BroadwayRadio: Today on Broadway

Episode: Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025 – ‘Liberation’ Press Day
Hosts: Matt Tammini & Grace Aki
Air Date: October 2, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of Today on Broadway delivers a fast-paced blend: first, all the major Broadway news of the day, followed by a rich series of interviews with the cast and creatives of “Liberation,” the buzzy new play transferring from Off-Broadway to Broadway. Host Grace Aki visits the “Liberation” press day, sharing wide-ranging and personal conversations that dive deep into the play’s evolution, its themes of feminism and change, and what it means to bring such a vital piece to the Broadway main stage.

Key News Stories on Broadway (00:00–10:50)

1. “Dog Day Afternoon” Adaptation Coming to Broadway (02:11)

• New stage adaptation of the iconic film written by Stephen Adly Guirgis (Pulitzer winner).
• Leads: Jon Bernthal (as Sonny) and Evan Moss Bacharach (as Sal).
• Venue: August Wilson Theatre, reverting to a proscenium setup.
• Notable: Only a 20-day preview; opening night March 30, 2026. Directed by Rupert Goold.
• Grace’s excitement: “I mean, you know, this is the show for me. I'm very excited about everything having to do with it. I am getting the privilege to work and be a part of it in some capacities.” (03:22)

2. “Fire and Rain” – James Taylor Musical Update (03:41)

• Writer: Tracy Letts, with David Cromer directing.
• Style: Inspired by “Girl from the North Country” and “Mamma Mia!” – original story, familiar music.
• Letts noted the musical is “a little too sad,” but workshops continue, with notable names attached (Andrew Barth Feldman, Samantha Williams, Alicia Umphress, among others).
• Quote: “[Producers said] ‘we’re not quite there. We need more time’ ... the note being that it’s a little too sad, which if that’s not a Tracy Letts epitaph, I don’t know what is.” (04:08, Matt)

3. “The Hunger Games” Stage Adaptation Cast Announcement (05:43)

• Venue: Troubadour Canary Wharf (London), performances from October 20.
• Headline: Mia Carragher as Katniss; John Malkovich as President Snow—appearing only in pre-filmed video segments.
• Grace’s reaction: "I freaked out. I just think that that's like the coolest thing I've ever seen. ... I love that this is happening." (06:33)

4. Off-Broadway Casting Updates (06:50–08:14)

• Pen Pals (extended into 2026): New additions include Montego Glover, Randy Graff, Beth Leavel, Melissa Gilbert, Vianne Cox, and Mercedes Ruehl.
• Marcel on the Train: Ethan Slater to star and co-write (about Marcel Marceau, Jewish rescue in WWII France). Joining cast: Julie Benko, Maddie Corman, Max Gordon Moore, Aaron Sirotsky, Alex Weiss.
  • Grace on Ethan Slater: “He has consistently shown us that commedia dell'arte ... is a passion project of his. ... I trust him entirely with it." (08:44)
• Extentions: “Mexicus,” “Prince F,” and John Leguizamo’s “The Other Americans” all extend their runs.

“Liberation” Broadway Press Day: Cast & Creatives Interviews (10:50–33:20)

Grace Aki conducts a series of intimate, enthusiastic interviews delving into the transition of “Liberation” from Off-Broadway to a Broadway stage, and the personal and societal resonance of the play.

Liberation Star – Charlie Thurston (10:50–12:35)

• Anticipation for the Move: “There’s just such history in that building and it’s really exciting to play to that bigger audience ... Whitney’s just pushing us to find that all these characters have really powerful wants. So I think that’ll help us send it to the back row.” (11:07, Charlie Thurston)
• Personal Impact: “I was raised by a really strong woman ... who taught me, my brother and I, both to be feminists. And so very much this is devoted to home.” (11:54)
• Joy & Humor in the Play: “It’s so funny. I mean, it’s like a group of unexpected characters ... the way they celebrate each other and challenge each other creates all these moments of joy and laughter and challenge. Like, the best kind of clownish challenge.” (12:14)

Betsy Adam on Audience and Expansion (12:40–14:59)

• Broader Reach: “Opening up to ... the general public, more mothers and daughters, maybe some more men who might, like, learn something about what has happened with feminism in the last, you know, 50 years, the second wave of feminism. ... It’s a thrill to come back." (12:42, Betsy Adam)
• Staging & Space: “We’ve really cracked it back open and stretched it out in ways that are very vital and exciting ... there’s more physical movement ... it’s the same space. It’s a rec room. So that is really exciting that we get to do that.” (13:27)
• On Women in Comedy & the Play’s Impact: “I just think women collectively are incredibly funny ... this is gonna open up your heart and your eyes and your mind to where we should be going in this country yet again.” (14:59)

Audrey Corsa on Originating a Role (15:55–18:24)

• Long-Term Involvement: “I’ve been with this piece now for about two years because I did the first workshop ... just to see it transform from that into what it is now ... getting to breathe life into these characters ... has been just, like, the honor of my life.” (15:55)
• On the Large Stage: “It’s a lot ... more physical than it was. ... every rehearsal is something new ... we are coloring it in. It is becoming a lot more detailed and specific, and it’s just thrilling to watch these people work.” (16:59)
• Key Hope for Audiences: “I'm hoping that people feel like they can ask hard questions of each other, and ... that this is a conversation that can continue to happen." (17:58)

Crystal Lloyd on Bringing “Liberation” to Broadway (18:58–22:30)

• Fulfilling a Dream: “It’s definitely part of a dream ... to be able to bring an original play to Broadway. I got to do it with a musical [Dear Evan Hansen] ... now having this part of my journey ... is very exciting.” (18:58)
• Rediscovering the Joy: “It was great to get back together and to be reminded of everyone's clown, everyone's goofy bone. And there are ... more laughs in the show, and I think even more joy than there was before.” (19:25)
• Family & Feminism Connections: “I definitely wanted to talk to my mom just to see what her experience with the feminist movement was. And it turns out she had zero ... so it was very new ... Because so many women I grew up with in the south, the feminist movement was scary ... I really think that this piece offers a lot of room for conversation about the feminist movement and about the current culture today.” (20:55)

Susanna Flood on Complexity and Generational Change (22:34–33:20)

• Expanding Without Losing Intimacy: “Usually when you get to a larger space, the impulse is to make it bigger, and that can often kind of crush the soul ... but ... we were not mic’d Off Broadway, and now we are mic’d. And that is allowing for a kind of intimacy in a different way. That is so exciting.” (28:54, Susanna Flood)
• What Hooked Her About the Script: “The relationship between these characters and their complexity and healthy fighting and growth and how they each represent kind of a different subsection of the feminist movement, but they are not at all two dimensional.” (29:38)
• Audience Reactions: “Some people had just, without even saying, like, great job, they just started talking about the female line of their ancestry. Which I was like, that's, like, the best compliment.” (30:35)
• On Progress and Arguying: “I hope that people take away that the smallest action is still an action and that we may never see the outcome of our actions, but they absolutely will impact the future generations and also the power of arguing in a healthy way that we don’t have to shy away from.” (32:54)

Notable Quotes – Insight, Wit, and Emotional Resonance

• On Feminism’s Messiness:
  • “People can relate to the need to be freer, to have more control over their bodies and their destinies. That is something I relate to, that I think a lot of people relate to.” – Audrey Corsa, (24:54)
• On Conversation Starters:
  • “Every time I would send somebody to see the show off Broadway, and they would go, I gotta call my mom, like, every time.” – Grace Aki (30:17)
  • “Let this [play] be the door [to conversation].” – Grace Aki (22:16)
• On the Hope for Impact:
  • “I hope that people take away that the smallest action is still an action and that we may never see the outcome of our actions, but they absolutely will impact the future generations.” – Susanna Flood (32:54)
• On Women’s Comedy and Substance:
  • “Women collectively are incredibly funny ... this is gonna open up your heart and your eyes and your mind to where we should be going in this country yet again.” – Betsy Adam (14:59)
• On Intergenerational Legacy:
  • “I also feel like in my own personal life, when I became a parent, I had all of these feelings and beliefs that came up in me that I realized were not mine. They had been passed down to me.” – Susanna Flood (31:42)

Essential Takeaways

• “Liberation” is a play about more than a singular moment in feminist history—it’s a living dialogue on how women, and society more broadly, change, challenge, and support each other across generations.
• The transition to Broadway has allowed the actors to deepen their portrayals, rediscover the play’s humor and heart, and seize the chance to connect with an even broader audience—while retaining the show’s signature intimacy.
• A recurring theme: nearly every cast member and the host notes that the play sparks an urge to reach out to mothers or female relatives, reinforcing its resonance and authenticity in depicting women’s lived experiences.
• The team’s excitement about the historic James Earl Jones Theatre and what it means to “take up space” with this story speaks to the ongoing evolution of Broadway itself.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Dog Day Afternoon Announced – 02:11
• Fire and Rain Workshop Update / Tracy Letts Quote – 04:08
• Hunger Games Casting Surprise – 05:43
• Pen Pals, Marcel on the Train, Off-Broadway News – 06:50–08:14
• Liberation Press Day Interviews Begin – 10:50
  • Charlie Thurston – 10:50
  • Betsy Adam – 12:40
  • Audrey Corsa – 15:55 / 22:43
  • Crystal Lloyd – 18:58
  • Susanna Flood – 22:34 / 28:52–33:20

Final Thoughts

This episode embodies everything Today on Broadway does best: blending concrete news with the enthusiasm and heart of artists making theater. The “Liberation” interviews offer a backstage pass to a show anticipating its Broadway future, revealing how the play’s themes are lived out both in fiction and in the lives of its cast—a powerful reminder of why these stories matter now more than ever.