We're celebrating the end of the year this week with the musical A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD. And just like the musical itself, this week's episode is filled with much more than you'd expect:

• A salute to the Midwest musical theatre contributions that made this groundbreaking show possible? Check.
• Perspectives from the show's original Broadway choreographer? Check.
• Real talk on the successes and pitfalls of Theatre for Young Audiences? Check.
• A deep dive into the earnest yet sophisticated stories of two loveable amphibians... WITH COOKIES!? Double check.

Join us for this packed conversation as guests Dr. Erica Halverson (host of Arts Educators Save the World) and director/choreographer Daniel Pelzig (Broadway's A Year with Frog and Toad and 33 Variations) bring their years of expertise to the intersection of children, theatre, and one of the most unique undertakings in modern Broadway history.

Learn more about Erica's work (including her book and podcast) by visiting her website ericahalverson.com

Have you heard it's only $1 a month to join PATREON! Join now to qualify for all of our new content in 2025. We can't wait to show you what we've been working on!

Don't forget to like and share our episodes on Instagram, TikTok, and X. We have holiday and episode playlists on Spotify. And be sure to check out our TeePublic Store where our profits from those designs are donated to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS TODAY, December 31st!

Most importantly, thank you for being part of this wonderful podcasting community!

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In 1964, Carol was bringing down the house as Dolly, Barbra was blowing the roof off as Fanny, and for 9 performances only, Angela Lansbury belted out Sondheim as Cora Hoover Hooper in ANYONE CAN WHISTLE.

It's no surprise to hear that "flop" is not a curse word on "A Musical Theatre Podcast," but that goes double for a show with an incredible score and some of the biggest storytelling swings in musical history. (Some of which are brilliant!) Join special guest Mike Meaney (off-Broadway's Do Re Mi) as we explore this listener request with a larger cultural footprint than many musicals with 10 times as many performances.

As promised, there will be plenty of cookies. ;)

Head over to PATREON! where subscribers of $1 or more will find even more Sondheim as Mike also guests in our final installment of "Something Worth Singing About." Subscribers will also receive a Christmas gift to the theatre merch store Bubble Bard!

Be sure to follow Mike on Instagram @realmikemeaney and look forward to a new season at J2 Spotlight in New York where he'll be serving as Associate Director.

Don't forget to like and share our episodes on Instagram, TikTok, and X. We have holiday and episode playlists on Spotify. And be sure to check out our TeePublic Store where our profits from those designs are donated to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS at the end of this month!

Most importantly, thank you for being part of this wonderful podcasting community!

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"Come and meet those dancing feet!" Why? Because those feet have been through a lot!

Karen Prunzik originated the role of "Anytime Annie" in one of Broadway's biggest hits 42ND STREET. This 1980 stage adaptation of the 1933 film gave birth to musical theatre lore we still talk about to this day, and Karen had a front row seat for it all. Join us as we discuss the plot twists both onstage and off that came together to create a classic.

Special thanks to Jonathan Blake Flemings for making this episode possible!

If you enjoyed this conversation, check out our drama filled episode about another musical from the early 1980s: NINE with Kim Criswell.

ATTENTION! Now is the time to subscribe to PATREON! for only $1. Big changes are coming in 2025, and if you join now, you'll continue to get it ALL for only $1 a month.

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Above all, thank you for being part of this wonderful podcasting community!

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THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA enjoyed 13,981 performances on Broadway, the most of any musical of all time, but now it finally gets its true crowning glory: its own full episode of "A Musical Theatre Podcast."

This week, Jeff is joined by actress, author, and public speaker Sandra Joseph who has a record-breaking title of her own: "the longest running leading lady in the longest running Broadway show of all time." With over 1,500 performances as Christine Daae under her belt, Sandra brings deep understanding and a beautifully personal connection to the show that is nothing less than a global phenomenon.

Follow Sandra on Instagram @sandrajoseph, learn more about her current work at sandrajoseph.com, and buy her book Unmasking What Matters: 10 Life Lessons From 10 Years on Broadway.

If you enjoyed this episode, share it! You might also enjoy our episode on EVITA with Javier Manente.

Have you subscribed to PATREON! and, if you haven't, what are you waiting for? Bonus episodes, holiday surprises, and more wait for you for only $1 a month! Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and X. Our Spotify playlists can keep you company in between episodes. And our TeePublic Store has great designs that benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Above all, thank you for being part of this wonderful podcasting community!

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Are you "Team Cathy" or "Team Jamie?"

Exploring the arc of a five-year relationship from beginning to end (or end to beginning?) is no small feat, and this week we do it thanks to Jason Robert Brown's THE LAST FIVE YEARS. Singer/songwriter and social media star Grace Yurchuk joins Jeff to discuss this musical that has broken hearts and devastated audition accompanists since it's off-Broadway premiere in 2002. What did we get right? What did we get wrong? Let us know on social media!

Follow Grace on Instagram, TikTok, and X. Check out her latest album Just Between Us: The Live Album on Apple Music and Spotify.

Have you subscribed to PATREON! and, if you haven't, what are you waiting for? Bonus episodes, trivia nights, and our brand-new Rocky Horror Cooking Show just in time for Halloween! All of it awaits for only $1 a month! Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and X. Our Spotify playlists can keep you company in between episodes. And our TeePublic Store has great designs that benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Above all, thank you for being part of this wonderful podcasting community!

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THE PROM is an original musical that very much connected with audiences when it first premiered on Broadway in 2018. It features great characters, clever dialogue, and energetic songs. But those things don't write themselves, do they?!

This week we sit down with the show's lyricist, and half of its book writing team, six-time Tony nominee Chad Beguelin! (THE WEDDING SINGER, ALADDIN, ELF) Chad takes us to "the prom" by way of exploring colorful characters like the Dee Dee Allen, inspirations from his hometown and childhood, and the pit stops his creative team passed up along the road to Broadway. (Spoiler alert: GOONIES THE MUSICAL was almost in the opening number.)

Be sure to follow Chad on Instagram at @chadbeg and order his new novel SHOWMANCE.

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our past episode Broadway Podcast Network - FUN HOME with guest Alyssa M Simmons

Have you subscribed to PATREON! and, if you haven't, what are you waiting for? Bonus episodes, trivia nights, and an upcoming cooking show await you for only $1 a month! Plus, you get the satisfaction of supporting "A Musical Theatre Podcast." We're active on Instagram, TikTok, and X. Our Spotify playlists can keep you company in between episodes. And our TeePublic Store has great designs that benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Above all, thank you for being part of this wonderful podcasting community!

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"Here she is boys! Here she is world! Here's... one of the best written musicals of all time!" GYPSY is part of Jeff's top three, and we have a top tier guest this week to celebrate it. Two-time Tony nominee Alison Fraser (THE SECRET GARDEN, ROMANCE/ROMANCE, IN TROUSERS) was a close friend of writer Arthur Laurents and played the role of Tessie Tura in the famous 2008 Broadway revival. Join us as she helps us explore the striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee, her tragic monster of a mother, and how their musical fable is as old as storytelling itself.

Be sure to send Alison that fan art on Instagram and Facebook!

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on another Robbins/Laurents/Sondheim collaboration: WEST SIDE STORY with Hector Guerrero

Have you subscribed to PATREON! and, if you haven't, what are you waiting for? Bonus episodes, trivia nights, and fun surveys await you for only $1 a month! Plus, you get the satisfaction of supporting "A Musical Theatre Podcast." We're active on Instagram, TikTok, and X. Our Spotify playlists can keep you company in between episodes. And our TeePublic Store has great designs that benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Above all, thank you for being part of this wonderful podcasting community!

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This week's episode may have one of the all-time great backstories in musical theatre history: a woman composes a new Broadway score with her husband during the Great Depression while he works with the US president, and she falls in love with one of the biggest composers of all time.

FINE AND DANDY is much more than its title implies, but it sure does have one humdinger of a "fine and dandy" score. Join producer and musical theatre historian Jennifer Ashley Tepper (54 Below, BE MORE CHILL) this week as we learn more about this piece of our collective musical past, and not the coconut tree from which we did not fall.

We definitely recommend listening to last month's episode on LADY, BE GOOD! with William A. Everett before listening to this one. The crossover was unintentionally inspiring!

You can find the 2004 World Premier Recording of FINE AND DANDY on Spotify and Apple Music.

Pre order Jennifer's new book Women Writing Musicals: The Legacy That the History Books Left Out on Amazon and follow her on Instagram, TikTok, and X @jenashtep.

To learn more about Kay Swift, read her granddaughter's book The Memory of All That: George Gershwin, Kay Swift, and My Family's Legacy of Infidelities

Have you given "A Musical Theatre Podcast" a nice review? It's time! Are you on PATREON!? It's only a dollar! Have you joined us on Instagram, TikTok, and X? We have great content! These are all ways for us to connect with our wonderful podcasting community! We even have a TeePublic shop with great designs, and we donate our profits to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Above all thank you for being here! xo

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Few musicals have captured the hearts of audiences quite like Disney's ALADDIN. But did you know the beloved stage adaptation of the classic animation almost never came to be? This podcast pulls back the curtain on the untold story of ALADDIN's journey from conception to Broadway triumph.

Join 11-time Emmy Award winning entertainment journalist for NY1 and NY1OnStage host Frank DiLella on an in-depth exploration that begins with the initial spark of a stage adaptation. We'll delve into the challenges faced during out-of-town tryouts, the unwavering determination to overcome them, and the celebration of reaching over a decade on Broadway – a remarkable feat in the world of musical theatre.

This captivating series features exclusive conversations with the original cast and creative team behind ALADDIN including Alan Menken, Casey Nicholaw, James Monroe Iglehart, Adam Jacobs, Courtney Reed, Sonya Balsara, Adi Roy and more as they recount their experiences with the show.

Whether you're a lifelong Disney fan, a theatre enthusiast, or simply captivated by the magic of storytelling, this series is a must-listen. Unveil the untold story of ALADDIN and discover the passion, resilience, and drive that created a Broadway sensation.

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ANASTASIA is a musical based on a rumor that has stood the test of time and is a testament to the stories we tell during our "darkest Decembers." Joining us this week to discuss it is a young man who's just beginning to tell his own story, and he's earned quite the platform to do so. Damson Chola Jr. won the Jimmy Awards earlier this year and, thanks to incredible performing arts support in his Texas hometown, already has this epic musical on his resume. Don't miss this conversation filled with history, animation, and heart.

Follow Damson on Instagram @damsoncholajr, and be sure to check out his galleries and original music by visiting damsoncholajr.com

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode with ANASTASIA composers Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty: A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE with Stephen Flaherty & Lynn Ahrens

Have you subscribed to PATREON! yet? It's only $1 a month, and next week subscribers get a new episode of "Something Worth Singing About" dedicated to the musicals of Ahrens & Flaherty. Follow all the latest from the podcast on Instagram, TikTok, and X. And don't forget about our TeePublic Store where our profits are donated to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Above all, thank you for being part of this wonderful podcasting community!

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We've got our first "musicologist" and first Gershwin brothers musical in the same episode! This week we welcome William A. Everett to discuss George & Ira's first full collaboration LADY, BE GOOD! Not only did this musical star the Astaire siblings, but it also landed in 1924, a year you'll soon realize was one of the most important in all of Broadway history. Don't miss this jam-packed episode that in under an hour manages to include both HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL references and highbrow words like "diagetic." (insert exclamation point here!)

Order Bill's new book The Year that Made the Musical: 1924 and the Glamour of Musical Theatre

If you enjoyed this conversation, give a listen to our episode on THE DROWSY CHAPERONE with Ken Werther, a modern take on a similar musical style.

Have you subscribed to PATREON! yet?! For only $1 a month you get a bonus episode and more great ways to participate in "A Musical Theatre Podcast." You can also follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and X for a steady flow of episode related content. Don't forget about our TeePublic Store, where the profits we receive are donated to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

More than anything, thank you for being a part of this wonderful podcasting community!

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