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PODCAST

BROADWAY NATION

Broadway Podcast Network

A lively and opinionated cultural history of the Broadway Musical that tells the extraordinary story of how Immigrants, Jews, Queers, African-Americans and other outcasts invented the Broadway Musical, and how they changed America in the process.In Season One, host David Armstrong traces the evolution of American Musical Theater from its birth at the dawn of the 20th Century, through its mid-century “Golden Age”, and right up to its current 21st Century renaissance; and also explore how musicals

history performing arts

All Episodes

38:22

Episode 33: Equity, Justice & Inclusion: The Major...

BROADWAY NATION ·

2021/01/07

At the beginning of each episode of this podcast I state that the Broadway Musical was invented by various marginalized and disenfranchised people, and that in the process of creating it, they transformed American culture as well. This is the second of several episodes in which I demonstrate exactly why I think that is true, and how it happened. When we consider the people who created the musical it certainly should not be surprising that there are at least 30 popular and successful Broadway

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42:17

Special Bonus Episode: "White Christmas": The Story...

BROADWAY NATION ·

2020/12/30

This is the second of two special holiday bonus episodes of Broadway Nation. Just like the first, this is an audio version of a Broadway Nation Live! performance that was given in December of 2019 at the Vashon Center For The Performing Arts on Vashon Island, WA. If you prefer to watch a video of this performance you can stream it on their website at: vashoncenterforthearts.org In Part One we looked at how the Jewish-Russian immigrant songwriter, Irving Berlin -- in addition to being one of the

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33:14

Special Bonus Episode: "White Christmas": The Story...

BROADWAY NATION ·

2020/12/24

This special holiday bonus episode of Broadway Nation is an audio version of a Broadway Nation Live! performance that was presented in December of 2019 at the Vashon Center For The Performing Arts on Vashon Island in Washington State. If you would prefer to watch a video of this performance you can stream it on their website at: vashoncenterforthearts.org Several previous episodes of Broadway Nation have explored the crucial role that the Jewish-Russian immigrant songwriter, Irving Berlin, played in

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35:08

Episode 32: Transgressive Women: Major Themes of the...

BROADWAY NATION ·

2020/12/16

This is the first of three episodes highlighting the principal themes of the Broadway Musical. Today I look at the single most ubiquitous and pervasive theme: “Transgressive Women”. For more than 100 years an overwhelming majority of musicals have featured transgressive female characters who break the rules, and refuse to follow the path that society has set out for them. And more often than not they are the protagonist, or co-protagonist, of the story. However, for some reason musicals are not

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27:49

Episode 31:"Defying Gravity" - The Broadway Musical...

BROADWAY NATION ·

2020/12/09

In today’s episode I focus on the Broadway Musicals of the 21st Century. Perhaps surprisingly, the current generation of Broadway creators has re-embraced and reinvigorated both the “Musical Comedy” and the “Musical Play” in ways that I think would make Rodgers & Hammerstein very proud. At the same time they have introduced something sort of new – the “Jukebox Musical”. In the process, and with a major assist from the Walt Disney Company, the Broadway Musical has achieved new heights of prosperity,

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40:19

Episode 30: "Razzle Dazzle": The Broadway Musicals Of...

BROADWAY NATION ·

2020/12/02

In the second half of my interview with NY Post columnist Michael Riedel about his new book, Singular Sensation – The Triumph of Broadway we continue the story of the Broadway Musical as it moved from the final decade of the 20th Century into the new millennium. Last week’s episode ended with our discussion of the musical Crazy For You and the 1992 revival of Guys & Dolls, two productions that laid the seeds of what soon became a major trend on Broadway – the return of the Musical Comedy. Today we

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30:06

Episode 29: "The Triumph Of Broadway": The Musicals...

BROADWAY NATION ·

2020/11/25

I recently had a chance to interview NY Post columnist Michael Riedel about his new book, Singular Sensation, and that conversation proved to be the perfect vehicle to tell the story of the Broadway Musical during the final decade of the 20th Century. Michael not only had covered the events and personalities of this period first-hand in his newspaper columns during 1990s -- for the book he also reached out and interviewed more than 100 key people -- from Andrew Llyod Webber to Patti Lupone -- so

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34:35

Episode 28: Cameron Mackintosh & The British Invasion...

BROADWAY NATION ·

2020/11/18

In this episode I explore what is often called “The British Invasion of Broadway” – a ten-year period during which it seemed that writers, directors, designers, producers and even performers from the UK had sailed in, taken over Broadway, and commandeered America’s signature art form – the Musical. At the center of this revolution was trio of spectacular and bombastic “Mega Musicals” that dominated Broadway during the 1990s – Les Miserables, Phantom Of The Opera, and Miss Saigon. All of them were

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30:29

Episode 27: Broadway Comes Out: Gay Liberation & The...

BROADWAY NATION ·

2020/11/11

The progressive and disruptive social movements of the 1960s and 70s had a huge impact on the Broadway Musical and were reflected back into the culture by them. These include the Civil Rights movement, Women’s Liberation, Black Power, and the Gay Liberation Movement. The Stonewall Rebellion in 1969 brought gay issues into the mainstream and during the 1970s LGBTQ+ people would become “out, loud, and proud” in significant numbers. Of course, it makes sense that this new visibility and feeling of

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32:05

Episode 26: Harold Prince & the Concept Musical - The...

BROADWAY NATION ·

2020/11/04

In this episode I explore the history of what is called the “Concept Musical”, including its key creators: Harold Prince, Stephen Sondheim, Kander & Ebb, Bob Fosse, Michael Bennett and their game changing musicals Cabaret, Company, Follies, A Chorus Line, Chicago, Cats, and Dreamgirls. The central figure in the emergence of the Concept Musical is Harold Prince. In a career that lasted more than 60 years, Prince produced and/or directed more than 40 Broadway shows, and in the process received 21

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27:59

Episode 25: The Black Musical Returns! - The Modern...

BROADWAY NATION ·

2020/10/28

Over the last three episodes I charted the rise of the Rock Musical – from HAIR to EVITA, - as well as the very unlikely “Nostalgia Craze” that swept Broadway and America during the 1970’s. 1970s Broadway experienced another blast from the past with the return of the Black Musical. More than a dozen hit black musicals opened during the decade, and three of them won the Tony Award for BEST MUSICAL. About half of these were new, original musical plays – mostly adaptations of popular plays or novels

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26:01

Episode 24: Crazy For Nostalgia - The Modern Era of...

BROADWAY NATION ·

2020/10/21

In this episode I continue my review of Broadway’s Nostalgia Craze of the 1970s and beyond. Many of the musicals that emerged in the late 60s and very early 70s were also influenced by the incipient Nostalgia Craze, even if overall their shows were decidedly modern. HAIR, Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Applause all included musical sequences that recalled the Vaudeville era and Silver Age of Broadway. So nostalgia was in the air, and then No, No, Nanette sent it into the

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32:06

Episode 23: "Everything Old Is New Again": The Modern...

BROADWAY NATION ·

2020/10/14

In the last episode I outlined how a new wave of brash young songwriters swept aside the Golden Age and ushered in Broadway’s Modern Era with shows such as Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell and Two Gentleman of Verona. But surprisingly, in the midst of this ongoing triumph and ascendance of the Rock Musical, the biggest hit of 1971 was a revival of the Silver Age musical comedy, NO, NO, NANETTE. That’s right the Vincent Youmans musical that has introduced the songs “Tea For Two” and “I Want

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32:09

Episode 22: "Let The Sun Shine In" -- The Modern Era...

BROADWAY NATION ·

2020/10/07

Although nobody knew it at the time, in April of 1968 “The Golden Age of Broadway” came to an abrupt end on the opening night of the “tribal rock musical” HAIR, which took America by storm and created a shocking jump cut into what I call “The Modern Era" of the Broadway Musical. In this episode I share the story of the emergence and rise of the so called “Rock Musical”. To many HAIR, and the "Rock Musical", seemed like a total betrayal of the values, craftsmanship and traditions of Broadway

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37:59

Episode 21: Jerry Herman & The Golden Age of...

BROADWAY NATION ·

2020/09/30

As the 1950’s came to a close, Broadway Musicals were at the very center of American culture. Then in 1960, as if on cue, two immensely popular shows – The Fantasticks, and Bye, Bye Birdie – kick off the decade by foreshadowing several major changes in American culture that will dramatically affect the Broadway Musical, and by the end of the decade, leave its very future in doubt. The brilliant creators profiled in this episode include Schmidt & Jones, Strouse & Adams, Michael Stewart, Gower

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41:38

Episode 20: GYPSY vs. THE SOUND OF MUSIC & The Golden...

BROADWAY NATION ·

2020/09/23

The 1950s were crowned by four legendary musicals that went head to head for the “Best Musical” prize at the TONY Awards. In the last episode we looked at the 1958 contest of West Side Story vs. The Music Man,. In this episode I focus on the 1959–1960 which brought us Gypsy vs. The Sound Of Music. And you could subtitle this episode Ethel Merman vs. Mary Martin! Spoiler alert: There was a tie for the Best Musical Tony Award that season, but if you don’t already know the story, it probably didn’t end

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39:15

Episode 19: West Side Story vs. The Music Man & The...

BROADWAY NATION ·

2020/09/16

Every Broadway theater season during the 1950’s gave us at least one great, classic Golden Age musical – and a number of seasons produced several. The decade was crowned by four legendary musicals that went head to head for the “Best Musical” prize at the TONY Awards. During the 1957–1958 season it was West Side Story vs. The Music Man, and 1959–1960 brought us Gypsy vs. The Sound Of Music. Of course, there are still Broadway aficionados that remain upset over which shows won, and which musicals

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29:44

Episode 18: Patricia Zipprodt & The Women That...

BROADWAY NATION ·

2020/09/09

This is the second part of my discussion with Tony Award winning Costume Designer Ann Hould-Ward in which we trace the legacy chain of Broadway costume design expertise that was handed down directly over a 100 year period from Aileen Bernstein to Irene Sharriff to Patricia Zipprott to Ann Hould-Ward, herself. If you missed the previous episode you may want to listen to that first. During our discussion was also touch on the careers of the legendary designers Florence Klotz, Ann Roth, Willa Kim, and

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31:10

Episode 17: Irene Sharaff And The Women That Invented...

BROADWAY NATION ·

2020/09/02

Irene Sharraff is the legendary Broadway costume designer whose incredible 56 year career spanned from 1933 to 1989. She designed the costumes for more than 52 Broadway musicals including As Thousands Cheer, Jubilee, On Your Toes, The Boys From Syracuse, Lady In The Dark, The King And I, West Side Story, Flower Drum Song, Funny Girl, Sweet Charity, and Jerome Robbins Broadway. She was nominated for six Tony Awards and won the Tony for The King And I, and she recieved five Academy Awards for her

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30:22

Episode 16: Jule Styne, Frank Loesser & The Golden...

BROADWAY NATION ·

2020/08/26

The Golden Age of Broadway’s new revolutionary way of writing musicals did not just apply to musical plays like those of Rodgers & Hammerstein and Lerner & Loewe – it also transformed the Musical Comedy. These shows too would now need to have well-structured plots, and three dimensional, captivating characters. Two unlikely “Silver Age” songwriters would pioneer this new development – Irving Berlin and Cole Porter. In this episode I share the stories of how their success with Annie Get Your Gun and

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