PODCAST

Chasing Phantom

David Timberline

Broadway"s longest running shows

arts performing arts

All Episodes

36:06

#87: Promises, Promises and the cultural divide with...

Chasing Phantom ·

2025/04/02

"Promises, Promises" had a dream team of talent, both backstage and onstage. Neil Simon, Hal David, and Burt Bacharach are the big three, but it was also directed by Robert Moore ("The Boys in the Band" off-Broadway, "Woman of the Year") and choreographed by Michael Bennett. It was also based on an incredible movie, "The Apartment." What could go wrong? Nothing did go wrong, really: the show was very popular and its best song, "Never Fall in Love Again," was a big radio hit. But it's another ...

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34:31

#99 (tie): Memphis, "race records," and DJs with...

Chasing Phantom ·

2025/03/19

It's about music, it's about race relations, but it's NOT about how to be a good radio disc jockey. In giving a very loose account of the rise and fall of true-life music pioneer Dewey Phillips, the musical "Memphis" amps up the conflicts - which you would expect - in part by making the Phillips surrogate, Huey Calhoun, kind of an asshole. Still, the story of a DJ breaking conventions of the 1950s by playing "race records" on white radio stations is very compelling, has great songs and downri...

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37:03

#92: 1776, alpha males, and optimism with Debra Clinton

Chasing Phantom ·

2025/03/05

Am I too on the nose here? Pretty much any time seems like a good time to reflect on the founding of the United States of America, but boy howdy, does this current time we're in seem like a specifically good time to do so. The musical "1776" is a not-quite-historically-correct dramatization of the drafting and ratification of the Declaration of Independence. It focuses on John Adams as the instigator, the leader who pushes a reluctant Continental Congress toward making a historic decision. Th...

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37:19

#99 (tie): Cabaret, the B Plot, and Meeskite with...

Chasing Phantom ·

2025/02/19

Nope - I am definitely NOT making any kind of political statement by doing an episode on "Cabaret" at this specific moment. Nope, not at all. My delightful conversation with actor and director Doug Schneider steers clear of any chatter about what's happening in politics in America right now. But, that said, this is certainly a good show to revisit if you want a dramatic window into the insidious effects of the rise of right-wing political power. Doug played Herr Schultz in two different produ...

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41:52

#98: Once, unexpected love, and the state of the...

Chasing Phantom ·

2025/02/05

Valentine's Day has been commercialized to such an outrageous degree, pushing models of hetero-normative romantic commitment so hard that any other kind of love can end up seeming marginal or even invisible. That's one of the reasons why "Once" is such a fascinating story: a man and a woman fall into a certain kind of love but it's less romantic and more of a beautiful bridge that helps each of them get to a different place in their lives. Another, more specifically theatrical reason to talk ...

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25:28

#89: MJ: The Musical with national tour star Jordan...

Chasing Phantom ·

2025/01/22

When you want to hear about Michael Jackson, it's best to talk to the man himself...or, given the impossibility of that, the man who's playing him. As of New Year's Eve 2024, the actor playing the title role in "MJ: The Musical" on the show's first national tour has been Jordan Markus. Markus worked his way up into the role, starting as an understudy, moving into the alternate role, and then finally hitting the top of the marquee after more than a year with the tour.Markus lends me some insig...

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43:11

#90: "Sleuth," classism, misogyny and Sondheim with...

Chasing Phantom ·

2025/01/08

Happy New Year to all! During these cold winter months, there's nothing as cozy as an old-timey murder mystery and "Sleuth" is one of the twisty-est. Helping me navigate the plot -- not to mention the embedded commentary on class, race and misogyny -- is Grace Todd. As a literature doyenne with the fabulously entertaining podcast, Didn't Read It, Grace has a perfectly tuned perspective on what playwright Anthony Shaffer is playing at with this complex, tete-a-tete between two British gentleme...

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35:44

#83: Brighton Beach Memoirs, family dynamics and Jill...

Chasing Phantom ·

2024/12/23

Happy Hanukkah! Oh, and Merry Christmas, but to be honest, this is more of a Hanukkah-forward episode, only because "Brighton Breach Memoirs" is very succinctly the story of a Jewish American family, the challenges, foibles and laughs shared amongst the family members as they struggle through tough economic times in the 1940s.For this episode, the holidays arrived just a little early because I got to reconnect with Jill Bari Steinberg, the amazing actress and wonderful mensh of a human being....

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5:03

Bonus Episode: #87: The King and I, spoiling the...

Chasing Phantom ·

2024/12/12

In the first ever bonus episode of Chasing Phantom, Phil Crosby and I talk about the ending of "The King and I," one that was a surprise to me so don't listen if you want it to be a surprise to you! We also get back into some of the history of the real life King of Siam and Anna Leonowens.This bonus is also an opportunity to drop a couple more sound bites in from the show's score which is a real treat. Happy holidays everyone!Please check out my website ChasingPhantom.net for more information...

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41:19

#87: The King and I, family, and forgotten stars with...

Chasing Phantom ·

2024/12/11

We are hurtling towards the holidays and so, for this episode, I make the case for "The King and I" to be considered among your holiday viewing options. Even though it's a 70+ year show, it's a smart and sophisticated musical with interesting cross-cultural dynamics. And so, of course, I turned to the smart and sophisticated Phil Crosby, most knowledgeable of all humans on the subject of older musicals, to help me explicate and praise this wonderful show.Phil provides some vital context on Ge...

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34:56

#9: Mamma Mia! Female friendships and communal...

Chasing Phantom ·

2024/11/27

For this pre-Thanksgiving episode, we hurtle up the list of long-running productions to give everyone something to celebrate and lift our spirits. "Mamma Mia!" may be the longest-running jukebox musical ever to run on Broadway (so far) but it's story transcends that reductive label. As expertly elucidated by Grey Garrett, who won a Best Supporting Actress in a Musical award for her performance as Tanya, this is a show that foregrounds female life experience and friendship in a somewhat revolu...

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38:25

#100: Mister Roberts, humble heroes and thankfulness...

Chasing Phantom ·

2024/11/13

On the week after Veteran's Day, my friend Jesse and I dig into "Mister Roberts," a play about sailors during World War II and humble hero who was an example of (mostly) passive resistance to a petty tyrant. When we recorded this episode, I had no idea how appropriate it would be to air during this week. Don't get me wrong - as a 1940s era comedy, it's not a great show by any means. But still, in these times in particular, it does offer some intriguing ideas about what service and leadership ...

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36:25

#83: Angel Street, Gaslight and spooky season with...

Chasing Phantom ·

2024/10/30

What could be more terrifying than to think you’re going insane? That basic horror makes “Angel Street” the perfect show to talk about during spooky season. Originally produced in London as “Gas Light” and adapted for the screen (twice) as “Gaslight,” this tale of a husband psychologically abusing his wife in order to access hidden riches was a surprise hit on Broadway in the 1940s. It was so popular, it overcame the monumentally bad timing of opening just days before the Pearl Harbor bombing...

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35:49

#101: Annie Get Your Gun and child stardom in the...

Chasing Phantom ·

2024/10/16

When you want to know about a production, there's no better source than talking to someone who was in it. I never thought that would be possible with the original Broadway run of "Annie Get Your Gun" - I mean, it closed in 1949! But Mary Ellen Ashley, who had a marquee role as the Girl in the Lampshade Hat in the show, is still alive and very much kicking. Though only 8 years old when the show opened, she was already a child star, having been in 2 other major productions and even appearing in...

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32:32

#88: Torch Song Trilogy, understudies and awards,...

Chasing Phantom ·

2024/10/02

"Torch Song Trilogy" was a ground-breaking production and opened many doors for openly gay artists. It launched the career of Harvey Fierstein who would go on to write and perform in some additionally landmark shows on Broadway. In my hometown, it also was a landmark of sorts for one local actor, Keegan Ferrell. The recent college graduate was slated to be the understudy of the lead role, Arnold Beckoff, but ended up performing the opening weekend of the show due to an illness in the cast.In ...

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35:03

#91: Equus, sex, religion and Daniel Radcliffe with...

Chasing Phantom ·

2024/09/18

We all know that sex sells, but is that the only thing that drove thousands of people to see "Equus" back in the mid-1970s? Listen in on my discussion with McLean Fletcher as we discuss the explosive intersection of sex, religion and psychology that playwright Peter Schaffer squeezes into this sometimes disturbing tale. McLean starred in the Cadence Theatre production of the play in 2015 as Jill Mason, one of two characters who spend an extended scene naked on stage. McLean argues that ...

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32:39

#84: Lightnin' & the demise of long-running plays...

Chasing Phantom ·

2024/09/04

The chase is back on! Welcome to season 2 of the podcast dedicated to exploring...and sometimes explaining...Broadway's longest running shows! Today's episode features a true Broadway history whiz: author, dramaturg & professor Jordan Schildcrout has studied long-running plays in more depth than perhaps anyone else on the planet. In his book, "In the Long Run: A Cultural History of Broadway's Hit Plays," Dr. Schildcrout looks at the Broadway landscape over more than 100 years, going deep ...

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1:07

Season Two starts Sept. 4th!

Chasing Phantom ·

2024/08/30

We're back - better than ever! The second season of "Chasing Phantom" will feature celebrity guests, unexpectedly popular productions, and a cavalcade of trivia, insights and lively conversation about the longest running shows on Broadway. Be sure and check out the first episode where I chat with an author, professor and dramaturg who has written perhaps THE definitive book on long running plays.That episode drops Sept. 4th and new episodes will follow every other week. Follow on Spotify now ...

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29:23

#106: Pins and Needles (End of Season 1)

Chasing Phantom ·

2024/05/01

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36:17

#103: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Chasing Phantom ·

2024/04/17

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Chasing Phantom

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