Podcast Playbill

Paul, Jill, and our live audience of dedicated Playbills are swinging through the streets of New York City with our first-ever live episode! We’re sharpening our Spidey senses for a look at 2011’s “Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark”. Paul, Jill, and our rogues gallery demand answers! Why is there reference to a Greek goddess? Do The Edge’s friends just…

Welcome to the show (ba ba-da da)! We’re travelling backwards in time with 1981’s Merrily We Roll Along, with music by up-and-coming Broadway nobody Stephen Sondheim. Paul and Jill provide important answers, followed by questions such as: where does one get a sweatshirt showing their narrative significance? Why does Hal Prince loves bleachers so mu…

We’re exploring three shows bidding adieu to the Great White Way: Beetlejuice, Phantom of the Opera, and 1776! It’s the ghost with the most, the phantom with the fandom, and… the lesser-known founding fathers musical. Paul, Jill, and Daph ask deep, though-provoking questions such as: is it easy to receive vocal coaching through layers of brick? Sho…

We’re travelling way, way, WAY back in time to the 1930s with Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera! This week, we’re joined by Sick + Twisted Theatre’s Debbie Patterson, to talk all things Verfremdungseffekt. Paul, Jill, and Debbie puzzle over such questions as: why does Brecht hate applause? What other sneaky show tunes was the Cha…

It’s astounding… time is fleeting… madness has taken control of Monkeys and Playbills! We are joined live in the living room by Breton Lalama (@bretonlikethecrackers) to discuss 1975’s “The Rocky Horror Show!” This occult classic has Jill! Paul! Breton! Dr Scott! asking… who was your sexual awakening in the film adaptation? Why didn’t New York like…

It’s 2008. The height of the iPod. Hoodies have that weird flap thing in front. Paul makes Daphne include a bit about how The Dark Knight came out this year and that was great. And also, a little two-hander on Broadway makes a tiny splash: this week, we’re talking about Bartram and Hill’s “The Story of My Life!” Paul and Jill stare at a blank Word …

Welcome to It Takes Two! On this podcast, we pair five emerging artists with five professional mentors to work together on an informal mentorship process. Over four weeks, pairs will develop and create a performance piece as well as record an interview together to talk about their process.Oleh Village Conservatory

Who are we now? This week, we’re bending the rules just a bit to talk about a very special under-100 performance: the great Beanie Feldstein-Julie Benko-Lea Michele upset of 2022. It’s time to take a look at Funny Girl! Paul, Jill, and Daph examine the drama with opera glasses to ask: whatever happened to that girl from Spring Awakening? How do we …

It’s the 80s. Hair is big. Suits are shoulder-padded. And Boy George is running around screwing with all your preconceived notions of gender. Join Paul, Jill, and special guest Tatiana Carnevale as we explore 2004’s Taboo! While head-bobbing to techno, our intrepid hosts find themselves wondering: is it a bad idea to play your best friend in a musi…

Call us the Necronomicon, because we’re back with another instalment of Revive or Die! This week, Paul and Jill let Producer Daph talk enough to join them in visiting three forgotten musicals of yesteryear: 70, Girls, 70; Home Sweet Homer; and Rockabye Hamlet. Together, these intrepid practitioners of the dark arts find themselves asking: is anyone…

We’ve got a royal scandal on our hands this week, folks: featuring NYC and Winnipeg’s own Raffie Rosenberg! This princess production was directed by Christopher Ashley with music and lyrics by David Bryan and Joe DiPietro. You know, that guy from Bon Jovi and Memphis. Paul, Jill, and Raffie hold court to ask the important questions, like: should on…

Paul and Jill don their fedoras and trenchcoats for a look at 1940s - what? Really? Okay, 1991’s Nick & Nora! This salute to the fast-talking dames and lads of mid-century private detecting was directed by Arthur Laurents (welcome back!) with music by Charles Strouse (welcome back Chuck!) Paul and Jill sidle up to the bar and slyly ask the big ques…

New year, same us! Paul and Jill gather with aching heads and full hearts to discuss ol’ buddy ol’ pal of the podcast Charles Strouse. The clock is ticking and we have only half an hour to take on Annie: the original plucky young orphan with a heart of gold and infectious optimism. Like, maybe too infectious. Calm down, kid, it’s the Depression, we…

Paul, Jill, and special guest Ali Fulmyk are heading down the rabbit hole in this week’s look at 2011’s Wonderland! This Christmas Carroll - no? wrong thing? oh well - was directed by Gregory Boyd with music by recurring composer, Frank Wildhorn. Oh, Frankie, we gotta stop meeting like this. Paul, Jill, and Ali flip upside down to ask the Caterpill…

Paul and Jill are joined by dear, very real Friend of the Podcast Nelson Bettencourt! Together, they flip through the history books and discover three forgotten musicals from yesteryear: Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Hurry, Harry, and Working. Paul, Jill, and Nelson scratch their heads and ponder: does anyone remember the band Deep Blue Something? Won’t …

We’re heading back to the swinging sixties with this week’s episode: Anyone Can Whistle! (Well, except maybe Fay Apple). Paul and Jill take a look at this oddly titled bomb from some guy no one’s ever heard of, Stephen Sond-heem. Soundheim? Fun Home? Eh, he’ll probably never make it. With the OBC starring Angela Lansbury and diva after diva taking …

We have a special guest on this week’s episode: the melodious voice, the producer with the mostest, it’s Producer Daph! Who writes the copy for all our episodes! And feels very weird about referring to herself in the third person! Paul, Jill, and Daph are each other’s dates to the prom in this look at 1988’s Carrie! This doomed dance was directed b…

We’re resurrecting the podcast with an all new season, starting with 2011’s Ghost! This spectre spectacular stars Caissie Levy and Richard Fleeshman as Demi and Patrick - we mean, Molly and Sam. The show was directed by Matthew Warchus with music by Dave Stewart, Glen Ballard, Bruce Joel Rubin, and of course, The Righteous Brothers. Paul and Jill s…

We’re gonna bring the flavour AND show you how. Join us on October 13th for the start of Season Two! We’ve got guests. We’ve got episodes. Coming straight from our homes to your ear boxes!Oleh Village Conservatory

As part of our "Ones that Got Away" series, Paul and Jill head back in time - twice - with 2016’s Bright Star! This bluegrass blend of Broadway and banjo comes courtesy of Steve Martin (yeah, that Steve Martin) and Edie Brickell. The show was directed by Walter Bobbie and stars Paul’s new favourite person Carmen Cusack. Paul and Jill decide to set …

Paul, Jill, and Julie travel back in time to the height of the Cold War with 1988’s Chess! This first foray into musical theatre is brought to us by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA and Mamma Mia! fame. Bringing the show to life are Judy Kuhn and David Carroll with direction by Trevor Nunn. It’s power suits. It’s brick-sized cell phones. I…

Paul and Jill take a trip down ol’ Central America way for Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville! This jukebox, palm-frond basking joy ride stars Paul Nolan and Alison Luff, was directed by Christopher Ashley, and features music from the chief Parrothead himself. Paul and Jill mix themselves a batch of the titular beverage and find themselves wo…

Paul, Jill, and special guest Katie German migrate their way down to Treegap, New Hampshire for 2016’s Tuck Everlasting! Based on the novel of the same name, this musical retelling features music by Chris Miller and Nathan Tysen, was directed by Casey Nicholaw, and stars Sarah Charles Lewis as Winnie. We also get an unexpected bonus appearance of o…

Paul and Jill travel to Topeka, Kansas for this half-Mennonite, all-Sherie Rene Scott musical: Everyday Rapture! This self-described semi-star takes the stage directed by Michael Mayer with music arrangements by Tom Kitt and book co-written with Dick Scanlan. Paul and Jill find themselves perplexed, asking such questions as: Is Mr. Rogers sexy? Is …

This episode of Monkeys and Playbills has everything. Our favourite sci-fi princess. A literal Greek chorus. An absurd amount of tailors. Burgess Meredith. Meta-musicals. And, of course, our first-ever episode with an actual monkey. (Ape. Gorilla. Whatever.) We’re back with another exciting episode of Revive or Die! This week, Paul and Jill take a …

Paul and Jill are joined this week by special guest Hal Wesley Rogers to take on 2010’s The Scottsboro Boys! This tour-de-force of real-life events was directed by Susan Stroman, with music by legendary team Kander and Ebb (Chicago, Cabaret). This troupe stars Winnipegger-turned-Broadway performer Joshua Henry as Haywood Patterson, and features jus…

Pirates. Irish dancing. Queen Elizabeth I. Recorders. MOM?! This week, Paul and Jill examine the multi-million dollar flop that is Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil’s The Pirate Queen. This swashbuckling Irish epic stars Stephanie J. Block as Gráinne/Grace O'Malley, with music by the Les Mis duo themselves, all directed by Frank Galati. Our…

It’s a triple-bill this week on Monkeys and Playbills! We’re taking on three underperforming musicals from days gone by: Galt MacDermot’s Dude; Charles Strouse’s Bring Back Birdie; and Bud Freeman’s Beg, Borrow or Steal! (Is Producer Daphne really annoyed about the lack of an Oxford comma? Yes. Yes she is.) With three times the amount of shows to w…

Paul, Jill, and special guest Stephanie Sy take on 1970’s schlock and awe with 2016’s Disaster! (exclamation mark!) This send-up of seventies’ disaster movies was directed by Jack Plotnick, written by Seth Rudetsky, and starring anyone who’s ever been to the Tonys. Today’s trifecta of terrible titillation demand answers to important questions like:…

Paul and Jill take on the rootin’, tootin’-est couple in history: Frank Wildhorn’s Bonnie and Clyde! This semi-historically accurate love story stars Laura Osnes and Jeremy Jordan as the titular star-crossed lovers, with direction by Jeff Calhoun and music by Frank Wildhorn. At gunpoint, Jill and Paul ask the big questions, like what was the tank t…

Join Paul and Jill on their leap into Alan Menken’s 2012 reimagining of the Steve Martin classic! This original revival features music by the Duke of Disney himself, Alan Menken, starring Raul Esparza and directed by Christopher Ashley. This week, Paul and Jill ask themselves: why did Alan Menken work so hard to scrub this show from the internet? I…

Did everyone enjoy their intermission? Get some wrapped candies? Hob-nob by the bar? Make after-show plans? Delightful. We’re back with Part II of our take on 1998’s Parade with special guest Elliot Lazar! You already know this from last week, but the show was directed by Hal Prince with music by Jason Robert Brown and starring Brent Carver. Big qu…

Paul and Jill sit down with star of stage and other stage Elliot Lazar to discuss 1998’s Parade! This based-on-true-events tour de force was directed by theatre’s daddy Hal Prince with music by theatre wunderkind Jason Robert Brown and starring Canadian icon Brent Carver. Big questions for this week include: why can’t every show have a big-ass tree…

Paul and Jill are heading to Whoville in this week’s exploration of Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Musical! This television adaption of the 2006 musical was directed by Max Webster (stage) and Julia Knowles (film) with music by Mel Marvin and starring Glee’s Matthew Morrison as the titular triple-decker toadstool and sauerkraut sandwich. Burning questions f…

This week, we’re travelling to Innerspace with special guest Ryan Segal! This interstellar spectacle, this cosmic composition, this show about comic book characters in space, was written by Stuart Ross and Barry Keating, directed by Larry Carpenter, and stars Liz Larsen and Sharon McKnight. It’s also our first-ever Best Musical nom at the Tonys! Th…

We’re gonna make like Burger King and get into a whopper with this week’s musical: Big Fish! (Are we allowed to say that? Don’t sue us.) Big Fish was directed by Susan Stroman, written by John August, music by Andrew Lippa, and starring Norbert Leo Butz. Big questions for Big Fish include: was that really two guys on each other’s shoulders? When is…

Monkeys and Playbills heads to the circus in this week’s episode on Side Show: directed and choreographed by Robert Longbottom and co-starring friend of the podcast, Alice Ripley. We ask the big questions about the big top, like why is this show such a sausage fest? Whatever happened to Robert Longbottom? And why does Paul like seizure-inducing lig…

October 26–November 1, 2020: Life is a banquet as Rosalind Russell opens in Auntie Mame, Idina Menzel gets Wicked, and Patrick Wilson strips in The Full Monty, and more theatrical doings this week in history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesOleh Broadway Podcast Network

Up next in our inaugural Halloween Spooktacular, we’re taking a look at 2006’s Lestat: directed by Robert Jess Roth; musical staging by Matt West; and with music by Elton John. Talking points for this episode include: was that a wig or real hair? Why are Jill’s cats so precocious? And how did no one say “it sucked” despite the low-hanging fruit bei…

October 19–25, 2020: Julie Andrews returns to Broadway in Victor/Victoria, Patti LuPone returns to Broadway in Anything Goes, and Pippin and A Chorus Line both premiere on Broadway, and more in this week’s theatre history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesOleh Broadway Podcast Network

October 12–18, 2020: In 1965, Barbara Harris opens in On a Clear Day You Can See Forever and one year and a day later she opens in The Apple Tree, for which she wins a Tony. Plus Hugh Jackman steals audiences hearts (and other organs) in The Boy From Oz, Alice Ripley and Emily Skinner become overnight stars in Side Show, and more in this weeks’ the…

This week, Paul and Jillian examine 2016's American Psycho: directed by Rupert Goold, choreographed by Lynne Page, and starring Benjamin Walker. Talking points for this episode include: when is it acceptable to do Thriller arms onstage? How much stage blood is too much stage blood? And how good is "Hip to Be Square"? If you have a show you'd like u…

October 5–11, 2020: Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig get sweaty in A Steady Rain, Deborah Kerr requests that when you speak of her, you’ll be kind in Tea and Sympathy, Elaine Stritch ponders—raucously—why the wrong people travel in Sail Away, and more from this week in theatre history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

September 28–October 4, 2020: Cats, Big Fish, Swan Lake, and non-animale titled shows opened this week in theatre history—plus premieres of musicals as varied as Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesOleh Broadway Podcast Network

Hello and welcome to the first-ever episode of Monkeys and Playbills: the show where hosts Paul De Gurse and Jillian Willems take a look at Broadway musicals that had fewer than 100 performances before closing. First up: 2017’s Amelie, directed by Pam McKinnon, musical staging and choreography by Sam Pinkleton, and starring Phillipa Soo. Paul and J…

September 21-27, 2020: 20 years later, Merman returns in a revival of Annie Get Your Gun, Angela Lansbury opens in Gypsy, and Elizabeth Ashley becomes an icon in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesOleh Broadway Podcast Network

September 14–20, 2020: Happy birthday, Bacall! Also, Song & Dance opens, eventually winning Bernadette Peters her first Tony, and The Threepenny Opera becomes an Off-Broadway hit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesOleh Broadway Podcast Network

September 7–13, 2020: Rob McClure is Chaplin, Rent comes to an end, and Carnival in Flanders and The Man Who Reclaimed His Head both begin short Broadway runs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesOleh Broadway Podcast Network

August 31–September 6, 2020: Sophie Tucker gets a black eye, Nathan Lane gets blacklisted, and Follies comes to concert this week in theatre history! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesOleh Broadway Podcast Network

August 24–30, 2020: Largely forgotten today but the longest-running Broadway play for two decades at one time, Lightin’ opens in 1918, while 42nd Street opens in 1980. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesOleh Broadway Podcast Network