Jack Viertel News

The sun will come out today because the Tony Award winning composer of Bye Bye Birdie, Applause, Annie, and countless others, Charles Strouse is back to discuss his life after being anointed Broadway's Golden Boy (pun, intended).

Put on a happy face because the Tony Award winning composer of BYE BYE BIRDIE, APPLAUSE, ANNIE, and countless others, Charles Strouse, invites Rob and Kevin into his penthouse apartment for a two part interview about his life and career.

Behind The Curtain: Broadway's Living Legends, the iTunes podcast dedicated to preserving the memories, wisdom, and anecdotes of Broadway's greatest artists, celebrates its first year anniversary on February 1st, 2017.

Dolly will never go away and neither will Fred C. Mann III because this gypsy has so many stories to tell Rob and Kevin! Fred pulls back the curtain on his career, including how gymnastic lessons led to Broadway, what Bob Fosse was really like behind closed doors, and why Anthony Rapp crashed on his sofa!

Encores! Artistic Director Jack Viertel hosts a conversation with Rob Berman, musical supervisor for Bright Star and Encores! Music Director, and Carmel Dean, musical supervisor on Green Day's American Idiot and Hands on a Hardbody, written by the frontman of Phish. The Encores! Unscripted evening will feature a performance by Lauren Worsham from the cast of Encores! BIG RIVER.

The ALLIANCE THEATRE has just released a new trailer for Broadway-bound THE PROM.  Check it out below!

Every week director Robert W Schneider and actor Kevin David Thomas pull back the curtain on neglected, forgotten, and under appreciated musicals, as well as bizarre performances, endearing television appearances, and all things show business. This Week: In honor of the upcoming BroadwayCon, Rob & Kevin share stories of meeting their biggest idols.

Rob and Kevin will bring some sunshine into your wintry days with one of Broadway's most well respected actors, Jim Walton (MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, CRAZY FOR YOU, THE MUSIC MAN). Jim pulls back the curtain on his life and career, including how a lie to Hal Prince led to him being cast in MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, what impression can he do that makes even Rob admit defeat, and why leaving the stage door can be a humbling experience.

Every week director Robert W Schneider and actor Kevin David Thomas pull back the curtain on neglected, forgotten, and under appreciated musicals, as well as bizarre performances, endearing television appearances, and all things show business. This week: Alan Menken goes to the farm & Yul Brenner goes to your heart.

The story might go on and on and on but our three part interview with Tony Award winner Richard Malby, Jr. must come to an end. In our last discussion, Richard discusses how an observant stage manager got him working on MISS SAIGON, why Arthur Laurents isn't the next Agatha Christie, when he knew BIG: THE MUSICAL wasn't going to work, and what the secret is behind his collaboration with composer David Shire.

The 12th Annual Goodspeed Festival of New Musicals, produced by Goodspeed Musicals' Max Showalter Center for Education in Musical Theatre, kicks off its much-anticipated three-day festival of brand-new works today, January 13, 2017 at The Goodspeed with a staged reading of the intriguing new musical Picnic at Hanging Rock by Daniel Zaitchik based on the cherished novel by Joan Lindsay.

Every week director Robert W Schneider and actor Kevin David Thomas pull back the curtain on neglected, forgotten, and under appreciated musicals, as well as bizarre performances, endearing television appearances, and all things show business. This week: Iago's love of nostalgia & Cher's love of split-screens.

Rob and Kevin celebrate their 50th interview by sitting down with the brilliant, fascinating, and hysterical Tony nominee Barbara Walsh (FALSETTOS, BIG, COMPANY). Barbara pulls back the curtain on her life and career, including how a Streisand impression landed her FORBIDDEN BROADWAY, what note Stephen Sondheim gave her at the intermission of COMPANY, and why she and Faith Prince bonded cleaning a bathroom.

Every week director Robert W Schneider and actor Kevin David Thomas pull back the curtain on neglected, forgotten, and under appreciated musicals, as well as bizarre performances, endearing television appearances, and all things show business. This week: The literary depths of Jennifer Ashley Tepper & the not so literary depths of Mel Brooks!

We are starting 2017 off with a bang: A 2 hour interview with the Tony Award winning Michael Rupert, who has been in the business for over fifty years! Michael pulls back the curtain on his amazing career which includes working as a child actor in TV shows like MY THREE SONS, getting a Tony nomination as a teenager for THE HAPPY TIME, the existential crisis of taking over for PIPPIN in the 70s, winning a Tony Award in the 80s for SWEET CHARITY, bringing comfort to many as FALSETTOS' Marvin in 90s, and being introduced to a whole new generation through LEGALLY BLONDE in the 2000s.

Every week director Robert W Schneider and actor Kevin David Thomas pull back the curtain on neglected, forgotten, and under appreciated musicals, as well as bizarre performances, endearing television appearances, and all things show business. This week: Rob and Kevin look back so we can all look forward!

On this very special episode of Behind The Curtain: Broadway's Living Legends, Rob and Kevin take a look back at some of the great artists who made their final exit in 2016. From FOLLIES' John McMartin to FANNY's Florence Henderson to THE SOUND OF MUSIC's Charmian Carr, Behind the Curtain celebrates their lives and legacies. Joining Rob and Kevin is 'Theatre Aficionado's' Kevin Daly, who adds his own insights into the passings of 2016.

Every week director Robert W Schneider and actor Kevin David Thomas pull back the curtain on neglected, forgotten, and under appreciated musicals, as well as bizarre performances, endearing television appearances, and all things show business. This week: Pee Wee gives us the gift of The Del Rubio Triplets & Stephen Sondheim gives us the gift of wisdom. 

Richard Maltby Jr, acclaimed lyricist and director, sits down again with Rob and Kevin to pull back the curtain on his illustrious career. In this episode, Richard discusses how he met David Shire, looks back on Love Match & How Do You Do I Love You, two musicals that never came to Broadway, and the process of working with choreographers. Plus, Richard pulls back the curtain on such legends as Andrew Lloyd Webber, Ronny Graham, and Cameron Mackintosh.

Feinstein's/54 Below, Broadway's Supper Club, presented a spectacular One Night Only EVENT... 'A Doris Dear Christmas Special' on December 16th at 9:30pm starring Ray DeForest as 'America's Perfect Housewife'...Doris Dear. Scroll down for photos!