PODCAST · history
BROADWAY NATION
by Broadway Podcast Network
A lively and opinionated cultural history of the Broadway Musical that tells the extraordinary story of how Immigrants, Jews, Queers, African-Americans and other outcasts invented the Broadway Musical, and how they changed America in the process.In Season One, host David Armstrong traces the evolution of American Musical Theater from its birth at the dawn of the 20th Century, through its mid-century “Golden Age”, and right up to its current 21st Century renaissance; and also explore how musicals have reflected and shaped our world -- especially in regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, and equality.
Episodes
-
Ep 203: MEREDITH WILLSON & BROADWAY'S DOUBLE SONGS, part 2
This is the second part of my conversation with my frequent co-host, Albert Evans, in which we investigate the Double Songs of Broadway. In this episode, we highlight the amazing work of songwriters Jerome Kern & Anne Caldwell, Cole Porter, Arthur Schwartz & Dorothy Fields, Richard Adler & Jerry...
-
Irving Berlin and Broadway's Double Songs, part 1
Welcome to Season Four! Broadway Nation is back with a new season of all-new episodes that will take you deep inside the history of the Broadway musical with a special emphasis on the Immigrant Jewish, Queer, and Black artists who invented it. I have a fantastic slate of guests and topics lined…
more -
Finale: Sunday in the Park, Into the Woods, Crazy for You and GEMIGNANI
This is the fourth and final section of my conversation with author Margaret Hall about her recent biography of Paul Gemignani titled Gemignani – Life And Lessons From Broadway And Beyond. If you missed the previous episodes in this series, you may want to catch up on those before listening to…
more -
SWEENEY, MERRILY, EVITA, DREAMGIRLS and GEMIGNANI
This is the third part of my conversation with author Margaret Hall, whose captivating book is titled Gemignani – Life And Lessons From Broadway And Beyond. If you missed the first two parts, you may want to catch up on those episodes before listening to this one. As the title suggests…
more -
SONDHEIM, PRINCE, and GEMIGNANI
This is the second part of my recent conversation with author Margaret Hall, the remarkable young theater historian whose new book is titled Gemignani – Life And Lessons From Broadway And Beyond. If you missed part one, you may want to catch up on that episode before listening to this one.…
more -
SONDHEIM'S FIRST CHOICE — PAUL GEMIGNANI with author MARGARET HALL
My guest this week is Margaret Hall, a remarkable young theater historian who is the author of the celebrated new book Gemignani – Life And Lessons From Broadway And Beyond. As you will hear, Margaret spent much of the pandemic interviewing Paul Gemignani who is without a doubt one of the most...
-
HOW SONDHEIM EXTENDED THE RANGE OF THE AMERICAN MUSICAL with BEN FRANCIS, part 3
This is the third and final part of my conversation with Ben Francis whose amazingly compelling new book is titled Careful the Spell You Cast — How Stephen Sondheim Extended the Range of the American Musical. Just like the book, our discussion has been structured around Sondheim’s collaborators.…
more -
CAREFUL THE SPELL YOU CAST, Part 2 with author BEN FRANCIS
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
-
CAREFUL THE SPELL YOU CAST with author BEN FRANCIS
My guest on this episode is Ben Francis, author of the very compelling book titled Careful the Spell You Cast — How Stephen Sondheim Extended the Range of the American Musical. Sondheim is without a doubt one of the most studied, examined, and analyzed Broadway creators of all time. In fact, we...
-
Everything Sondheim: Inside the Creation of the Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia
In this Encore Episode from 2021, author Rick Pender takes us inside the creation of The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia. Rick Pender is a longtime member and former chair of the American Theater Critics Association. He first began reviewing theater in 1985 for a public radio station he managed at...
-
GEORGE M. COHAN —THE MAN WHO OWNED BROADWAY
This is the second of a three-part conversation with author Elizabeth T. Craft regarding her recent book, Yankee Doodle Dandy — George M. Cohan and the Broadway Stage, which is the first book about Cohan in fifty years. If you missed the first episode in this series you may want to catch up with...
-
GEORGE M. COHAN and the BROADWAY STAGE
My guest today is author Elizabeth T. Craft, whose terrific book, Yankee Doodle Dandy — George M. Cohan and the Broadway Stage, is the first book about Cohan in fifty years. No one looms larger in the history of early Broadway than the Irish American writer, composer, lyricist, director,...
-
42nd Street and the Queer Backstage Novels of Bradford Ropes
My guest on this Pride Encore edition of Broadway Nation is author Maya Cantu who joins me to discuss her book, Greasepaint Puritan — Boston to 42nd Street in the Queer Backstage Novels of Bradford Ropes. In this book Maya reclaims the life and work of Bradford Ropes, the author of the naughty,...
-
Julian Eltinge In Hollywood , part 3 (Encore)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
-
Encore Episode: The Musical Theater of Julian Eltinge
My guest again this week is Andrew Erdman, author of the captivating book, Beautiful—The Story of Julian Eltinge, America's Greatest Female Impersonator. In this episode, Andrew continues the story of Eltinge’s rise to the absolute highest realms of show business — and we especially focus on…
more -
America's First Drag Superstar: Julian Eltinge, part 1
My guest on this episode is Andrew L. Erdman, who is the author of the new book: Beautiful — The Story of Julian Eltinge, America's Greatest Female Impersonator. In the late 19th and early 20th Century — long before the fierce television Drag stars of today — a specific style of drag performance...
-
Encore Episode: My Friend Sandy, part 2 — The Boy Friend, London Theatre and Gay Culture
This is the second half of my conversation with Deborah Phillips author of the fascinating book, AND THIS IS MY FRIEND SANDY — SANDY WILSON’S THE BOY FRIEND, LONDON THEATRE AND GAY CULTURE. If you missed the previous episode you may want to catch up with that before listening to this one. The...
-
Encore Episode: SANDY WILSON’S THE BOY FRIEND, LONDON THEATRE AND GAY CULTURE.
My guest this week is author Deborah Phillips whose new book is titled: AND THIS IS MY FRIEND SANDY — SANDY WILSON’S THE BOY FRIEND, LONDON THEATRE AND GAY CULTURE. Sandy Wilson's The Boyfriend — for which he wrote the book, music, & lyrics — is one of the most successful British musicals of all...
-
Encore Episode: Round in Circles, part 2
This is the second part of my conversation with author Barry Kester whose fascinating new book is titled: Round In Circles — The Story of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s CAROUSEL. Last week we focused on the three people most responsible for the creation of CAROUSEL — Oscar Hammerstein, Richard Rodgers,...
-
Encore Episode: Round in Circles — The Story of Rodgers & Hammerstein's CAROUSEL, part 1
My guest on Broadway Nation this week is Barry Kester, author of the fascinating new book: Round In Circles — The Story of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s CAROUSEL. I thought I knew a lot about Carousel — and in fact Albert Evans and I have previously devoted several previous episodes to that show and…
more -
Ep 16: The Golden Age of Broadway, Part 2
The Golden Age of Broadway’s new revolutionary way of writing musicals did not just apply to Musical Plays like those of Rodgers & Hammerstein and Lerner & Loewe. It also transformed the Musical Comedy. In this episode, I share the stories of how the unlikely success of Irving Berlin's ANNIE GET...
-
Ep 201: More Feminist Approaches in Musical Theatre
I am very pleased to share with you part two of my recent conversation with authors Paige Allan and Stacy Wolf about their fascinating new book, Feminist Approaches to Musical Theater. Paige Allen is a writer, researcher, and storyteller. She holds a Master's degree in Women's, Gender, and...
-
Ep 200: Feminist Approaches to Musical Theatre
I am very pleased to share with you part one of my recent conversation with authors Paige Allan and Stacy Wolf about their fascinating new book, Feminist Approaches to Musical Theater. Paige Allen is a writer, researcher, and storyteller. She holds a Masters degree in Women's, Gender, and…
more -
Ep 199: MARC SHAIMAN ON BROADWAY
This is the second half of my recent conversation with Tony Award-winning composer, lyricist, arranger, and music producer MARC SHAIMAN about his new, New York Times bestselling book, NEVER MIND THE HAPPY. During his five-decade career, Marc has found enormous success in nearly every aspect of…
more -
Ep 10: The Great Depression & The Silver Age of Broadway, Part 2
During the 1930s Broadway was severely impacted by the economic disaster of the "Great Depression". However, somehow out of all that hardship and struggle came an extraordinary period of artistic achievement and spectacular continuing development for the Broadway Musical. The inventors of these...
-
Ep 198: FIVE DECADES OF SHOW BIZ with MARC SHAIMAN
My guest today on Broadway Nation is the Tony Award-winning composer, lyricist, arranger, and music producer, MARC SHAIMAN, who has found spectacular success in nearly every aspect of the entertainment industry, including film, television, and theater, but is probably best known to fans of this...
-
Ep 197: Matching Minds With Sondheim with author Barry Joseph
My guest this week is Barry Joseph, the author of the recent book, Matching Minds with Sondheim. Since his death, there have been so many books about Stephen Sondheim and various aspects of his life and his career, including an amazing number of really terrific books, and I have had the honor of...
-
Ep 196 The Last Waltz — In Search of Lost Broadway, part 4
This is the fourth and final episode in which Albert Evans and I go in search of the 1934 smash-hit musical The Great Waltz, one of the longest-running shows of the 1930s. The goal of this occasional series of podcasts, In Search of Lost Broadway, is to try to rediscover big hit Broadway musicals...
-
Ep 195: 40 Years of CHESS
Because this is a Broadway history podcast, I don’t usually comment on recently opened productions, since we can’t know yet whether they will be historically significant. The exceptions, of course, are major revivals of Broadway musicals from the past. And since I’ve been around for a while and…
more -
Ep 194: The Great Waltz on Radio & TV
On this week’s Broadway Nation podcast, Albert Evans and I once again go “In Search of Lost Broadway,” as part of our occasional podcast series in which we try to rediscover significant hit Broadway musicals from the past that today are almost entirely unknown and forgotten. This is the third...
-
Irving Berlin, Bing Crosby and the Story of "White Christmas," America's Most Popular Song, part 2
This is the second of two special holiday episodes of Broadway Nation. Just like the first, this is an audio version of a Broadway Nation Live! performance that was given in December of 2019 at the Vashon Center For The Performing Arts on Vashon Island, WA. If you prefer to watch a video of this...
-
Encore Episode: The Story Behind the Song, WHITE CHRISTMAS
This is a special holiday reprise of one of Broadway Nation's most popular episodes: It's an audio version of a Broadway Nation Live! performance that was presented in December of 2019 at the Vashon Center For The Performing Arts on Vashon Island just outside of Seattle, WA. Several previous...
-
Ep 193: BY STRAUSS! In Search of THE GREAT WALTZ, part 2
This week Albert Evans joins me once again as we go “In Search of Lost Broadway.” Specifically, the 1934 smash-hit musical The Great Waltz, conceived, directed, and lighted by Hassard. Short, with a book by Moss Hart, choreography by Albertina Rasch, based on the Viennese operetta and London hit,...
-
A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FROM BROADWAY NATION!
You are invited to join me on December 11 at 5:00 PM at The Museum of Broadway where Tony and Olivier Award-winning lyricist , David Zippel, will be interview me about my new book, Broadway Nation: How Immigrant, Jewish, Queer, and Black Artists Invented the Broadway Musical. Reserve your FREE...
-
Ep 192: IN SEARCH OF LOST BROADWAY — THE GREAT WALTZ
This is the second in our occasional series of episodes that I'm calling "In Search of Lost Broadway,” in which my longtime colleague Albert Evans and I try to unearth and rediscover musicals that were very significant and influential Broadway hits in their day but now have disappeared from…
more -
Encore Episode: MY FIRST SONDHEIM
This episode was recorded in 2021 just five days after it was announced that Stephen Sondheim had died and as it happened my friend, colleague and frequent co-host and contributor to Broadway Nation, Albert Evans, was spending the Thanksgiving weekend with me, and so we were together when this…
more -
Ep 191: HOW A SONDHEIM REJECTION INSPIRED A BROADWAY NOVEL!
My guest this week is DAN ELISH, author of a new novel called KING OF BROADWAY. As you will hear, the plot of this novel was inspired by a real life interaction that Dan had with the legendary Broadway songwriter Stephen Sondheim. While the majority of authors I interview on Broadway Nation are...
-
QUEER MUSICALS 3 — FUN HOME, THE PROM, & JAGGED LITTLE PILL
This is the third and final part of my conversation with author Rob Schneider, who returns to tell us more about his new book, Queer Musicals — Boy Meets Boy to Jagged Little Pill. On this episode, Fun Home, The Prom, and Jagged Little Pill. Robert W. Schneider is a historian, director, producer,...
-
Ep 189: Queer Musicals 2 — Falsettos, Hedwig, Bare, & Kinky Boots
This is the second part of my conversation with author Rob Schneider, who returns to tell us more about his new book, Queer Musicals — Boy Meets Boy to Jagged Little Pill. On this episode, Falsettos, Hedwig And the Angry Inch, BARE, and Kinky Boots. Robert W. Schneider is a historian, director,...
-
Ep 188: QUEER MUSICALS — From Boy Meets Boy to Jagged Little Pill
On this episode my guest is Rob Schneider, who returns to the podcast to talk about his new book, Queer Musicals — Boy Meets Boy to Jagged Little Pill. Robert W. Schneider is a historian, director, producer, author, educator, and podcast host, and the Artistic Director of the J2 Spotlight Musical...
-
Ep 187: 20 YEARS of THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE
Amazingly, this year marks the 20th Anniversary of the Broadway musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. In 2005, after an incredibly short development period, opened first off-Broadway at Second Stage Theater, and quickly moved to Circle in the Square Theatre on Broadway. It was...
-
Ep 6: Lorenz Hart & The Queer Artists Who Invented Broadway!
To a great extent the Broadway Musical has been a queer creation -- and for more than 125 years the musical theater world has been filled with brilliant and creative LGBTQ people, including many in the highest positions of power and influence. In this episode David Armstrong shares the…
more -
COME FROM AWAY — The Most Produced Play of the Year, part 2
This is the second part of this Encore Episode from 2021 featuring a conversation with Irene Sankoff & David Hein — the dynamic writing team and married couple that created the international smash hit musical Come From Away which recently topped American Theatre magazine's list of the most…
more -
The Most Produced Play in America: Come From Away
My guests today are Irene Sankoff & David Hein – the dynamic writing team and married couple that created the giant international smash hit musical Come From Away. Five productions of Come From Away have recently reopened around the world: Broadway, Toronto, London, Sydney and on tour across...
-
Ep 186: GOING HOLLYWOOD — THE OXFORD GUIDES TO FILM MUSICALS
On this special video and audio episode of Broadway Nation my guests are Dominic Broomfield—McHugh, editor of The Oxford Guides to Film Musicals, along with the authors of the first three books in this new series: Geoffrey Block (Love Me Tonight), Andrew Buchman (Singin' in the Rain), Hannah…
more -
Ep 185: CHALLENGING SONDHEIM — A conversation with RICHARD SCHOCH, part 5.
This is the fifth and final episode in this series of conversations with RICHARD SCHOCH, author of the acclaimed book, HOW SONDHEIM CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE. This week Richard and I discuss two of Stephen Sondheim's most challenging musicals, ASSASSINS and PASSION, as well as his final show HERE WE...
-
Ep 4: Eubie Blake & the Black Artists Who Invented Broadway
The 1920s brought the second great era of musicals that were written by, staged by, and starring Black theater artists to Broadway. In this episode I profile these brilliant creators and stars including Eubie Blake & Noble Sissle, Flournoy Miller & Aurbry Lyles, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, and…
more -
Episode 3: Bert Williams & the Black Artists Who Invented Broadway
African American theater artists played a significantly larger role in the creation of the Broadway Musical than is generally acknowledged — including an entire decade of nearly forgotten hit shows and songs! In this episode, we will rediscover the early history of Black Broadway and the…
more -
Ep 184: SONDHEIM GIVES US MORE TO SEE — A Conversation with RICHARD SCHOCH, part 4.
My guest again this week is RICHARD SCHOCH, author of the much-acclaimed recent book, HOW SONDHEIM CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE. This week, we explore two of Sondheim’s most brilliant works, Sunday In the Park with George and Into the Woods. If you missed the first three episodes in this series, you may...
-
Episode 183: SONDHEIM MAKES HISTORY, a conversation with author Richard Schoch, part 3
My guest again this week is RICHARD SCHOCH, author of the much-acclaimed recent book, HOW SONDHEIM CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE. In the first two episodes of this series, Richard took us deep inside the inner workings and underlying meanings of Gypsy, Company, Follies, and A Little Night Music, and the...
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
A lively and opinionated cultural history of the Broadway Musical that tells the extraordinary story of how Immigrants, Jews, Queers, African-Americans and other outcasts invented the Broadway Musical, and how they changed America in the process.In Season One, host David Armstrong traces the evolution of American Musical Theater from its birth at the dawn of the 20th Century, through its mid-century “Golden Age”, and right up to its current 21st Century renaissance; and also explore how musicals have reflected and shaped our world -- especially in regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, and equality.
HOSTED BY
Broadway Podcast Network
CATEGORIES
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does BROADWAY NATION have?
BROADWAY NATION currently has 280 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is BROADWAY NATION about?
A lively and opinionated cultural history of the Broadway Musical that tells the extraordinary story of how Immigrants, Jews, Queers, African-Americans and other outcasts invented the Broadway Musical, and how they changed America in the process.In Season One, host David Armstrong traces the...
How often does BROADWAY NATION release new episodes?
BROADWAY NATION publishes regularly with 280 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to BROADWAY NATION?
You can listen to BROADWAY NATION on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts BROADWAY NATION?
BROADWAY NATION is created and hosted by Broadway Podcast Network.
URL copied to clipboard!