The Fall 2023 Broadway Season Conversation with ALAN SEALES (The Theatre Podcast)

In this episode of Half Hour, Jeff & Richie sit down with Alan Seales from THE THEATRE PODCAST. Join them as they delve into the exciting lineup of plays and musicals coming this Fall. They share their personal enthusiasm for the most anticipated productions and explore noteworthy stunt casting highlights. Additionally, they examine emerging trends in the season, providing listeners with a comprehensive overview of the vibrant Broadway landscape. Tune in to this captivating conversation and expand your knowledge and appreciation of the shows and talent that make Broadway.

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Transcript

Richie [00:00:03] Half hour. 

Jeff [00:00:08] Welcome to Half Hour with Jeff and Richie, a Broadway podcast. I'm Jeff. 

Richie [00:00:12] And I'm Richie. And today we have a very special guest joining us for an exciting discussion about the upcoming fall 2023 Broadway season. Please welcome Alan Seales, the host of the theater podcast, a show all about engage in conversations that spark curiosity, that creates intimate connection with his guests. Alan, welcome to Half Hour. 

Alan [00:00:32] Thank you. It's so nice to be here and meet you guys face to face, digitally, finally.  

Jeff [00:00:39] And before we get too started on this fall Broadway season, we wanted to give the floor to you a little bit to tell our listeners about yourself and how you got started in the Broadway podcast world with the theatre podcast.

Alan [00:00:56] Whoa! How far back did we go? Let's see. There was a dark and stormy night. No. In a nutshell, I grew up completely. My left in my right brain were constantly at odds with each other. I love Tech. I love engineering, I love sports, but I also love performing, singing, dancing. To quote Eddie Izzard and running, jumping, climbing trees, putting on makeup. And and it's it's been kind of this constant struggle to figure out what I wanted to do. And I ended up going to college for computer science while still doing chorus and theater and whatnot. And I was like, I'll still, once I get out of, of college with my comp si degree, I'm going to be a professional actor. And that's what I did. And so then fast forward to 2007. Writer that writer's strike hits. And so I'm like, Oh, hey, I guess there's nothing to audition for. So fall back on computers. I'm like, Ooh, regular paycheck this is brand new. I'm going to continue with this for a while. Ended up. Fast forward five years as an engineer. I make my way to Google where I figure out that there's the Google Talks team where you can volunteer to bring in speakers to present to the office. And so the people that I had previously been performing with for those five years, I was previously five years ago when I was doing my engineering stuff, some of them made it to Broadway. So I reached out to my friends who were then on Broadway and was like, Hey, you should come in and do this thing. Which then opened up the door to realize, Oh, there's a whole like ecosystem of press and marketing. And the way that the business of show business is run. And then one night, back in August, September 2018, 2018, I was just I couldn't sleep at night. I said, Hey, listen to myself. I said, Hey, listen, self and self said, Yes, What can we do to get to sleep? And we said, We should find a podcast. This is kind of this medium that I haven't gotten into yet. Let me hear from like secrets and stories from Broadway people I couldn't find anything and which speaks to a discoverability issue that there exist in the podcast ecosystem anyway, because as soon as I started my own, I realized there were lots of others out there. I just couldn't find them. But anyway, by that point, and I started my own and I'm stubborn, so I didn't quit. And now five years later, gosh, yeah, it was I think it was October. I forget the date is late October, I think 2018. My first episode with Ariana DeBose was dropped. And, uh, and I've been going one a week ever since. It's been the hustle. 

Richie [00:03:37] Oh, yeah, it's amazing. We've been we kind of started ours during the pandemic when we were, like, consuming a lot of movies and TV and then movie musicals. And we, while there was theater, was shut down and we're like, Oh, we should going to talk about like some of the things we're watching during COVID times. And then that became like then when Broadway reopened, like, let's go to show us because we I find like we have family and friends all the time with, well, we'll go see a show and 10 to 20 people in separate texts and messages will say, oh, what did you think? What did you think? I'm like, We should just sit and record a quick conversation for 30 minutes of what we thought instead of messaging literally 20 people what we thought of the show. So that's because and then it's amazing how we have family and friends that are like, Oh, now I'm going to go. We're like, Oh, I don't know, like, and they just will want to know our opinion about. It's not that we're like these mega people, but we just would see stuff and they always wanted to know. So that's it's an interesting to hear how other podcasts emerge too. 

Alan [00:04:28] Like it's really cool you do that because there's a lot of people that like I moved to New York and 27 yeah, 2000, seven, 2007 in 2007 before like you could buy tickets online essentially. And there was no TKTS. There was no today I'm sorry, there's no todaytix There was no anything. Yeah. So I would stand in the in the TKTS line to get tickets. Yeah. And I looked approachable and quiet I guess, and like, never failed. Almost every time I was in line, someone would come up to me and say, What should I see? I'm, you know, I'm. I'm just in for a day or two. I don't know any. Think about Broadway. What should I see? And I was like, Oh, Peter in the star Catcher. That's like, the great stuff that is just frickin hilarious, right? Is amazing. And they like to see, Lion King, go see Chicago, See the stuff that they hear about that they've heard about because it's been around for a while. And I'm like, Oh, God, there's so much like, not nothing against those shows at all. But there are the startups, right? The startup shows that are so different and and we're going to talk about a lot of that, you know, and. 

Jeff [00:05:28] There are so many of those that like. 

Alan [00:05:29] Yeah, come into season but like the stuff that you could see that is not your mainstream things that you could see touring locally, like come to New York and see something you can't see anywhere else. That's my right. That's always my advice. 

Richie [00:05:40] Right. And I saw that. And kind of diving into this a little bit. This kind of leads us into what we're going to talk about today, which is our the Fall 2023 Broadway season. So for those of you who are listening, who probably already know this, the Tonys season usually goes from May or June to the following May or June. It's one full calendar year, not full calendar year. It's almost like a school year. I guess. 

Alan [00:06:00] Take a pandemic or so. 

Richie [00:06:01] Yeah, right. So we obviously know that the summer had some new shows. We've seen those, we've talked about those, and now we're talking about fall. And then of course, they'll be like a quiet time like in January and then it'll kind of resurge again in the spring. So for those of you don't know, there are ten new shows opening on Broadway between September 2023 and December 2023, actually, technically 11 starting. I put the honorable mention in as a PRAYER FOR THE FRENCH REPUBLIC because it starts previews in December, but it doesn't start officially open until January. So I'm being a little nitpicky on that one. But we do have ten shows that are fully opening as of now. Those shows are PURLIE VICTORIOUS, JAJA'S AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING, MY WINDOW, GUTTENBERG! THE MUSICAL, MERRILY, WE ROLL ALONG, I NEED THAT, HARMONY, SPAMALOT, HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO, and APPROPRIATE. And that's a mix of plays and musicals. We have some revivals of things in there, and I'm just just saying those out loud and reading this list, I'm like, Wow, this is really diverse. 

Alan [00:07:05] Yes, it really is. 

Richie [00:07:08] So with that being said, let's just kind of casually talk about what are we most excited for? What are we most curious about? What do we think of these ten shows? Let's take it away. 

Alan [00:07:18] Oh, goodness. 

Jeff [00:07:20] Who wants to go first? 

Alan [00:07:22] I guess I'll start. 

Jeff [00:07:24] Yeah. Okay, cool. 

Alan [00:07:25] I'm the Guest. I'll start, I don't get to do that. I just wrote. I was thinking about, like, what I'm most excited for and being in the community for a while and just knowing people behind the scenes. Right. I think like the cast putting together the cast for Spamalot and it's gotten me really, really excited. Like Michael Urie, James Monroe, Michael Hart, Ethan Slater, Chris Fitzgerald, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer. I mean, everything you see coming out of this looks like comedy gold. And and Spamalot was one of the first shows I saw when I when I moved to New York, you know, back in that in that in the mid knots. Right. And and to have it come back now is it's really it's really fun to compare where I am. I want to see it because it allows me now to compare where I am now in my life versus where I was then. And it's such a stark difference in a good way. But, but that's I think I'm most excited for Spamalot and then again Gutenberg, because it was developed, developed by Scott Brown and Anthony King as an Upright Citizens Brigade, a UCB show. I love that that that a sketch comedy style of comedy. And so, you know, throw in Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells, and that's just again, comedy gold. Those are my two. 

Richie [00:08:40] Totally right! Yeah. 

Alan [00:08:40] Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. And then also How to Dance in Ohio because. We're going to get into this. But number three. Yeah, those are my three. 

Richie [00:08:49] I would I would agree with all those. I think the Spamalot stuff. I totally get that. I mean that's I saw the original cast on that too. And to see that come back will be really great. And also, speaking of Gutenberg, I don't know anything about it. I'm trying to find information, but then I'm I'm kind of trying to also going blind because I don't really know what we're going to get with that. But I know you do have a comedy duo there that will work so well and. 

Jeff [00:09:11] Everyone keeps asking us about that, too. They're like, What's this new Josh Gad? Andrew Rannells, I was like, I really know nothing about it. Yeah, I'm probably going in just as blind as you. And they're like, Can we get tickets? I was like, Yeah, I mean, they're funny guys. Yeah, It's like, you know, the Book of Mormon and this and isn't it wasn't it a rumor, too, that they've been pinned for a while to come back and do a producers revival? 

Alan [00:09:34] I don't remember. 

Richie [00:09:35] I know that is a rumor, but I don't know. So maybe this is funny. 

Jeff [00:09:38] Then this comes along and like, you never know. But. 

Richie [00:09:41] And I would also throw in there. I do. I am really excited for the Merrily Roll Along revival only because it was such a hard ticket off-Broadway. It got great reviews and I do really love that show. And I know it's like the most expensive hard ticket now to go right now. So it's going to be a in demand thing this fall. But I'm very curious to know, I've heard through the. They find that they've changed a lot of things. I mean, every time the show is done somewhere, it's like, let's figure it out, because there's that like amazing documentary about how the struggle with how, Hal Prince, Stephen Sondheim to get this to work and you put it in and whatever. So I'm curious to see a new director come in and figure it out, you know? 

Alan [00:10:15] Yeah, it was a huge flop when it opened the new one. It closed after 16 performances.

Richie [00:10:19] Yeah, Yeah, right. 

Jeff [00:10:21] And watching that, yeah. I also had Spamalot down because I actually did not see Spamalot when it was first on Broadway. So and I just. Yeah, I know. 

Richie [00:10:30] It's so funny. It's so funny. 

Jeff [00:10:32] So I'm really excited for that. And I love Leslie. It's so like to see her do this is going to be great. I also had Gutenberg. I also have How to Dance in Ohio, which we're definitely going to get more into that. And I did put a play down because I am really excited to see Jaja's African Hair Braiding. I was reading the plot to this and I'm really intrigued to see something like new and current in the play space coming to the stage. 

Richie [00:11:00] Yeah. Yeah. 

Alan [00:11:01] Centers around a group of West African immigrant hair braiders and their customers in a Harlem salon play. The play takes place over one full day. A lot can happen in a braiding salon in one day. Yeah. I mean, you set up when you give such a specific environment like that. I agree that you can like as a writer, you can dive in and there's so much, so much you can tell over the course of one day, because you have the ability to really develop the character focused in one spot for so long. 

Jeff [00:11:29] Totally. That's like being in a hair salon, you know, we always hear the stories, even that guy at a barber shop, when you get your haircut, there's so much like gossip and drama happening in that, like little timeframe that you're there. I can only imagine what's going to happen in this play. 

Richie [00:11:43] And then what's also nice about that is that play really has a very new cast, a new team, new playwrights, new directors. It's nice when you see that. I mean, yes, I'm looking at like my list here too. Like, yes, we have like someone like, okay, like Kenny Leon, he's going to have two shows this season. Alex Timbers, He's going to direct two shows. It's like, it's great to see those names, too, but then it's nice to see a new work with like all new people coming. Even like the How to Dance In Ohio team looks like a really new team coming in. So that's like nice that this is a mix of like the names of Broadway and the new names of Broadway. I kind of really appreciated seeing the mix of all that this season coming. 

Alan [00:12:19] Yeah.

Jeff [00:12:21] And kind of speaking on all of the names on Broadway, we kind of love to talk about stunt casting because it happens all the time. But, you know, I'm curious to see what kind of stunt casting are you excited for this season or are you kind of like, why are they doing that? And do you think it's going to help the runs of the show? 

Alan [00:12:43] It's it's my my safe answer is that I'm always excited as long as it helps the show, Right? So it's going to depend on the person just high level. I don't think Pam Anderson really belonged in Chicago, right? I mean, there's that kind of stunt casting. But to get Danny DeVito in, I NEED THAT. I would. I'd love to. I'm excited to see him on stage. Yeah, because I don't know how much theater work he does. He's not known for that. Sarah Paulson, in APPROPRIATE. She does do more stage work. So she's got a reputation for being good. And I'm excited to see her just because I know she's going to be good, right? Yeah. So, you know, and literally we bring you back to Merrily, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG. I right before we recorded this, I just got out of a recording with Katie Rose Clark, who's opposite Jonathan Groff in Merrily, Right. And so we were talking about everything. And she's working on developing a new musical with Huey Lewis, who was a stuntman who was stunt cast in Chicago as well at one point. So, yeah, here you go and I'll come full circle. 

Richie [00:13:44] It is interesting because there's also this, like when you say these names like Sarah Paulson, Danny DeVito, even Jessica Lange, which I know is spring, but there's that was just announced recently. I think it's interesting because there's this major strike right now, but there's not a strike in live theater in New York. And I wonder and Daniel Radcliffe is a big star, too. So you see these film people coming in. And I think it's in a way, a win win. We get to see film. People live, they're working on their craft in a space that they're unions in the live space can works, can successfully support. They know. I was just talking to someone recently who works in film and they're like, there's actually a thought that that strike could actually kind of go well into 2024. So it's not like that might end any time soon. So why not? As long as you said, it helps the plot, it helps the story and it helps us out with telling the story and giving some great acting moments then. Sure. I mean, we might even see more in the spring announced with movie and film TV actors. Who knows? 

Alan [00:14:35] Yeah, I'm excited for it. I really am. Because there's there's a lot of people I mean, a lot of people who got their start in theater and then, you know, had some breakthrough in film and they haven't come back. If you look at look at all the Avengers, those those actors, if you look up, they're all almost all of them have like small off-Broadway stage credits before they were ever big into TV and film, you know. So yeah, well. 

Jeff [00:14:58] A lot of. A lot of these actors are going to off-Broadway as well. Like we keep seeing things like, Oh, the off-Broadway season is really shaping up well. When you have someone like Aubrey Plaza going off-Broadway and you're like, Oh, okay, there's another show added to my list, I. You brought up Danny DeVito. It's also I'm very intrigued to see what Danny DeVito and his daughter, Lucy DeVito, are going to be doing together on the stage, because I was like, Oh, that's cool. I haven't seen that. And I always feel for Richie and I sometimes we were like, Oh, that's a stunt cast when it's a Broadway person. But like, some people don't really know all the Broadway people. So sometimes I'll be like, Oh yeah, like Leslie Odom Jr is going to be in PURLIE. Like, Yeah, me. That's a stunt cast. Yeah. 

Richie [00:15:43] Yeah, he's a great actor. 

Alan [00:15:45] I was going to bring that up to you, and I almost wrote Leslie and I didn't because I'm like, Oh, he's a Broadway person. But then when you look at what Into the Woods did the Broadway production I really liked actually, how they kept it fresh in the press by continuing, I will call it Broadway stunt casting. They kept having these shortened these short contracts to to rotate through very big Broadway names. So outside of the Broadway community, I don't know if it would make as much of a splash as it did, but inside it was just like powerhouse after powerhouse keeping the show at a at a level that kept it really in front of everybody in the news. 

Richie [00:16:20] What I also find interesting was some casting and to your point of the into the Woods, the short contracts I think is the new norm or maybe the forthcoming thing, because if you're a working actor in New York, you want long contracts or you want extensions of contracts or you want multiple contracts, don't get me wrong, but if you're a famous person and you think in each show I've heard through the grapevine people have turned down. There was a quite a few people that I'd heard, like for Hedwig long ago that wanted to do it. They were like, I can't do that. Like, yeah, it's like, that's I'm not doing it eight times a week. And so, like, if you were to say to seven, oh like, but do what, eight times a week but only for three weeks, I feel like there's like, oh sure, yeah, count me in. So like, I think there was maybe a little bit more of that coming. I don't know. 

Alan [00:17:00] We'll say. Yeah. Oh, that's, that's really interesting. I mean, yeah, we don't have time to get into this, but yeah, Eva Noblezada and others have been very vocal about hating the eight show schedule and more and more major numbers are having scheduled like contractual alternates. But that's a separate podcast. 

Richie [00:17:18] Yeah. So moving forward here, I mean, we were talking also about notable directors, choreographers and designers that are coming this season. I had just mentioned earlier, Kenny Leon, Alex Timbers. Those are two big directors that are coming back to do some stuff. Are there any directors, choreographers, designers or anyone else that we're looking forward to this season? Seeing. 

Alan [00:17:36] So a friend of mine I've known for a few years now is Sammi Cannold and who's director for How To Dance in Ohio, and one of the She's Forbes 30 under 30. Everything she does turns to gold. She's one of these these people, these up and coming people in life who only only selects projects that are going to better the world in general. And she she's very much does art for the sake of art, like she's not ever in it for a cash grab and or any you know, anything that's like I don't revive it just because I know it's going to sell tickets. Like that's not her at all. And to take on something like How to Dance in Ohio is it's so her in general, like personally, but she just keeps getting recognized for all of her work in general. And to finally see her Broadway directorial debut. I'm so excited for her and happy for the show in general. 

Richie [00:18:32] I've seen her name quite a bit, too. She did the Ellis Island Ragtime, right, which was like so groundbreaking. And then I went to Kennedy Center last year to see Sunset that she directed with Stephanie J. BLOCK. And the whole thing with that was like casting a younger Norma Desmond. And I'm a huge, huge, huge fan of that show. And and it worked. And it was it was like so true to the text, but also slightly different and and stuff. And she blew my mind and I was like, Yeah. And then I saw her name. So like, yes, Broadway debut for her. It totally makes sense. And I think it's going to be awesome. I totally agree. 

Jeff [00:19:06] Yeah, yeah, I agree with that too. I'm excited for that because I feel like and we're going to get into How to Dance in Ohio very shortly, too, because of this whole plot and the documentary. But I did also write down Maria Friedman for Merrily because people keep saying that her direction is really bringing this life to this revival. So I'm excited because I actually like that show. Even, you know, all the drama that's been with it. That's one of my favorite Sondheim shows. So it's like, I'm excited for that and I am excited for Alex Timbers. I always love the immersive ness that he brings into his fully thought out idea and concept. So and I didn't even know he was directing Gutenberg. So when I read that, I was like, Oh great, because obviously Here Lies Love. That whole thing was just amazing. That's why. 

Alan [00:19:57] Have you have you ever met? Alex or talk to him personally? No, thank you. 

Jeff [00:20:02] Very close to seeing. We were like at the table next to him at the Drama Desk Awards that year, and he was literally sitting right next to us and we were like. Do we just go up to him or. Yeah, yeah. 

Alan [00:20:13] Well, you should see where when I was going to bring it was going to say real quick. It was just that he's such, he's such a quiet and and introspective guy and he's not somebody who I would associate with doing these big, in-your-face immersive comedies, but he's so good at them, like Moulin Rouge and Beetlejuice, which were at the same time, by the way. Yeah, open at the same time. And yeah. GUTTENBERG And here Lies Love and everything he does. I met him originally for Oh, Hello with Nick Kroll and John Mulaney. 

Richie [00:20:42] Yeah. Yep. 

Alan [00:20:43] And again, one of those things where it's just like you walk in, it's just everything. The set is phenomenal. Anyway, I just. I love that. 

Richie [00:20:50] Oh, yeah. The and talking in some of these plots and themes of some of these shows, I mean, I know how to dance in Ohio definitely stands out to me. I think autistic young adults act young autistic actors in that is amazing. I think that's going to be a I really have high hopes for it. We saw the documentary recently. I cried. I thought it was just beautiful. And it's like such human emotion and love and kindness. And I think that's what Broadway kind of needs and an original concept show original. I just all good things. I hope. I hope, you know. 

Alan [00:21:24] Yeah. I mean, I agree with everything. And that's exactly, you know, why I think Sam is doing it, but because it is this message of love and hope and emotion. But but yes, I agree with that 100%. And, you know, coming into the just highlighting in in general. Right. Like there's so much like you said at the very beginning of such a diverse half of season coming up here. Right. It's and and this is a this is an area of representation that I really can't ever remember seeing, unfortunately, not as a trope, a stereotype or like, you know, something to sort of make fun of. And it's been it's been a long time coming. And I'm really, really happy that we have this show now. 

Richie [00:22:08] Defintely.

Jeff [00:22:09] And we have been listening? We've heard some of the music from it as well, because we were like, wow, how are they really going to develop these characters? Like after watching them in the documentary and like, really do them a great service in this show as well? And we're hearing some of the music and I'm like, I don't usually like listening to music before I go and see a show because I don't want it to like throw me off when I know the words or anything like that. But I'm just like, Oh no, this this music is beautiful from what we've heard so far. 

Alan [00:22:36] Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I mean, the same thing with the notebook too. I don't want to know anything, but everything I hear, I'm like, I got. I got to listen more guys. Everything makes me cry. 

Jeff [00:22:46] So funny about that. That's so funny about The Notebook, because we were actually in Chicago when the run was happening and we were there like the last weekend of it and you couldn't get a ticket. Everyone was like, We were talking to people from Chicago. We were like, What do we see when we're out here? They're like, You need to see the notebook. I was like, I can't. There's no ticket. I was like, Well, because I was like, I know it's going to come to Broadway, but, you know, I'm really excited for that one as well. I know it's spring. 

Richie [00:23:10] But, you know, it's also interesting when you look at all these shows coming up. I mean, if you looked at how did dance in Ohio, Spamalot and Purlie Victorious, three of the most different shows I could name talking about so many different issues like that alone is exciting. And then there's also this, like I'm looking at I'm like, well, what's like the tourist trap? What's the like? And I'm like, okay, maybe the Melissa Etheridge my window. That seems like I think it's an original concept of hers, but it seems a little Las Vegas to me, like, come see Melissa Etheridge, one woman show. So maybe. But there's also a little bit of like harmony. I know that's I don't know if that's going to cater an older audience, if that's kind of trying to get tourists and it's Barry Manilow's name on it. So those are two years later. 

Alan [00:23:51] I mean, even. Merrily with the Sondheim tag, you know. 

Richie [00:23:54] Sure. Sure. So it'll be I mean, we also have like Back to the Future, that's kind of a tourist trap that just opens. So there's some stuff already kind of lingering there and I'm sure stuff coming. But yeah, that's an interesting mix. It really is. Of stuff this whole season. 

Alan [00:24:08] Yeah, there's there's a lot of like Back to the Future is is great I don't care what the reviews say I've seen it twice I think it's great and Moulin Rouge Moulin Rouge is just now I wonder how they're doing. I haven't I tried to look at not to look at box office stuff, but I wonder how they're doing overall because they've just now started to do what I feel like is Broadway stunt casting and maybe a little bit outside of the Broadway stunt casting, right? So like, there's Moulin and and Juliet now is writing off of of of their Tony nominations and they're still growing and like surprisingly and and maybe disappointingly even after Kimberly Akimbo won I don't know like if Victoria Clarke leaves is that show going to survive? 

Alan [00:24:50] I don't know. 

Richie [00:24:51] Exactly. I don't know. And speaking of Back to the Future, don't listen to our latest podcast. Because we had a very opposite. 

Alan [00:25:00] Oh, really? Oh, no. 

Richie [00:25:02] We did. We were we are always respectful, of course, of the industry when we give our reviews, but we are we're not we're not fans or not fans. 

Alan [00:25:09] I just love the illusions. I love the nostalgia and the here it is nostalgia. To hear that music being played live, you know, it's why you go like watch Lord of the Rings with the Philharmonic, right? Yeah. 

Richie [00:25:22] I liked the three songs from the movie, if that's what you're talking about. Sure. But I mean, that's about it. And the cast. Sure, but that's about it, you know, for me. But anyway. Well, we digress. I wanted to. I know we're getting tight on time. I wanted to talk really quick. Just anything off-Broadway that might be coming this fall. I know we're mainly focusing on Broadway, but I had put down like, I'm really excited for this Dracula off-Broadway show. I think that's what I read. Yeah, I think that's we're going to go see that a couple of weeks. I'm excited for that. I also put I don't. 

Alan [00:25:49] Even know, I was just looking at something because I actually saw this on the Broadway Podcast Network. Was this a podcast first, like. 

Alan [00:25:56] Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen wrote this script and they were performing it regionally, I think a couple of places in Florida. And then Gordon is it's it's all it all kind of comes back. The reason I know Sammi is because her mom is Dori Bernstein, who co-founded Broadway Podcast Network with me. Got it. So this is this is that whole connection. And so Dori and Gordon have been friends for a long time. And so when we were creating original content, when the pandemic started, we were like, Let's turn this into an audio drama. And Dracula was the first thing we did. One of the first, first or second thing we did on the network. And you know, Chris Sieber is Dracula, and it just it's frickin hilarious. A little cameo from John Stamos in there, but who plays Elvis? And it's it's frickin hilarious. It's such a great show. And I can't wait to see Andrew Keenan-bolger and the rest of the cast off Broadway. And that opens or it starts previews, I think next week. 

Richie [00:26:51] Is it already. Yeah, yeah. 

Alan [00:26:52] Yeah I hear this Week it's it's I think. 

Richie [00:26:54] It's just started this week. Yeah already did start. Yeah yeah yeah. So I had put that down as a potential I also put down I mean not that I don't think there's a ticket left but the new Sondheim here we are which hopefully maybe that transforms to Broadway it just sounds like. I mean, to be in that room, I mean, yeah, that just sounds like it's actually been brilliant. And then I also put down I can get it for you wholesale. I mean, I'm a Barbra Streisand fan. I hope they kind of do some cute, some. You don't never hear of that show being done. So maybe there is something cool going on there. I don't know. And I also like the Golden Age stuff. So like Pal Joey City Center, I might want to try to check that out because I love the old and the reinventing that book and trying to get that revival to Broadway. So I don't know. Those are just some of my off-Broadway thoughts. 

Alan [00:27:38] Yeah, as a as a as a dad and podcaster and network runner and other things, I'm I'm unfortunately, I don't make enough time for off Broadway like I do, But Dracula has just been like a major blip on my radar that I'm so excited for. Definitely like there's there's a the through line I think is a lot of there's a lot of good comedy coming back. There's like representation. There's these true stories. They're authentic stories talking about like through lines of, of trends that we're seeing this fall. Right. And it's I like that there's no jukebox musical, like big jukebox musical I like. But everything is sort of rooted in in and a little bit of truth in historical history, in fact. And then even like prayer for the French Republic, Right. Honorable mention, right is another it's another Holocaust. 

Richie [00:28:25] Yeah.

Alan [00:28:26] Play. And it's 3 hours with two intermissions. 

Richie [00:28:30] Yeah. Yeah. 

Alan [00:28:31] It's going to be very like, like, yeah, I mean, I don't know, a Holocaust show that is not heavy, right? 

Richie [00:28:36] Of worse. Yeah. 

Alan [00:28:38] Yeah, I'm. I'm excited for the authenticity that this fall season is bringing. That's. That's my big through line for me. 

Richie [00:28:46] Yeah, totally. And that's and I would kind of wrap up, too. Yeah. Jeff, what are you going to say? 

Jeff [00:28:50] I just hope, like, people outside of the Broadway community can kind of embrace a lot of these shows as well and not just look for that. Like, you know, I'm going to see Lion King for the 30th. 

Alan [00:29:02] Yeah.

Jeff [00:29:02] Like try something new because I feel like Lion King is going to run forever. 

Alan [00:29:07] Yeah. You know it also has a tour. 

Jeff [00:29:09] It's always going to be there. Yeah. 

Alan [00:29:10] Like anything that is touring, like see that regionally? Regionally because it's going to be a much cheaper ticket. Come to New York and See something. It'll be a cheaper ticket. And just as good, I promise you. Yeah. Yeah. I'm in New York and see something you can't see somewhere else. 

Richie [00:29:26] Yes.

Jeff [00:29:27] That's like what? We just had friends recently. They're like, What should we see? What should we see? And I'm like, What's from last season that they should see? It's like you guys should go see Shucked. Yes, go check it out. You love comedy. You love something new and fresh. And Alex Newell is killing it. So like, go check it out. 

Richie [00:29:40] Right.

Alan [00:29:41] Right, right. Yeah, I was Newell and and Robert Horn. The book is. Yeah, it's phenomenal. I mean, yeah, it's it's a laugh a minute or five laughs a minute. It's. Yeah. 

Jeff [00:29:50] Right, right, right. Yes. 

Richie [00:29:52] Yeah. Well, unfortunately, we're out of time. We have to wrap up. I can't believe how fast that way I could sit here for two, 3 hours and just keep going. But we'll have to do it on Spring one. 

Alan [00:30:01] Yeah. Let's do part two for the. For the spring. Because I can't wait to talk about The Wiz. Oh, my. 

Richie [00:30:08] Oh, I can't wait. I know. It's actually, I, we were just talking because Jeff has never seen the movie and I'm like, Oh my gosh, we have to see the movie before he goes, Yeah, it's like iconic music. So anyway, but that is all the time we have. For today's episode of Half Hour. We thank you all so much for listening to us today. 

Jeff [00:30:24] Yes. And we're going to link the theater podcast in our description and so you can all check out Alan's show. We hope you enjoyed this conversation and thanks so much for joining us today, Alan. 

Alan [00:30:34] Thank you guys for having me. I hope I hope we can do more of these this.  

Richie [00:30:39] Sure. And to all our listeners out there, if you have any suggestions for future episodes, we'd love to hear from you and you can connect with us on Instagram and TikTok at half our podcast. So wrapping up for now, I'll Say Goodbye. I'm Richie. 

Jeff [00:30:51] And I'm Jeff. 

Richie [00:30:52] Saying Tata. 

Alan [00:30:54] Bye bye, everyone.