I Wanna Be Like You with Elbi Cespedes

Donna Lynne Champlin is currently starring in The Loved Ones as Cheryl-Ann at Irish Rep open now until August 2nd! Her most notable stage work includes playing Pirelli in the 2005 Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd (directed by John Doyle featuring Michael Cerveris and Patti LuPone as Sweeney and Mrs Lovett respectively), playing Older Helen in Hollywood Arms (a semi-autobiographical role created by Carol Burnett and directed by Hal Prince), and James Joyce's The Dead starring opposite Alice Ripley, Marni Nixon and Christopher Walken! Many may know her as Paula Proctor in the hit CW musical comedy TV series Crazy Ex Girlfriend! We get to talking about her greatest Hal Prince stories, meeting Carol Burnett for the first time and much more!

Joomin Hwang is a Broadway performer turned author currently in & Juliet (alongside Joey Fatone & Chrissy Metz!) which he's been in since it originally opened on Broadway in 2022! He made his Broadway debut in The Prom in 2018 after immigrating from South Korea where he was a competitive breakdancer! He's now written a self help book titled The Rule of Five Journal which is OUT NOW helping those struggling to balance negativity in their lives with positivity! 

Joel Blum is a 2 time Tony Award nominated actor with multiple Broadway, Off Broadway and National Tour credits! He received his Tony Award nominations for his performances as Frank in the 1994 Revival of Show Boat (directed by Hal Prince and choreographed by Susan Stroman) and Buddy in Kander & Ebb’s Steel Pier respectively! Some of his earlier credits include being a part of the original ensemble of 42nd Street on Broadway and Debbie Reynolds’ Vegas act! In 2000, he starred as Marcellus in a Broadway revival of The Music Man alongside Craig Bierko, Eric McCormack, and Robert Sean Leonard! We get to talking about his parents’ history in vaudeville, working with Robert Morse & Elaine Stritch on Show Boat and the numerous lessons he’s learned over the course of his multi-decade long career!

Ken Jennings is a Broadway star best known for originating the role of Tobias in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street! His other Broadway credits include the original Broadway casts of Grand Hotel, Side Show, and Urinetown (originating the role of Hot Blades Harry)! Disney Parks fans will know him as a hologram in the short lived EPCOT attraction The Astuter Computer Revue! His one man show The Gospel of John which he performed off Broadway was nominated for the Off Broadway Alliance Award for Best Solo Performance and he continues to tour the show across the country! 

Jack O’Brien is a theater legend whose work spans genres and across the globe. He’s directed classic Shakespearean plays (incuding Henry IV, MacBeth starring Ethan Hawke and more on Broadway), original Tom Stoppard epics (The Coast of Utopia, The Invention of Love and more on Broadway) and some of the greatest musical comedies of the contemporary era (Hairspray, Shucked and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels)! Having directed more than 50 Broadway productions and 4 Tony Awards (including a Lifetime Achievement Award he received in 2024), Jack has become one of the most prolific directors to ever work onstage. His work in the regional theater has not gone unnoticed either, having served as the Artistic Director of The Old Globe for 25 years overseeing the world premieres of Sondheim & Lapine’s Into the Woods, and August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson! Now, he’s making his acting debut alongside Lisa Kudrow in the final season of the HBO comedy The Comeback! We get to talking all about that, his podcast with screenwriter Alan Fox, Notes With Jack, and his upcoming projects! A very special episode - Jack O’Brien’s I Wanna Be Like You!

Stephanie Klemons is currently the Associate Choreographer for Hamilton (Broadway, National Tours and UK) as well as Heathers Off Broadway. She also appeared in the original Broadway casts of Hamilton, In The Heights (for which she also served as the Dance Captain) and If/Then! As a choreographer she worked on Rock & Roll Man, In the Heights (Kennedy Center), and numerous commercials and music videos. We get to talking about what it was like being in the room where it happened helping create the movement of Hamilton and In the Heights, working with Andy Blankenbuehler, the extent of an Associate Choreographer's job---- especially on a long running, international Broadway hit and much more! 

Grace Yurchuk is a singer/songwriter and musical theater composer, and a 2024 graduate of NYU Steinhardt (B.M., Classical Vocal Performance). She is best known for Caesar: The Musical, as well as her self-produced theater-pop songs like “30 Seconds” and “Mixed Messages.” Grace built her audience for Caesar by sharing each draft for the show online as it was written, as well as other peeks into her creative process. She funded the show’s studio cast EP through a Kickstarter campaign which was selected as a Kickstarter “Project We Love,” ultimately surpassing its goal and raising over $36,000. In addition to her work as a composer, she runs a private songwriting studio, mentoring artists as they develop and release original music. Across all of her projects, she is driven by a commitment to storytelling and bringing original work to life. Instagram: @graceyurchuk, TikTok: @itsthegraceplace

Alejo Vietti is our first costume designer on the show! His work is currently represented on Broadway in the Tony Award nominated Titanique which he's been a part of since it's premiere in NYC. Other Broadway credits include SMASH, Holiday Inn, Allegiance and Beautiful: the Carole King Musical! Originally from Argentina, Alejo has worked with some of the most prominent costume designers to ever work in the industry including Ann Roth and Bob Crowley! He also worked as an associate to Jess Goldstein on the original Broadway production of Jersey Boys! We get to talking about what it means to tell a story through costumes, the most challenging style to design, and wokring with Meryl Streep, John Goodman, and Christopher Walken on The Seagull!

Jim Borstelmann is a Broadway veteran having been in the original casts of The Producers, The Addams Family and many more. Jim was in the ensemble of the 1996 revival of Chicago starring Ann Reinking, Bebe Neuwirth and Joel Grey which is still on Broadway holding the record for the longest running Broadway revival. A self taught dancer, Jim made his Broadway debut working under the legendary Jerome Robbins having been a swing in Jerome Robbins' Broadway. His most recent Broadway appearance was in 2023 in New York, New York, marking his 4th Broadway collaboration with former guest and Broadway icon Susan Stroman. We get to discussing all of those credits, Mel Brooks stories, the keys to being a successful Broadway swing, and more!

Kevin Adams is a 4 time Tony Award winning lighting designer who's currently nominated for his 9th Tony Award for his lighting design on the 2025 Broadway revival of Chess! His previous credits include the Off Broadway and Broadway productions of Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Spring Awakening (for which he won his first Tony Award for). He's also worked on the original productions of Next to Normal, American Idiot, SpongeBob Squarepants, and The Cher Show! His work transcends musicals having worked on operas, Broadway plays, and one person shows including John Leguizamo's Sexaholix! Upcoming, he's working on a new book charting his career to be released plus lighting designing the Broadway musical Galileo starring Raul Esparza coming this fall to the Shubert Theatre. As our first lighting designer on the podcast, we get to talking not only about his career in the theater but also how lighting has evolved moving from the incandescent era to the more energy efficient era we're in now!

Maulik Pancholy is currently starring as Reverend Howard Layton/The Leprechaun in Schmigadoon on Broadway! Onscreen he's best known as the voice of Baljeet in the Disney Channel sensation Phineas and Ferb and Sanjay in Sanjay and Craig on Nickelodeon. He's also well known as Jack Donaughy's assistant Jonathan on the hit NBC comedy 30 Rock! His former Broadway credits include It's Only A Play and Grand Horizons! Coming up, he'll be starring alongside Paul Giamatti, Julianne Moore, Bernadette Peters and more in Jesse Eisenberg's new untitled movie musical from A24. His new novel Will They, Won't They? will be released in January 2027 but right now you can catch him eight times a week at the Nederlander Theater in the musical tied for the most Tony Award nominations of the season, Schmigadoon!

Beowulf Boritt is a 2 time Tony Award winning scenic designer! His charity The 1/52 Project which focuses on amplifying marginalized designers has won the 2026 Tony Award Honor For Excellence In Theatre! Some of his work on Broadway includes Act One, New York, New York, On The Town, A Bronx Tale, Flying Over Sunset, The Scottsboro Boys, Sunday in the Park with George (2017), Prince Of Broadway and many more! His book Transforming Space Over Time released in 2022 and features a detailed look to the scenic design process as well as featuring interviews with legendary theater directors including Hal Prince, Susan Stroman, James Lapine, Jerry Zaks and Kenny Leon! Upcoming, he’ll be scenic designing the new musical Wanted and The Imaginary Invalid both transferring to Broadway this fall!!

FIFTH DREAM GUEST! Susan Stroman is a 5 time Tony Award winning Broadway director and choreographer! Her most iconic work includes directing and choreographing The Producers (working alongside Mel Brooks), Contact (for which she won multiple Tony Awards including Best Musical), the 2000 Broadway revival of The Music Man, Bullets Over Broadway (alongside Woody Allen), New York, New York and many more! As a choreographer, she's responsible for the original choreography of the smash hit Crazy For You, the 1994 revival of Show Boat, Oklahoma starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Trevor Nunn, Liza at Radio City Music Hall, and Steel Pier to name a few! Her work on screen includes directing and choreographing the film adaptation of The Producers as well as choreographing numbers in Curb Your Enthusiasm! Upcoming, she'll be at the helm of the new Ahrens and Flaherty musical Little Dancer which will open in the West End in 2027 with many more projects in development! We get to talking about the biggest things she learned from Hal Prince , what she looks for in new work, why she's made a pointed effort to only work on new works and much more.

Two-time Grammy Award nominee Lisa Lampanelli was known for more than 30 years as “Comedy’s Lovable Queen of Mean.” A constant on the comedy scene, with countless tours, 13 NBC “Tonight Show” appearances, and sold-out performances at Radio City Music Hall and Carnegie Hall under her belt, she became well-known for her roasting skills, publicly lambasting everyone from David Hasselhoff to Flavor Flav to Pamela Anderson on Comedy Central. In 2016, Lisa decided to do something a little different. She wrote “Stuffed,” a four-person play about food and body-image issues, which enjoyed two off-Broadway runs! Her charitable efforts -- she raised $130,000 for the Gay Men’s Health Crisis during season 5 of NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice” and won $50,000 for the same organization on Fox’s “Celebrity Weakest Link” – are among her proudest achievements. She is currently serving as Associate Producer of “The People Versus Lenny Bruce," which has begun performances Off Broadway at Theatre Row now until June 28th!

Stephen Kramer Glickman is most well known for the beloved role Gustavo Rocque on the hit Nickelodeon series which created the boy band of the same name, Big Time Rush, a band and TV show Elbi was absolutely obsessed with growing up! His theater history is also vast having originated the role of Shrek in the pre Broadway developmental workshops of the musical rendition for YEARS as well as helping develop the role of Frankenstein's Monster along with Mel Brooks and Susan Stroman for Young Frankenstein! His voice can be heard as Pigeon Toady alongside Kelsey Grammer, Jennifer Aniston and Andy Sandberg in the animated film Storks! He also has a long time history as a stand up comedian having came up with Gilbert Godfrey and Dave Chapelle to name a few! Most recently, he reunited with the Big Time Rush guys to join them on their international tour, In Real Life where he toured multiple continents performing some of his hit renditions of songs like Crazy, Bad Guy and Pink Pony Club! We get to talking all about his theater history, his stand up career and of course all things Gutavo Rocque and BIG TIME RUSH!

Jeffrey Seller has impacted the theater industry forever. Best known as the lead producer of Hamilton, Rent, In The Heights, and Avenue Q (all of which won him the Tony Award for Best Musical), Jeffrey is the only person to have produced two Pulitzer Prize winning musicals. On top of this, Jeffrey alongside his former producing partner Kevin McCollum created the rush and lottery discount ticket options 30 years ago with Rent! He's now written a memoir titled Theatre Kid which is available on paperback beginning May 6th! In this very special episode, we get to talking about the state of the industry, the job of a producer and how it's evolved over the years and what shows he's interested in producing.

Carey Renee Sharpe is currently starring in the Off Broadway show which she also co-wrote, Blood/Love at Theater 555! A former nurse from Wisconsin, Carey decided to pivot her career after renovating a venue in her hometown. Alongside her writing partner Dru Decaro (Grammy nominated producer for Snoop Dogg, John Legend, Sabrina Carpenter and many more) the two have spent the last 6 years developing and writing the world premiere vampire pop opera Blood/Love which is open now to May 10th!

Claybourne Elder is a Broadway star whose work spans decades on stage and screen. His new album If The Stars Were Mine is streaming everywhere now and you could also look out for his solo shows where he performs songs from the album, sharing their relation to his journey to Broadway, his childhood, current fatherhood and beyond! He originated the role of Hollis in one of Stephen Sondheim's final musicals, Road Show. Aside from Road Show, his work on Sondheim projects includes the most recent Broadway revival of Company (Andy), Sunday in the Park with George, Passion, Sondheim on Sondheim at The Hollywood Bowl and more! He was also a part of the original cast of Bonnie and Clyde having seen it through from the very beginning. Most recently, you may have seen him as John Adams on all three seasons of The Gilded Age on HBO. We get to talking about his entire career, his relationship with Sondheim personally and professionally and why this new album is one of the most creatively fulfilling projects he's ever worked on.

Mark Evans is an actor whose stage work spans multiple continents having starred in multiple West End AND Broadway shows! His Broadway debut was The Play That Goes Wrong which he's now the Associate Director of Off Broadway at New World Stages. Some of his other Broadway credits, include Waitress, Mrs Doubtfire, and Tammy Faye! His West End credits include originating Troy Bolton in High School Musical, Sam in Ghost, Fiyero in Wicked, and swing in the Original London Cast of Spamalot amongst many more! He currently runs his own acting studio, Mark Evans Studio which holds weekly classes as well as workshops and masterclasses with industry professionals! We discuss the many differences between West End and Broadway, the biggest lessons in comedy from Jerry Zaks, and the key to The Play That Goes Wrong's success!

Simon Leary is a New Zealand based actor who's making in his NYC debut off Broadway in a new play titled Heartbreak Hotel at the DR2 Theatre running now until April 19th! Originally from Timaru, NZ, Simon has since moved to Wellington where he's performed in numerous productions at the Circa Theatre including The Glass Menagerie, A Servant to Two Masters and more! On top of all this, he's written and starred in many pantos which are family friendly productions based on fairytales that are especially prominent in the UK as well as New Zealand. We get to talking about all that, the time Sir Ian McKellen saw him perform, his time working as an Orc on The Hobbit: The Demolition of Smaug, and the biggest differences between New Zealand and New York theater! GO SEE HEARTBREAK HOTEL AT THE DR2 THEATRE NOW THRU APRIL 19!

Michael Sommers is a drama critic currently working for New York Stage Review. He served as the president of the New York Drama Critics Circle for two terms as well as freelanced for the The New York Times and Backstage to name a few. Michael was a longtime chief of The Star Ledger as well as the Newhouse News Service! We get to talking about the history of drama critics, whether or not being a critic still holds much weight in a time where influencers' opinions dominate, and what he's looking forward to this season.

Currently nominated for an Olivier Award for his work on Shucked in the West End, Robert Horn is a Tony Award winning Book Writer for his work on Tootsie alongside David Yazbek! Prior to working in theater, Robert had a successful career in TV/Film writing on Designing Women, Living Single and High Society to name a few. He’s penned some successful television movies for Disney Channel including the High School Musical spinoff Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure, The Suite Life Movie and Teen Beach Movie! Robert began his career writing musicals by working alongside Jason Robert Brown on the musical 13 which starred Ariana Grande and subsequently wrote the film version that Netflix acquired in 2022. Since winning his Tony, Robert wrote the Tony Award nominated musical Shucked which is currently on tour and in the West End as well as the stage adaptation of Hercules currently running in Germany and the West End! He’s got many new projects in development and gets to discussing the keys to comedy as well as what makes a successful book for a musical!

IN HONOR OF OUR 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY WE'RE RE-RELEASING EPISODES ALL WEEK! RE-RELEASE FROM JUNE 2025!Currently starring in Schmigadoon on Broadway, Brad Oscar has received 2 Tony Award nominations for starring in the original companies of The Producers and Something Rotten as Franz Liebkind and Nostradamus respectively.He just wrapped up 8 shows a week in Wicked on Broadway as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz! He’s also originated the casts of Jekyll & Hyde and Mrs. Doubtfire on Broadway! Most recently, Brad played Mayor Menlove in the stage production (as well as multiple readings) of Schmigadoon! based on the TV show at the Kennedy Center this past spring eyeing a Broadway transfer. We get to chatting about it all!

IN HONOR OF OUR 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY WE'RE RE-RELEASING EPISODES ALL WEEK! RE-RELEASE FROM NOVEMBER 2025!Currently starring in Dog Day Afternoon on Broadway alongside Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bacharach, Michael Kostroff is an actor with over 100 TV/Film credits! He’s best known for his role as the defense attorney Maurice Levy on The Wire as well as the executive producer Marshall Pike on Disney Channel’s Sonny with a Chance! Upcoming, he’ll be starring in the new live action Marvel/Sony series Spider-Noir premiering May 27th based on the hit Spider Verse films alongside Nicolas Cage on MGM+. His most prominent theater credits include Thenardier on the national tour of Les Miserables as well as Max Bialystock (u/s) on The Producers National Tour! He’s also an author of the book The Stage Actor’s Handbook! We get to chatting about the most helpful audition advice (as he served as an acting/audition coach for many years) plus the biggest nuanced differences between stage and screen acting!

IN HONOR OF OUR 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY WE'RE RE-RELEASING EPISODES ALL WEEK! RE-RELEASE FROM MAY 2025!Currently starring as The Dentist in Off Broadway's hit Little Shop of Horrors, Andy Karl is an Olivier Award winning and 3 time Tony Award nominated actor whose career spans widely amongst screen and stage. He's most well known for his Olivier Award winning performance as Phil Connors in Groundhog Day the Musical which he performed on Broadway (Tony Award nomination), London's West End and most recently in Australia. He's originated musicals including Rocky the Musical (where he played the titular role and received a Tony Award nomination), Pretty Woman, Legally Blonde and many more! He had a significant recurring role in Law and Order: SVU where he played Sargeant Mike Dodds throughout Season 17. Currently, he stars on stage as The Duke of Monroth in Moulin Rouge on Broadway! Most importantly however he was been Elbi's I Wanna Be Like You since he was a kid, someone he's looked up to since he was a child. A true joy and honor it is to be chatting today with ANDY KARL!

Thank you for watching and listening to I Wanna Be Like You with Elbi Cespedes for one whole year! Here's to many more!

Rob Rokicki is best known for composing and writing the lyrics for the cult musical The Lightning Thief based on the hit book series Percy Jackson & The Olympians! The musical has gone on to be performed all over the world and we get to talking all about the new Original London Cast Recording whcih Rob also co-orchestrated and is OUT NOW! What started as just a Theater For Young Audiences production became a full length musical that ran on Broadway, the West End is currently touring the UK! Aside from this, Rob currently works at MTI Theatricals helping develop the Junior versions of their shows!

Janine LaManna is a Broadway star who's most well known for originating the role of Gertrude McFuzz in Seussical! Her other Broadway credits include Evelyn Nesbitt in the original production of Ragtime, Kiss Me Kate, The Drowsy Chaperone and more! She also starred in PBS' version of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego as Carmen Sandiego! She also performed multiple times at the White House during the Bush administration! She joins us to discuss her career, what Broadway was like post 9/11 and how the role of Gertrude is one she'll cherish forever.

Andrew Keenan-Bolger is a Broadway veteran most well known as the original Crutchie in Newsies on Broadway! He's also an author with his new debut solo YA novel Limelight OUT NOW! He also starred and created the webseries Submissions Only which lasted 3 seasons on YouTube! Some of his other Broadway credits include Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins and Tuck Everlasting! We get to talking about his time originating Jojo in Seussical out of town in Boston, his Newsies journey and co-writing his first couple of novels, the Jack & Louisa series!

Adam Gwon is an award winning composer and lyricist whose work has been performed on 6 continents! His musical Ordinary Days premiered Off Broadway in 2008 and has gone on to become a hit beyond its Off Broadway run in part thanks to its successful cast album! His songs Fine, I'll Be Here and Favorite Places from Ordinary Days have gone on to be performed at concerts and cabarets all over the world! He's here now to discuss the cast album for his latest musical All The World's A Stage which premiered last spring Off Broadway and is OUT NOW and features former guests Matt Rodin & Elizabeth Stanley! We get to talking about how he went from actor to writer, how Ahrens & Flaherty affected his career in a major way, his time as a Tony Award voter and much more!

Ross Meyerson is an Emmy Award winning casting director for his work on the hit drama Damages starring Glenn Close along with his former partner Julie Tucker. Currently, he’s casting the upcoming season of Dexter: Resurrection following the success of the first season last year! His roots however are in theater having been the Artistic Director of Millbrook Playhouse and various regional theaters across the country. Some of his most prominent casting credits include Nurse Jackie, Kevin Can Wait, Sneaky Pete and The Big C! If you’d like to take class with Ross, he currently teaches at One on One NYC!

George & Marty Lee Andrews are on the precipice of celebrating 50 years of marriage, having shared a life working in the theater. The two of them have been a part of some of the most legendary musicals of all time. George holds the Guinness World Record for the longest running actor in the same Broadway show having been in the original cast of The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway in 1988 and finishing his run in 2011! Prior to this, he originated the role of Frid in Stephen Sondheim & Hugh Wheeler’s classic musical A Little Night Music which Marty starred in its first national tour. The two of them directed the show in it’s premiere in South Africa and developed a strong relationship with its original director and Broadway legend, Hal Prince. Their career spans decades and have spread their welath of knowledge to generations younger than them with children and grandchildren also working in the theater. George & Marty tell us all about their careers, how they met, and their favorite Hal Prince and Stephen Sondheim stories!

Joe Iconis is a Tony and Drama Desk Award nominated composer and lyricist for writing Be More Chill. Aside from Be More Chill, he’s written plenty of musicals that have premiered Off Broadway and regionally including Broadway Bounty Hunter, The Black Suits, and most recently The Untitled Hunter S Thompson Musical (which premiered last year at Signature Theater in Arlington, Virginia) and many more! He also contributed songs to the second season of the NBC TV series SMASH including Broadway, Here I Come and The Goodbye Song sung by Jeremy Jordan, Katherine McPhee and Krysta Rodriguez. In 2022, he released an album of story oriented songs titled Album which featured theater icons such as Danny Burstein, Lin Manuel Miranda, Aaron Tveit and many more. We get to talking about his entire career and what he has coming up next!

Tim Weil is most notably known as the original Music Director and Supervisor for the Tony Award winning hit musical Rent! Having been there from its original workshop to Broadway, national tours and beyond, Tim has now written a book: Making Rent: The Story Behind The Music That Changed Broadway. The book chronicles his experience with the show, Jonathan Larson and discusses the inner workings of how this little engine that could became one of the most revolutionary musicals in history! Aside from Rent, some of Tim’s Broadway credits include Shrek the Musical (Music Director), Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill (for which he served as the Music Director and provided some original composition) and Oh Calcutta! He also happens to be the husband to a former guest of ours Randy Graff!

Stephen Cole is prolific author and musical theater lyricist who’s written multiple books and musicals premiering Off Broadway, regionally and around the world! Notably, he was the author for memoirs and biographies for Charles Strouse, Marni Nixon, and Noel Coward! Some of his most popular musicals include After The Fair, the musical adaptation of the classic film The Night of the Hunter and The Road to Qatar (which focused around writing the first ever musical written by Americans to premiere in the Middle East!). He also served as a writer for tributes for the Drama League where he met many Broadway legends including Chita Rivera who eventually starred in Casper, (an original musical where he served as the lyricist) a show focused around the Casper the Friendly Ghost! He’s now written a historical fiction novel inspired by his personal relationship with Ethel Merman in the later years of her life titled MARY & ETHEL and Mikey Who? which is out now!

AJ Shively is a Tony Award nominated actor with 3 Broadway shows to his name including the revival of La Cage Aux Folles (opposite Kelsey Grammar), Bright Star and Paradise Square (which earned him his Tony nomination)! Recently he starred as Robbie in Classic Stage Company’s production of A Man of No Importance, the one night only concert of Hello Dolly at Carnegie Hall and the Encores! production of Titanic at New York City Center! We get to talking about tips and tricks for those working on Broadway, the history of Stanislavsky’s acting methods and how his Irish heritage has informed his career!

Today, I Wanna Be Like Aaron Lazar! Aaron Lazar is a Grammy award nominated Broadway superstar having starred in The Last Ship (with music and lyrics by Sting), A Light in the Piazza, A Little Night Music and Les Miserables, to name a few! Some of his on screen credits include The Wolf Of Wall Street, Everything Everywhere All At Once and Girl Meets World! After receiving an ALS diagnosis a few years ago, Aaron released an album titled The Impossible Dream in 2024 which also featured Josh Groban, Sting, Lin Manuel Miranda, Kristin Chenowith, Brian Stokes Mitchell and MANY MANY more which earned him his Grammy Award nomination! The album’s proceeds benefit the ALS Network and was the start of a mission Aaron has since surrounded his life around, the “impossible dream” to heal himself from ALS. He’s gone on to start a podcast of his own (Impossible Dreams podcast) with guests like Ben Stiller, Mark Cuban and Andrew Rannells to name a few and has been on a journey to help people heal themselves.

Today, I Wanna Be Like Jerry Zaks! FOURTH DREAM GUEST MANIFESTED BY JESS LEPROTTO! Jerry Zaks is a legendary director with credits in theater, film and television. He's received 4 Tony Awards for his direction on The House of Blue Leaves (starring the Broadway debut of Ben Stiller!), Lend Me A Tenor, Six Degrees of Separation and the iconic production of Guys and Dolls starring Peter Gallagher, Nathan Lane and JK Simmons. On screen, he directed the film Marvin's Room (starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert DeNiro, Meryl Streep, Gwen Verdon and Diane Keaton), as well as episodes of Frasier, Two and a Half Men and Everybody Loves Raymond! Most recently, he's behind some of the biggest Broadway shows of the last decade such as The Music Man starring Hugh Jackman & Sutton Foster, Hello Dolly starring Bette Midler and A Bronx Tale: The Musical (co-directed with Robert DeNiro). We get to talking about all of that as well as what makes a strong director and what he looks for from actors who enter the audition room with him.

Today, I Wanna Be Like Rob W Schneider! Rob W Schneider is a director with numerous regional theater and Off Broadway credits. Most recently, he became an author having written his first book: Queer Musicals: Boy Meets Boy to Jagged Little Pill which is a part of the Essential Musicals series. The book covers 10 musicals all rooted in queer history. We get to talking about each one of them. Rob’s also the Artistic Director of J2 Spotlight Musical Theater which has committed to revive musicals that didn’t get their due when they were previously on Broadway while also showcasing emerging AEA artists. He discusses the 2026 season to us as well as the upcoming production of Frozen he’s directing at A.C.T. plus the time Hal Prince shared with him what makes a strong director.

Today, I Wanna Be Like Mary Testa! THIRD DREAM GUEST UNLOCKED MANIFESTED BY THERESA MCCARTHY!Mary Testa is a Tony nominated actress whose work spans decades. She’s originated musicals on and off Nroadway such as Lucky Stiff, A New Brain, Xanadu, Barnum and The Rink. Most recently, she was seen on the Broadway stage in 2019 as Aunt Eller in Oklahoma (which earned her a Tony Award nomination) as well as off Broadway in The Gardens of Anuncia. Her relationship with Michael John LaChuisa and William Finn has become a huge part of her career originating shows like In Trousers, Marie: Christine, First Daughter’s Suite and The Queen of the Mist! She also starred in The Rink where she understudied Angel, the role originated by Liza Minnelli. We get to talking to her about it all as well the 3 new musicals she’s a part of that are now in development!I WANNA BE LIKE MARY TESTA CHAPTERS 1. 00:00 Surprise Flashback Intro!2. 03:55 Mary’s I Wanna Be Like You as a Kid3. 9:00 Theater Beginnings4. 11:57 Getting An Agent & Equity Card5. 19:05 William Finn & In Trousers6. 21:45 Barnum7. 24:35 Going On For Liza Minnelli in The Rink/Understudies 8. 36:57 Having Confidence in Yourself9. 43:30 Kander & Ebb10. 47:00 A Funny Thing That Happened On The Way To The Forum11. 55:35 On The Town12. 1:00:52 Michael John LaChuisa & Marie: Christine13. 1:08:00 Reviews and Social Media Press 14. 1:14:55 Chicago!15. 1:17:55 See What I Wanna See16. 1:20:35 Xanadu & Guys & Dolls17. 1:24:36 Queen of the Mist 18. 1:33:00 Art vs Commerce19. 1:35:00 First Daughters Suite20. 1:40:00 Oklahoma!21. 1:57:57 Mary’s Voice!22. 2:02:51 Mary’s Musical Pitch to LaChuisa 23. 2:13:25 Dream Guest Manifestation!24. 2:16:12 Name That Song25. 2:19:55 State of the Industry26. 2:22:30 Mary Testa’s I Wanna Be Like You!

Today, I Wanna Be Like Jeb Brown! Jeb Brown is a Tony Award Nominated actor with 10 Broadway shows under his belt. Currently he’s starring as the title role in Beau the Musical Off Broadway at the Distillery at St Luke’s Theatre. Some of his Broadway credits include Cat on a Hot Tin Roof starring Elizabeth Ashley (at just 10 years old!), Bring Back Birdie (the sequel to Bye Bye Birdie) alongside Chita Rivera, Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark and Dead Outlaw (for which he received a Tony Award Nomination for playing the band leader). We get to talking about it all plus his history with the guitar, where he teaches us a little bit himself. GO SEE BEAU AT THE ST LUKES THEATER NOW THROUGH JANUARY 4TH!!! I WANNA BE LIKE JEN BROWN CHAPTERS1. 00:00 Guitar Playing Intro2. 04:51 Dead From Dead Outlaw is a BANGER!3. 07:26 Jeb’s I Wanna Be Like You as a Kid4. 11:09 Broadway Debut: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof!5. 20:25 Bring Back Birdie: Bye Bye Birdie Sequel!6. 40:25: Guitar Playing In Theater7. 45:15 Spider Man: Turn Off The Dark!8. 53:47 Dead Outlaw!9. 1:02:47 Beau the Musical!10. 1:16:00 Guitar Lesson With Jeb Brown!11. 1:24:40 Jeb Brown’s I Wanna Be Like You NOW!

Today, I Wanna Be Like Stan Zimmerman! Stan Zimmerman is WGA nominated screenwriter who’s written on The Golden Girls, Roseanne and Gilmore Girls to name a few. His new book The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore is out now! We get to talking all about his time writing pilots, spec scripts and seasons of beloved sitcom television as well as A Very Brady Movie and even some of his work in the theater!I WANNA BE LIKE STAN ZIMMERMAN CHAPTERS1. 00:00 Speed Talking Intro2. 04:33 Stan’s I Wanna Be Like You as a Kid/TV + Theater Beginnings3. 19:50 TV Movie Musicals4. 27:07 College Experience5. 33:50 Transitioning To Writing6. 45:20 Writing Spec Scripts and Pilots7. 54:50 The Golden Girls!!!!8. 1:27:24 Roseanne!9. 1:49:17 Gilmore Girls!10. 2:04:47 Roseanne Reboot + The Conners 11. 2:08:20 Golden Or Gilmore Girls?!12. 2:10:00 Dream Guest Manifestation + Stan’s I Wanna Be Like You

Today, I Wanna Be Like Michael Kostroff! Michael Kostroff is an actor with over 100 TV/Film credits! He’s most known for his role as the defense attorney Maurice Levy on The Wire as well as the executive producer Marshall Pike on Disney Channel’s Sonny with a Chance! Upcoming, he’ll be starring in the new live action Marvel/Sony series Spider-Noir based on the hit Spider Verse films alongside Nicolas Cage on MGM+. His most prominent theater credits include Thenardier on the national tour of Les Miserables as well as Max Bialystock (u/s) on The Producers National Tour! He’s also an author of the book The Stage Actor’s Handbook! We get to chatting about the most helpful audition advice (as he served as an acting/audition coach for many years) plus the biggest nuanced differences between stage and screen acting!I WANNA BE LIKE MICHAEL KOSTROFF REELS 1. 00:00 Sonny with a Chance Intro 2. 05:10 Auditions & Michael’s I Wanna Be Like You!3. 13:25 Deciding To Become An Actor4. 26:05 The Wire!5. 35:50 Working on TV/Film Sets6. 51:00 Malcolm in the Middle7. 53:00 Thenardier In Les Mis8. 57:50 Sonny with a Chance9. 1:04:05 The State of The Journeyman Actor10. 1:09:24 TV/Film vs Theater11. 1:18:10 Spider Noir!12. 1:25:25 Co Star Roles13. 1:32:25 Self Tapes14. 1:37:50 AI Wanna Be Like You!15. 1:42:30 Michael’s I Wanna Be Like You!

Today, I Wanna Be Like Merri Sugarman! Merri Sugarman is a Casting Director for The TRC Company whose work spans decades of Broadway and on screen work. Prior to casting, Merri was an actor having been in the national tour of Les Miserables (which she now casts) and Aspects of Love. She then went on to cast for the screen on shows like Freaks & Geeks, The Larry Sanders Show as well as Spin City! Now she casts for numerous shows on and off Broadway and across the country most recently including The Who’s Tommy, Here Lies Love, and Company! We get to talking to her about her career(s) as well as answer your burning casting questions!I WANNA BE LIKE MERRI SUGARMAN CHAPTERS 1. 00:00 Casting Book Intro2. 04:34 Merri’s I Wanna Be Like You as a Kid3. 09:40 College Experience4. 12:02 Post College Actor Life5. 17:00 Les Miserables National Tour Audition6. 24:15 Casting Les Mis 7. 35:00 Aspects Of Love8. 38:30 LA: Dreamworks, The Larry Sanders Show, Freaks & Geeks9. 55:25 Working For Tara Rubin Casting10. 59:00 Is It Harder Now For Actors?11. 1:02:52 Social Media12. 1:04:15 Do Not Sing List13. 1:09:25 From Craft To Career Book!14. 1:10:45 Merri’s I Wanna Be Like You!

Today, I Wanna Be Like Douglas Lyons! SECOND DREAM GUEST UNLOCKED manifested by Patrick Dunn! Douglas Lyons is a multi-hyphenate artist having acted in multiple Broadway shows (Beautiful: the Carole King Musical, The Book of Mormon) and written plays on and off Broadway (Chicken and Biscuits, Table 17) as well as television (Fraggle Rock on Apple TV). NOW, his new musical Beau has been the talk of the town having done an Off Broadway run with Out of the Box Theatrics this past spring and is now downtown at the St Luke's Theatre running NOW to January 4th! I WANNA BE LIKE DOUGLAS LYONS!1. 00:00 Beau Intro 2. 05:50 Douglas’ I Wanna Be Like You3. 10:00 Theater Beginnings4. 15:30 The Spark Of Writing5. 19:08 Beautiful: The Carole King Musical6. 26:37 The Origins of Concepts/Ideas7. 31:50 Fraggle Rock8. 37:45 Getting Commissioned At Theater Companies9. 42:00 Working in a Writers Room 10. 43:43 Chicken & Biscuits11. 50:00 Afterlife of Shows12. 51:17 Beau The Musical13. 1:00:30 Collaborations14. 1:09:06 Reviews and Style15. 1:19:45 State of the Industry16. 1:25:30 Dream Guest Manifestation From A Dream Guest17. 1:26:42 Douglas’ I Wanna Be Like You NOW!

Today I Wanna Be Like Tyler Hardwick! Tyler Hardwick is currently starring in Tartuffe alongside Andre DeShields at the House of the Redeemer! His Broadway credits include Motown and Once On This Island, both of which he also took on national tours! Next up, he's going to play Cornelius in OFC Creations Theater's production of Hello Dolly alongside Elaine Hendrix as Dolly Levi as well as the upcoming film Six Till Midnight and a new single to be released soon! We also get to talking about him starring in the first production of Dreamgirls with an African American cast in Seoul, South Korea as well as him recently starring in the national tour of Company as PJ. Make sure you catch Tartuffe at the House of the Redeemer which closes November 23rd so get your tickets now!I WANNA BE LIKE TYLER HARDWICK CHAPTERS!1. 00:00 Moliere Intro2. 04:35 Tyler’s I Wanna Be Like You as a Kid3. 08:00 Theater Beginnings4. 15:00 College Experience5. 19:00 Motown (Promotional Tour, Broadway, National Tour)6. 35:00 Dreamgirls in South Korea7. 45:00 Once On This Island On Broadway + National Tour8. 54:53 Marie Dancing Still (Ahrens & Flaherty New Musical)9. 1:07:30 Good Morning America10. 1:15:55 Tartuffe at the House of the Redeemer11. 1:29:44 Company National Tour (Another Hundred People)12. 1:37:05 Hello Dolly with Elaine Hendrix13. 1:42:31 AI Wanna Be Like You!14. 1:46:25 Dream Guest Manifestation15. 1:47:47 Tyler’s I Wanna Be Like You!

Today I Wanna Be Like Richard Ridge! FIRST EVER DREAM GUEST UNLOCKED manifested by Matt Rodin! Richard Ridge has been the host of BroadwayWorld for over 2 decades. His name and face have become synonymous with Broadway red carpets and rehearsal rooms, having interviewed everyone from Chita Rivera (an inspiration to him throughout his life) to Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. From an early age working as a server at the classic Broadway eatery Ted Hook’s Backstage, Richard made impressions on some of the biggest stars including Cher, Karen Black and Elizabeth Taylor. He finally made his Broadway debut in 2018 as himself in The Prom! We get to chat with him about where it all began, his favorite red carpet interviews, the future of Broadway and more!I WANNA BE LIKE RICHARD RIDGE CHAPTERS 1. 00:00 FIRST DREAM GUEST INTRO2. 03:15 Richard’s I Wanna Be Like You as a Kid3. 07:49 Meeting Chita Rivera/Ted Hook’s Backstage4. 16:20 Interviewing Cher/Working Movie Press Junkets 5. 22:55 John Kander & Fred Ebb6. 31:20 First Broadway Show/ Theater Beginnings 7. 34:15 Getting The Broadway World Job8. 43:30 Advice For Interviewers 9. 48:55 Being Late For Shows10. 55:15 Follies Original Broadway Cast!11. 1:00:10 Research Prior to Interview12. 1:03:10 State of the Industry13. 1:09:23 Broadway Debut in The Prom?!?!14. 1:14:35 Upcoming Shows This Season15. 1:17:05 Handling The Red Carpet16. 1:24:55 Hal Prince, Merrily, and Chita Rivera/Liza Minnelli17. 1:31:10 Broadway Mount Rushmore18. 1:35:45 Double Dream Guest Manifestation19. 1:37:20 Richard’s I Wanna Be Like You NOW!

Today I Wanna Be Like Bradley Dean! Bradley Dean is a Broadway veteran crossing a dozen shows with the show he’s currently starring in, Chess alongside Lea Michele, Aaron Tveit and Nicholas Christopher! He also was a part of the original cast of the final musical written by the late Stephen Sondheim, Here We Are! This wasn’t the only Sondheim piece he starred in professionally, having done Company (2006, covering Raul Esparza) and A Little Night Music (2014, alongside Elaine Stritch, Bernadette Peters, Catherine Zeta Jones and Angela Lansbury) on Broadway! On top of this, he is also a vocal teacher with over 20 years of professional experience! We get to talking about his entire career including the one time he wrote, directed and starred in his own original musical, Sextet! Go see him as Molokov in Chess on Broadway at the Imperial Theater in previews now!I WANNA BE LIKE BRADLEY DEAN CHAPTERS1. 00:00 Chess Intro2. 04:20 Bradley’s I Wanna Be Like You as a Kid3. 09:32 Stephen Sondheim4. 11:45 College Audition Experience5. 13:15 Theater Beginnings 6. 22:08 Broadway Debut: Jane Eyre7. 25:00 Swinging & Understudying 8. 27:15 Man of La Mancha9. 32:27 John Doyle’s Company10. 38:10 A Little Night Music with Elaine Stritch, Angela Lansbury11. 42:40 Evita 12. 50:25 The Last Ship with Sting13. 1:02:30 The Voice Follows14. 1:05:30 Writing, Directing, Performing15. 1:09:30 A New Brain & Little Miss Sunshine16. 1:14:42 Dear Evan Hansen17. 1:16:12 Hal Prince & Phantom of The Opera18. 1:20:55 The Fantasticks19. 1:22:47 Here We Are!20. 1:32:00 CHESS ON BROADWAY!21. 1:42:20 Name That Song!22. 1:46:00 Dream Guest Manifestation23. 1:46:58 Bradley’s I Wanna Be Like You NOW!

Today I Wanna Be Like Elizabeth Stanley! Elizabeth Stanley is a Tony Award nominated Broadway star nominated for her portrayal of Mary Jane Healy in Jagged Little Pill (2019). After making her Broadway debut in John Doyle’s revival of Company (April), Elizabeth starred in numerous cult classic Broadway musicals including Cry Baby and Million Dollar Quartet. Most recently, she’s led the Savion Glover, Tony Goldwyn directed Pal Joey at New York City Center (now known as Chez Joey) which is having a follow up production at Arena Stage next year. From legit soprano to Alanis Morissette hits, Elizabeth gets to talking to about her classic vocal training, how she approaches new material and more!I WANNA BE LIKE ELIZABETH STANLEY CHAPTERS1. 00:00 Tuba Intro 2. 04:23 Elizabeth’s I Wanna Be Like You as a Kid3. 06:05 Theater Beginnings4. 12:00 Equity Card/Getting An Agent5. 15:38 Broadway Debut: John Doyle’s Company!6. 32:10 Cry Baby on Broadway!7. 39:45 Xanadu National Tour!8. 43:54 Million Dollar Quartet9. 47:27 On The Town on Broadway10. 53:35 The Bridges of Madison County National Tour11. 1:02:34 Jagged Little Pill12. 1:18:40 Pal Joey with Savion Glover!13. 1:28:45 Elizabeth’s I Wanna Be Like You!

Today I Wanna Be Like Matt Rodin! Matt Rodin is actor and host extraordinaire who is currently starring as Ace Baker in Beau the Musical at the Distillery at St Luke’s Theatre with previews beginning October 13! Prior to this, Matt played Jamie on the National Tour of the most recent revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Company! You may also know him as the former face of Broadway.com where he produced and hosted shows including Red Carpet Challenge, Live at Five and Side by Side! Currently, he runs his own weekly newsletter titled The Fourth Wall, where he details the current theater events from a more personal lens as well as a website, buttsinseats.xyz sharing the weekly capacity statistics of Broadway each week. Having worked in all aspects of the industry, Matt shares his thoughts on all things state of the industry, the difference between press and marketing and why remaining optimistic is so important during an oftentimes tumultuous time in the entertainment industry.I WANNA BE LIKE MATT RODIN CHAPTERS1. 00:00 Challenge Intro 2. 05:51 Matt’s I Wanna Be Like You as a Kid3. 08:35 Theater Kid Beginnings4. 18:45 Podcasts & Talk Show Interview Content5. 28:20 Theater Kids & Disney Adults6. 31:20 College Auditions & Showcase7. 46:20 Selling A Broadway Show8. 53:50 Auditioning For Company9. 57:42 Being Present and Embracing The Process10. 1:04:00 Working At Broadway.com11. 1:21:28 Being Patient12. 1:28:15 Red Carpet Challenge13. 1:46:50 Press Vs Marketing14. 2:05:15 Capacity & Butts In Seats15. 2:08:25 Is Theater Dying?/Finding Optimism16. 2:21:22 Beau the Musical!17. 2:31:20 AI Wanna Be Like You!18. 2:38:15 Dream Guest Manifestation19. 2:39:40 Matt’s I Wanna Be Like You NOW!