playwright, journalist, and historian with a number of books. Peter’s new day-by-day desk calendar – A SHOW TUNE FOR TODAY – 366 Songs to Brighten Your Year – is available at finer retailers!

Showtune for Today: Dames from 42nd Street

Michael Portantiere | [email protected] | Facebook
MICHAEL PORTANTIERE has been a theater journalist for more than 50 years. The founder and editor of CastAlbumReviews.com. He is also a theatrical photographer whose photos have appeared in The New York Times and other publications. Additionally, Michael is known as a producer and director of shows at 54 Below, the Laurie Beechman Theatre, and other venues.

MP: Marilyn Maye at Dizzy’s Club

James Marino | [email protected] | Facebook
BroadwayStars

Carey Purcell | Website | Instagram
Carey is a writer and editor whose nonfiction writing on theater, film, feminism and health care has been featured in The New York Times, Vogue, Vanity Fair, The Nation, TDF Stages, Theatermania and The Village Voice, among others. She has also served on the editorial staffs of Playbill and People. Her nonfiction book, From Aphra Behn to Fun Home: A Cultural History of Feminist Theater, was published in 2019 by Bloomsbury.

Note: This week we had listeners join us while recording. These listeners are Patreon members who support BroadwayRadio. If you would like to join us in the future, become a supporter at Patreon.com/BroadwayRadio.

Sponsor:

Pre:

The BroadwayRadio App is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play for Andorid!

Please let us know if you run into any problems or have suggestions.

Reviews

CP + MP: La Femme Theatre Production of An American Daughter @ The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center, through September 20, 2026
La Femme Theatre Productions is proud to present Wendy Wasserstein’s timely play An American Daughter, running through September 20 on The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center in New York City. The production is directed by Sarna Lapine and opened on August 11, 2026.

Leading the cast is Montego Glover (Gypsy), Robert Sean Leonard (Sunday in the Park With George), and Jean Lichty (The Night of the Iguana), joined by Dakin Matthews (Camelot), Mary Beth Peil (Anastasia), Ryan Spahn (Gloria), Will DeVary (Master Harold …and the Boys), Chris Ghaffari (Coriolanus), and Carmen Zilles (Dog Day Afternoon).

CP: The Winter’s Tale @ Delacorte Theater, through August 23, 2026
Written by William Shakespeare
Choreography by Mimi Lieber
Directed by Daniel Sullivan

MP: The Lisbon Traviata @ Bridge Street Theatre in Catskill, NY
By Terrence McNally
Directed and Designed by John Sowle
Costumes by Michelle Rogers
Assistant Director – Steven Patterson
Fight Director – Carson Borst
Stage Manager – Stacey Dobos
With
Timothy Dunn as Mendy
Michael Raver as Stephen
Jeff Brackett as Mike
M. Damon Hawkins as Paul

CP: The Max Hunter Company‘s production of The Pass @ La Mama, through September 4, 2026
Written by John Donnelly
Directed by Max Hunter
Starring Matisse Ratron-Neal (Girl Says Woman Says Man Says), Terry Bell (The Skin of Our Teeth), Ino Badanjak (Queens), and Oliver Rowland-Jones (Oedipus)

MP: West Side Story (movie) at the Paris movie theater
Big & Loud 2026 series

CP: The Saviors @ Atlantic Theater Company‘s Linda Gross Theater, through August 15, 2026
by Bubba Weiler
directed by Jack Serio
When a lost young man takes shelter in their church, two altar boys desperately cling to each other as their changing faiths, lives, and bodies threaten to tear them apart.

CP: Hungry Women @ SoHo Playhouse, through August 30, 2026
A world without men? How delicious.

The winner of last year’s SoHo Playhouse Lighthouse Series, Hungry Women is a world-premiere dark comedy that speculates: “What would happen if men went extinct, and women were in charge?”

Starring Tony Nominee Julia Lester (Into the Woods, All Nighter), this original play explores hundreds of years of absurd and twisted what-if herstory by way of a sharp script, gripping performances, and an unapologetically feminist lens. In between the cannibalism, ghosts, and science fiction, rising playwright Melissa Maney examines survival, identity, sexuality, motherhood, and the reshaping of power in the absence of the patriarchy.

In the end, it asks: What are women most hungry for?
Come find out.

News:

Future Episodes:

Jena Tesse Fox joins us next week!

Peter’s Brainteaser:

In a black-and-white film version of a play that became far more famous as a musical, these two featured players eventually donned drag in a scene set in a restaurant. This would not be the only time in these men’s careers that they would be so dressed.

The taller of the two performers would two years later wear drag in another black-and-white movie that was eventually protected by the National Film Registry. It was made right around the same time that he starred in a Broadway musical.

The shorter of the two performers donned drag 14 years after he’d made that black-and-white film, when he starred in a Broadway musical that had been adapted from a very different movie — also a black-and-white one — that had also been protected by the National Film Registry.

What’s the black-and-white film in which they donned drag?

Who are the two actors?

In what subsequent black-and-white films did the taller of two performers don drag?

What were the names of the musicals that they did?

Michael’s Musical Moments

Music Opener:

Music Closer:

Support BroadwayRadio on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/broadwayradio

Patreon listeners get “This Week on Broadway” on Sunday afternoon before it is released to the general public on Sunday evening.

Explicit: No

Contact Info:

Email addresses: See above in bios

BroadwayRadio Phone / Voicemail: +1-888-285-4666

BroadwayRadio: Facebook | Instagram

Subscribe:

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…and anywhere that you can listen to finer podcasts.

’10 Things I Hate About You’ musical to come to Broadway, Ariana Madix to join ‘Just in Time,’ ‘Greatest Showman’ sets London date

Every week, Matt Tamanini will bring you the biggest news from across the theatrical landscape and will prepare you for what’s ahead over the next seven days.

Any and all feedback is appreciated:
Matt Tamanini: [email protected] | @BroadwayRadio

For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the episode name.

1) ’10 Things I Hate About You’ musical to premiere on Broadway in one year
https://deadline.com/2026/08/10-things-i-hate-about-you-broadway-lena-dunham-musical-1237042879/

2) Ariana Madix to return to Broadway in ‘Just in Time’
https://deadline.com/2026/08/ariana-madix-broadway-just-in-time-musical-connie-francis-1237042767/

3) ‘The Greatest Showman’ to have West End premiere next spring
https://deadline.com/2026/08/greatest-showman-musical-west-end-opening-date-1237041487/

4) Rachel Bloom, more join Bill Irwin in ‘The Imaginary Invalid’ on Broadway
https://playbill.com/article/rachel-bloom-to-make-broadway-debut-in-the-imaginary-invalid

5) Skyler Astin, Sarah Hyland to join ‘Cabaret’ in London
https://playbill.com/article/gazillion-bubble-show-delays-off-broadway-closing

6) Off-Broadway show and casting news

Marilu Henner, Shannon Purser to lead ‘The Ask’ Off-Broadway
https://playbill.com/article/marilu-henner-shannon-purser-will-lead-the-ask-off-broadway

Kelly Marie Tran to lead ‘King of the Yees’
https://playbill.com/article/kelly-marie-tran-daniel-k-isaac-more-join-cast-of-lauren-yees-king-of-the-yees-off-broadway

Anneliese van der Pol, Morgan Dudley to join ‘Heathers’ Off-Broadway
https://playbill.com/article/more-cast-changes-coming-to-off-broadways-heathers

‘Gazillion Bubble Show’ pushes Off-Broadway closing
https://playbill.com/article/gazillion-bubble-show-delays-off-broadway-closing

7) This week’s theatrical schedule

Saturday, Aug. 22
Closing: ‘A Walk on the Moon’ Off-Broadway
http://awalkonthemoonmusical.com/ 

Sunday, Aug. 23
Closing: ‘Birthright’ Off-Broadway at MCC
https://mcctheater.org/tix/birthright/ 

Closing: ‘The Winter’s Tale’ at Shakespeare in the Park
http://publictheater.org/productions/season/2526/sftc/the-winters-tale/ 

Peter Filichia and James Marino talk about The Winter’s Tale @ Delacorte Theater, A Midsummer Night’s Dream @ Compass Rose Theater, The Vessel @ 59e59, and ISLA @ WP Theater.

“This Week on Broadway” has been coming to you every week since 2009. It is the longest-running running Broadway and theatrical podcast with hundreds of shows giving thousands of reviews and interviews.

Subscribe to BroadwayRadio in Apple Podcasts by CLICKING HERE.

Support BroadwayRadio on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/broadwayradio

Patreon listeners get This Week on Broadway first, on Sunday afternoon before it is released to the general public on Sunday evening.

Panel:

Peter Filichia | [email protected] | Facebook
PETER FILICHIA is a playwright, journalist, and historian with a number of books. Peter’s new day-by-day desk calendar – A SHOW TUNE FOR TODAY – 366 Songs to Brighten Your Year – is available at finer retailers!

Next Sunday (August 23), peter will be in Hopkinton, MA, for the beginning rehearsals of his play, ” “Larry, The Big-Time Broadway Producer,” which will be presented by Enter Stage Left Theater in October 2026

On Thursday, August 27, Theater 555 (555 West 42nd Street) at 3pm & 7pm, will present a concert reading of Peter’s play, “My Little Afternoon”

What happens when a sweet, all American 21-year old decides to viciously and violently change the world that he has inhereted?

Please join playwright Peter Filichia, director/producer Eric Krebs and featured actor Sean Hodges to find out.

Reservations: EKTMINC@AOL@COM, [email protected] or [email protected]

Admission is free

Showtune for Today: Shakin’ The Blues Away from Easter Parade

Michael Portantiere | [email protected] | Facebook
MICHAEL PORTANTIERE has been a theater journalist for more than 50 years. The founder and editor of CastAlbumReviews.com. He is also a theatrical photographer whose photos have appeared in The New York Times and other publications, and he writes reviews of cabaret shows for NiteLifeExchange.com. Additionally, Michael is known as a producer and director of shows at 54 Below, the Laurie Beechman Theatre, and other venues.

Michael is away this week and will return next week.

James Marino | [email protected] | Facebook
BroadwayStars

Note: This week we had listeners join us while recording. These listeners are Patreon members who support BroadwayRadio. If you would like to join us in the future, become a supporter at BroadwayRadio/plus.

Sponsor:

Pre:

The BroadwayRadio App is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play for Andorid!

Please let us know if you run into any problems or have suggestions.

Reviews

PF: The Winter’s Tale @ Delacorte Theater, through August 23, 2026
Written by William Shakespeare
Choreography by Mimi Lieber
Directed by Daniel Sullivan

Tony Award-winning director Daniel Sullivan returns to Free Shakespeare in the Park with a spellbinding new production of THE WINTER’S TALE. When the King of Sicilia becomes convinced his pregnant wife has been unfaithful, the royal baby is smuggled to the coast of Bohemia where an old shepherd finds her and renames her Perdita. Sixteen years later, Perdita falls in love with another young shepherd, Doricles, who turns out to be a prince in disguise. Honesty is a fool and true love the only answer in this mysterious, romantic tale of defiance and destiny.

The cast of THE WINTER’S TALE includes Heschel Bay (Ensemble), Marsha Stephanie Blake (Paulina), Teagle F. Bougere (Camillo), Chuck Cooper (Old Shepherd), Peter Douskalis (Musician), Matthew Eby (Mamillius/Time/Ensemble), Raúl Esparza (Leontes), Isabela Ferrer (Perdita), Katie Griffith (Mopsa/Ensemble), Alex Hernandez (Cleomenes/Ensemble), Michael Khalid Karadsheh (Young Shepherd), Denise Kolodja (Ensemble), Daniel Kyri (Florizel), Everett Lonergan (Ensemble), Aubie Merrylees (Archidamus/Ensemble), Jennifer Mogbock (Emilia/Ensemble), Gilbert Owuor (Polixenes), Violeta Picayo (Ensemble), Lily Rabe (Hermione), Bianca Rogoff (Ensemble), Matt E. Russell (Dion/Ensemble), Steven Skybell (Antigonus/Autolycus), Michael Thanh Tran (Ensemble), and Jackson Whitman (Ensemble).

New York Times: Oskar Eustis, Theater Giant, Is Stepping Down. First, He Has Thoughts. By Michael Paulson
Eustis has been the Public Theater’s artistic director for 21 years, stewarding Free Shakespeare in the Park, nurturing “Hamilton” and navigating the coronavirus pandemic.

L.A. Times: ‘It’s not coming back’: Giant of the stage and L.A. theaters confront the end of the nonprofit movement By Jessica Gelt
Public Theater’s artistic director, Oskar Eustis, said the American nonprofit theater movement is “over,” as his planned 2028 exit reignites a reckoning with a post-pandemic landscape of closures and frayed public support.
Once a nationwide network built on a shared belief in subsidized, community-rooted art, regional theater now faces soaring costs, union demands and waning consensus about its nonprofit mission.
L.A. leaders at Geffen Playhouse, Pasadena Playhouse and Center Theatre Group test a new chapter, centering fair pay, touring and site-specific work to rebuild theater’s bond with local audiences.

PF: A Midsummer Night’s Dream @ Compass Rose Theater, Edgewater, MD (near Annapolis)

PF: The Vessel @ 59e59, through August 30, 2026
By Brendan George
Directed by Peter Charney
With Will Ingram, Anastasia Locke, and Sofonyas

PF: ISLA @ WP Theater, through August 29, 2026
ISLA, the latest full-length work from acclaimed theater company Hit the Lights, is a uniquely original family history led by founding company member Samantha Blain. In her Caribbean coming-of-age story, Blain’s American lineage is born when three young women learn that sometimes the real world can be stronger than magic.

Based on the true saga of one family exodus to Miami via the 1960’s Freedom Flights, ISLA is a visually sumptuous, musically driven play that evokes the rustic spirit of pre-Castro Cuba’s kitchens, fields, dance halls and public squares. Blain, in the role of her aunt, must ally with her sisters to chart a path to an uncertain and newly imagined future.

News:

Ari Emanuel’s Company to Acquire 7 Broadway Theaters and 10 in the West End By Michael Paulson
The purchase of ATG Entertainment, which operates dozens of venues worldwide, will require regulatory approval.
“Ari Emanuel, the Hollywood power broker who is building a live events company that already has holdings in visual art, tennis, collector cars and theater ticketing, announced on Tuesday that his venture had agreed to acquire ATG Entertainment, a British company that operates theaters on Broadway and in London’s West End.“

“ATG is the smallest of the big three Broadway landlords, controlling seven of the district’s 41 theaters. It has also become increasingly active as a producer of Broadway shows, including a Dolly Parton musical that is scheduled to open in January. (ATG is facing litigation from an investor over its production of a 2024 Broadway revival of “Cabaret,” which said it had lost all its money despite grossing $90 million at the box office.)“

Future Episodes:

Peter’s Brainteaser:

When this item was mentioned in the opening number of a 1950s’ Tony-losing musical, it was then worth nine-point-eight-four cents.

What is it?

Michael’s Musical Moments

Music Opener:

Music Closer:

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Patreon listeners get “This Week on Broadway” on Sunday afternoon before it is released to the general public on Sunday evening.

Explicit: No

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Breaking down the Broadway grosses and major theatre news

Patreon: BroadwayRadio
https://www.patreon.com/broadwayradio

For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the episode name.

1) Last week’s Broadway grosses:
https://www.broadwayleague.com/research/grosses-broadway-nyc/

2) Ari Emanuel’s Mari purchases ATG
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/11/theater/ari-emanuel-atg-entertainment.html

3) Whitney Leavitt to join ‘Just in Time’ on Broadway for holidays
https://people.com/whitney-leavitt-is-returning-to-broadway-to-star-in-just-in-time-exclusive-12057592

4) Tom Felton extends in ‘Cursed Child’ for the final time
https://deadline.com/2026/08/tom-felton-broadway-harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-1237030964/

5) Reece Weaver to join ‘Chicago’ on Broadway
https://playbill.com/article/americas-sweethearts-reece-weaver-will-make-broadway-debut-in-chicago

6) Julianne Moore to lead Sarah Ruhl play Off-Broadway
https://deadline.com/2026/08/julianne-moore-faydra-off-broadway-1237030279/

7) Sophia Anne Caruso to lead Duncan Sheik’s ‘Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen’ Off-Broadway
https://deadline.com/2026/08/sophia-anne-caruso-memoirs-of-amorous-gentlemen-1237028562/

Stars join Encores’ ‘Charlie Brown,’ ‘Shuffle Along’ to get reunion concert, Bowen Yang in ‘Oh, Mary!’

Every week, Matt Tamanini will bring you the biggest news from across the theatrical landscape and will prepare you for what’s ahead over the next seven days.

Any and all feedback is appreciated:
Matt Tamanini: [email protected] | @BroadwayRadio

For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the episode name.

1) Pierce, Edebiri, Brooks, Ha to lead Encores’ ‘Charlie Brown’
https://deadline.com/2026/08/good-man-charle-brown-david-hyde-pierce-ayo-edebiri-broadway-1237027738/

2) ‘Shuffle Along’ to get one-night reunion concert
https://lincolncenter.org/series/lincoln-center-presents/in-concert-shuffle-along

3) Ariana DeBose to lead workshop of ‘Sweet Charity’
https://www.broadwaynews.com/tony-award-nominee-ariana-debose-to-lead-sweet-charity-workshop/

4) Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Justin Mikita to produce musical comedy microdrama
https://deadline.com/2026/08/jesse-tyler-ferguson-microdrama-theater-kids-vs-zombies-1237017939/

5) Broadway show and casting news

Bowen Yang to join ‘Oh, Mary!’
https://www.vulture.com/article/bowen-yang-oh-mary-casting-interview.html

Anthony Gargiula to join ‘& Juliet’
https://people.com/anthony-gargiula-sets-broadway-debut-in-and-juliet-exclusive-12034140

Ben Davis to play Hades in ‘Hadestown’
https://playbill.com/article/ben-davis-will-be-hades-in-broadways-hadestown

Salazar, Moon to join ‘Rocky Horror’ on Broadway
https://playbill.com/article/george-salazar-jimin-moon-more-to-join-the-rocky-horror-show-broadway-revival

6) Off-Broadway show and casting news

Keenan-Bolger, Wiseman, more to lead ‘The Visitors’ from Second Stage
https://www.broadway.com/buzz/207530/celia-keenan-bolger-mary-wiseman-more-join-cast-of-second-stages-the-visitors/

Todrick Hall’s ‘Midnight’ announces full Off-Broadway cast
https://variety.com/2026/legit/news/todrick-hall-midnight-full-cast-off-broadway-run-1236827451/

LCT announces full cast for ‘Seven Guitars’ revival
https://playbill.com/article/off-broadway-revival-of-august-wilsons-seven-guitars-finds-full-casting

7) This week’s theatrical schedule

Tuesday, Aug. 11
Opening: ‘An American Daughter’ Off-Broadway 

An American Daughter

Opening: ‘The Winter’s Tale’ Shakespeare in the Park
https://publictheater.org/productions/season/2526/sftc/the-winters-tale/ 

Friday, Aug. 14
Performances: ‘Paranormal Activity’ on Broadway
https://paranormalbroadway.com/ 

Saturday, Aug. 15
Closing: ‘The Saviors’ Off-Broadway
https://atlantictheater.org/production/the-saviors/ 

Sunday, Aug. 16
Closing: ‘Ragtime’ on Broadway
https://www.lct.org/shows/ragtime/ 

James Marino, Peter Filichia, and Michael Portantiere review Disruption @ Signature Center, Maltby & Shire’s: Closer Than Ever @ Centenary Stage Company, and Hadestown (movie). We also discuss Shuffle Along Reunion Concert to Play Lincoln Center, David Hyde Pierce, Danielle Brooks, Ayo Edebiri, Jin Ha Will Star in Encores! Charlie Brown, and Catch Me If You Can (movie) coming to Bryant Park tomorrow night!

“This Week on Broadway” has been coming to you every week since 2009. It is the longest-running running Broadway and theatrical podcast with hundreds of shows giving thousands of reviews and interviews.

Subscribe to BroadwayRadio in Apple Podcasts by CLICKING HERE.

Support BroadwayRadio on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/broadwayradio

Patreon listeners get This Week on Broadway first, on Sunday afternoon before it is released to the general public on Sunday evening.

Panel:

Peter Filichia | [email protected] | Facebook
PETER FILICHIA is a playwright, journalist, and historian with a number of books. Peter’s new day-by-day desk calendar – A SHOW TUNE FOR TODAY – 366 Songs to Brighten Your Year – is available at finer retailers!

Showtune for Today: Mama. I’m A Big Girl Now from Hairspray

Michael Portantiere | [email protected] | Facebook
MICHAEL PORTANTIERE has been a theater journalist for more than 50 years. The founder and editor of CastAlbumReviews.com. He is also a theatrical photographer whose photos have appeared in The New York Times and other publications, and he writes reviews of cabaret shows for NiteLifeExchange.com. Additionally, Michael is known as a producer and director of shows at 54 Below, the Laurie Beechman Theatre, and other venues.

James Marino | [email protected] | Facebook
BroadwayStars

Note: This week we had listeners join us while recording. These listeners are Patreon members who support BroadwayRadio. If you would like to join us in the future, become a supporter at Patreon.com/BroadwayRadio.

Sponsor:

Pre:

Jan Simpson’s All the Drama: “Driving Miss Daisy”, 1988 Winner, Pulitzer Prize for Drama is out for general public.

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Please let us know if you run into any problems or have suggestions.

Reviews

PF + MP: Disruption @ The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center, through October 4, 2026
by Andrew Stein
directed by Hersh Ellis

PF: Maltby & Shire’s: Closer Than Ever @ Centenary Stage Company, Kutz Theatre, Hackettstown, NJ, July 30 – August 9

MP: Hadestown (movie). Michael saw it at AMC on 42nd Street… but there is a trailer on Apple TV…

News:

Shuffle Along Reunion Concert to Play Lincoln Center By Margaret Hall
Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Billy Porter, Adrienne Warren, Brandon Victor Dixon, and more will be back to recreate the 2016 musical.

This Week on Broadway for January 18, 2016: Billy Porter

David Hyde Pierce, Danielle Brooks, Ayo Edebiri, Jin Ha Will Star in Encores! Charlie Brown By Logan Culwell-Block
The Clark Gesner musical is playing New York City Center in February 2027.

“I can’t stand it!” (In the 1999 revival of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Kristin Chenoweth plays Sally Brown.)

Catch Me If You Can (movie) @ Bryant Park Monday, August 10
Shakespeare In Love, Monday, September 14

Future Episodes:

Peter’s Brainteaser:

Both musicals were based on novels that became films.

Each musical closed without braving Broadway, one on the east coast, one on the west.

Each title has four words in it, and the final two words are identical.

What were the two musicals?

Michael’s Musical Moments

Guys and Dolls movie

Music Opener: “A Woman in Love,” main title from film soundtrack

Music Closer: “I’ve Never Been in Love Before,” from OBC (Robert Alda)

Support BroadwayRadio on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/broadwayradio

Patreon listeners get “This Week on Broadway” on Sunday afternoon before it is released to the general public on Sunday evening.

Explicit: No

Contact Info:

Email addresses: See above in bios

BroadwayRadio Phone / Voicemail: +1-888-285-4666

BroadwayRadio: Facebook | Instagram

Subscribe:

Patreon | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | iHeart Radio | TuneIn | Pandora | YouTube Music

…and anywhere that you can listen to finer podcasts.

‘Purple Rain’ comes to Broadway with major changes, exciting ‘Benjamin Button’ casting, ‘Hadestown’ pro-tape breaks box office records

Every week, Matt Tamanini will bring you the biggest news from across the theatrical landscape and will prepare you for what’s ahead over the next seven days.

Any and all feedback is appreciated:
Matt Tamanini: [email protected] | @BroadwayRadio

For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the episode name.

1) ‘Purple Rain’ to come to Broadway this spring with new writer, director
https://deadline.com/2026/07/purple-rain-musical-broadway-1237004347/

2) Andrew Durand to lead ‘Benjamin Button’ Off-Broadway
https://deadline.com/2026/07/benjamin-button-musical-andrew-durand-off-broadway-1237002419/

3) Shears, Courtney, McHale to join ‘Rocky Horror’ on Broadway
https://deadline.com/2026/07/jake-shears-lorna-courtney-kevin-mchale-rocky-horror-broadway-1237002593/

4) Broadway casting news

Aaron Tveit to return to ‘Moulin Rouge’
https://playbill.com/article/aaron-tveit-will-return-to-moulin-rouge-on-broadway

‘Titanique’ welcomes two familiar faces to Broadway company
https://playbill.com/article/russell-daniels-will-join-titanique-on-broadway

‘Wanted’ welcomes two familiar faces to Broadway company
https://playbill.com/article/aurelia-williams-and-awa-sal-secka-join-broadways-upcoming-wanted

Baseball player turned Latin pop star to join ‘Buena Vista Social Club’
https://playbill.com/article/jose-candelita-iglesias-will-make-broadway-debut-in-buena-vista-social-club

Matt’s not-so-secret rumor of the day!

5) In other news

Atlantic Theatre Company extends ‘Saviors’ Off-Broadway
https://playbill.com/article/bubba-weilers-the-saviors-extends-off-broadway

‘Hadestown’ pro-tape breaks box office record
https://playbill.com/article/hadestown-stage-film-nearly-surpasses-all-time-record-for-highest-grossing-broadway-capture-film

All The Drama is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of deep dives into the plays that have won The Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

1988 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, “Driving Miss Daisy” by Alfred Uhry

Driving Miss Daisy Wikipedia page
https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Driving_Miss_Daisy_(play)

Alfred Uhry Wikipedia page
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Uhry

Driving Miss Daisy script
https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/13311/driving-miss-daisy

“THE STAGE: ‘DRIVING MISS DAISY’” by Mel Gussow, The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/16/theater/the-stage-driving-miss-daisy.html

“Real Life Inspired Uhry’s Midlife Success” by Leah R. Harrison, Atlanta Jewish Times
https://www.atlantajewishtimes.com/real-life-inspired-uhrys-midlife-success/

“Miss Daisy’ Gives Uhry Success at Long Last” by Leslie Bennetts, The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/23/theater/miss-daisy-gives-uhry-success-at-long-last.html

“Stooped and a Bit Slow, but Still Standing Tall” by Ben Brantley, The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/26/theater/reviews/26driving.html

Charlie Rose interview
https://charlierose.com/videos/23851

The Producer’s Perspective Podcast with Ken Davenport with Alfred Uhry
https://broadwaypodcastnetwork.com/podcasts/the-producer-s-perspective-podcast-with-ken-davenport/174-alfred-uhry/173

Driving Miss Daisy movie
https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0091WJW4S/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the episode name.

Jan Simpson | [email protected] | Facebook | Twitter
Broadway & Me
Jan Simpson is a theater journalist who writes the blog Broadway& Me and hosts the BroadwayRadio podcasts Stagecraft and All The Drama. She has twice served as a Pulitzer Prize juror.