Bottomless Broadway

Real Women Have Curves & Buena Vista Social Club Jun 08, 2025

It's our last episode coming in hot right before the Tonys and we have a lot to talk about as we wrap up our last two shows we're covering as well as some quick takes about shows we didn't get to! Timestamps included if you're only interested in specific shows, and as usual beware of spoilers.

Note that this was recorded before both cast albums were released so apologies for the inconsistencies where our memories failed us!

Real Women Have Curves: 1:29

Buena Vista Social Club: 51:38

Just in Time: 1:15:26

Boop: 1:22:17

Smash: 1:25:26

--

The show Cindy mentions in the intro, which played in Portland and is also available as a comedy special on Dropout TV.

An interesting essay from the out of town run of Real Women that touches on some of the issues we had with the show.

Cindy's senior year yearbook quote

An interview where the creators of Buena Vista Social Club talk about bringing it to Broadway and what the album means to them.

Jonathan Groff's Actors on Actors conversation with Nicole Scherzinger where he talks extensively about loving Bobby Darin (the rest of the series is well worth a watch too!)

--

Music featured in this episode:

Real Women Have Curves: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

Apple Music / Spotify

Buena Vista Social Club (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

Apple Music / Spotify

Just in Time - Jonathan Groff

Where I Wanna Be - Jasmine Amy Rogers

Let Me Be Your Star - Bella Coppola

—

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

Death Becomes Her & Dead Outlaw Jun 05, 2025

There’s been a trend emerging in this year’s Broadway musicals, which begs the question: will they be “Alive Forever” or only be around “’Til Death”? In this episode we discuss two shows both involving death and decide whether they make “Something from Nothing” so you can be the judge!

As usual, spoilers ahead!

Death Becomes Her: 1:00

Dead Outlaw: 57:54

—

We definitely weren’t the only ones to notice the “dead body character” trend, and there’s a whole award from MemesOnBway about it.

A lot of Christine’s impression of what Death Becomes Her would be like came from Sabrina Carpenter’s Taste music video, which also pays homage to the movie.

The infamous staircase fall is accomplished by former gymnast Warren Yang, and you can also watch more about how it was put together with all the design elements: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7Vxm_x2_Qo

Despite being on Broadway, Dead Outlaw is still set to release on Audible on October 2, so you can take a listen to it then!

Elmer did indeed travel further as a dead body than he did alive, as Wikipedia helpfully shows.

--

Music featured in this episode:

Death Becomes Her (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

Dead Outlaw (Original Broadway Cast Recording) [Part 1]

The Whole Being Dead Thing - Beetlejuice

—

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

Operation Mincemeat, Part 2 May 12, 2025

Did we do it? We're back to wrap up our recap on Operation Mincemeat and give some already-obsolete Tony predictions.

If you haven't already, take a listen to Part 1 first: Apple Podcasts / Spotify

--

If you want to take a listen to the podcast that started it all, here's the episode that Natasha Hodgson drew inspiration from, on the Stuff You Should Know podcast: Apple Podcasts / Spotify

And you can hear about how they originally put the show together on Variety's Stagecraft podcast

Are you a mincefluencer? Turns out they've been up to a lot of investigating themselves: NYT article

The tomb of William Martins is an actual memorial in Huelva, Spain that you can go visit.

--

Music featured in this episode:

Too Bad - G-Dragon

Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical (Original Cast Recording)

⁠Apple Music⁠ / ⁠Spotify⁠ / ⁠Amazon Music⁠

—

Follow us on ⁠Twitter⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠ @BottomlessBway, our blog at ⁠https://bottomlessbway.home.blog⁠, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this ⁠30-second survey⁠.

Operation Mincemeat, Part 1 May 08, 2025

Welcome to the first half of our recap of Operation Mincemeat, where we discuss whether this show is "Dead in the Water" or whether it's "Born to Lead"!

Usual spoiler warnings apply

--

Natasha Hodgson and Jak Malone discuss some of the early stages of the show (including who would play what role) on the Playbill Podcast.

Maybe you were on the email list asking whether or not the show was "too British for Broadway".

Dear Bill has become a new favorite song for many people (some present company excluded), and Jak Malone breaks down what it's like to sing it for an interview with Vulture.

--

Music featured in this episode:

Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical (Original Cast Recording)

Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

—

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

Swept Away Apr 20, 2025

We're "Nothing Short of Thankful" that we got a chance to see this show during its short run, and we come bearing thoughts on how well it turned out!

As usual, spoilers ahead!

--

The overall show is primarily based on the Mignonette album by the Avett Brothers (though it brings in quite a few songs from other albums as well). You can also read more here about the event that it was based on.

Remember when Armie Hammer was thought to be a cannibal? Crazy times.

This Rolling Stones article does a great job of explaning the story behind how Swept Away came to be, from conception to its ultimate closing.

If you enjoyed Adrian Blake Enscoe as Little Brother, check out his band Bandits on the Run, who are also currently adapting What's Eating Gilbert Grape into a musical.

--

Music featured in this episode:

Swept Away (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

Wagon Wheel - Old Crow Medicine Show

—

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

Maybe Happy Ending Mar 27, 2025

Robots that fall in love--is it cute or a sign of our impending doom? Take a listen as we dive into the ups and downs of what it means to have a robot musical right now!

--

Check out this musical's journey from South Korea to Broadway and how it came to be!

Michael Arden, who directed the show, also did an Ask Me Anything on Reddit that might shed more light onto certain aspects of the show

Those who follow the show closely may be aware that the real diva is HwaBoon, making his Broadway debut...

--

Music featured in this episode:

Maybe Happy Ending (Original Cast Recording)

Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

—

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

Sunset Boulevard (2024), Part 2 Mar 05, 2025

We're back again to finish out what we started with our coverage on Sunset Boulevard! So take a listen as we dive into a stroll outside, Andrew Lloyd Webber's reuse of melodies, and some Tony chances--is she really the greatest star of all?

--

Curious about how the now infamous title song works in this production? The New York Times dishes some behind the scenes details. Or you can see a version of it they performed for the Olivier Awards.

Sunset shares a lot of traits with Death Becomes Her (keep an eye out for our episode on that yet to come!), not in the least the inclusion of compact mirrors in their merch.

Never heard of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cricket musical? Take a listen to Tim Rice's podcast where he explains it all.

If you haven't seen Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, you might not get the reference to Swimchan, but it might also contain a couple similarities to Norma Desmond.

--

Music featured in this episode:

SUNSET BLVD: The Album

⁠Apple Music⁠ / ⁠Spotify⁠ / ⁠Amazon Music⁠

Half a Moment⁠ - Jeeves (1975)

--

Follow us on ⁠Twitter⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠ @BottomlessBway, our blog at ⁠https://bottomlessbway.home.blog⁠, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this ⁠30-second survey⁠.

Sunset Boulevard (2024), Part 1 Feb 19, 2025

Everything's as if we never said goodbye, because we're back for our new season with a 2 part pre-season bonus! So join us to see if we've found new ways to dream as we talk about the Jamie Lloyd-directed revival of Sunset Boulevard--after all, she may just be the greatest star of all...

--

Of course, the musical is based heavily on the Billy Wilder movie, and this production even more so. But did you know it was also adapted for radio with the original stars?

If you, like Christine, have been going down the rabbit hole in finding the meaning of everything in this production, check out this primer on Brecht and epic theatre.

Or if you, like Cindy, have also been wondering why people keep congregating around a drugstore, it turns out Schwab's Pharmacy was more than just that.

Check out this interview with Jamie Lloyd and Nicole Scherzinger about this production of Sunset (skip to around 53:00) and how it came to be.

Today's the day!

--

Music featured in this episode:

SUNSET BLVD: The Album

Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

Fairytale of New York - The Pogues

--

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram@BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

The Notebook & The Outsiders Jun 14, 2024

Our (most likely) final episode of the season is here, and it includes two shows that both included Ryan Vasquez in their out of town tryouts: The Notebook and The Outsiders! So even if you've got "Great Expectations", come take a listen to find out "If This Is Love" from us for these shows.

PLUS we give you a little bonus section with our thoughts on The Heart of Rock and Roll at the end

--

Christine's reaction to The Notebook was not dissimilar to Jesse Green's reaction, as much as she hates to admit it

My Days has kind of blown up on TikTok, so we're sure to see many more covers of it in the future

Listen to Adam Rapp talk about adapting The Outsiders to a musical on the Stagecraft podcast hosted on BroadwayRadio

Get a deeper dive (with some clips) on how The Outsiders staged their rumble

Let us know what your favorites for the Tonys are, and happy Tonys weekend!

--

Music featured in this episode:

The Notebook (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

The Outsiders - A New Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

—

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

Lempicka & Illinoise Jun 12, 2024

This is coming out a little later than expected, but we're back with another double header, talking about Lempicka and Illinoise. So take a listen to see whether Lempicka really is "Perfection" and come on and feel the Illinoise!

Note: Illinoise deals with the topic of suicide, which is talked about in this podcast.

--

The "looking for a man in finance" audio that Cindy mentions has spawned many parodies, including this one from the Broadway production of The Great Gatsby.

If you haven't seen Schmigadoon and you're listening to this podcast...well here's your sign to do so! (And for whatever it's worth, Christine thinks that season 2 is even better than season 1.)

Check out the digital program for Illinoise, including Henry's journal

If you're unfamiliar with Sufjan Stevens's music, we hear that Carrie & Lowell and the Call Me By Your Name soundtrack come highly recommended

And if you want to know more about Jackie Sibblies Drury's work, definitely check out her play Fairview

The New York Times critics were divided on the off-Broadway run of Illinoise, with the chief theater critic giving it a rave and the dance critic giving it a pan.

--

Music featured in this episode:

From Lempicka (cast album out next week!)

Illinoise: A New Musical (Original Cast Recording)

Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

—

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

Suffs May 12, 2024

It's a blast from the past as we come to you with another episode recorded prior to Tony nominations, where we discuss Suffs and Alice Paul's determination to "Finish the Fight" and get the 19th Amendment passed. You won't have to "Wait [Your] Turn" to see Suffs when you can hear us talk about it all right here! (spoilers ahead)

--

The show that Christine talks about at the beginning is Lighthouse: An Immersive Drinking Musical (whose EP is definitely worth checking out!)

If you (like us) saw Suffs on Broadway in early previews, you might be pleased to see that the horse Inez rides for the march now has a head!

If you haven't seen Greta Gerwig's Little Women, be sure to do so! But this is the Amy March speech that Cindy references in relation to Doris in Suffs.

Can't imagine Jenn Colella with shoulder-length blonde hair? Neither could we, but that's indeed what she was rocking when she was in Chaplin.

--

Music featured in this episode:

—

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

The Great Gatsby May 01, 2024

It's been a while, but we're "Roaring On" with the season in our new episode on The Great Gatsby! "For Better or Worse", this episode was recorded before the Tony nominations were announced, so you'll hear our predictions on what we thought might get nominated (with some mixed results).

--

This show marks the first musical of the big Great Gatsby adaptation wars of 2023, and the other one will start performances at ART Cambridge in June.

Cindy thought Roarin' On sounded a bit like Blurred Lines, let us know if you agree!

Despite not getting nominated for the category, The Great Gatsby had some of the most stunning set design this season, designed by Paul Tate dePoo III

Don't have time to listen? Check out the (rough) transcript of our episode here

--

Music featured in this episode:

—

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

Back to the Future & Water for Elephants Mar 27, 2024

This week, we come to you to present a double feature in an attempt to get through as many of the new Broadway musicals this season as we can before the Tonys. So join us as we go "Back in Time" to a show that opened last summer and then take it "Easy" with a show that just opened last week!

Note: spoilers present throughout for both shows, along with discussion and spoilers for corresponding movies

(00:00) Introduction

(02:19) Back to the Future

(22:31) Water for Elephants

--

Despite Back to the Future winning the Olivier Award for Best Musical when it was in the West End, it ended up receiving lukewarm notices on Broadway.

While we weren't impressed by many of the songs, it was still interesting to read through the song-by-song breakdown of the cast album (particularly that nugget of information about Jamie Lloyd being the original director).

Cindy's impressions of circus-related stories hasn't been great, starting with the song in Matilda the Musical and peaking with Guillermo del Toro's Nightmare Alley.

Some examples of the acrobatics in the show can be seen in the New York Times feature, as well as in their Good Morning America performance.

If you ever wanted to know about running away to join the circus, Reddit has some answers for you.

While this episode was recorded during late previews of Water for Elephants, reviews have since come out. Christine was shocked at Jesse Green's critic's pick and agreed much more with Sara Holdren's review on Vulture.

While there's no cast album released yet, you can get a taste of more songs from the sitzprobe, part 1 and part 2.

--

Music featured in this episode:

Back to the Future: The Musical

Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

Water for Elephants:

Easy

The Lion Has Got No Teeth

Wild

The Road Don't Make You Young

—

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

Days of Wine and Roses Mar 13, 2024

Are You Blue that Days of Wine and Roses is now closing early? Well you now have until March 31 to catch this show on Broadway, but if you don’t get a chance to, we have you covered with our recap of what happens in the show and our thoughts on its very unique score!

--

Sutton Foster's episode of Say Yes to the Dress is one that has come up recently in our feeds, so check it out if you haven't seen it!

John McWhorter of the New York Times wrote a piece on the lasting impact "Forgiveness" had on him when he first heard the song, despite its unusual structure.

Hear Kelli O'Hara and Brian d'Arcy James talk about the show and how it came to be on Variety's Stagecraft podcast.

--

Music featured in this episode:

Days of Wine and Roses (Original Cast Recording)

Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

Harmony Feb 29, 2024

This Is Our Time...to tell you about Harmony, and while the show has already closed on Broadway, you can listen to us tell you all about it if you take this podcast with you Where You Go!

--

Have you heard of Damp January? The New York Times seems to think it's a worthy trend.

Take a look at some of the history behind the real Comedian Harmonists, and there's now a podcast that goes through their history as well!

Check out some clips from the earlier production of Harmony in LA that Christine got to see, featuring a very different direction than the version that made it to Broadway.

It's interesting to see how New York Times gave Harmony a critic's pick in the off-Broadway iteration, while the Broadway production received a generally negative review from the same publication (though a different critic).

--

Music featured in this episode:

Harmony (The Cast Recording)

Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

Marie - The Comedian Harmonists

YouTube

--

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

Here Lies Love Jan 24, 2024

In our first episode of the season, we’re talking about the Fabulous One…or is she? Imelda Marcos may be just a Pretty Face, but Here Lies Love takes a look at how she rose to power and why she might’ve considered herself the "Star and Slave" of the Philippines.

—

Check out how the Broadway Theatre was transformed for Here Lies Love, as explained by set designer David Korins and take a look at some of the behind the scenes action where the ensemble has to run all the way around the stage area while doing a quick change ⁠

The other major immersive musical happening right now is Guys and Dolls over in London, which involves a similar standing room dance floor concept

The original concept album is quite different from the show that made it to stage, and thanks to the Wayback Machine, we can see the original descriptions for each of the songs from David Byrne’s website

Want to know more about the background of the show and context for the current songs? Take a look at the New York Theatre Guide article that Cindy mentioned

Imelda Marcos was famously known for her many pairs of shoes, supposedly around 3,000 (and not 300 like Christine said), and in case you want to know what happened to them, Vice has you covered

Hear from the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist that wrote about the Marcoses and his experience at Here Lies Love

—

Music featured in this episode:

Here Lies Love (Original Cast Recording)

Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

—

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

Here We Are & I Can Get It for You Wholesale Jan 10, 2024

It’s 2024 and we’re back with an Off-Broadway highlights episode, showcasing two shows we saw last fall: Sondheim’s last musical, Here We Are, and a revival from Classic Stage Company of I Can Get It for You Wholesale! Note that there are spoilers for both shows in this episode.

—

ICYMI: The Frank Rich piece on Vulture explains how Sondheim’s last musical finally came to be on stage.

There are a couple of interviews that have been particularly interesting, featuring members of the Here We Are cast, which you can hear on NPR and WNYC.

While Here We Are is based on two Buñuel films, two other films came to mind that seemed to fit in a similar vein: Bottoms and Triangle of Sadness.

One of the greatest parts of seeing a show at Classic Stage Company is their in-depth show guide, which provides a lot of historical context about when the show was set and some dramaturgical points of interest.

I Can Get It for You Wholesale is actually licensed by Concord Theatricals, and you can see a full synopsis of the show on their site (and see some of the differences from the revisions made by John Weidman in this production). You can also check out this interview with Theatermania where Weidman talks about his process.

In keeping with the Sondheim tie-in, check out Lindsay Mendez performing Who Knows?

--

Music featured in this episode:

Snippets for Here We Are from the WNYC feature.

I Can Get It for You Wholesale (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

Other excerpts from this revival come from the trailer and Julia Lester's Playbill performance

—

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

2023 Tony Predictions Jun 10, 2023

As usual for our final episode this season, we’re diving into the Tony Awards! We try to predict all 26 categories, while also giving our picks for what we would choose to award, and we get a chance to discuss plays and revivals which we don’t cover in our regular season episodes. So hit play and we’ll tell you who to watch out for on Sunday night!

Because this is a long episode, there are chapter markers for you to use (assuming your podcast player supports them).

--

Since the time of recording, a few more sites have come out with their Tony predictions, including Time Out New York and the New York Times survey of Tony voters (turns out they’re able to poll about a fifth of the voters!).

The designer that Cindy was talking about in regards to the & Juliet costumes was Vivienne Westwood, whose style can be seen in this TikTok video.

To get a sense of the infamous “doors” tap number from Some Like It Hot, check out this video, which also shows some of the tech going on behind the scenes.

Sean Hayes is actually a classically trained pianist, and you can check out a sample of him playing Rhapsody in Blue at a Ham4Ham.

--

Music/audio featured in this episode:

The Ballad of Sweeney Todd from Sweeney Todd
Light from New York, New York
Since U Been Gone from & Juliet
Welcome to Pondicherry Zoo from Life of Pi
Vamp! from Some Like It Hot
Corn (Reprise) from Shucked
This Is Not Over Yet from Parade
Better from Kimberly Akimbo
A scene from Leopoldstadt (featuring Brandon Uranowitz)
It Takes Two from Into the Woods
I'm Fine by Self Esteem for Prima Facie
Camelot from Camelot
This Time from Kimberly Akimbo

--

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical Jun 07, 2023

Hello Again, as we’re back with our last regular episode of the season, on A Beautiful Noise! But this won’t be a Song Sung Blue, so crack open some Red Red Wine and Play Me, as we talk through the latest entry in the list of bio jukebox musicals.

--

Despite poor reviews from the critics, this show has been able to do quite well in the grosses, as you can see for yourself.

We both loved the Bohemian Rhapsody movie, written by the same book writer as A Beautiful Noise.

If you’ve managed to never have seen Shrek, this is how Christine was first introduced to I’m a Believer.

Two of our favorite actors in this season’s shows, Robyn Hurder and Clyde Alves, are actually married in real life!

Crunchy Granola Suite was such a revelation that it was also used in the Bob Fosse-choreographed revue Dancin'. And you can compare that to the award-winning choreography by Steven Hoggett, as performed on the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.

Turns out, the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn really did have a profound impact on Neil Diamond.

--

Music featured in this episode:

A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

—

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

Shucked Jun 01, 2023

This week, our episode features a show with a mix of corn puns bouncing off the Walls. Maybe Love is what you'll feel about that, or maybe you'll think it's just Bad, but it's OK because if you don't like it, Somebody Will. Some come join these two Friends as we talk through Shucked!

--

Shucked has had a bit of a winding road to Broadway, but you can read all about it here. Additionally, they've taken a bit of a different approach to marketing and sales, as described by producer Mike Bosner in Deadline. Most notable in their ads were the fake pull quotes, like this one.

If you're not sure what Cindy's referring to regarding (now-)King Charles and architecture, here's A Brief History of King Charles’s Vendetta Against Modern Architecture.

Maizy's arrival in Tampa seems to be reminiscent of another girl's arrival in a new town. Which is funny because that girl also had a corn-related song.

You can watch the choreography for Best Man Wins from the performance on the Today Show.

Never watched an episode of Hee Haw? This Youtube channel is on a mission to make sure they're all within reach.

--

Music featured in this episode:

Shucked (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

—

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

New York, New York May 18, 2023

If you're One of the Smart Ones, you might know that Music, Money, Love are the three things you need for Happy Endings, or so New York, New York the musical tries to tell us. So join us in this episode as we shed some Light on the show and its multitude of characters that try to make it here!

--

Cindy had the chance to attend the BCEFA Easter Bonnet Competition this year, and you can check out some highlights (including the Bad Cinderella bonnet that she mentions).

If you've followed along with the Hamildrops, you might recognize one of the songs in this show.

One of the highlights of the show was a construction site dance number, that resolves to look like a familiar picture in the end.

If you've never been to the Whispering Gallery at Grand Central, you can try it out for yourself.

This score contains 13 songs of pre-existing material, as nicely outlined by Playbill (it was ultimately determined not eligible for a score Tony).

--

Since the cast album hasn't come out yet, the music used in this episode were sourced from promotional materials put out by the show, as well as recordings of the existing songs:

Cheering for Me Now (Colton Ryan and OBC)
I'm One of the Smart Ones (Liza Minnelli)
Gold (Lin-Manuel Miranda)
Wine and Peaches (John Reardon)
I Love Music (John Kander and Fred Ebb)
My Own Music (OBC)
A Simple Thing Like That (John Kander and Fred Ebb)
Can You Hear Me (Lin-Manuel Miranda and Colton Ryan)
Marry Me (Jason Alexander)
Sorry I Asked (Liza Minnelli)
Music, Money, Love (Colton Ryan)
New York, New York (Anna Uzele)
But the World Goes 'Round (Anna Uzele)

Or, if you want an Apple Music playlist of the songs on streaming, you can listen to that here.

—

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

KPOP May 03, 2023

This week, we Bow Down to KPOP. While it was far from Perfect, it’s definitely not a Waste of Time, so join us as we discuss which parts make it a Super Star in our eyes! (And our apologies to all Korean speakers out there for our failure to pronounce the Korean titles.)

We recorded this episode pre-Tony nominations, so a huge congratulations to everyone involved for their 3 nominations in Score, Choreography, and Costumes!

--

Listen to the original version of Blast Off, interspersed with news reports about the North Korean rockets.

For a detailed account of the original off-Broadway version, check out the review from Lighting & Sound America.

On Broadway, KPOP had a notoriously short run, which prompted this postmortem from the LA Times, discussing what the reason could've been. Or for another article charting the lifespan of the show, check out this one from American Theatre.

The last Broadway show to contain a significant amount of non-English text was probably the 2009 revival of West Side Story, where some of the songs were translated into Spanish.

And take a look at Helen Park's SoundCloud for demos, earlier versions (with the off-Broadway cast), and cut songs!

--

Music featured in this episode:

From the Original Broadway Cast of KPOP

Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

As of time of posting, only 5 songs from the Broadway production have officially been released on streaming (This is My Korea, Bow Down, Perfect, Amerika, and Super Star). The other music clips in this episode are linked below:

Gin and Tonic (OBC)
Han Guk Nom (Korean Man) [OBC]
Still I Love You (Helen Park)
Wind Up Doll (Ashley Park)
Bung Uh Ree Sae (Mute Bird) [Helen Park]
Kpopsicle (Max Vernon)
Blast Off (OBC)
Phoenix (OBC)

—

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

Some Like It Hot Apr 19, 2023

With the weather in NYC warming up, some like it hot and hot is what we've got for you, with this episode talking about the new stage musical of Some Like It Hot! So what are you thirsty for? Grab a drink and join us as we try to vamp our way through some of the finer details of the plot.

--

The ending to the original Marilyn Monroe movie is quite iconic and fairly different from this musical. Let us know if you've seen both and which one you prefer!

Read about how Let's Be Bad ended up in the musical, and now that Smash has more concrete plans to come to Broadway, how do you think this song will be used?

If you're not familiar with Adrianna Hicks, check out her performance as Catherine of Aragon in Six.

Another episode, another round of us talking about New York Times critic Jesse Green and his review for this show, but read it for yourself and see if you agree!

--

Music featured in this episode:

Some Like It Hot (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

—

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

Bad Cinderella Apr 05, 2023

It hasn’t been so long since the newest iteration of Cinderella started playing on Broadway, and we’re here to bring our thoughts on this reimagining where Beauty Is Our Duty, but also Beauty Has a Price. Were the critics unfair to the show? Let us know your thoughts!

Christine was a bit congested when recording this episode, so apologies for the dip in quality!

--

How intoxicated are you allowed to be while watching Bad Cinderella, in comparison to other social events? This TikTok has all the answers.

Apparently, the Hot Nuts song is a thing.

If you want to hear Andrew Lloyd Webber’s origin story as told by Tim Rice, check out his podcast (also, can anyone tell us what Get Onto My Cloud even means??)

Lyricist David Zippel is fairly accomplished in other theater projects, notably the recent stage adaptation of Disney’s Hercules which includes a new song, To Be Human

As expected, Jesse Green of the New York Times did indeed hate this show. But the reviews weren't all bad...

--

Music featured in this episode:

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Cinderella” (Original Album Cast Recording)

Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

Bad Cinderella - Linedy Genao

Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

I Know I Have A Heart (Because You Broke It) - Linedy Genao

Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

Hot Nuts (Get Em from the Peanut Man) - Georgia White

In My Own Little Corner - Julie Andrews

Some Enchanted Evening - Paulo Szot

—

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

& Juliet Mar 22, 2023

Since U Been Gone, there’s a new jukebox musical on Broadway, and one that we think is Stronger than many of the others. So if you need to Break Free from whatever else you’re doing right now, come take a listen to our episode on & Juliet! -- Want to know more about how David West Read put together the show? Check out this interview with BroadwayWorld! Cindy thought the trailer for The Banshees of Inisherin was hilarious, see if you agree. In a season with multiple non-binary performers on Broadway, Justin David Sullivan chose to opt out of Tony consideration due to gendered categories not being inclusive. Hear from costume designer Paloma Young discuss a couple of the costumes from the show. See some of the choreography for yourself in this (slighty modified) ⁠performance of Problem/Can't Feel My Face.⁠ Jesse Green of the New York Times had the most reluctant positive review we’ve ever seen (gift link) Something Rotten had a great social media campaign after losing the Tony for Best Musical. -- Music featured in this episode: & Juliet (Original Broadway Cast Recording) Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music Will Power (from Something Rotten) Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music Fifteen (from Fearless (Taylor's Version)) ⁠Apple Music⁠ / ⁠Spotify⁠ / ⁠Amazon Music⁠ — Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

Kimberly Akimbo Mar 08, 2023

"This Time" it's the start of a new season so we take a Great Adventure to Kimberly Akimbo, one of the current frontrunners of this year's Tonys! Just watch out for the "Inevitable Turn" into spoiler territory (though it'll be mentioned in the episode), and you can join us back at 1:10:43 if you'd like to tune in for Tony talk and final thoughts.

--

Hear from David Lindsay-Abaire about how Kimberly Akimbo came to be, both as a play and as a musical: https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Interview-How-Playwright-David-Lindsay-Abaire-Gave-KIMBERLY-AKIMBO-A-Musical-Makeover-20230203

A fantastic song in its own right, Better seems to come from a similar vein as Face Your Fears from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

If you’re concerned about check washing, here are some preventative measures: https://www.smartcapitalmind.com/what-is-check-washing.htm

If you haven’t seen the new Puss in Boots movie, Seth in this show is essentially the dog in human form: https://youtu.be/UWAw5NYIYjQ

--

Music featured in this episode:

Kimberly Akimbo (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

—

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

2022 Tony Predictions Jun 11, 2022

We've made it back around to the Tonys again and we're here to give you both our choices and our predictions! So follow along with your ballot and see how much our picks align with yours, or come back after June 12 to see just how wrong we were!

We also have mini reviews for Girl from the North Country and Paradise Square as we didn't cover them in the regular season, so there might be minor spoilers ahead.

--

MJ sound designer Gareth Owen really succeeded in creating a rock concert, using some new technology on Broadway. And speaking of sound design, take a look back at when mics first graced the Broadway stage.

Watch two Anne Boleyns of Six in conversation from either sides of the Atlantic.

Hear about designing Hangmen's set from Anna Fleische and check out design elements from The Skin of Our Teeth, including a dinosaur and a giant slide. (Errata: Christine mentioned Act 2 as being based on Coney Island, when it actually should've been Atlantic City.)

Listen to Sam Mendes talk about what it was like to take on The Lehman Trilogy (conversation about this specifically starts around 25:00).

Check out our previous episodes for more coverage on this season's musicals!

--

Music featured in this episode:

We're Live - Mr. Saturday Night
Like a Rolling Stone - Girl From the North Country
Paradise Square - Paradise Square
Beat It - MJ the Musical
Pretty, Pretty Girl - Diana
I Don't Need Your Love (Remix) - Six
Getting Married Today - Company
How? - Flying Over Sunset
Boundaries - A Strange Loop
The Ladies Who Lunch - Company

--

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

A Strange Loop Jun 03, 2022

We're back to talk about the most recent Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, and while we can't promise any loops in this episode, you never know what might happen because we're back to talk about the most recent...

--

Take a look at Blake Lively's Met Gala dress transformation, which disappointed Christine. In contrast, you can see Zendaya's gown from 2019 which included a bit more pizzaz.

See what Michael R. Jackson has to say about the piece in a track-by-track breakdown.

Also learn more about the conception and writing of A Strange Loop with this article from The Cut.

Hear directly from Michael R. Jackson and other creatives in this panel discussion at the Guggenheim, including Michael R. Jackson performing Inner White Girl and Memory Song.

If you want to fall down the Wikipedia rabbit hole of what a strange loop is in the metaphysical sense, this article makes a good starting point.

Or check out some of Christine's other favorite strange loops:

M. C. Escher's Ascending and Descending
Ted Chiang's short story, Tower of Babylon
The Shepard-Risset glissando
The Skin of Our Teeth, another Pulitzer Prize-winning show that was on Broadway this year

--

Music featured in this episode:

While the Broadway cast recording won't be fully released until June 10, six tracks are currently available, and excerpts from the Broadway version were used when possible. All other music comes from the original off-Broadway cast recording.

A Strange Loop (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

A Strange Loop (Original Cast Recording
Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

--

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

Mrs. Doubtfire May 04, 2022

Mrs. Doubtfire is "Rockin' Now" on Broadway so take a listen to hear "About [our] Time" there and how we felt about this show.

Note: we do talk through the entire show so minor spoilers ahead (especially if you haven't seen the movie)!

--

If you'd rather see what the pros had to say, the critics were also fairly mixed for this show, as told by the Did They Like It review roundup.

Want to hear more about the behind the scenes of the show? Here is the panel interview Christine references in this episode on Variety's Stagecraft podcast.

Once again, Christine is recommending The Secret Life of the American Musical by Jack Viertel to get a glimpse of how musicals are structured.

If you're interested in some. of the specific changes the show has gone through, take a dive into the Broadway World Message Boards, where users have cataloged the differences.

--

While a cast album has been recorded, it has not been released yet, so music clips in this episode come from a variety of performances and rehearsal footage.

Easy Peasy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tNJjssOOqA&ab_channel=Broadwaycom
I Want to Be There: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pabfNNNt9Q&ab_channel=theatermania
What the Hell/About Time https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHwtdsiI5rs&ab_channel=NerdNewsToday
Rockin' Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53jso4KYfWY
Let Go (song appears at 39:24): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ4CEtR-Jgo&ab_channel=StarsInTheHouse
Just Pretend: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CG8DZalhaZu/
As Long as There Is Love: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFWGntd5Bi4&ab_channel=Mrs.DoubtfireBroadway

--

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

The Music Man (2021) Mar 28, 2022

In this episode, we "Pick-A-Little, Talk-A-Little" about the new Music Man revival starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster, but rest assured that we'll be "Sincere" in our discussion on it. So come take a listen if "Ya Got Trouble" of the kind that "Seventy-Six Trombones" might be able to solve!

--

You can learn more about how the two leads landed their roles in this show with the Vogue feature on Hugh Jackman and an interview with Sutton Foster from Elle.

Take a look at the discussion around some of the lyric changes made in this production and how it might subtly change the tone of the Iowa townspeople in this article from Slate.

If you haven't read The Secret Life of the American Musical, Christine considers it a must-read for anyone interested in the history or structure of musicals.

Check out the expanded lyrics of My White Knight, which you can hear on Barbara Cook's Carnegie Hall album.

Did you know about My White Knight and Sadder-But-Wiser-Girl originally being a duet? You can hear a snippet of Meredith Willson talking about that original version and demonstrating how they'd fit, with his wife singing Marian's part.

According to this meme, all Hugh Jackman's ever wanted to do was sing in a movie.

You can see a snippet of Benjamin Pajak singing a bit of Gary Indiana in this video (with some minor accompaniment from Hugh).

--

Music featured in this episode:

Hugh Jackman singing Ya Got Trouble

Sutton Foster singing Til There Was You

"My White Knight" from Barbara Cook at Carnegie Hall
Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

The Music Man (Original Broadway Cast)
Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

--

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com!

MJ the Musical Mar 09, 2022

If you “Wanna Be Startin’ Something”, take a listen to our thoughts on MJ the Musical, and why we think it’s the most successful jukebox bio-musical this side of Jersey Boys!

Addendum: Forgot to mention that Rich and Tone Talauega had joined the choreography team to more accurately direct MJ's movement (and you can also watch them work with Myles Frost on the dance moves)

--

Critics were fairly divided on this show and Jesse Green was mixed on the show, he gave what Christine considers a clear and well-written review explaining why. On the other hand, Robert Hofler writing for The Wrap seemed to harp on what wasn’t in the show more than what was.

And if you're interested in reading more not-necessarily-nuanced discussion around the show and Michael Jackson's sexual abuse allegations, check out what the people of the BroadwayWorld message boards had to say.

If you (like us) hadn't really known much about the Dangerous World Tour, you can watch the entire thing, including footage of how crazy the fans were. And you can also watch the MTV documentary on it, including interviews with the band and dancers.

While there's no official footage (or cast album) of any of the songs in the show at this point, there are plenty of videos of the curtain call and encore, including this one filmed by BuddyBroadway (also used as our closing music for this episode).

All other music in this episode comes from Michael Jackson or Jackson 5 albums.

--

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

Flying Over Sunset Feb 23, 2022

We took a trip to "An Interesting Place", as we went to see Flying Over Sunset (twice!) and we're here to take you through the show with us, no flying necessary. So come take a listen as "The Music Plays On".

Note: While we use snippets of the cast album in this episode, the album wasn't yet released when we recorded, so apologies for any inaccuracies, as we were working purely off of memory (without any enhancements).

--

The entire saga of how Flying Over Sunset came to be is a pretty interesting story and you can read all about it in The New York Times.

The set was one of the biggest aspects of the show (both literally and metaphorically), and you can check out pictures and read commentary from set designer Beowulf Boritt.

In case you missed the joke about Greg in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, this video (starring Tony winner Santino Fontana) should give you some context.

Want to learn more about modern applications of LSD or other psychedelics? Check out The Prof G Pod episode with neuroscientist Sam Harris or Michael Pollan's book, How to Change Your Mind. Or why not go straight to the source with The Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley.

--

Music featured in this episode:

Flying Over Sunset (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

—

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

Come From Away (Apple TV+) Dec 31, 2021

You are here…at the start of a new year, and we have one last episode to round out 2021 where we return to a show that’s been a favorite for us both. So whether you’re at the Dover Fault or just somewhere in the middle of nowhere, go ahead and stop the world to listen to our discussion on Come From Away (and stay tuned til the end for an exciting giveaway!).

--

Spice up your Instagram feed with Cindy’s dog, Dr. Joey Puppington. Or, if you’re more of a foodie, check out Auggie’s Infamous, where we recorded this podcast and while enjoying some of the best pizza of our lives.

As usual, Broadway Backstory has the scoop on how this show came together, or check out the news article describing the conception.

Beverly Bass’s story is one of the things that gets highlighted in the show, but her offstage friendship with Jenn Colella still remains one of our favorite stories.

Haven’t seen Come From Away yet? Check it out on Apple TV+ (there’s a 7-day free trial).

--

Music featured in this episode:

Come From Away (Original Broadway Cast Recordinig)

Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

—

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Season 4 Nov 17, 2021

The final episode of our Crazy Ex-Girlfriend series is here, and I'm not sad, you're sad. So it's time to seize the day and take a listen, and be sure to let us know how this matched up to your expectations!

--

Need to catch up on previous seasons? Find our other episodes here!

To see if there's any song references you missed, take a look at this video.

The Facebook post (based off a Twitter/Tumblr post) mentioned in relation to Sports Analogies.

If you haven't seen it already, check out the Heavy Boobs encore from the live concert!

And if for some reason you've made it through all of our episodes without watching the show, be sure to check it out on Netflix!

--

Music featured in this episode:

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Season 4 (Original Television Soundtrack)
Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

--

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Season 3 May 26, 2021

We’re back in action with our episode on season 3 of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, where we generalize about men (and women) in the show! And it’s not the end of the movie (er, podcast) yet, so stay tuned next month for our wrap-up on season 4 and overall thoughts on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend!

Listen to our podcast episodes on season 1 and season 2 if you missed them!

--

Want to hear what Let’s Generalize About Men would sound like if there were a man singing it? Check out David Hull subbing for Vella Lovell in one of the live shows!

Ever get tired of Jesus turning water into the same Merlot every time? This TikTok is for you.

Remember the age of terrible music videos on YouTube? Take a look at one of the classics, Hot Problems. Meanwhile, check out the other audio/visual references from the songs this season.

Allison Shoemaker over at AV Club wrote about how the reprise of Face Your Fears this season did what no other reprise has ever done, and why the other reprises in the show work so well: https://www.avclub.com/crazy-ex-girlfriend-is-breaking-new-musical-ground-one-1823029816

Also check out her recap where she discusses why Trent is the show’s best “narrative secret weapon”: https://www.avclub.com/crazy-ex-girlfriend-welcomes-back-its-narrative-secret-1822888907

--

Music featured in this episode:

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Season 3 (Original Television Soundtrack)
Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

--

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Season 2 Apr 14, 2021

We’ll never have problems again when listening to our recap of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend season 2! So take a listen to some of the thought bubbles we had during this season as we pick out our favorite songs and plot points, and be sure to let us know what your favorites are!

There will be spoilers for season 1 of Crazy-Ex Girlfriend, though we'll let you know when to stop listening if you want to avoid major spoilers for season 2.

—

If you’ve watched WandaVision, you’ll notice similar Wanda and Rebecca are in some aspects, as shown in this TikTok.

Read about Donna Lynne Champlin discussing how much of a dream come true it was to get a soprano princess number, and how much work went into it.

Hear how Rachel Bloom needed to negotiate with the CW for them to give her two shits (and they also discuss the writing of Greg’s Drinking Song and We Tapped That Ass). Though be warned that there are spoilers for future seasons so don’t scroll too far if you haven’t seen them.

Want to understand just why Nathaniel is such a great character addition? Check out this video essay from Bagels After Midnight (which is also just a fantastic channel for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend analysis).

If you're wondering about some of the other song references this season, take a look at this video!

—

Music featured in this episode:

(Note that the albums linked here are the explicit versions, though clean versions exist as well.)

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Season 2 (Original Television Soundtrack)
Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

—

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Season 1 Feb 10, 2021

We're taking a trip to West Covina this episode, as we talk about season 1 of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. So instead of having an in-person Group Hang, start up a Netflix Party and join us in discussing one of our favorite musical TV shows!

For the most part spoiler-free, though we have a spoiler section starting from 29:17.

--

All four seasons of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend are currently available on Netflix.

You can watch all the music videos from the show (in their explicit versions) on Rachel Bloom's YouTube channel. And you can also see some of the possible inspirations and references in each musical number.

Rachel Bloom's memoir, I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are, is out now and you can listen to an excerpt from the audiobook, where she sings from a script written about how she fell in love with musicals.

Watch as Lin-Manuel Miranda joins Gabrielle Ruiz for a slightly modified version of "Women Gotta Stick Together".

As mentioned by Cindy, see just how many people on the street would say yes to having sex with Paul Rudd.

The song "Heavy Boobs" mentions just how many objects can fit under her boobs, and Rachel Bloom proves it to be true.

For those that love Santino Fontana as much as we do, he can be seen in his upcoming "live" concert with Seth Rudetsky on February 21.

--

Music featured in this episode:

(Note that the albums linked here are the explicit versions, though clean versions exist as well.)

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Season 1 (Original Television Soundtrack, Vol. 1
Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Season 1 (Original Television Soundtrack), Vol. 2
Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

Also check out the season 1 commentary album!
Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

--

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

Merrily We Roll Along (with Kyle Marshall) Jan 13, 2021

Not a day goes by without us missing Broadway and live theater, but we've got a good thing going as we're back with our first episode of 2021 to talk about Merrily We Roll Along with Kyle Marshall, host of the Putting It Together podcast!

--

Check out Putting It Together, where Kyle deconstructs each Sondheim show, song by song and line by line. You can also find Christine on it (most recently talking about "Remember?" from A Little Night Music and "In Buddy's Eyes" from Follies).

We talk a bit about the recent Fiasco production of Merrily, which reimagines the show, including the reinstatement of "Rich and Happy".

The original New York Times review was quite a pan and compares Merrily unfavorably to Betrayal (though Christine and Cindy found the opposite to be true).

Cindy's favorite rendition of "Franklin Shepard, Inc." is the one performed by Raul Esparza, despite the low-quality video.

Watch Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened on Netflix, detailing the process of putting together Merrily We Roll Along.

Christine's in favor of casting younger for Merrily, an opinion probably heavily influenced by this episode of The Original Cast podcast.

Soon (but not really), we'll be able to see what this show looks like with proper ages for each segment, as Richard Linklater is creating a film version over the next 20 years or so.

Christine mistakenly mentioned Ben Brantley as the one eulogizing Barcelona as a 3-act play, when it should've been Jesse Green.

Check out Flying Over Sunset, James Lapine's upcoming work, once Broadway comes back!

--

Music featured in this episode:

Merrily We Roll Along (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

Merrily We Roll Along (2012 New York Cast Recording)
Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

"Franklin Shepard Inc." sung by Euan Morton, from Sondheim on Sondheim (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

--

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

Dear Evan Hansen (with Stuart Brown) Dec 09, 2020

It isn't only us this week, as Stuart Brown of Sounds of Broadway joins us to talk about Dear Evan Hansen, with some detours into our favorite bar, Stu's radio station, and what it's like to be a real critic!

Warning: This episode contains mentions of suicide, as well as spoilers for Dear Evan Hansen.

--

Check out Stu's 24/7 cast album radio station, Sounds of Broadway, his podcast, On Broadway, or his reviews on his website! You can also follow him on Instagram @soundsofbroadway or Twitter @SoundsofBway.

If you need a place to go for post-show drinks, try Bar Centrale!

Check out Desperate Measures, one of Cindy's favorite Off-Broadway musicals!

While mental health isn't a common topic in musicals, it has cropped up a few times over the years: http://www.drdrama.com/2017/09/21/musicals-and-mental-health/

The 2016-2017 Broadway season contained a whopping 13 new musicals, and you can hear more about that Tonys season on the My Little Tonys podcast.

Listen to the Dear Evan Hansen cast album: Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

Other music in this episode:

Just for You (from Desperate Measures): Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music
Michael in the Bathroom (from Be More Chill): Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

--

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

Soft Power (with Jeffrey Scott Parsons) Nov 03, 2020

Welcome to Soft Power, a show that discusses Chinese duty, American elections, and democracy, told through Golden Age references and Hillary Clinton. Jeff Parsons (of A Musical Theatre Podcast) joins us again to discuss this new Pulitzer Prize finalist, changes between productions, and how this show is the most exciting new piece of musical theater. “It Just Takes Time”, so join us as we take you through the entire show, beginning to end!

(Also check out chapter markers for specific scenes and songs!)

--

The conceit of the show is a reversal of The King and I, which is funny since leading man Conrad Ricamora starred in the latest revival, but you can also hear about the process of putting the show together.

The show hinges on a real-life event where David Henry Hwang got stabbed in the neck shortly after the 2016 election.

As this time-lapse demonstrates, the Shanghai skyline has changed a lot just in the past 40 years.

Watch snippets of daily life and activities in the actual Fuxing Park.

Listen to director Leigh Silverman talk about the ending scene and how it came about on The Ensemblist.

Each song serves a specific purpose, and David Henry Hwang breaks down each track for us. Like the music, the choreography also references a lot of traditional musical theater concepts, and Sam Pinkleton breaks down the movement in different scenes.

--

Check out scenes from the musical!

Ahmanson Theatre (Los Angeles):

Election Night
Democracy (reprise), with the original ending
Montage
Rehearsal Footage

Public Theatre (New York):

--

Listen to the cast album!

Check out the listening party (turn on chat replay with cast and creatives)!
Apple Music
Spotify

--

Follow Jeff and A Musical Theatre Podcast on Instagram and Twitter @AMusicalPodcast!

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

Mean Girls/Legally Blonde/Heathers (with Jeffrey Scott Parsons) Oct 14, 2020

Omigod you guys, in this episode, we’re joined by Jeff Parsons of A Musical Theatre Podcast to shine a light on musicals of Nell Benjamin and Laurence O’Keefe (and Kevin Murphy and Jeff Richmond)! We’re talking Mean Girls, Legally Blonde, and Heathers because more is better, so take a listen and see if they’re so much better than the original movies.

--

Listen to A Musical Theatre Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and check out the Heathers episode with original cast member Rachel Flynn, and you can also hear us discuss My Fair Lady.

Hear Barrett Wilbert Weed and Jeff Richmond discuss the lyrics to I’d Rather Be Me.

Check out the Apex Predator performance on the Today Show to just watch The Plastics strut their way around Rockefeller Plaza.

Listen to different performances of the ending of So Much Better.

Watch Laura Bell Bundy keep going after kicking off a shoe during So Much Better.

If you want to hear more about the process of turning Legally Blonde into a musical (including the shoe incident), you can listen to the creators talk about it on the Broadway Backstory podcast.

You’re Welcome originally replaced Blue in the high school version of Heathers before displacing it completely in all productions, and you can hear about some of the other changes that Lawrence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy made for the high school version.

Watch Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez get ready for her day and talk about the importance of femininity and self-appreciation.

You can read some of the behind-the-scenes info for each song in both Mean Girls and Heathers.

Listen to the cast albums!

Mean Girls: Apple Music / Spotify
Legally Blonde: Apple Music / Spotify
Heathers (Original Off-Broadway): Apple Music / Spotify
Heathers (West End): Apple Music / Spotify

--

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

A Killer Party: A New Musical Sep 09, 2020

While you’re stuck in quarantine, why not join a shipload of fools in a new murder mystery musical? Hop aboard and listen to us talk about A Killer Party, the newest big cat joining the ranks of other virtual theater offerings!

—

You can purchase A Killer Party for on-demand viewing and find more information on their website: https://akillerpartymusical.com/

The original teaser leading up to the announcement of the show involved a lot of Broadway stars in black and white photos, which can still be seen on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/whatsinthesoup/

Laura Osnes gives a bit of a peek behind the scenes to how she and Jarrod Spector filmed their scenes while quarantining together: https://www.instagram.com/p/CDy2sKqJrVB/

If you want another Broadway-related murder mystery offering, check out Andrew Barth Feldman’s Broadway Whodunit, a live improv event where you get to be the detective: https://www.broadwaywhodunit.com/

If our review doesn’t satisfy you, try checking out what Jesse Green of the New York Times had to say: https://nyti.ms/2Fig4vk

If you’re looking to put on your own virtual musical, A Killer Party will soon be available for licensing via MTI: https://www.mtishows.com/a-killer-party-a-murder-mystery-musical

Listen to the cast album of A Killer Party (though be wary of minor spoilers)!
Apple Music: https://apple.co/2R4c4RU
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2RlsQw5

Follow A Killer Party on Instagram and Twitter!

--

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com and let us know what you want to hear us cover! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey: https://forms.gle/BXUqJiNdjAWaQRCJ9

Hamilton (Disney+) Aug 12, 2020

You won’t have to wait for it any longer because our episode on Hamilton is now here! You’ll be back after listening to us discuss the Disney+ capture, camera angles, historical context, public criticism, and just how much of a weirdo Alexander Hamilton really was.

—

Watch Jonathan Groff talk to Steven Colbert about how his King George walk came about: https://youtu.be/03IpD4QWPgQ

Alysha Deslorieux amazed and astonished Christine as Angelica, and you can watch her take on Satisfied: https://youtu.be/uHi9jukDAL0

David Rockwell’s She Loves Me set was quite a sight to behold, and you can check out a VR version here: https://youtu.be/AUJWJGzNN90

Check out some hidden secrets in David Korins’s set: https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2018/05/31/7-hamilton-set-secrets/

Watch Andy Blankenbueler break down the meaning of each movement in his choreography for My Shot (https://youtu.be/VmYTsOrnWP0) and Battle of Yorktown (https://youtu.be/gb67f2HLVGM)

The critique of Hamilton is worth hearing out for its different perspectives (especially in noting how much of it comes from black voices): https://linktr.ee/hamcritique

Lin-Manuel Miranda and many other cast members discussed what Hamilton means to them on The Undefeated: https://bit.ly/undefeatedham

Both Oak Onaodowan and Daveed Diggs talked about their responses to the criticism of the show: https://www.vulture.com/2020/07/okieriete-onaodowan-daveed-diggs-hamilton-slavery.html

On Instagram, kfilsonart has helpfully drawn out Paul Tazewell’s costumes that each of the Schuyler Sisters wear throughout the show: https://www.instagram.com/p/BSrzxUzl7JU/

This just might be Christine’s new favorite version of Helpless: https://youtu.be/vo_s6PsVogI

Lin-Manuel Miranda on "the gasp": https://bit.ly/lmmgasp

See the original character descriptions Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote for the casting notice: https://bit.ly/hamcasting

If you haven’t listened to the Hamilton Mixtape and subsequent Hamildrops, you can find them all on Apple Music (https://apple.co/2DRJLTt) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/3kJ8VEP)

Or listen to the Original Cast Recording:
Apple Music: https://apple.co/3kAN561
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2XTK4Em

—

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey: https://forms.gle/BXUqJiNdjAWaQRCJ9

Evita (City Center) Jul 15, 2020

What’s new, Buenos Aires? Nothing much since Broadway is dark through 2021, but we’re here to talk about the new(est) Evita revival from City Center with a few tangents into insecticide, Isabel Peron, Attila the Hun, Lauren Bacall, and insecticide.

--

If you’ve never listened to The Lady’s Got Potential, Patrick Flynn from The Original Cast podcast has a great primer: https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/13648631

For the record, Christine watched By Jeeves when it aired on The Shows Must Go On and rather enjoyed it.

Sir Tim Rice’s podcast: https://getontomycloud.podbean.com/

The Grass is Always Greener is a hilarious song from Woman of the Year performed by Lauren Bacall and Marilyn Cooper: https://youtu.be/aP7maJavkQE

The song from Smash is the Twentieth Century Fox Mambo (not Fox Trot), but this is how Christine imagines Rainbow High should be staged: https://youtu.be/sUbS8uWEj5c

Patti LuPone does not hold back when talking about President Trump (https://youtu.be/XwIrm3Kawkk), which is ironic considering that Evita is Trump's favorite musical (https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-loves-evita-presidency/story?id=59350378).

At the time of recording, Betty Buckley had just urged ALW to stop Trump from using Memory at rallies (https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Betty-Buckley-Calls-on-Andrew-Lloyd-Webber-to-Take-Legal-Action-Against-the-Trump-Campaign-For-Using-Memory-From-CATS-at-Rallies-20200621), but just recently we found out that ALW actually did (https://pagesix.com/2020/07/13/andrew-lloyd-webbers-team-sends-cease-and-desist-letter-to-donald-trump/).

You can watch Patti LuPone perform A New Argentina in a silk robe on the 1980 Tony Awards: https://youtu.be/F9m4SfNHWVg

If you want more about Evita, we recommend checking out Seth Rudetsky's deconstruction of Buenos Aires (https://youtu.be/59FSM9UT7NQ) or Scott Miller's in-depth analysis (http://www.newlinetheatre.com/evitachapter.html).

Some music used from City Center clips from Broadway.com (https://youtu.be/9UTmwFwZ3rk) and TheaterMania (https://youtu.be/MkzTthyQ1to), which also show some of the staging we talked about.

Original Concept Album
Apple Music: https://apple.co/2CCCWEo
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/32h266s

Original Broadway Cast Recording
Apple Music: https://apple.co/3iXIQRg
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2CykblC

Motion Picture Soundtrack
Apple Music: https://apple.co/3fBtlN2
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2ZuY7Bj

--

Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com!

Our 2020 Phony Awards Jun 10, 2020

Cindy had some mic problems, so she’s phoning it in this week to the very first Bottomless Broadway Phony Awards, where we award shows we’ve seen this season, both on Broadway and off! So grab a drink (or two) and join us in celebrating the past year of theater in less time than it would take to watch the usual Tonys telecast.

—

Support black theater-makers! Check out the first inaugural Antonyo Awards (and vote on your picks): https://www.broadwayblack.com/snax_poll/vote-antonyo-awards/

Follow along as we go through our list of nominees: https://bit.ly/2AX428o

We included some shows that we hadn’t talked about on previous episodes:

Emojiland: https://www.emojiland.com/
Lightning Thief: https://www.lightningthiefmusical.com/
Scotland, PA: https://www.roundabouttheatre.org/get-tickets/2019-2020-season/scotland-pa/
Soft Power: https://publictheater.org/softpower
Evita: https://www.nycitycenter.org/pdps/2019-2020/evita/
Road Show: https://www.nycitycenter.org/pdps/2018-2019/road-show/
Judgment Day: http://www.armoryonpark.org/programs_events/detail/judgment_day

The costumes of SIX are insanely detailed, so take a look at just some of the components that make up each queen’s look: https://www.rachaeldickzen.com/blog/2020/2/14/six-previews-on-broadway-costumes-update

We unabashedly loved the NYCC production of Evita, so take a look at some clips from the show: https://youtu.be/9UTmwFwZ3rk

We’re obsessed with the SIX Olivier Awards performance (https://youtu.be/WJbaU4j0JCo), so maybe someday Seth Rudetsky can do one of his deconstructions (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZaxDof-gjgzgV2u5248OnMOdSpZ1ack7), but while you’re at it check out his Stars in the House series, raising money for NAACP LDF (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQxZX9II3m0YaF7Kvt1FjA).

Someone else we’re in love with is Samantha Pauly, who made her Broadway debut as Katherine Howard in SIX. She’s posting a new cover every day so check out her YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/user/samanthapauly89) and Instagram (@sampauly) accounts!

If you happen to need a drinking game, take a sip every time Christine mentions Raúl Esparza and “charismatic” in the same sentence. But you can watch him in action in clips from Road Show: https://youtu.be/HYfDSKyU0Hw

If there’s one thing we learned by doing this, it’s that New York City Center is one of our new favorite theater companies, so check them out! https://www.nycitycenter.org/

Let us know what your favorites were on Twitter or Instagram @BottomlessBway or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this quick survey https://forms.gle/BXUqJiNdjAWaQRCJ9

2019-2020 Plays, Part 2 May 27, 2020

It's no longer Christmas, and we might be betraying our original intent to only do musicals, but one may as well begin with the sound inside this episode as we discuss the other plays we've seen this season, including A Christmas Carol, Betrayal, The Inheritance, and The Sound Inside.

If you want to avoid spoilers for The Inheritance, be sure to skip 26:30-29:08.

--

Missed part 1 of our plays recap? Check it out over here: https://link.chtbl.com/pp1pod

We adored Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol and loved even more that this show highlighted actors with disabilities: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/13/theater/tiny-tim-a-christmas-carol-disabled-actors.html

Adam Feldman did a roundup of all the different versions of A Christmas Carol playing in NYC this year, has anyone seen them all? https://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/where-to-see-a-christmas-carol-in-nyc

We’re not sure if this production will ever be back on Broadway, but check out some clips of A Christmas Carol, including the gorgeous set we raved about! https://youtu.be/wG2asA1oPMI

We had some thoughts on Pinter’s style that really allowed us to appreciate Joanne from Company on a different level. You can hear what she thinks in Ladies Who Lunch (sung by the inimitable Elaine Stritch). Otherwise, judge for yourself through this small scene that the actors performed: https://youtu.be/auO-0l0gH8k

The Inheritance has announced that it will be playing the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, and you can find out more information on their website: https://www.geffenplayhouse.org/tickets/2020-2021-season/

A lot goes into writing a 7 hour play, and Matthew Lopez breaks it down with Broadway.com (https://youtu.be/zNK6Rhs5heQ) as well as The New Yorker (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/07/theater/matthew-lopez-the-inheritance.html)

He also discusses the issue of diversity in his play with The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/07/theater/matthew-lopez-the-inheritance.html

Mary-Louise Parker talks about taking on The Sound Inside with NPR and how it feels to be the only person on an empty stage for much of the play: https://www.npr.org/2019/11/16/779719536/i-m-a-purist-mary-louise-parker-returns-to-broadway-for-a-new-challenge

Songs Featured:

Ladies Who Lunch - Elaine Stritch: Apple Music / Spotify
Merrily We Roll Along - 1994 Off-Broadway Cast: Apple Music / Spotify

--

Let us know how these shows match up over on Twitter or Instagram @BottomlessBway or bottomlessbway@gmail.com.

2019-2020 Plays, Part 1 May 13, 2020

We've used up our well of musicals, so we'll be play-ing it by ear for the next two episodes! Take a listen to our thoughts on Sea Wall/A Life, Slave Play, The Minutes, and Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune in this episode.

Some spoilers WILL occur, so if you'd like to avoid them, heed the timestamps below:
6:01-7:44 - spoilers for Sea Wall, none for A Life.
7:51-23:37 - spoilers for Slave Play, might also be some minor allusions to events that happen in the rest of our discussion.
27:05-36:14 - spoilers for The Minutes, may also be minor allusions as well.
Some discussion of the ending for Frankie and Johnny, but no major spoilers.

--

Sea Wall/A Life is now on Audible (https://www.audible.com/pd/Sea-Wall-A-Life-Audiobook/B0875MV37V)! But if you don't want to subscribe, you can also hear Jake Gyllenhaal doing a selection of A Life: https://youtu.be/PmTXgAkgCl8

The New York Times review that Cindy mentions about an alarm going off during Sea Wall: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/08/theater/sea-wall-a-life-review-broadway-gyllenhaal.html

If you want to hear more about the process for both Tom Sturridge and Jake Gyllenhaal in approaching the work, they did a fantastic talk at Google: https://youtu.be/cTCFhiNMKFI

Sam Sanders spoke to Jeremy O. Harris about writing Slave Play and some of the subsequent controversies, as well as his own experience of seeing Slave Play as part of an interracial couple: https://www.npr.org/transcripts/795198086

Jeremy O. Harris talking about some of his efforts in making his play more accessible to a diverse audience: https://youtu.be/wxg3semVaK0 as well as his Plus One initiative: https://twitter.com/jeremyoharris/status/1204245805361745920

Slave Play will be playing at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, dates TBA: https://www.playbill.com/article/slave-play-will-make-its-west-coast-debut-at-los-angeles-center-theatre-group

Tracy Letts on appearing in his own play after its original run: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/26/theater/tracy-letts-the-minutes.html

Both Slave Play and Frankie and Johnny utilized intimacy director Claire Warden to ensure all parties felt safe, a first for Broadway: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/26/theater/frankie-johnny-audra-mcdonald-michael-shannon.html

Work by Rihanna played a pivotal role in the development of Slave Play and the text itself.

Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy features in A Life as well as Frankie and Johnny.

--

Does anyone know the song we talk about in the intro? Let us know on Twitter or Instagram @BottomlessBway, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com

Company (2020), Part 2 Apr 29, 2020

It's been a while since we've sat side by side by side, but have we got the podcast for you, with part 2 of our Company recap! After all, what would we do without you, listening to us run our mouths on theatre?

--

If you missed our first episode on the Company revival, you can find that here: https://link.chtbl.com/company1

Jesse Green on Sondheim, in pure fanboy mode: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/theater/stephen-sondheim-playwright.html

This is Patti LuPone's third time as Joanne in Company, with the first two being the Lincoln Center Concert with Neil Patrick Harris as Bobby (https://youtu.be/UvXEQ4lZt8k), and the second being the original London version of this production, with Rosalie Craig as Bobbie (https://youtu.be/2hQkUgSQ2TE), though also check out her first performance of Ladies Who Lunch if you haven't already, done in front of Elaine Stritch herself: https://youtu.be/oTsuK_HGFJg..

Some snippets from the cast members performing selections of the songs: https://youtu.be/mQIq6zRt8ys

Want a more in-depth line-by-line analysis of Company? Check out the Putting It Together podcast: https://puttingittogether.transistor.fm/

All music snippets in this episode come from the 2018 West End cast recording:
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/company-2018-london-cast-recording/1450647815
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/6cVS8HE0DLAHwcT1e4qixE

...with a nod to the Original Broadway Cast recording:
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/company-original-broadway-cast-bonus-track/155662613
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/6UbNkEqfwOVchQcmAYxJvZ

--

Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey: https://forms.gle/BXUqJiNdjAWaQRCJ9

Company (2020), Part 1 Apr 15, 2020

Your phone may be ringing and your door chiming less often, but in comes our episode on the gender-swapped revival of Company, where you can hear us unironically judge the life choices of a woman a decade older than us.

--

Christine's first introduction to Company was when Glee did "Getting Married Today", which worked surprisingly well in the show: https://youtu.be/pLRNEILRVjw

For Sondheim's birthday, The New York Times put out a series of articles honoring him, including Jesse Green's tribute: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/theater/stephen-sondheim-playwright.html

Patti LuPone is definitely making the most out of her quarantine, so check out the first of four (so far) basement videos she's posted on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PattiLuPone/status/1241891274321539072

The letters of "Company" that we mention in "Another Hundred People" can be seen on the musical's Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-hIa-7H_24/

If you want a deeper dive into the Company musical itself, as well as comparisons across different versions, check out the fantastic Putting It Together podcast (where you might also hear a familiar voice): https://puttingittogether.transistor.fm/

Like West Side Story, no cast album has been announced for the Broadway cast as of yet, but you can watch a performance of "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" from BroadwayCon (https://youtu.be/e7k0qn0TBMA) as well as snippets of other songs from the show featuring Katrina Lenk, Patti LuPone, and the rest of the ensemble from the First Look Concert at the Guggenheim (https://youtu.be/mQIq6zRt8ys).

All the song segments heard in the show come from the 2018 London revival cast album (featuring all different actors except for Patti LuPone).
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/company-2018-london-cast-recording/1450647815
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/6cVS8HE0DLAHwcT1e4qixE

--

Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey: https://forms.gle/BXUqJiNdjAWaQRCJ9

West Side Story (2019) Apr 01, 2020

Could it be? Yes it could. Something’s coming, something good? Well you won't have to wait, because we’re here tonight with our first revival, West Side Story!

Warning: There is mention of attempted sexual assault in this episode, so if that’s something that you’d like to skip, that occurs at 35:00-37:30.

--

If you want to find out more about the Amar Ramasar controversy and protests, this article is a good place to start: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/19/theater/west-side-story-amar-ramasar.html

Ben Brantley's review of this revival for the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/20/theater/west-side-story-review-sharks-vs-jets-vs-video.html
And for a completely different take, David Rooney's review for Hollywood Reporter: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/west-side-story-theater-1280016

This production uses the film version of "America", which can be seen with Rita Moreno as Anita: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e2igZexpMs
Alternatively, the stage version can be seen with Karen Olivo as Anita in 2009: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6wMQM5FVck

Still not sure how to feel about the changes in this production? Take a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process:
New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/22/magazine/west-side-story.html
60 Minutes: https://www.cbsnews.com/video/west-side-story-broadway-behind-scenes-60-minutes-60-minutes-2020-02-16/

Since there's been no announcement of a new cast recording (yet), Isaac Powell's rendition of "Something Coming" can be heard at the end of our episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mS2VXgKwmvQ

All other music in this episode comes from the 1957 Broadway cast recording and the 1961 film soundtrack.

Original Broadway Cast Album
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/west-side-story-original-broadway-cast-recording/186302499
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3knRTstKrILa8wx8IGGqn6

Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/west-side-story-original-motion-picture-soundtrack/394303992
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1kA4RO70idrEQkOX3zlRfa

--

Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey: https://forms.gle/BXUqJiNdjAWaQRCJ9

Diana: A True Musical Story Mar 18, 2020

A lot of pretty, pretty girls have graced the Broadway stage, but is Diana the main event?

—

While a cast album has been announced, so far only two songs have been released, but you can listen to them here:

Underestimated: https://youtu.be/5_YuxRGGLg4
If: https://youtu.be/7yZjS1DadLs

Christine also talks about the original opening number, Once Upon a Time, which you can hear the instrumental of here (or stick around at the end of the episode): https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1153502634824560

Cindy mentions the cape dance from Cursed Child, which you can see in action: https://youtu.be/jViplYpkKwc

It doesn’t seem like the tabloids have changed much since Diana married Charles, with what they’ve said about Meghan Markle: buzzfeednews.com/article/ellievhall/meghan-markle-kate-middleton-double-standards-royal

A playlist of songs with alternate parenthetical titles (and feel free to let us know about ones that we missed!): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/51ZsCaZTdGXZxFm5xZV0s9

Check out what William Ivey Long has to say about his designs for Diana: https://www.playbill.com/article/with-38-costumes-for-princess-di-alone-william-ivey-long-sets-a-new-bar-with-his-design-for-diana

Other Songs Featured:

Dear John - Taylor Swift: Apple Music / Spotify
Don’t Forget Me - Smash: Apple Music / Spotify

Get more information or buy tickets here: https://thedianamusical.com/

Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey: https://forms.gle/BXUqJiNdjAWaQRCJ9

SIX Mar 04, 2020

All You Wanna Do is listen to our new episode on SIX, where we Get Down into the details of each song and each queen’s life.

—

If you aren’t familiar with Six, the Olivier Awards performance of the opening number is a great place to start: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJbaU4j0JCo

The program provides some information about the queens and their "queenspirations" but if you haven’t gotten one, this article talks a bit about the influences behind each queen: https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/six-the-musical-which-modern-day-pop-stars-are-the-queens-inspired-by.html/

If you want to know even more about the development process of the show, The New York Times did a fantastic piece on its history (or rather, herstory): https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/27/theater/six-broadway.html

We still don’t completely understand Tik Tok, so for those in a similar situation, here are some examples of how Six is used: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RjRGr_aQhc

The megamix is the only number not on the cast album, so take a look at Megasix from the first Broadway preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iJ6vsIXHXU

Listen to Six:
Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/album/six-the-musical-studio-cast-recording/1465183308
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/1U5eiENtd8mXJeWCVPk50D

And if you think you know the songs, there’s also a karaoke album:
Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/album/six-the-musical-sing-a-long-edition/1473647922
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/2hndPPQSm7dgA6l58Kx4S1

Disagree with our picks for best queen or have a favorite Tik Tok? Send them over to us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com or on social @BottomlessBway on Twitter or Instagram! And if you want to hear more from us, including early Tony nominations, check out the blog: https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/

Want to leave feedback? There's an easy way to do that here: https://forms.gle/BXUqJiNdjAWaQRCJ9

Jagged Little Pill Feb 19, 2020

Ooh, this could be messy, but we don't seem to mind, so take a listen to our discussion on the latest jukebox musical to open this season!

--

Correction: Christine misidentifies the entr'acte song as "Wake Up" when it should be "Hands Clean".

Hear the creators talk about how they approached the music of Alanis Morissette and what working with her was like: https://variety.com/2019/legit/news/jagged-little-pill-musical-making-of-broadway-1203367695/

The average household income of Broadway theatergoers really is $261k according to this survey, though we guarantee you we aren't making that much even with our combined salaries: https://www.broadwayleague.com/press/press-releases/the-broadway-league-reveals-the-demographics-of-the-broadway-audience-for-2018-2019-season/

Take a listen to this absolutely gorgeous mashup of Head Over Feet and Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow from Glee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQwhvrX5WL4

Check out the Jagged Little Pill New Year's Eve performance, featuring Lauren Patten alongside Alanis Morissette: https://twitter.com/jaggedmusical/status/1213112781312024580

How do these arrangements hold up to the original album? Let us know!

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/jagged-little-pill-original-broadway-cast-recording/1484873882
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3JUvh3Ch6QFxguLABtTOE3

Subscribe and follow us on Instagram or Twitter @BottomlessBway, check out our blog for other Tonys predictions (https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/), or email us feedback at bottomlessbway@gmail.com!

Or fill out our 5 question feedback survey: forms.gle/BXUqJiNdjAWaQRCJ9

Moulin Rouge, Part 2 Feb 05, 2020

Welcome back, for part 2 of our Moulin Rouge coverage, where we talk absinthe, Tony Awards, and "More, More, More!" So go ahead and listen to us pull back the curtains on this "Backstage Romance"!

If you need to catch up on part 1, you can do so here: https://link.chtbl.com/mrp2

--

In case you need a reminder of the process for obtaining songs for this show, the New York Times has got you covered: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/17/theater/moulin-rouge-musical-songs.html

Speaking of the New York Times, take a look at Ben Brantley's review that we reference a few times: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/25/theater/moulin-rouge-review.html

Choreographer Sonya Tayeh made her Broadway debut with Moulin Rouge, and will also be choreographing Sing Street later this season, but take a look at what she has to say about approaching such an iconic film: https://www.broadway.com/buzz/197761/choreographer-sonya-tayeh-on-expressing-impossible-love-and-her-ravishing-moulin-rouge-dancers/

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/moulin-rouge-the-musical-original-broadway-cast-recording/1477115723
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1catLRW8LZfugEmfjnTWCk

Check us out on Twitter or Instagram @BottomlessBway and take a look at some more Tony predictions on our blog: https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/. Send feedback at bottomlessbway@gmail.com or take our quick survey: https://forms.gle/Ugr9ovLhDCsW3dS9A

Moulin Rouge, Part 1 Jan 22, 2020

Welcome to the Moulin Rouge, where there are so many songs that we couldn't fit them into one episode. We're not sure the starving artists of the Bohemian Revolution would approve of this display of extravagance, but then again, maybe Broadway can keep alive what they couldn't. So "Shut Up and Raise Your Glass" as you listen to us break down the Bohemian values currently on display at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre.

--

Shout-out to The Original Cast (https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/6051662) and Movie Musical Shakedown (https://www.onstageblog.com/movie-musical-shakedown/2019/7/6/movie-musical-shakedown-ep-28-moulin-rouge) for giving us a way to review the movie without watching it ourselves!

Want to know the backstory behind getting the rights to all of the songs in the show? Check out this New York Times article: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/17/theater/moulin-rouge-musical-songs.html

Or, listen to music supervisor Justin Levine talk about some of his song selections and how the music came together: http://www.playbill.com/article/how-the-music-of-moulin-rouge-the-musical-came-together

Can't get tickets to Moulin Rouge? Forbidden Broadway gives you a pretty good gist of it: http://www.forbiddenbroadway.com/

If you haven't seen the Moulin Rouge ice dance routine by Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, pause the podcast and go watch it now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOEKdWrtz6U

Did you know that the opening of "Hips Don't Lie" samples "Amores Como El Nuestro"? Because we didn't. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M85l1qW8x18

Check out the marching band version of "Shut Up and Dance": https://youtu.be/Vi38Gc1pz9c?t=174

How many individual songs can you pick out?
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/moulin-rouge-the-musical-original-broadway-cast-recording/1477115723
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1catLRW8LZfugEmfjnTWCk

Make sure you're subscribed to us so that you can get part 2 in your podcast feeds! And follow us on Twitter or Instagram @BottomlessBway, or check out our blog https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/ Send us feedback at bottomlessbway@gmail.com or take our quick feedback survey: https://forms.gle/Ugr9ovLhDCsW3dS9A

Bonus: Little Shop of Horrors Oct 16, 2019

Come down to Skid Row, where roses AND tickets cost $100! Cindy and Christine make their triumphant return from their hiatus, here to talk about Westside Theatre's production of Little Shop of Horrors and the show itself. Ya Never Know what you might find ahead, so be aware of man-eating plants and spoilers in this episode!

--

Curious about how a movie with carnivorous plants made it to the stage? Learn more about it over on Playbill! (http://www.playbill.com/article/how-howard-ashman-and-alan-menken-created-the-iconic-little-shop-of-horrors)

Check out the original movie ending (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RjFvcw6ToQ) and see how it compares to the one that made the final cut (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtJtYayW4VQ)!

Take a look at pictures of Jonathon Groff as Seymour in this production, along with Christian Borle and Tammy Blanchard!(http://www.playbill.com/article/see-photos-of-jonathan-groff-tammy-blanchard-and-christian-borle-in-little-shop-of-horrors?fbclid=IwAR1M1nOSGJjfeucyWCvDn8WzW-Jmy9I8nhTTk3_-KzwHOvNBILpLVggE5Nw)

If you've seen another production of Little Shop recently (like the Pasadena Playhouse one), tell us all about it over on Twitter @BottomlessBway (https://twitter.com/BottomlessBway) or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! And follow our new Instagram @bottomlessbway (https://www.instagram.com/bottomlessbway/) to see the plant that Christine got, or check out our blog (https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/) while you're at it!

1982 Original Off-Broadway Cast:
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/ca/album/little-shop-of-horrors-original-cast/1440905714
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/61gbxZfomzFuRLJDooQdBD

2003 Original Broadway Cast:
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/little-shop-of-horrors-broadway-cast-recording/6834101
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/2ybaBYsNh9ksMTXSwVK81o

2019 Tony Predictions Jun 09, 2019

’Tis the season to be judgmental. As we all know, Christmas comes six months early when you’re a theatre fanatic, and Cindy and Christine are here to guide you through their picks for the best of this Broadway season.

Want to join in on the judgment? Come judge us and let us know how we’re doing on our nifty little feedback form: https://forms.gle/12jUJ1sc8f4qwcoE8

We’ll be live-tweeting the Tonys on location at Radio City Music Hall, so make sure to follow our Twitter account @BottomlessBway (https://twitter.com/BottomlessBway) and tweet us if you agree or disagree with any of our predictions. Or if you have a burning passion that can’t be contained by Twitter’s character limit, email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com.
Follow along with the winners and see if we get it right on Sunday, June 9 at 8pm EDT https://www.tonyawards.com/winners/

This marks the end of our normal season, but make sure you’re subscribed for any surprise episodes coming out before our next season starts up again in January 2020, and don’t forget to keep an eye on the blog (https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/

Jukebox Musicals Jun 05, 2019

"The Beat Goes On" in this season's crop of jukebox musicals that "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" you to go see them. But stay just a little bit longer and listen to our recap, discussing how they stack up to other shows like Summer, Beautiful, Motown, and the ultimate gold standard of Jersey Boys.

--

Find out more about how the actors got involved in The Cher Show and their interactions with the actual Cher in this podcast episode.

Alternatively, find out how the five actors portraying The Temptations come to their characters in this episode.

The costumes in The Cher Show are a definite highlight, so check out what the designer Bob Mackie has to say about them.

Want to know more about the progression of autotune after Cher? Check out Switched on Pop!

Jarrod Spector has now been in three different bio-musicals, so he knows a little bit about playing real people.

Want to see how the three Chers and Sonny stack up to the original? Christine made a playlist on Apple Music so now you can!

The Cher Show:
iTunes / Spotify

Ain't Too Proud:
iTunes / Spotify

Stick around for our episode on our Tony predictions, coming out later this week! So make sure you're subscribed, and follow us on Twitter @BottomlessBway for updates.

Be More Chill May 22, 2019

We'll just be voices in your head as you listen to us break down Be More Chill in this week's episode. So join us on this ride through this teenage musical phenomenon, picking up right where we ended last week!

--

Want to know even more about the songs? Take a look at Joe Iconis's track-by-track breakdown for act 1 and act 2.

What would a show about technology be without some cool tech behind it? Check out some of the design elements behind what you see and hear in Be More Chill.

Learn more about the orchestrator, Charlie Rosen, who's largely responsible for bringing that technological soundscape to life.

Smash--gone too soon or not soon enough? Either way, it introduced a lot of us to Joe Iconis, who has a couple of songs featured in its show-within-a-show, along with our good friends Pasek and Paul (they're not actually our friends, we can only dream).

We recorded this before the Broadway cast recording came out, so all the tracks you'll hear are from the original New Jersey recording, but you can listen to both now and let us know which one you like better over on Twitter @BottomlessBway or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com.

2015 Original Cast Recording:
iTunes / Spotify

2019 Original Broadway Cast Recording:
iTunes / Spotify

Pretty Woman May 15, 2019

Pretty woman, walkin' down the streets of Broadway. But will she charm theatregoers of New York City like she did the Beverly Hills elite?

This is another two-parter that got split into two separate parts, so keep an eye on your feeds for our episode on Be More Chill next week!

--

If you want to know how Samantha Barks, Orfeh, and Andy Karl actually got cast, check out the episode from Billboard on Broadway!

Take a look at the tribute to Gary Marshall and some of his original ideas for the Broadway show.

Listen to the Broadway cast recording and let us know what your favorite songs are over on Twitter @BottomlessBway!

iTunes / Spotify

Beetlejuice May 01, 2019

What's "That Beautiful Sound"? A podcast on Beetlejuice the Musical! All you'll want to do is hear THIS sound: our discussion on the musical and how it compares to the movie, as well as our predictions for some of the Tony categories that are completely irrelevant now!

--

Want to see how Alex Brightman creates the voice of Beetlejuice? Take a look at his vocal chords!

Check out this New York Times article for more about Sophia Anne Caruso and why she's drawn to the part of Lydia.

We didn't get a chance to mention her by name, but Delia Deetz (and Miss Argentina) is played by the fabulously funny Leslie Kritzer.

Everyone agrees that David Korins's set is a definite highlight, see what he has to say about it!

Warner Bros. is just another movie studio trying to find their hit Broadway show, though they've been trying for a while.

No release date yet on the cast recording, but they're set to record in May. Meanwhile, take a listen to these released songs:

Dead Mom

Say My Name

That Beautiful Sound (with 360 video!)

If any Beetlejuice movie fans want to let us know how the musical matched up for them, tell us on Twitter @BottomlessBway or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com!

Tootsie Apr 23, 2019

"Whaddya Do" when you see Broadway’s newest cross-dressing comedy, Tootsie? You spend your subway ride home listening to our review of it, of course! You heard it here first, or you just heard a lot of Santino fangirling but either way we have all the details.

--

Christine couldn’t remember the name of the orchestrator when talking about instrumentation, but shoutout to Simon Hale for providing that grand golden-age sound! Also mistakenly omitted: praise for “I Won’t Let You Down” and how it’s smartly reprised in “I Like What She’s Doing,” which you can hear a snippet of in new show clips from Broadway.com, hot off the presses today!

Say what you want about Michael Riedel and the New York Post, but he wrote a nice little article on how Tootsie the Musical started out (and we’re glad they managed to find the creative team that they did!)

We weren’t familiar with the original movie before, but if you ask actors, it’s the best movie of all time.

Curious about Crazy Ex-Girlfriend? You can watch all four seasons now on Netflix! Or, check out all the music videos on Youtube including Santino in “I Could If I Wanted To.”

No cast recording yet, but rest assured that there’s one on the way from Decca Broadway! Meanwhile, enjoy these two videos from BroadwayCon:

Lilli Cooper showing off her voice “Gone, Gone, Gone” and Sarah Stiles's absolutely hilarious turn in “What’s Gonna Happen.”

Edit: Take a listen to the Tootsie cast recording now to see if the music is actually better than it first seemed: iTunes / Spotify

As always, follow us on Twitter @BottomlessBway, check out our blog, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! And remember to subscribe and leave us a review on iTunes or wherever you're listening to this podcast! Don't have an iPhone or want a quicker way to give feedback? Take our feedback survey here: https://forms.gle/BXUqJiNdjAWaQRCJ9

Hadestown Apr 16, 2019

Cindy journeyed way down to Hadestown and can confirm: the show is hot as hell. You heard it here first--more accurate and more prompt than the official reviews!

--

Learn more about what the road to Broadway was like in this article!

Check out the music video for Why We Build the Wall!

Want to listen to the songs before the Broadway album comes out? Cindy's got you covered with her Apple Music playlist.
Edit: Listen to the Broadway Cast Album now! iTunes / Spotify

Want to check out Cindy's write-up of Patrick Page in Nassim? Take a look at our new blog!

Do you agree with our Tony predictions? Just want to talk about how great Hadestown is? Come find us on Twitter @BottomlessBway.

Bonus Part 2: Kinky Boots Apr 02, 2019

From London to Milan, people all over the world clamor for Kinky Boots…but it’s only in New York til April 7, so go watch it and join us as we recap this 2013 Tony Best Musical winner track by track!

--

Check out part 1 of our Closing Best Musicals episode on The Band's Visit here.

Want to know more about the making of this show? Check out the Broadway Backstory podcast.

Watch the Tony Awards performance of “Everybody Say Yeah”, complete with conveyor belt choreography

We used selections from both the UK and Broadway cast albums, so see if you can guess which is which and tell us which one you like better @BottomlessBway

UK: iTunes / Spotify

Broadway: iTunes / Spotify

Bonus Part 1: The Band's Visit Mar 27, 2019

Once, not long ago, two millennials came to the Barrymore Theatre. You probably didn’t hear about it. But you really should. So here it is.

With two Tony Best Musical Winners closing soon, we talk The Band's Visit and whether or not it's a story you really should hear about. And be sure to stay tuned for our second part about Kinky Boots!

--

Listen along as we break down the show track by track:
iTunes / Spotify

Want to know more about the music? Hear from the composer himself!

Watch the Tony Awards performance of "Omar Sharif"

Agree or disagree? Tweet us @BottomlessBway

The Prom & Head Over Heels Mar 13, 2019

LGBQTeens…and non-teens: the subject of our first episode where we talk about The Prom and Head Over Heels. One wore it better, but both ushered in this Tony season’s attempts to make Broadway gayer, while scandalizing parents on and off stage.

--

Cindy thinks it isn’t possible, but if anyone thinks they’re up to the task of fixing the book of Head Over Heels, tweet us @BottomlessBway.

Listen to the cast recordings to judge for yourself!
Prom: iTunes / Spotify
Head Over Heels: iTunes / Spotify

Watch the original version of “You Happened”