BROADWAY NATION

• 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 seats now at https://www.themuseumofbroadway.com/calendar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• 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 almost all discussion of Broadway's past and receive only the briefest mentions in the history books. Today, we focus on a big hit musical of the 1930s that I highly doubt anyone listening to this podcast has ever seen live on stage. That show is THE GREAT WALTZ.  It opened on Broadway in 1934  and became one of the longest-running musicals of the decade.  It was the creation of three very significant Broadway artists of what I call the “Silver Age” of Broadway: bookwriter MOSS HART, choreographer ALBERTINA RASCH, and, most notably, the musicals conceiver, director, and lighting designer HASSARD SHORT — who I have come to believe is one of the most important and yet most under-acknowledged Queer inventors of the Broadway musical. Our goal (at least until someone invents a time machine so that we can journey back to see the show) has been to identify and evaluate firsthand accounts, reviews, scholarship, recordings, films, videos, et cetera (including three movie versions and a live television production) in terms of how effectively they can help us to understand, appreciate and even, to some degree, experience the original Broadway production.  Another reason I selected this show for us to focus on right now is because just a few weeks ago,  October 25th, 2025,  marked the 200th anniversary of the birth of JOHANN STRAUSS II,  who even though he died in 1899,  had an amazingly significant presence on Broadway during the 20th century, including 27 showsfeaturing his music between 1882  and 1990. Albert and I will review that list of musicals on the next episode. Here is your Broadway Nation Ep 192: In Search of Lost Broadway: The Great Waltz companion guide to related media: A studio cast recording of Waltzes From Vienna, the score of which seems to have been carried over into the Broadway production of The Great Waltz:  Onstage and behind-the-scenes newsreel footage of the original production of The Great Waltz:  The full 1934 film version of Waltzes From Vienna, directed by Alfred Hitchcock:  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• 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 news began to break and during the incredible reaction and response this loss over the days that followed. The coverage of Sondheim’s life and legacy in both traditional and social media had been phenomenal including four full pages in the NY Times, extended tributes on TV, radio and other newspapers, trending on Twitter and a near total domination of all theater related social media — all richly deserved of course — but still somewhat unexpected for someone who was primarily a theater artist.  I think this reflects the hidden importance and impact of the Broadway musical on American and world culture. Most of the time the media simply ignores Broadway but once in a while it breaks through and reveals how ingrained it is in the fabric of our lives.  For this episode, rather than talk about Sondheim’s one of a kind place in the history of the Broadway musical and his impact on the form — as we have done on so many other episodes — Albert and I took our inspiration from the many personal memories that people have been posting and sharing about their own interactions with Sondheim, and especially how his shows and songs have impacted and affected their lives. So, before the weekend was over Albert and I decided to switch on the microphone and look back to the very first times that the work of Stephen Sondheim entered our lives. We would love to hear about your first time experiencing of the artistry of Stephen Sondheim and feature those memories on an upcoming episode. And we have made it extremely easy for you to share them. Just go the Broadway nation website at ⁠www.Broadway-nation.com⁠ and on the bottom right corner of the home page you will find a microphone icon. Simply click on that and share with us you’re first Sondheim experiences! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• 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 historians or scholars who have created non-fiction works about the history of the Broadway musical, every once in a while it is my great pleasure to feature a fiction writer who has taken what I call a "novel approach" to Broadway. These have included, on episode 90: Laura Frankos and her time travel novel Broadway Revival, on episode 1 32: Stephen Cole and his time travel novel,  MARY and ETHEL and Mikey Who?,  on episode 1 37: Jack Viertel's novel Broadway Melody, and most recently on episode 1 55: Chad Beguelin's Showmance, which like the novel we discuss today, is set in the world of contemporary Broadway. Dan Elish co-wrote the book to the Broadway musical 13 (music & lyrics by Jason Robert Brown) which has been performed all over the world and is now a movie on Netflix. Dan is also the bookwriter and co-lyricist of the off-Broadway musical, The Evolution of Man. Additionally, he's the author of twelve novels for readers of all ages including the real-life children's novel, The Worldwide Dessert Contest which in King of Broadway becomes the basis for a fictional Broadway musical. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• 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, author, educator, and podcast host, and the Artistic Director of the J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company in New York. And since working as an original programming producer at 54 Below, Rob has directed and produced over 100 concerts for the venue. His first book, 50 Key Stage Musicals, was published in 2022. Become A PATRON of Broadway Nation! This episode is made possible in part through the generous support of our Patron Club Members, such as JUDY HUCKA. If you are a fan of Broadway Nation, I invite you to become a PATRON! For as little as $7.00 a month, you can receive exclusive access to never-before-heard, unedited versions of many of the discussions that I have with my guests — in fact, I often record nearly twice as much conversation as ends up in the edited versions. You will also have access to additional, in-depth conversations with my frequent co-host, Albert Evans, that have not been featured on the podcast. And all patrons receive special “on-air” shout-outs and acknowledgement of your vital support of this podcast. And if you are very enthusiastic about Broadway Nation, there are additional PATRON levels that come with even more benefits. If you would like to support the work of Broadway Nation and receive these exclusive member benefits, please click on this link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://broadwaynationpodcast.supercast.tech/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thank you in advance for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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