TopPodcast.com
Menu
  • Home
  • Top Charts
  • Top Networks
  • Top Apps
  • Top Independents
  • Top Podfluencers
  • Top Picks
    • Top Business Podcasts
    • Top True Crime Podcasts
    • Top Finance Podcasts
    • Top Comedy Podcasts
    • Top Music Podcasts
    • Top Womens Podcasts
    • Top Kids Podcasts
    • Top Sports Podcasts
    • Top News Podcasts
    • Top Tech Podcasts
    • Top Crypto Podcasts
    • Top Entrepreneurial Podcasts
    • Top Fantasy Sports Podcasts
    • Top Political Podcasts
    • Top Science Podcasts
    • Top Self Help Podcasts
    • Top Sports Betting Podcasts
    • Top Stocks Podcasts
  • Podcast News
  • About Us
  • Podcast Advertising
  • Contact
Not in our directory?
Add Show Here
Podcast Equipment
Center

toppodcastlogoOur TOPPODCAST Picks

  • Comedy
  • Crypto
  • Sports
  • News
  • Politics
  • True Crime
  • Business
  • Finance

Follow Us

toppodcastlogoStay Connected

    View Top 200 Chart
    Back to Rankings Page
    Arts

    The Ensemblist

    The Ensemblist celebrates the performances and careers of ensemble performers, recognizing the unique contributions they bring to the theatrical landscape. Thanks for eight great years of sharing the stories of Broadway’s unsung heroes!

    Advertise

    Copyright: ©2013-2019 The Ensemblist. All rights reserved.

    • Apple Podcasts
    • Google Play
    • Spotify

    Latest Episodes:
    #439 - Best of the Season (feat. Robyn Hurder, Daniel J. Watts) Dec 17, 2020
    Show notes

    It's been a roller coaster of a year, but there are silver linings to even the darkest clouds. Even though the 2020 Tony Awards have yet to announce a ceremony date, one of those bright spots was seeing two performers with major ensemblist cred be celebrated for their work last season: Robyn Hurder of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, and Daniel J. Watts of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. We asked each of them to share their feelings on being nominated for our industry's highest honor. Here in her own words in Robyn Hurder, and a statement by Daniel J. Watts he has given us permission to read and share.

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


    #438 - The Prom (feat. Jack Sippel) Dec 16, 2020
    Show notes

    Jack Sippel made his Broadway debut in 2018 as a swing and dance captain in the original cast of The Prom. Two years later, his journey with the show continues with the recently released film adaption, for which he served as assistant choreographer to Casey Nicholaw and as a performer. Our own Mo Brady recently sat down with Jack to discuss his experience working on the film. Here’s their conversation...

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


    #437 - Fosse/Verdon (Episode 7) Dec 15, 2020
    Show notes

    We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Ann Reinking, Broadway titan. Her memory lives in the souls of so many dancers. The Ensemblist dedicates this episode to her memory. Ann will be deeply missed by our community.

    Fosse/Verdon’s penultimate episode “Nowadays” premiered on May 21, 2019. It was written by Joel Fields & Steven Levenson, and was directed by Tommy Kail. In this episode we saw the old Fosse standards of “All that Jazz” and “Nowadays” from the musical Chicago, reconstructed by Valarie Pettiford. Here again we see the company of Chicago, featuring Bianca Marroquin as Chita Rivera, and including Broadway stalwarts Tyler Hanes as Jerry Orbach, Sean Patrick Doyle as Michael O’Haughey, Bahiyah Hibah as Candy Brown and Peter Chursin as Christopher Chadman. We even get to see a Ballet Mistress played by Pamela Sousa, who was played by Nina Lafarga in the last episode.

    “Nowadays” was jam-packed with music -- the most we’ve seen in any given episode this entire series -- and it was all from, you guessed it, the musical Chicago, written by Kander & Ebb.. These four songs included the titular song “Nowadays” featuring our own Velma and Roxie, Bianca Marroquin and Michelle Williams; rehearsals of “All That Jazz” and “We Both Reached For the Gun” featuring Tyler Hanes and Sean Patrick Doyle as Billy Flynn and Mary Sunshine, respectively; and a non-diegetic rendition of “Razzle Dazzle” performed by Michelle Williams.

    The total viewership for this episode rose by 53000 viewers to a total of 859,000. The main rise came from a growth of DVR numbers to a whopping 492000, with live numbers inflating a tiny bit to 367000.

    It’s 1975, and Chicago is back in the rehearsal room following Bob’s triumphant return from a heart attack. But Bob feels fucked without his pills - he can’t eat, he can’t sleep and he definitely can’t direct. He’s pushing for Paddy, musicians, dancers - literally anyone he can to get him the dexedrine he can imagine.

    Gwen is pushing herself to become the ingenue she no longer is, arriving at the rehearsal room hours early to stretch, jump rope and perform vocal trills. But even still Gwen is having trouble keeping up with Bob’s uptempo choreography, leading Bob to change the choreography for “We Both Reached For The Gun” for Gwen to sit instead of dance. Meanwhile, she’s working every angle she knows to get a new, more satisfying ending written for her. But when Kander and Ebb pen the perfect finale to showcase Gwen, Bob flexes his power and makes it a duet between Gwen and Chita.

    When the reviews come out, they are positive to Gwen and Chita but less so for Bob. His failure reminds him of yet another low point in his personal life: when he was just a failed dancer and unknown choreographer who couldn’t get his famous wife pregnant due to his low sperm motility. Just as Gwen can’t get Bob to sign onto Chicago until she dangles him being replaced by Hal Prince, she can’t get pregnant until they’re scheduled to adopt a child.

    But even Gwen’s triumphant return to the Broadway stage seems short-lived, when the pregnancy combined with blisters on her vocal chords make her time off of the show - literally without a voice. And even though Bob promises Gwen that there will be no publicity for her temporary replacement, word of mouth for the shortly available Liza Minnelli brings in lines of ticket buyers and a more positive review than the aging Verdon received.

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


    #154 - Fosse/Verdon (Episode 6 feat. Heather Lang) Dec 12, 2020
    Show notes

    There isn’t a theatre choreographer more associated with their own unique style than Bob Fosse. The infamous Oscar-, Emmy- and Tony-winning director and choreographer created his own signature technique that distinguished shows like Chicago, Pippin, and Damn Yankees into dance masterpieces. This April, FX launches a new limited television series Fosse/Verdon, based on the 2013 biography by Sam Wesson with a focus on his marriage and collaboration with Gwen Verdon.

    The sixth and seventh episodes turn their focus onto the creation of Chicago. We see Fosse in the rehearsal room as begins staging the show before being sidelined with health issues. When he comes back after four months, the show becomes much darker - turning into the piece we know and love today. Among the Broadway performers playing those in the rehearsal room are Robyn Hurder, Michael Williams, Fred Odgaard, Alex Wong and this week’s guest, Heather Lang.

    Heather Lang has performed on Broadway in An American in Paris and Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark and will be back in Jagged Little Pill this fall. In Fosse/Verdon, she plays Sandy, Fosse’s associate on multiple projects from the film of Cabaret to Chicago on Broadway. Here’s our conversation.

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


    #435 - The Prom (Review) Dec 11, 2020
    Show notes

    The film adaptation of The Prom - one of our favorite Broadway musicals in recent years - debuts on Netflix today! So I brought along our very own Prom Stan In Residence, Jackson Cline, to discuss how this movie version is different from the stage show, what works about this adaptation and... what doesn't.

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


    #226 - Queer Characters (The Prom, feat. Caitlin Kinnunen) Dec 10, 2020
    Show notes

    Last season, The Prom leapt onto the Broadway scene, delighting audiences with an original queer-themed musical just in time for the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. In The Prom, teenage lesbian Emma Nolan is banned from attending her high school prom with her girlfriend, Alyssa. When a group of narcissistic Broadway performers hear the news, they travel to Indiana to help Emma and pick up some good press along the way. While this premise sounds quite humorous — which it is, The Prom also moved audiences with its great heart and depth.

    This week, we asked Caitlin Kinnunen, who received a Tony nomination for originating the role of Emma, into the studio to chat about her experience as a queer actress bringing this role to life. In addition to The Prom, Caitlin has performed on Broadway in Spring Awakening and The Bridges of Madison County. Here’s our conversation…

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


    #434 - The Original Interview (feat. Cynthia Onrubia) Dec 09, 2020
    Show notes

    We’re revisiting our 2015 interview with Cynthia Onrubia. In our conversation, Cynthia chats all about making her Broadway debut as a teenager in the original Broadway production of A Chorus Line, the legendary record-breaking gala performance, and why this ultimate ensemblist musical is so powerful.

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


    #433 - Fosse/Verdon (Episode 6) Dec 08, 2020
    Show notes

    “All I Care About Is Love” premiered on May 14th, 2019. It was written by Ike Holter, and directed by Minkie Spiro. In this episode we step into the rehearsal room of the original production of Chicago, and are treated to a recreation of the famed “All That Jazz.” This iconic number, originally choreographed by Bob Fosse, was reconstructed by Valarie Pettiford. Performing as the cast of Chicago are Bianca Marroquin as Chita Rivera as Velma, Tony-nominee Robyn Hurder, along with Bahiyah Hibah, Fred Odgaard, Michael Williams, Alex Wong, J.C. Schuster, Morgan Marcell and Heather Lang.

    Only two featured songs appear in this episode, both of which are from Kander and Ebb’s Chicago: the previously mentioned “All That Jazz” sung by Bianca Marroquin, and the titular song “All I Care About Is Love” theoretically sung by Jerry Orbach, at least according to the subtitles...it sure doesn’t sound like him tho…

    The total viewership hit its all-time run-of-show low this week, clocking in at 806,000 viewers, down 72,000 from the previous episode, with DVR viewers also dipping down to 442,000; however, live viewers went up from last week to 364,000. So hm.

    Bob is on the knife’s edge, with editing the Lenny Bruce biopic six months behind schedule and rehearsals for Chicago scheduled to start in just three days. But his diet of dexedrine, cigarettes and stress is giving him coughing fits in rehearsal that send him to the emergency room - arriving just time for doctors to observe his first heart attack.

    Forced to come face-to-face with the ticking time bomb inside his rib cage, Bob thinks back to the beginning of his career, proving himself to bored patrons in sleazy nightclubs, and a father who looks down on him but won’t let him quit dancing. That need for audience’s validation and push to prove himself follows Bob to this day, but that inner drive may also be the thing that kills him.

    The heart attack sidelines Bob’s work on Chicago by postponing the project for at least four months, but Gwen has contractual approval over the director and she won’t approve anyone but Bob. The new plan is to start back up in the new year and open in New York in June. Gwen works to orchestrate his recovery, from getting the entire company of Chicago to sign a get well card to making up their daughter to look like an adult so she can visit Bob in the hospital.

    After spending six minutes technically deceased, Bob is on the slow road to recovery. But it isn’t until he knows he can still have sex does he feel sure that he is fully himself again, so he convinces Ann to have sex with him in his hospital bed. But the incident gives both of them “the holy trinity” of shame, pleasure and confusion - something Bob is familiar with since his teenage years.

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


    #432 - The Prom (feat. Gabi Campo, Becca Lee, Teddy Toye) Dec 07, 2020
    Show notes

    Once again, it’s time to dance! When The Prom opened on Broadway in November 2018, we fell in love with its catchy score, delightful comedy, and heartwarming message of love and acceptance. Oh right - and the zazz. We’ve shared many stories from members of the cast and creative team of The Prom over the past two years, and we’re looking back on some of our favorites in celebration of the film adaptation premiering on Netflix today!

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


    #431 - The Original Interview (feat. Mary Beth Peil) Dec 04, 2020
    Show notes

    We’re revisiting our 2014 interview with Broadway veteran Mary Beth Peil. Among her many Broadway credits are revivals of Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George and Follies. Mary Beth spoke with us about the highlights of working on Sondheim’s musicals - both on Broadway and regionally, the rewards of working with Sondheim and what makes his musicals so special.

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


    Previous 1 14 15 16 17 18 31 Next

    Related Podcasts

    Fresh Air

    1

    Fresh Air Arts
    Twenty Thousand Hertz

    2

    Twenty Thousand Hertz Arts
    The Black Tapes

    3

    The Black Tapes Arts
    Snap Judgment

    4

    Snap Judgment Arts
    Here’s The Thing with Alec Baldwin

    5

    Here’s The Thing with Alec Baldwin Arts
    The NoSleep Podcast – Creative Reason Media Inc.

    6

    The NoSleep Podcast – Creative Reason Media Inc. Arts
    footer-logo

    Contact Us

    Toll Free: 844-670-7747

    Links

    • Home
    • Top Charts
    • Networks
    • Apps
    • Independents Podcasts
    • Podcast Advertising
    • Podcast News
    • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Analytics & Insights

    Stay Connected

      Privacy, Terms of Use & Our Code of Ethics Protecting Content Creators Copyrights