ATW - This Is Broadway: Recent Episodes
American Theatre Wing and Broadway League
"This is Broadway" is a series of more than 70 short radio interviews created by The Broadway League, as an effort to promote Broadway theatre, some 32 years ago. The program consisted of weekly three-and-a-half minute interviews with Broadway luminaries, hosted by Isobel Robins and Richard Seff, and syndicated to radio stations around the country.
Actress Liv Ullmann who starred in Eugene O'Neill's "Anna Christie" talks about the different techniques required for stage acting versus film acting, particularly with respect to the eyes and body movement.
Composer Stephen Schwartz talks about bringing "Pippin" to New York after a school production at Carnegie Tech, writing songs for "Godspell" off-Broadway after runs at Carnegie Tech and Cafe La Mama, and working with the same producers on "The Magic Show".
Veteran Broadway actor Jack Gilford, while appearing in "Sly Fox", talks about how important Broadway is to the city of New York and how the 1961 Actors Equity strike impacted the city.
"I Love My Wife" star Lenny Baker talks about the difference between playing large and intimate theatres, and the reactions of matinee audiences.
Top New York press agent Harvey Sabinson talks about his memoir "Darling, You Were Wonderful", the origin of the book title, and the behind-the-scenes content including notable flops.
"Sweet Charity" composer Cy Coleman discusses his 1977 musical "I Love My Wife" comprised of 4 characters and 4 musicians performing a "contemporary, eclectic score."
Tony nominated actor Robert LuPone talks about the Backstage On Broadway educational program, and the time when former first lady Betty Ford attended "A Chorus Line" and the Secret Service's wireless communication system interfered with the show's computerized lighting.
Actor Yul Brynner talks about returning to his Academy and Tony Award winning role in the Broadway revival of "The King and I" 25 years later, how his life experience has changed his performance, and what it was like playing to 13,000 people at a time on tour.
Jerry Orbach, star of "Chicago", talks about his continuing loyalty to the stage compared to Hollywood, and how his Broadway schedule works well with being a family man.
Three-time Tony Award winning costume designer Florence Klotz for "Follies", "A Little Night Music", and "Pacific Overtures" talks about costuming the musical comedy "On The 20th Century" set in the 1930s on a train.
Actor Laurence Luckinbill, the star of "Poor Murderer" and now the Pulitzer Prize winning play "The Shadow Box", talks about how Broadway plays are thriving, thanks in part to plays developed at regional theatres such as the Mark Taper Forum and the Long Wharf Theatre.
Hermione Gingold talks about understudying the role of the narrator (normally played by a male actor, Ned Sherrin) in "Side By Side By Sondheim" on Broadway, and using her married name Fernanada Maschwitz.
Actress Delores Hall talks about her Tony Award winning role in the gospel musical "Your Arms Too Short To Box With God", working with director Vinnette Carroll, and turning a "revival meeting" into a theatrical experience on Broadway.
Robert Wright and George Forrest, the songwriting team behind "Song of Norway" talk about adapting their 1953 Broadway musical "Kismet" into "Timbuktu!", a new musical set in West Africa instead of Baghdad, with African folk themes, an African-American cast, and by "The Wiz" director/choreographer/costume designer Geoffrey Holder.
Authors' respresentative Audrey Wood discusses the importance of regional theatres across America. For example, Studs Terkel's book "Working" was developed by the author and multiple composers including Stephen Schwartz, for a premiere production at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago.
1960s DJ/radio host Murray The K, also known as "The Fifth Beatle" talks about the Broadway show "Beatlemania", the show's premise and live presentation, and the demographics of the audience.
Actress Hye-Young Choi who portrayed Lady Thiang in the 1977 Broadway revival of "The King And I" compares theatre in Korea to Broadway; audiences enjoy traditional Asian performances, Western-style plays, and European operas that are translated into Korean; and notes that musicals are not yet performed in Korea.
Three-time Tony winning composer for "Bye Bye Birdie" and "Applause" Charles Strouse talks about his hit musical "Annie" and its five year process to bring it to Broadway.
Theatre and film actress Estelle Parsons talks about performing the Brazillian solo play "Miss Margarida's Way"; the importance of performing a variety of material; and the difference in writing and acting for film versus the stage.
New York Post theatre critic Martin Gottfried talks about how his career started at the Village Voice, becoming Women's Wear Daily's chief drama critic, replacing the Post's Richard Watts, Jr. upon retirement; the advantages of reviewing theatre; and his efforts as a playwright.
Book Writer/Lyricist Michael Stewart of Tony Award-winning Best Musicals "Bye Bye Birdie" and "Hello, Dolly!", and the new musical comedy "I Love My Wife", talks about his new novel "Belle", and how connecting with an individual reader compares with collaborating on a big Broadway musical.
Actor Tiger Haynes discusses his ongoing run as the original Tinman in the hit musical "The Wiz" and its move from the Majestic to the Broadway Theatre; his experience as a musician and "saloon performer"; whether he ad-libs or steals the show; how "The Wiz" audience reacts; and if the director and choreographer have revisited the show in its third year.
Television, film, and stage actor Reid Shelton talks about playing Daddy Oliver Warbucks in the hit Broadway musical "Annie", how director Martin Charnin shaped the production from a 1976 pre-Broadway tryout at Goodspeed Opera House to Broadway, and how director Moss Hart similarly took charge in developing "My Fair Lady" for Broadway.
Lyricist/writer Adolph Green, one half of the musical-comedy team Comden and Green, talks about their current revue "A Party with Betty Comden and Adolph Green" at the Morosco Theatre which includes songs from "Bells Are Ringing", "On The Town", "Applause", and more; working with Cy Coleman on an upcoming musical based on the play "Twentieth Century", about glamour and romance on the Twentieth Century Limited train from Chicago to New York, and the possibility of Madeline Kahn starring with Hal Prince directing.
Tony Award winning musical director for "Oliver!", vocal arranger/musical director Donald Pippin talks about "A Chorus Line"'s development by director Michael Bennett and composer Marvin Hamlisch; creating songs from the taped workshop sessions with Broadway dancers; and conducting the sold-out show since its downtown opening at the Public.
English actress Millicent Martin, one of the stars of "Side by Side by Sondheim", discusses the revue's transfer from London to Broadway with the original British cast, obtaining permission from Actors' Equity, and hope that both British and American actors can work more freely on either side of the pond in the future.
Actress Gretchen Wyler, who replaced Gwen Verdon in "Damn Yankees" and Chita Rivera in "Bye Bye Birdie", talks about welcoming Robert Preston into the title role of the Broadway comedy "Sly Fox"; how the cast was eager for the changes and freshness a new leading man brought to the play. Wyler also compares this play to physically demanding singing-and-dancing roles.
Veteran Broadway press agent Harvey Sabinson talks about his book "Darling, You Were Wonderful", his insider account of working with over 500 Broadway performers such as Carol Channing in "Hello, Dolly!"; Broadway and Hollywood stars who got their start on stage include Robert Redford, Julie Andrews, and Barbra Streisand; and film actors who have returned to Broadway include George C. Scott, Al Pacino, and Liv Ullmann.
Stage and film actor Lenny Baker talks about starring in "I Love My Wife" his first Broadway musical; working with onstage musicians and no conductor; being compared to and influenced by veteran actors such as Ray Bolger; his background in Shakespeare; and his singing skills.
Actor Laurence Luckinbill who completed a run of "Poor Murderer" talks about the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning play "The Shadow Box". Despite the difficult subject matter of terminal illness, "The Shadow Box" success is due to excellent word-of-mouth from audiences in Los Angeles and New Haven and now Broadway.
Film director Frank Perry who spent the first 10 years of his career directing for the stage, returns to Broadway to direct "Ladies at the Alamo". Perry explains why he has returned to Broadway now, and shares what's next in his career.
Film actress Liv Ullmann talks about what she's found in the title character of "Anna Christie" and how the audience reacts to Eugene O'Neill's modern play.
English actor Tom Courtenay who is making his Broadway debut in Simon Gray's comedy "Otherwise Engaged" shares what the play is about, and his experience in "The Norman Conquests" in the West End.
Constance Towers who plays Anna in the revival of "The King and I" talks about working with Yul Brynner and the authentic casting of the 1977 production.
English director Peter Yates talks about Steve Tesich's basketball play "Passing Game" playing at the American Place Theatre.
Martin Charnin, director/lyricist of "Annie", discusses the challenges of child labor laws and age/height restrictions for the orphans in the cast.
The "Man of La Mancha" Richard Kiley recreated his Tony Award-winning title role in the Broadway revival 12 years later, followed by a national tour.
Director Dennis Rosa talks about the unique look of "Dracula" by set designer/illustrator Edward Gorey.
Cecilia Hart while starring in Tom Stoppard's "Dirty Linen", reveals how she shed her self-consciousness of appearing scantily clad in front of audiences; how her costume helped to enhance her character; and how she developed her British accent.
Composer Cy Coleman, during the run of "I Love My Wife", talks about how the show slipped into town after appearing out of town, and how he recieved the good news of his rave reviews from almost all of the New York reviewers.
Cartoonist and playwright Jules Feiffer talks about his revue "Hold Me", based on his cartoon work; the selection process; how each skit, while different, is connected thematically; and the response to the show nationally.
Marge Redmond, at the time co-starring with her husband Jack Weston in Neil Simon's "California Suite", tells why she likes working on stage, and how it takes more work to act on stage than it takes for film and TV.
As "Chicago"'s original Billy Flynn, Jerry Orbach is careful not to fit into any one mold, turning down roles too similar to previous ones, and instead showing his versatility in musicals and plays, often resulting in long-running productions.
Award-winning actor James Earl Jones talks about portraying the real-life historical actor and political artist in the solo play "Paul Robeson" which toured before arriving on Broadway.
While starring as Bunny in Albert Innaurato's "Gemini", Jessica James outlines the journey the show made from workshop to Long Island to Circle Rep and finally Broadway; and how word of mouth was what made the show a success.
Joseph Abaldo, magician and actor discussed his role in "The Magic Show"; replacing Doug Henning; his life long interest in magic; the extraordinary effort to learn the role; and the secrecy around the show's magic.
Character actor Lou Jacobi, appearing in Neil Simon's "Cheaters" on Broadway, talks of his admiration of the author's words; sticking to the script; and how actors are kept in check to avoid "too large" of a performance.
Actor Peter Evans, early in his career, while starring in David Mamet's "A Life in the Theatre", discusses how he and his co-star, Ellis Rabb, are "in tune" with each other; working with a young director; and how unexpected events are integrated into a performance.
Judd Hirsch, while starring in Neil Simon's "Chapter Two", talks about playing the role of the author's alter-ego; how painful the rehersals were for Neil Simon since much of it is autobiographical; and how director Herb Ross "choreographed" the set.
Martin Balsam discusses the original Broadway comedy "Cold Storage" in which he was starring at the time, he exlains that while it takes place in a hospital, it is still full of comedy; and how it made the leap from regional theatre to Broadway.
Yul Brynner, at the time starring in the iconic role of the King in the Broadway revival of "The King And I", talks about how Oscar Hammerstein was ahead of his time and how audiences are catching up with his ideas of human rights and women's lib, and how the revival audiences react differently than the audiences during the original production.
Actor John Wood, at that time, the star of the Broadway production of"Tartuffe" explains how Moliere's plays work better in America than in Britain, how the play is universal and how audiences identify with the core of the play.
Actress Betsy Palmer having just finished a run in "Eccentricities of a Nightingale", discusses her time on "I've Got A Secret", the wide range of emotions in Bernard Slade's "Same Time Next Year" (the long-running play she was starring in at the time) and how she originally was not interested in the play.
Just two years out of Yale Drama School, Meryl Streep discusses her first musical in New York "Happy End", which was just after her renowned production of "The Cherry Orchard" at The Public Theater; the importance of training and what she learned from Jack Nicholson.
Composer John Kander, having just opened "The Act", talks about his and Fred Ebb's history working with Liza Minnelli in "Flora The Red Menace", "Cabaret" and "New York, New York"; and how Liza saved the original Broadway run of "Chicago" in just one week.
Comic actor, Jack Gilford, while appearing in "Sly Fox", talks about his backstage life, spontaneity on stage and his respect for George C. Scott and Gretchen Wyler, his co-stars at the time.
The original "Zach", Robert LuPone explains the unique gestation of Michael Bennett's seminal work, "A Chorus Line", how all of the actor's stories were the same and yet different, how it is universal and how everyone has someone to root for.
Playbill publisher Arthur T. Birsh describes the evolution of his publication over the years, how it is more than just a "program", and how he is able to make it available free to theatre audiences.
Composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz, with three shows running simultaneously on Broadway ("Pippin", "Godspell" and "The Magic Show"), explains the composing-lyric writing process that he uses, how emotions inform the music, and his urge to move on to other projects.
Costume designer Florence Klotz talks about the vast amount of research needed just to get started on a design, her trip to Japan to research "Pacific Overtures", working with other designers to focus the audience on the main character, and how it is different from designing for movies.
The legendary team of Betty Comden and Adolph Green, having just opened "A Party", discuss some of their lesser-known lyrics; their occasional onstage performances and how "A Party" grew from a smaller show in Boston.
Actress Hermione Gingold, while appearing in "Side BySide By Sondheim" on Broadway, explains the difference in tone between the British and American casts, her "double entendre" filled song "I Never Do Anything Twice" and how the gender of the characters changes from production to production.
Playwright and actor Richard Seff, prior to his out of town opening, talks about his first foray into writing a libretto for a new musical, "Spotlight", his background in various theatrical disciplines and a brief outline of the plot of his new show.