Theater History and Mysteries

The real CRIME that inspired the musical Chicago (Chicago 2 of 12, episode 51)

Send us Fan Mail The musical Chicago is based on an actual case.  And not in a distant, this trial inspired a story that’s been retold so many times that who knows, kind

The real people who inspired the musical Chicago (Chicago 1 of 12, episode 50)

Send us Fan Mail Chicago the musical is the longest running revival in Broadway history, second only to Phantom as the longest running show ever, winner of the 2002 Osca

Why Alexander Hamilton is responsible for the US Constitution (Hamilton 12 of 12, episode 49)

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Hamilton and Hip Hop -- is it the right musical style for a show about the founder of the Treasury? (Hamilton 11 of 12, episode 48)

Send us Fan Mail Lin Manuel Miranda’s mega hit, the musical Hamilton, has got hiphop in it.  Ya can’t miss that, it’s what makes the show distinctive, and most Broadway

Lin Manuel Miranda and the making of Hamilton. (Hamilton 10 of 12, episode 47)

Send us Fan Mail There are 2 questions at the heart of hamilton -- what makes the show work, and what makes Lin-Manuel MIranda tick.  Those might be two sides of the sam

The women of Hamilton. (Hamilton 9 of 12, episode 46)

Send us Fan Mail Philippa Soo plays the role of Eliza in the Broadway mega-hit Hamilton.  And I gotta say, the more you read about Phillipa Soo the more that you like he

Hamilton -- Is it cool for actors of color to play old white guys? The case FOR multiracial casting. (Hamilton 8 of 12, episode 45)

Send us Fan Mail Lin-Manuel Miranda was not the first person to pursue multi-racial casting to make a political point.  Heather S. Nathans of Tufts university shares the

Hamilton -- Is it cool for actors of color to play old white guys? The case against multiracial casting. (Hamilton 7 of 12, episode 44)

Send us Fan Mail Hamilton, the musical, is a show about the founders of the United States, who were mostly white men, and to a much lesser extent white women, and it is

Hamilton -- Lafayette and werewolves (Hamilton 6 of 12, episode 43)

Send us Fan Mail This is a show about Hamilton the musical, and it’s about one of the main characters.  The point is to give some deep backstory to figure, and as I have

Hamilton -- Did Hamilton own slaves? (Hamilton 5 of 12, episode 42)

Send us Fan Mail I’ll get right to the point: Did Alexander Hamilton own slaves? There are those who definitely say yes.  There were those who definitely said no, altho

Hamilton -- the full story of the duel (Hamilton 4 of 12 episode 41).

Send us Fan Mail What’s the one thing you knew about Hamilton before the show?  One thing I remember from elementary school?  It’s the duel. Isn’t the duel a big deal i

Hamilton -- All the things that led up to the duel (Hamilton 3 of 12 episode 40).

Send us Fan Mail You have seen the musical and you know how the story ends: Aaron Burr shoots Alexander Hamilton.  This is the podcast where we ask big questions, so let

Hamilton -- How he saved the economy and the whole country (Hamilton 2 of 12, episode 39)

Send us Fan Mail What if history remembers you, but for the wrong thing?  Not like, for a bad thing, but you did a bunch of amazing things that are all forgotten, and on

Hamilton -- The show and why Hamilton might be even more impressive that you think (Hamilton 1 of 12, episode 38)

Send us Fan Mail Alexander Hamilton did some major things that still impact the world we live in today...but you might not really get what those are from watching the mu

The Secret Garden -- an interview with Emily Clark (episode 38)

Send us Fan Mail What’s the most awesome theater moment you’ve had?  Not, like, the biggest show you’ve been in, or the biggest audience you’ve played to, or the best ti

Hadestown...and the surprising link to the history of mining. (Hadestown 8/8, episode 37)

Send us Fan Mail To really understand the smash musical Hadestown, you have to understand…mines.  Hear me out. Hadestown isn’t just a re-telling of the ancient Orpheus

Hadestown...how do we save the environment? (Hadestown 7/8, episode 36)

Send us Fan Mail Hadestown is a story about politics.  You’ve seen the show, so you know that it’s the ancient Greek story of Orpheus put in a fictional but modern setti

What does Hadestown say about race and gender? (Hadestown 6/8, episode 35)

Send us Fan Mail Are there crazy connections in the world?  In 1984 I was a 4th-year college debater at Cal. State Fullerton with aspirations of finishing in the top 16

Hadestown...and autism (Hadestown 5/8, episode 34)

Send us Fan Mail Hadestown Episode 5 script – Autism In my favorite episode of this show, I went to the Phantom of the Opera sites on Facebook and asked people what the

The Big Song in Hadestown -- Epic 3 (Hadestown 4/8, episode 33)

Send us Fan Mail Hadestown Episode 4 script – The song (Epic 3) What does it mean to be a tortured genius?   Does it mean getting your show to Broadway, and finding yo