Episode 41: Bonnie Comley, BroadwayHD Founder and CEO

On this episode of STAGE GROK, I talk with Broadway producer and BroadwayHD founder and CEO Bonnie Comley, about her career and about the BroadwayHD digital streaming service. Bonnie is a three-time Tony Award-winning producer, and has also won an Olivier Award and two Drama Desk Awards for her stage productions. She is a full member of The Broadway League and the Audience Engagement and Education Committee, and she has also produced over 40 films.

Here's Scott's blog post about the BroadwayHD channel.

STAGE GROK host Scott Miller is the artistic director of New Line Theatre in St. Louis, and the author of seven books on musical theatre, nine musicals, and the musical theatre blog The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre. Opening and closing theme music: Overture from Cry-Baby the Musical by Adam Schlessinger and David Javerbaum, from New Line Theatre's 2012 production. Used by permission. Logo designed by Matt Reedy. Stage Grok is available on iTunes.

               

Episode 40: Composer-Lyricist Georgia Stitt on Copyright and Musical Theatre

On this episode of STAGE GROK, I talk with composer, lyricist, and music director Georgia Stitt, about musical theatre and copyright in this new age of bootlegs, smart phones, YouTube, and other social media platforms. Georgia is the chair of the Copyright Advocacy Committee of the Dramatists Guild. She's also the founder of Maestra Music Inc, a support and advocacy organization for "female-identifying, non-binary, and gender non-conforming composers, music directors, orchestrators, arrangers, copyists, rehearsal pianists and other musicians who are an underrepresented minority in musical theater."

Check out the Stage Grok interview with Georgia's husband, composer-lyricist Jason Robert Brown.

STAGE GROK host Scott Miller is the artistic director of New Line Theatre in St. Louis, and the author of seven books on musical theatre, nine musicals, and the musical theatre blog The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre. Opening and closing theme music: Overture from Cry-Baby the Musical by Adam Schlessinger and David Javerbaum, from New Line Theatre's 2012 production. Used by permission. Logo designed by Matt Reedy. Stage Grok is available on iTunes.

               

Episode 38: Jason Robert Brown, Broadway Composer-Lyricist

On this episode of STAGE GROK, I talk with Broadway composer-lyricist Jason Robert Brown, about his writing process, his work in musical theatre and on the solo stage, and his composer-lyricist wife Georgia Stitt.

Jason will be in St. Louis for his solo show on March 15, 2019 at the Grandel Theatre, presented by The Ready Room.

Here is Jason's song "Hope," discussed in the interview.

Check out the Stage Grok interview with Jason's wife, composer-lyricist Georgia Stitt.

STAGE GROK host Scott Miller is the artistic director of New Line Theatre in St. Louis, and the author of six books on musical theatre, nine musicals, and the musical theatre blog The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre. Opening and closing theme music: Overture from Cry-Baby the Musical by Adam Schlessinger and David Javerbaum, from New Line Theatre's 2012 production. Used by permission. Logo designed by Matt Reedy. Stage Grok is available on iTunes.

               

Episode 33: Lyricist-Bookwriter Greg Kotis on Urinetown and Yeast Nation

On this episode of STAGE GROK, I talk with lyricist and bookwriter Greg Kotis, about his shows Urinetown and Yeast Nation. Kotis and his writing partner Mark Hollmann most recently were part of the writing team for a stage musical adaptation of The Sting.

Greg Kotis

STAGE GROK host Scott Miller is the artistic director of New Line Theatre in St. Louis, and the author of six books on musical theatre, nine musicals, and the musical theatre blog The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre. Opening and closing theme music: Overture from Cry-Baby the Musical by Adam Schlessinger and David Javerbaum, from New Line Theatre's 2012 production. Used by permission. Logo designed by Matt Reedy. Stage Grok is available on iTunes.

               

Episode 32: Actor Thom Sesma

On this episode of STAGE GROK, I talk with actor Thom Sesma, about his career and about stepping into the title role in the new, immersive, off Broadway production of Sweeney Todd. He has appeared in many shows on and off Broadway, as well as several productions at the The Rep here in St. Louis.

Thom Sesma

STAGE GROK host Scott Miller is the artistic director of New Line Theatre in St. Louis, and the author of six books on musical theatre, nine musicals, and the musical theatre blog The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre. Opening and closing theme music: Overture from Cry-Baby the Musical by Adam Schlessinger and David Javerbaum, from New Line Theatre's 2012 production. Used by permission. Logo designed by Matt Reedy. Stage Grok is available on iTunes.

               

Episode 31: Composer-Lyricist Bobby Cronin

On this episode of STAGE GROK, I talk with musical theatre composer-lyricist Bobby Cronin, about his projects and the life of a theatre writer. His shows include Mary and Max, Till Death Do Us Part, Welcome to My Life, The Cover, Till Soon, Anne, Alone in the US, Daybreak, and A Christmas Carol. You can buy sheet music of his songs online.

Here's a link to a New York Times article about a song Bobby wrote with Broadway producer Jordan Roth, which Bobby mentions in our interview.

Bobby Cronin

STAGE GROK host Scott Miller is the artistic director of New Line Theatre in St. Louis, and the author of six books on musical theatre, nine musicals, and the musical theatre blog The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre. Opening and closing theme music: Overture from Cry-Baby the Musical by Adam Schlessinger and David Javerbaum, from New Line Theatre's 2012 production. Used by permission. Logo designed by Matt Reedy. Stage Grok is available on iTunes.

               

Episode 30: The Kirkpatrick Brothers on Writing Something Rotten

On this episode of STAGE GROK, I talk with Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick about conceiving and writing the Broadway musical Something Rotten, now on tour, coming to the Fox Theatre in St. Louis on Feb. 7.

Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick

STAGE GROK host Scott Miller is the artistic director of New Line Theatre in St. Louis, and the author of six books on musical theatre, nine musicals, and the musical theatre blog The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre. Opening and closing theme music: Overture from Cry-Baby the Musical by Adam Schlessinger and David Javerbaum, from New Line Theatre's 2012 production. Used by permission. Logo designed by Matt Reedy. Stage Grok is available on iTunes.

               

Episode 25: Broadway actor Ann Harada

On this episode of STAGE GROK, I talk with New York actor Ann Harada about her career (Avenue Q, Seussical, Cinderella, 9 to 5, Les Miz, M. Butterfly, etc.), about her craft as an actor, and about race and the American theatre in 2016.

STAGE GROK host Scott Miller is the artistic director of New Line Theatre in St. Louis, and the author of six books on musical theatre, nine musicals, and the musical theatre blog The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre. Opening and closing theme music: Overture from Cry-Baby the Musical by Adam Schlessinger and David Javerbaum, from New Line Theatre's 2012 production. Used by permission. Logo designed by Matt Reedy. Stage Grok is available on iTunes.

               

Episode 24: Danny Ginges and Philip Foxman, on their rock musical Atomic

On this episode of STAGE GROK, I talk with lyricist-bookwriter Danny Ginges and composer-lyricist Philip Foxman, about their rock musical Atomic, which debuted in Australia, then moved to off Broadway, and then was produced by two regional theatres in 2016, Meadow Brook Theatre in Rochester, Michigan, and then New Line Theatre in St. Louis. Danny and Philip talk about the creation and development of Atomic, on the phone from Sydney, Australia, where they live.

Danny Ginges (left) and Philip Foxman

STAGE GROK host Scott Miller is the artistic director of New Line Theatre in St. Louis, and the author of six books on musical theatre, nine musicals, and the musical theatre blog The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre. Opening and closing theme music: Overture from Cry-Baby the Musical by Adam Schlessinger and David Javerbaum, from New Line Theatre's 2012 production. Used by permission. Logo designed by Matt Reedy. Stage Grok is available on iTunes.

               

Episode 23: Actor Jeff McCarthy on Urinetown and Southern Comfort

On this episode of STAGE GROK, I talk with Broadway actor Jeff McCarthy, about playing Officer Lockstock in the original Urinetown, and about his newest project, the musical Southern Comfort. McCarthy has also appeared on Broadway in Beauty and the Beast, Chicago, Side Show, Urinetown, and The Pirate Queen; and off Broadway, in Dream True, Sympathetic Magic, and Southern Comfort.

STAGE GROK host Scott Miller is the artistic director of New Line Theatre in St. Louis, and the author of six books on musical theatre, nine musicals, and the musical theatre blog The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre. Opening and closing theme music: Overture from Cry-Baby the Musical by Adam Schlessinger and David Javerbaum, from New Line Theatre's 2012 production. Used by permission. Logo designed by Matt Reedy. Stage Grok is available on iTunes.

               

Episode 22: Director Michael Mayer on the Creation of American Idiot

On this episode of STAGE GROK, I talk with director Michael Mayer (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Spring Awakening, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Everyday Rapture, et al.) about the process of transforming Green Day's American Idiot album into a stage musical.

STAGE GROK host Scott Miller is the artistic director of New Line Theatre in St. Louis, and the author of six books on musical theatre, nine musicals, and the musical theatre blog The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre. Opening and closing theme music: Overture from Cry-Baby the Musical by Adam Schlessinger and David Javerbaum, from New Line Theatre's 2012 production. Used by permission. Logo designed by Matt Reedy. Stage Grok is available on iTunes.

               

Episode 20: Alex Prakken on Touring Newsies

On this episode of STAGE GROK, I talk with St. Louis-born actor Alex Prakken, who's currently touring the country in Newsies, about his work here in St. Louis, getting the Newsies gig, and the details of life on the road. Newsies opens at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis on January 19, 2016.

Photo credit: Lance Tilford, Limelight Studios.

STAGE GROK host Scott Miller is the artistic director of New Line Theatre in St. Louis, and the author of six books on musical theatre, nine musicals, and the musical theatre blog The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre. Opening and closing theme music: Overture from Cry-Baby the Musical by Adam Schlessinger and David Javerbaum, from New Line Theatre's 2012 production. Used by permission. Logo designed by Matt Reedy. Stage Grok is available on iTunes.

               

Episode 16: Actor Anderson Matthews on The Robber Bridegroom

On this episode of STAGE GROK, I talk with actor Anderson Matthews, who was in the original cast of the 1975 Bluegrass musical The Robber Bridegroom. Andy has been acting on Broadway, in London, and across our country in regional theatre since the 1970s. He has appeared at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis in many shows, including Arcadia, Betrayal, The Crucible, Closer, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Other Desert Cities, Twelfth Night, The Goat or Who is Sylvia?, The Pillowman, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Art, Closer, Copenhagen, and so many more.

Anderson Matthews in Twelfth Night at Shakespeare Festival St. Louis

STAGE GROK host Scott Miller is the artistic director of New Line Theatre in St. Louis, and the author of six books on musical theatre, nine musicals, and the musical theatre blog The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre. Opening and closing theme music: Overture from Cry-Baby the Musical by Adam Schlessinger and David Javerbaum, from New Line Theatre's 2012 production. Used by permission. Logo designed by Matt Reedy. Stage Grok is available on iTunes.