The Playbill Podcast: A Show on Broadway

What do you get when you combine more than 11,000 performances, 124 million attendees, and six Tony Awards? You have arguably the most successful and impactful Broadway show in its history. The Lion King debuted in 1997 and has since helped lift the art form and its patrons up, spreading the joy of its work across the world through its many productions. The show, helmed by multi-time Tony Award-winner Julie Taymor, has helped jumpstart countless careers and sparked general interest in live theatre, a theme in this episode.Host Alex Birsh brings on his father, Phil Birsh (Playbill's Chairman and CEO), to talk about the indelible mark the show has made on Broadway, and they reminisce about Phil bringing Alex to The Lion King when he was eight years old.Alex then brings on two cast members, Gavin Lee (Scar) and Lindiwe Dlamini (multiple roles), who discuss what it's like to bring this show to life every day, from the perspective of the newest cast member (Lee) and the one who has been with the production since the very beginning (Dlamini).Yes...since 1997!00:25 - Sneak peek into The Lion King02:17 - Alex and Phil interview18:09 - Gavin Lee and Lindiwe Dlamini interview

Playbill went to New York Comic Con in October and hosted several panels on Broadway, including Beetlejuice's return, Hamilton's lasting legacy, the rise of Death Becomes Her, Little Shop of Horrors' impact on entertainment history, and a look into the new spring musical, The Lost Boys. We know everyone who'd want to hear these panels couldn't be there in person, so we're turning them into podcast episodes!The second one we're bringing to you is our panel on Hamilton, and how this remarkable, history-making show has electrified Broadway for a decade and is performed all over the world. On the panel, we had Jisel Soleil Ayon (Angelica Schuyler), Trey Curtis (Alexander Hamilton), Tamar Greene (George Washington), Cherry Torres (Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds), Morgan Anita Wood (Eliza Hamilton), and Patrick Vassel (Associate Director).

Someone must have said his name three times again...since Beetlejuice is back on Broadway for a third time! Playbill went to New York Comic Con earlier this fall and hosted several panels on Broadway, including Beetlejuice's return, Hamilton's lasting impact, the rise of Death Becomes Her, Little Shop of Horrors' impact on entertainment history, and a look into the new spring musical, The Lost Boys. We know everyone who'd want to hear these panels couldn't be there in person, so we're turning them into podcast episodes!The first one we're bringing to you is our panel on Beetlejuice, and how fans cannot get enough of the ghost with the most. We brought on the current Beetlejuice and Lydia, Justin Collette and Isabella Esler, to talk about what it takes to put this musical on. We also had Warner Bros.' executive Mark Kaufman and marketing agency SPOTCO executive Callie Goff on the panel to explain how the show, and its public image, were created in the first place.

Breaking the Binary Theatre is a new work development and community building hub wherein transgender, non-binary, and Two-Spirit+ artists come together to reclaim their artistic license and liberty. This year the theatre will celebrate the fourth annual Breaking the Binary Theatre Festival, opening on October 20 with a one-night-only concert of The Drowsy Chaperone at Carnegie Hall featuring a star-studded all-trans and non-binary cast led by Laverne Cox, Alex Newell, Betty Who, Jonathan Van Ness, Dylan Mulvaney, and more. All net proceeds will benefit Trans Lifeline, Black Trans Liberation, and Breaking the Binary Theatre.In this episode, Playbill Podcast host Alex Birsh passes the mic to Breaking the Binary Theatre founding artist director George Strus who moderates a roundtable with participants of this year's festival: Tony nominee L Morgan Lee, Sis Thee Doll, Samora la Perdida, and Cheeyang Ng. The group discuss their participation in the festival, the importance of representation in the industry (both in front and behind the table), and more!

One of the recurring multimedia series we make at Playbill is called My Life In The Theatre, and you can find it in the Playbill programs on Broadway, on our YouTube page, and on our website. The premise is simple: we hand a theatre legend a binder filled with Playbills of their past stage shows, and they talk to us about their time in each. The first episode we edited for this podcast was with Jonathan Groff, which got a great listener response. We wanted to turn our most recent installment into another podcast episode, especially because it features the absolute legend that is Audra McDonald, the most Tony-awarded actor in Broadway’s history, who had just finished her run in the iconic revival of Gypsy.We’ll set the scene: it’s Audra McDonald at a table, with a microphone and a big binder filled with a lot of Playbills, and a lot of memories.For those who want to watch this episode instead, click this link here!01:39 - The Secret Garden03:34 - Carousel 08:17 - Master Class11:12 - Ragtime14:25 - Marie Christine17:51 - Henry IV20:43 - A Raisin in the Sun22:40 - 110 in the Shade25:14 - Porgy and Bess26:55 - Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill30:01 - Shuffle Along, Or….31:58 - Frankie and Johnny in the Clare 34:12 - Ohio State Murders36:28 - Gypsy

The musical "Death Becomes Her" has become a Broadway mainstay, thrilling packed houses each night and building an impressive audience. For those of you who haven’t seen it, you may have heard a clip of it before, especially if you have a TikTok, as a sound from the song "Hit Me" has gone viral, heard by millions ("That. Was. Rude....").Broadway star Jennifer Simard plays Helen Shaw, the friend/rival of Madeline Ashton, the over-the-hill stage and screen actress played by Broadway powerhouse Megan Hilty. They both have eyes for fame, acclaim, and love interest Ernest, played by Christopher Sieber. Both women attempt to stay forever young thanks to the magic provided by Viola Van Horn (Michelle Williams of Destiny's Child). This, of course, has its unintended consequences. In this episode, host Alex Birsh talks with a theatre friend who’s seen the show, and they’ll go into why "Death Becomes Her" might be for you if you’re heading to Broadway. Following the interview, Alex brings on stars Jennifer Simard and Christopher Sieber, who go into everything it took to create this show and what it's like to put it on night after night. 00:23 -- Sneak peek of Death Becomes Her02:27 -- Interview with theatre friend Diep Tran, Editor-In-Chief of Playbill11:35 -- Interview with Jennifer Simard and Christopher Sieber