Producers have been saying for years that large Broadway orchestras are not financially feasible. In fact, the issue led to a strike 20 years ago. So why are some shows bringing them back?
"We don't gender other people's professions," says actor Alex Newell. "You say ... I'm going to my dentist and I need to hire a plumber." But Broadway's highest honors have male/female disti…
We're back in New Orleans with the legendary John Goodman! He talks leaving L.A., The Big Lebowski, and being the voice of the St. Louis airport.Support NPR by signing up for Wait Wait... Do…
Golda Rosheuvel was so captivating as Bridgerton's Queen Charlotte that Netflix made a show all about her. She joins Luke Burbank, Negin Farsad, and Adam Burke to talk wigs, neck braces, and…
What started as a stripped-down production with a limited run became a Grammy award-winning Broadway musical with six Tony nominations. Bareilles plays the Baker's Wife: "I'm so glad that I …
The Queen of Disco's hits of the 1970s and early '80s included "Hot Stuff," "Last Dance," "Heaven Knows," "On the Radio," "Bad Girls," and "She Works Hard for the Money." She had three conse…
When Sara Bareilles got the role of the Baker's Wife in Sondheim's Into the Woods, she thought she was signing up for a two-week limited run. But the show became a sensation, and is now a Gr…
Ragamala Dance Company is the life work of Ranee Ramaswamy " and now her adult daughters, Aparna and Ashwini. Creative work can be lonely, Aparna says, and having "built-in companions" is a …
On this week's show, The Big Door Prize's Gabrielle Dennis joins panelists Paula Poundstone, Alonzo Bodden, and Adam Felber to talk about living to your full potential and the job at Six Fla…
For the first time ever, viewers in the U.S. can vote for their favorite act in the lavish international spectacle that is the Eurovision Song Contest. Our critic shares his top 10 songs.
At halftime for the Golden State Warriors, a dance crew for performers age 55 and older hits the hardwood and steals the show.
Monsoon Wedding came out over 20 years ago. It was an indie darling and huge success. Now it's being made into a musical. It's been a decade in the making, worked on between London, Delhi an…
Ray Romano joins panelists Tom Papa, Matt Rogers, and Helen Hong to talk about the secret to marriage, rewatching yourself on TV 15 years later, and having a good poker face.
The casts of both shows joined together to sing a parody song penned by Miranda.
J. Harrison Ghee (Some Like It Hot) and Alex Newell (Shucked) are the first nonbinary actors to be nominated for Tonys, and today's announcement also highlighted three plays which have won P…
Playwright Lorraine Hansberry's show, "The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window," opened last week on Broadway, almost 59 years ago since it first opened.
Opera Ebony was formed when opportunities for Black singers were few and far between. The company celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, but may not survive its 81-year-old founder.
Brad Paisley joins us live in Nashville to talk about getting recognized for insurance commercials, his skill at writing impromptu jingles for chili, and whether his kids think he's cool.
Beloved YA author Judy Blume talks with Terry Gross about her books being banned, motherhood, and feminism. The first film adaptation of her breakthrough novel, Are You There God? It's Me, M…
British writer and comic book author Neil Gaiman launches first studio music album with Australia's FourPlay String Quartet.
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! turns 20 this month. To mark the anniversary, Willems and Renee Fleming presented the pigeon's story in an opera at the Kennedy Center.
The Tony Award-winning comedian was internationally renowned for his garish stage persona Dame Edna Everage, a condescending snob whose evolving character delighted audiences over seven deca…
Weird Al joins panelists Josh Gondelman, Robby Hoffman, and Tom Bodett to talk about his new (mostly real) biopic, and what he would've done if Prince hadn't turned him down.
In Chita: A Memoir, Rivera recounts her career originating roles in major Broadway shows. Now 90, Rivera remembers West Side Story from the beginning: "I was there at the first flicker of th…
The new Broadway musical New York, New York includes Kander and Ebb's songs from Scorsese's 1977 film. We listen back to an '83 interview with Kander and Ebb, plus '91 and '15 interviews wit…