Last Week on Broadway: Monday, Oct. 26, 2026
Oct 26, 2026
Show notes
Reviews for ‘860’ and ‘Imaginary Invalid’; Groff and Tom Hanks coming to Broadway in 2027; more
Every week, Matt Tamanini will bring you the biggest news from across the theatrical landscape and will prepare you for what’s ahead over the next seven days.
Any and all feedback is appreciated: Matt Tamanini:matt@broadwayradio.com | @BroadwayRadio
For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@broadwayradio.com and include the episode name.
This Week on Broadway for October 25, 2026: The Imaginary Invalid
Oct 25, 2026
Show notes
Peter Filichia, James Marino, and Michael Portantiere talk about The Imaginary Invalid, Other Desert Cities, Mint Theater Company’s production of Phyl, Ruth Stage’s production of Night of January 16th, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button @ The Public Theater, Midnight @ Daryl Roth Theatre, Memoirs Of Amorous Gentlemen @ The Night Egg at The Culture Club, Atlantic Theater Company’s production of I Became We @ the Linda Gross Theater, Copperfield! The New Musical at The Duke on 42nd Street, Book Review: Love and Second Acts – A Novel by Lewis J. Stadlen, and Anon @ MCC
“This Week on Broadway” has been coming to you every week since 2009. It is the longest-running running Broadway and theatrical podcast with hundreds of shows giving thousands of reviews and interviews.
Subscribe to BroadwayRadio in Apple Podcasts by CLICKING HERE.
Patreon listeners get This Week on Broadway first, on Sunday afternoon before it is released to the general public on Sunday evening.
Panel:
Peter Filichia | peter@broadwayradio.com | Facebook PETER FILICHIA is a playwright, journalist, and historian with a number of books. Peter’s day-by-day desk calendar – A SHOW TUNE FOR TODAY – 366 Songs to Brighten Your Year – is available at finer retailers!
Showtune for Today: We Might Play All Night from Passing Strange
Michael Portantiere | michael@broadwayradio.com | Facebook MICHAEL PORTANTIERE has been a theater journalist for more than 50 years. The founder and editor of CastAlbumReviews.com. He is also a theatrical photographer whose photos have appeared in The New York Times and other publications. Additionally, Michael is known as a producer and director of shows at the Laurie Beechman Theatre and other venues.
Note: This week we had listeners join us while recording. These listeners are Patreon members who support BroadwayRadio. If you would like to join us in the future, become a supporter at Patreon.com/BroadwayRadio.
MP: Mint Theater Company’s production of Phyl @ Theatre Row, through November 7, 2026 Directed by Britt Berke PHYL follows Phyllis Chester, a governess trapped in a solitary existence and walled off from the life she craves—until a moment of lost temper leads her to risk everything.
The play launches Mint Theater Company’s new season, featuring two frank, provocative, and deeply human works exploring sex, love, marriage, and the complexities of relationships. Originally scheduled to premiere in Oxford, PHYL was banned by the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, although it had passed the scrutiny of the Lord Chamberlain without requiring the alteration of a single line. The play instead premiered in Manchester, where one disapproving critic described Phyl as “slaking thirsty lips in the voluptuous pleasure of life.” When Hamilton was asked how she described the play, she replied, “Well, I call it a comedy because it has a happy ending, and I hope somebody is funny in it.”
Ayn Rand’s Night of January 16th, directed by Theo Devaney. De Rogatis will play Bjorn Faulkner and “Guts” Regan in the company’s radical reimagining of Rand’s courtroom drama.
MP: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button @ The Public Theater Newman Theater, through December 20, 2026 A Musical Book and Lyrics by Jethro Compton Music and Lyrics by Darren Clark Based on the Short Story by F. Scott Fitzgerald Choreographed by Chi-San Howard Directed by Jethro Compton
Following a highly acclaimed production in London’s West End, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON makes its North American premiere at The Public this fall. Olivier Award-winning writing team Jethro Compton and Darren Clark reimagine F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic story of an old man who is not at the end of his life, but at the beginning. Set in a Cornish fishing village on the coast of Great Britain, and brought to life by a company of 15 actor-musicians, this is the magical tale of a love that defies all odds.
MP: Midnight @ Daryl Roth Theatre, through January 3, 2027 Set in the American South, MIDNIGHT follows twelve interconnected lives—six Black and six white characters—whose stories unfold through an exhilarating score that blends gospel, pop, R&B, rock, folk, opera, and contemporary musical theatre. As love, loss, prejudice, and hope collide, the boundaries that separate them begin to disappear, revealing a timeless truth: while we don’t choose the roles we’re born into, we do choose who we become.
MP: Memoirs Of Amorous Gentlemen @ The Night Egg at The Culture Club, through January 3, 2027 Based on the manga graphic novel “Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen” by Moyoco Anno music and lyrics by Duncan Sheik book by Leah Nanako Winkler directed and choreographed by Rob Ashford
PF: Atlantic Theater Company’s production of I Became We @ the Linda Gross Theater, through November 15, 2026 by Mona Pirnot music by Jack D. Coen lyrics by Mona Pirnot and Jack D. Coen directed by Sarah Benson
MP: Copperfield! The New Musical at The Duke on 42nd Street, December 6, 2026 Book, music, and lyrics by Jeffrey Scharf Directed and choreographed by Gabriel Barre
PF: Anon @ MCC Theater’s Newman Mills Theater, through November 1, 2026 by Anne Washburn directed by Anne Kauffman When a gay pride flag is unfurled across the street from Jeanie, an increasingly online TikToker in a suburb in Texas, two seemingly different households…freak out. How well do you know the people you live among, and with, in an America where the line between fantasy and reality has become increasingly optional? The cast of ANON will include Jeff Biehl (The Burning Cauldron of Fiery Fire), Crystal Finn (Cold War Choir Practice), Andrew Garman (The Holdovers), Izabel Mar (Family), and Obie Award winner and Tony Award nominee Jeremy Shamos (Clybourne Park).
Discussion:
Future Episodes:
Peter’s Brainteaser:
He only did one Broadway play, but when the hit was sold to the movies, he reprised his role in the film version.
He later left a play that was a disaster in tryouts, but became a long-running hit that won a Tony for someone else in the cast.
Right now, you can hear his name mentioned in a Broadway production.
Who is he? What was the play and film? Of what property did he bail out? Who won a Tony for it? And what property is keeping his name before the public right now.
Michael’s Musical Moments
Music Opener: OPENER: Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen: “Hoops” (Cory Jeacoma and ensemble)
Music Closer: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: “Where E’re She Looked at Me” (Company)
For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@broadwayradio.com and include the episode name.
On Tuesday, Oct. 20, BroadwayRadio’s Matt Tamanini attended the opening night of the national tour of “Buena Vista Social Club” at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando, Florida. The musical will play Central Florida through Sunday, Oct. 25.
For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@broadwayradio.com and include the episode name.
On Sunday, Oct. 11, BroadwayRadio’s Matt Tamanini attended the Off-Broadway performance of “Soon” from Out of the Box Theatrics at the Loft at St. Luke’s Theatre.
The show is currently set to run through Sunday, Nov. 15. To purchase tickets to see the show, click here: https://www.ootbtheatrics.com/soon
Last Week on Broadway: Monday, Oct. 19, 2026
Oct 19, 2026
Show notes
Reviews for ‘Other Desert Cities,’ ‘Rhinoceros’ replaces ‘Full Monty’ on Broadway, ‘The Baby-Sitter’s Club’ musical sets world premiere
Every week, Matt Tamanini will bring you the biggest news from across the theatrical landscape and will prepare you for what’s ahead over the next seven days.
Any and all feedback is appreciated: Matt Tamanini:matt@broadwayradio.com | @BroadwayRadio
For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@broadwayradio.com and include the episode name.
This Week on Broadway for October 18, 2026: Other Desert Cities
Oct 18, 2026
Show notes
James Marino, Michael Portantiere, and Jan Simpson talk about Other Desert Cities, Anon @ MCC, Slam Frank @ Orpheum Theatre, A Ghost in Your Ear @ Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre, Good Time Charlie @ The Public, Memoirs Of Amorous Gentlemen @ The Night Egg at The Culture Club, and The Hairy Ape @ the Irish Rep.
“This Week on Broadway” has been coming to you every week since 2009. It is the longest-running running Broadway and theatrical podcast with hundreds of shows giving thousands of reviews and interviews.
Subscribe to BroadwayRadio in Apple Podcasts by CLICKING HERE.
Patreon listeners get This Week on Broadway first, on Sunday afternoon before it is released to the general public on Sunday evening.
Panel:
Peter Filichia | peter@broadwayradio.com | Facebook PETER FILICHIA is a playwright, journalist, and historian with a number of books. Peter’s new day-by-day desk calendar – A SHOW TUNE FOR TODAY – 366 Songs to Brighten Your Year – is available at finer retailers!
Michael Portantiere | michael@broadwayradio.com | Facebook MICHAEL PORTANTIERE has been a theater journalist for more than 50 years. The founder and editor of CastAlbumReviews.com. He is also a theatrical photographer whose photos have appeared in The New York Times and other publications. Additionally, Michael is known as a producer and director of shows at the Laurie Beechman Theatre and other venues.
Jan Simpson | jan@broadwayandme.com | Facebook | Twitter Broadway & Me Jan Simpson is a theater journalist who writes the theater blog Broadway & Me and hosts the BroadwayRadio podcasts “All the Drama” and “Stagecraft.” She has served three times as a juror for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and currently sits on the executive board of the Outer Critics Circle, is a nominator for the Lortel Awards and is a member of the Drama Desk and the American Theatre Critics Association.
Note: This week we had listeners join us while recording. These listeners are Patreon members who support BroadwayRadio. If you would like to join us in the future, become a supporter at Patreon.com/BroadwayRadio.
Please let us know if you run into any problems or have suggestions.
Reviews:
JS: Other Desert Cities @ Hudson Theatre, through January 17, 2027 11-time Emmy Award winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus will make her Broadway debut alongside Tony Award nominee and four-time Academy Award nominee Ed Harris, and two-time Tony Award nominee, Academy Award winner, and seven-time Emmy Award winner Allison Janney, Actor Award winner Joe Keery, and Tony Award nominee Lily Rabe in the first Broadway revival of Jon Robin Baitz’s Tony Award-winning play Other Desert Cities, directed by Tony Award winner John Benjamin Hickey.
MP + JS: Anon @ MCC Theater’s Newman Mills Theater, through November 1, 2026 by Anne Washburn directed by Anne Kauffman When a gay pride flag is unfurled across the street from Jeanie, an increasingly online TikToker in a suburb in Texas, two seemingly different households…freak out. How well do you know the people you live among, and with, in an America where the line between fantasy and reality has become increasingly optional? The cast of ANON will include Jeff Biehl (The Burning Cauldron of Fiery Fire), Crystal Finn (Cold War Choir Practice), Andrew Garman (The Holdovers), Izabel Mar (Family), and Obie Award winner and Tony Award nominee Jeremy Shamos (Clybourne Park).
JS: Slam Frank @ Orpheum Theatre, through November 30, 2026 The Anne-Frank Afro-Latin Hip-Hop Musical Music and Lyrics by ANDREW FOX Book by JOEL SINENSKY
JS + MP: Good Time Charlie @ The Public’s Martinson Hall, through October 25, 2026 written by Ryan J. Haddad directed by Danny Sharron As a young man, Charlie dreamt of a life on the stage, but his parents thought dentistry sounded better, so he channeled his passion for culture into his nephew Ryan—a fellow theater-loving gay kid with Broadway ambitions. Spanning more than three decades, GOOD TIME CHARLIE is a multigenerational story of gay men growing up, falling in love, and cherishing the arts. This comedic, theatrical love letter celebrates the people who teach us how to dream.
The complete ensemble-cast of GOOD TIME CHARLIE includes Sherz Aletaha (Understudy), Timothy Bagley (Lou), Nicholas Barrón (Understudy), Michael Cristofer (Sheldon), Ryan J. Haddad (Ryan), Beth Malone (Janice), Nael Nacer (Charlie Sr./Bob), Artemis Pebdani (Joan/Judy), Jonathan Raviv (Charlie), and Doug Shapiro (Understudy).
JS: Memoirs Of Amorous Gentlemen @ The Night Egg at The Culture Club, through January 3, 2027 Based on the manga graphic novel “Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen” by Moyoco Anno music and lyrics by Duncan Sheik book by Leah Nanako Winkler directed and choreographed by Rob Ashford
JS: The Hairy Ape @ the Irish Rep, through November 15, 2026 Directed by Ciarán O’Reilly Starring Jon Beavers, Jonathan Crimeni, Nayib Felix, Joanna Glushak, Ariyan Kassam, John Keating, Hassiem Muhammad, Adam Petherbridge, Elizabeth Teeter, Harrison Tipping, Audrey Cardwell, Richard Hollis
Discussion:
Future Episodes:
Peter’s Brainteaser:
These five Broadway productions are listed in a sequence that brings to mind a mega-hit Tony winning musical. Next Time I’ll Sing to You The Flip Side Fire Breakfast at Tiffany’s Moose Murders
Michael’s Musical Moments
MARILYN LOVELL: “A Cockeyed Optimist,” 1993 MDA Telethon
…and anywhere that you can listen to finer podcasts.
Special Episode: Zegree, Holmes on the joy and silliness of ‘The King’s Critique’
Oct 16, 2026
Show notes
On today’s episode, Matt Tamanini is in conversation with the writers of the new Off-Broadway musical “The King’s Critique,” Nat Zegree and Eric Holmes. The pair began working on the show about a decade ago and are finally bringing it to the stage beginning on Nov. 3 at the Pershing Square Signature Center.
In the show, King Benjamin (Justin Collette) decrees that women are strictly forbidden from performing onstage. Josephine (Taylor Iman Jones) is determined to change that, and she hatches an elaborate plan with fckboy tenor Sebastian (Sky Lakota-Lynch)… but if you’ve ever seen theater people try to execute any sort of plan, you can guess what happens next. And there’s a fckboy tenor involved — so whatever chaos you’re imagining, double it.
The press materials compare it to if “Bridgerton” and “South Park” had a baby, call it “more infectious than the plague and more fun than a magnificent ship full of gay men and Patti LuPone,” and it draws on the traditions of “Spamalot,” “The Book of Mormon,” and “Something Rotten!”
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