Today on Broadway: Friday, Oct. 24, 2025

Summary

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BroadwayRadio: Today on Broadway – Friday, Oct. 24, 2025

Overview

In this episode, hosts Matt Tamminini and Grace Aki dive into breaking labor news from Broadway, including newly reached deals for both Musicians Local 802 and Actors Equity. They analyze how these agreements affect wage, health, and workplace standards for musicians, actors, and stage managers. The conversation then shifts to major casting updates, the arrival of new true-crime-inspired musicals, and upcoming Wicked promotions. The show rounds out with highlights from Arena Stage’s “Damn Yankees” and a casual chat about what the hosts are watching this weekend.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Musicians Local 802 & Broadway League Strike Averted

[01:08 – 02:57]

• Big News: A potential Broadway musicians strike was narrowly avoided after a tentative multi-year deal was reached early Thursday morning.

• Deal Details:

  • Three-year agreement.
  • Provides “meaningful wage and health benefit increases.”
  • Bolsters access to healthcare and maintains strong contract protections.

• Industry Implications:

  • Both hosts express relief, emphasizing the importance of unions and cooperation.
  • Matt observes the likelihood of a strike earlier in the week, highlighting the stakes for Broadway’s operation.
    • “If one side leaves happy, like, completely happy about everything in a negotiation, the other side really screwed up.” – Matt [07:24]

• Quote:

  • “I do feel like in this situation... I don't think either of them striking would have been good for anybody and I think the producers and the theater owners in the Broadway League really recognized that and got this done.” — Matt [01:50]

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2. Actors Equity Negotiations: Salary & Health Fund Changes

[02:57 – 06:53]

• Outline of New Deal:

  • 3% annual raises for performers and stage managers for the next 3 years.
    • Immediate salary increase from $2,638 to $2,717 (Broadway minimum), ~$4,100 more annually.
  • Increased employer health fund contributions: +$25/year for three years (from $150 to $225).

• Comparisons:

  • The annual increase is less than the previous contract (prior: 5% first year, 4% subsequent years).
  • Equity emphasizes the health fund contribution offsets the lower raise percentage.
    • “...this salary increase taken on its own is smaller than what was achieved in the last cycle. In combination with the rest of our package, including the significant health fund contribution increases, this is an enormous overall financial package for Equity workers.” — Actors Equity communication [04:27]

• Other Protections:

  • Improved medical leave flexibility.
  • New limits on consecutive show performances.
  • Better protections for swings.
  • Blocked the move to fully digital playbills, though cast change slips will now be QR codes.
    • This move supported by Broadway Green Alliance.

• Controversial Concession:

  • Principals can now do more “unidentified work”—playing ensemble roles or more offstage singing.
  • Prior limit: 2 numbers; now expanded with “firm fences” around usage.
  • Equity notes members can negotiate their boundaries; some discomfort about its impact on ensemble casting.
    • “I think it's very polarizing and it has a history of being really challenging...” — Grace [06:53]

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3. Show & Casting News

[07:24 – 10:58]

• Off-Broadway Anna Christie:

  • Full cast announced for the Brooklyn revival, led by Michelle Williams (with Brian d’Arcy James, Tom Sturridge, and others).
  • Directed by Williams’ husband, Tommy Kail. Performances begin Nov. 25 at St. Ann’s Warehouse.

• New True Crime Musical Reading: "Like Father":

  • Private reading Halloween week, directed by Tinashe Kajasi Bolden.
  • Plot: A teen’s life upended by a podcast revealing her father’s crime—dance with the true crime craze.
  • “This is a true crime based narrative... we really haven't seen to a great extent on theatrical stages... especially from musicals.” — Matt [09:38]
  • Grace connects the trend to other podcast-based true crime musicals like “Kathy and Stella Try to Solve a Murder.”
    • “...you’re gonna see quite a few podcast-based true crime... it takes about five years for people to catch on.” — Grace [10:13]

• K-Pop Demon Hunters Speculation:

  • Playful debate over whether a live-action K-pop Demon Hunters project could hit Broadway or other media.

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4. Wicked Movie & Special Promotions

[10:58 – 12:42]

• NBC’s Wicked Rollout:
  • Two major events:
    • "Wicked Part 1" TV debut: Nov. 19 (2 days before movie release).
    • "Wicked One Wonderful Night" concert special: Nov. 6 (streaming on Peacock next day).
  • Integration across network lines surprising, especially ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” getting its own Wicked Night.
    • “Normally things stay in the NBC universe.” — Grace [12:33]
    • “...to have it on a Disney show was a little bit surprising to me.” — Matt [12:22]

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5. Arena Stage’s “Damn Yankees” Headed to Broadway

[12:42 – 13:46]

• Performance Highlight:
  • Alicia Umphress performs “Shoeless Joe from Hannibal Mo” in the Arena Stage revival, which has Broadway buzz.
  • Matt reminisces about his family’s Missouri roots and the lasting impact of classic musical numbers.
    • “This was in the regular rotation for me as a kid before I even cared about musical theater.” — Matt [13:32]
  • Grace praises the production’s video content for sharing the magic with broader audiences.

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6. What Are the Hosts Watching?

[13:46 – 14:09]

• Classic BroadwayRadio sign-off with talk of weekend TV:
  • Grace is watching "Only Murders in the Building."
  • Matt catching up on "Only Murders," "Slow Horses," and "The Great British Bake Off."
• “Always good stuff to watch this time of year.” — Matt [14:09]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Union Negotiations:

  • “I don't think either of them striking would have been good for anybody...” — Matt [01:50]
  • “It's a worthy understanding between the actors and musicians... their bodies are going through eight shows a week and more with rehearsal.” — Grace [02:38]

• On Salary & Health:

  • “This salary increase taken on its own is smaller... but in combination with health fund contribution increases, this is an enormous package.” — Actors Equity [04:27]

• On Principal "Unidentified Work":

  • “It's very polarizing and has a history of being really challenging...” — Grace [06:53]

• On True Crime Musicals:

  • “You’re gonna see quite a few podcast-based true crime... it takes about five years for people to catch on. That’s just how cycles work in pop culture.” — Grace [10:13]

• On Wicked Media Crossovers:

  • “To have it on a Disney show was a little bit surprising to me.” — Matt [12:22]

• On Broadway Childhood Memories:

  • “This was in the regular rotation for me as a kid before I even cared about musical theater.” — Matt [13:32]

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Important Timestamps

• 01:08 – Musicians 802 strike averted: details & implications
• 02:57 – Actors Equity deal: salary, health fund, and other changes
• 06:53 – Discussion: Principal performers taking on ensemble work
• 07:24 – Off-Broadway Anna Christie and Like Father musical announcement
• 10:01 – True crime and podcast musical trends commentary
• 10:58 – K-pop Broadway potential and Wicked TV/movie promotions
• 12:42 – Arena Stage’s “Damn Yankees” heads to Broadway
• 13:46 – What are Grace & Matt watching?
• 13:51 – End: Personal recommendations and lighthearted wrap-up

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The episode provides essential insights and a comprehensive rundown of the state of Broadway labor, upcoming shows, media tie-ins, and more—making it a must-listen (or essential summary read) for theater fans and professionals alike.

Transcript

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[D]

Welcome to Today on Broadway for Friday, October 24, 2025. I'm Broadway Radio's Matt Tamminini and I'm.

[C]

Telly on a Sunday podcast.

[D]

Grace Aki Grace, we have some very good news. News that to be quite honest with you, earlier this week I wasn't sure that we were going to get. But it looks like Musicians Local 802 has avoided a strike with the Broadway League because very early in the morning on Thursday at 4:30am actually both of these two sides agreed to a tentative deal that will span multiple years and will keep things moving on Broadway. According to 802, there was a three year agreement that will provide quote, meaningful wage and health benefit increases as well as providing crucial access to health care for our musicians while maintaining the strong contract protections that empower musicians to build a steady career on Broadway. It did sound like they were ready to strike if a deal was not met. But I do feel like in this situation, Grace, that I know you have talked about how strong some of these unions actually are, but I, I don't think the either of them striking would have been good for anybody and I think the, the producers and the theater owners in the Broadway League really recognized that and came to the bargaining table and got this done. So we're going to talk a little bit about the actors and stage managers contract here in a second. But just talking about the musicians deal. Grace, this is a huge weight off of a lot of people's minds because the buzz I was hearing was that it was more likely than not that there would be a strike earlier this week.

[C]

Exactly. And we talked about it on the show. But I just want to reiterate like it's a worthy understanding, you know what I mean, between the actors and the musicians because their bodies are going through eight shows a week and more with rehearsal. So I totally understood where they were coming from. And I was really glad to hear that things were resolved pretty quickly.

[D]

We also got some information about the deal between the Broadway League and Actors Equity association because Actors Equity did send out at least a framework of the deal with information and all of those kind of details to its membership so that they could ratify the deal. I'll run through some of the big stuff, but Philip Boroff from the Broadway Journal does have some further details and I'll have that link to that in the show notes. But top line is, is that Broadway performers and stage managers will get a 3% raise annually for the next three years, the term of this deal. That means that immediately they will go from the Broadway minimum of being $2,638 to $2,717. That's about a $4,100 per year increase. Of course, we realize that most of these people aren't working year round. That's actually less than from the previous contract where in the the first year saw a 5% increase and then the next two years saw 4% increases. The reason that Equity was comfortable was that with this is because the employer contribution rate to the health care fund that the league manages along with Actors Equity will go up $25 a year for each of the three years. So it is currently at $150. So by the time this deal is over, they will be contributing $225. And Actors Equity like knew that might be something. So in the information that they sent out to the membership, they said, quote, though this salary increase taken on its own is smaller than what was achieved in the last cycle. In combination with the rest of our package, including the significant health fund contribution increases, this is an enormous overall financial package for Equity workers. Some of the other things that were achieved during this negotiation according to Equity is that they got some more protections on how many shows in a row that people could do and what kind of the trade offs for that were they got greater flexibility for medical leaves. They also pushed back on producers desire to penalize members for missing Shows for what they said were non sufficient reasons. They also got better protection for swings. And Equity defeated a proposal by the league to move to fully digital playbills. However, they did sign off on making cast changes represented by QR codes. So we won't necessarily see those little slips in playbills anymore. And that was actually supported by the Broadway Green Alliance. So that is something that there was at least some agreement from some corners on both sides. But the one thing that I wanted to talk to you about, Grace, is the only part of this that I really saw any kind of substantive confusion or disappointment. And I wouldn't even say pushback, because I don't think it's gotten to that point. But Equity did agree to allow principal performers to do more unidentified work. Which means, like, when they're not playing their main role, they can play, like, anonymous people in the crowds of shows, you know, in other numbers, or they can do more offstage singing. In the past, there had been a limit to this only being two numbers. They have now allowed this to expand. And. But they did say there are, quote, firm fences around this. And according to Equity, they are at least saying. Saying that some principals want to do this, which, okay, they said, quote, we know that many of our members who do principal work in musicals want to do this work, and many also are comfortable using their personal bargaining capital to make their own fences around when they are willing to do this work. So this is the one that, like, people were saying this could be a problem not because principals aren't willing to do more, but how it could impact the number of members of the ensemble that actually get cast in shows. Have you heard anything about people being uncomfortable with this Grace?

[C]

I mean, certainly, I think it's really hard, especially when principal tracks are as hard as they are. And sometimes people try to mask it and say, oh, well, this person can wear a wig for this scene. And then all of a sudden they aren't their principal track and they're just in the ensemble. But it's obvious and it's a lot of work. So I think a lot of people have very differing opinions on this. It's not something that I feel like I can, you know, have the ability to comment on, I guess. But I think it's very polarizing and it has a history of being really challenging when it comes to discrepancies.

[D]

Yeah. So certainly something that's interesting, like we talked about, all of these negotiations are pushes and pulls where if everybody, if one side leaves happy, like, completely happy about everything in a negotiation the other side really screwed up. So you knew that there would have to be some gives and takes from both the League and Actors Equity in these negotiations. But let's get into some show and casting news. Yesterday we got the rest of the cast announced for the upcoming Off Broadway revival of Eugene o' Neill's Anna Christie. We already knew that the stage and screen legend Michelle Williams, Dawson's Creek, not Destiny's Child, would be leading this production and she would be joined by Brian d' Arcy James and Tom Sturridge. Also in the cast now will be the always fantastic Mar Winningham, Joe Carroll, Anthony Chapman ii, Timothy Hughes, Tall Guy from the original cast of Hadestown, and Noah Plomgren and Jordan Barber in the ensemble. This will begin performances at Brooklyn's St. Ann's Warehouse on November 25 and will run through February 1. However, there will be a two week holiday break from December 22 through January 5 and Michelle Williams IRL husband Tommy Kail will be directing. Then, in the world of development coming up on Halloween, which is very appropriate for this, there will be an invitation only reading for a new true crime musical called Like Father. This is going to be happening again on October 31, a week from today. It is being directed by Tinashe Kujasi Bolden who is the artistic director at the Alliance Theater and it is a musical created by Jacob Ryan Smith and Caroline Pernick and the cast is going to be led by Dear Evan Hansen star Lauren Dreyfus, Ari Notaromaso, Austin Scott, Tiffany Mann, Wade McCollum and Ishmael Gonzalez. In the show, a 17 year old girl named Christina Grady finds her private life thrust into the public eye when a hit podcast uncovers new details about her father's crimes. To reclaim her own narrat Chris must confront the mother who abandoned her and face the haunting question of whether she's inherited more from her father than she ever realized. Grace, you always talk about like these new types of shows coming to the stage and while this is not I don't believe a true story, the fact that it is a true crime based narrative certainly plays into a different type of entertainment that people are obsessed with that we really haven't seen to a great extent on theatrical stages in the past, especially from musicals.

[C]

Yeah, but now you also have Kathy and Stella try to solve a murder. That podcast true crime musical that's coming from London. So I think that you're gonna see a number of them.

[D]

Yeah, I went to the reading.

[C]

Yeah, exactly. So I think that you're gonna see quite A few podcast based True crime. Because thematically we are now at the five year peak past when these things were kind of at their highest. That's the cyclical tide of musical theater. It takes about five years for people to catch on. And that's not because of. I'm not being derogatory. That's just how cycles work in pop culture. So I'm sure in five years we're going to have the revival of K Pop and everything's going to be great.

[D]

K Pop Demon Hunters on Broadway. No, they've actually said they don't want to do anything live action with K Pop Demon Hunters, but I think it's.

[C]

Actually, I don't think that's true. I think that you're going to be.

[D]

You don't think it's true?

[C]

I think you're all going to be very surprised that that might be changing.

[D]

Okay. Okay. Well, the creators did say they didn't want to do a live action movie, so maybe something in person event might be different or Netflix might just pony up a crap ton of money and they can't say no, but who knows? All right, speaking of things that you can see IRL on stage and in movie theaters, we've got some information about the rollout of Wicked Colon for good. NBC is going to do two different things around Wicked. They're going to have The Wicked Part 1 broadcast debut on Wednesday, November 19, which is just two days before the new movie hits movie theaters. But before that happens, on November 6th, we will have the new concert special Wicked One Wonderful Night. It'll be on NBC and then available to stream on Peacock Rock the next day. We got a first look at a lot of what is going to be happening in there. There's going to be performances from the. From the stars. They actually filmed this a couple days ago in Los Angeles, so you might be able to see some spoilers on social media, but they're really doing a pretty good rollout. Grace, I was honestly kind of surprised we talked about Dancing with the Stars doing a Wicked night on yesterday's show. I was honestly a little surprised about that considering it's a completely different company's network. Like this wasn't a Universal owned show. Like if they would have done something with this on the Voice, that would have made sense. But to have it on a Disney show was a little bit surprising to me.

[C]

But it's like ripe for the picking in terms of themes for that show. So I'm glad that they did it. But I agree with you. Normally things stay in The NBC universe.

[D]

Yeah. All right, let's wrap up the show with a highlight from the Arena Stage production of Damn Yankees that is feverishly working its way towards Broadway. And this comes from one of the best voices in the business because Alicia Umphress is singing Shoeless Joe from Hannibal Moe. This is a song that, like, I grew up on. My mom is from Missouri originally. So, like, this was always something that. Even before I knew of the musical Damn Yankees, this is one, like, we sang growing up. This. My mom would always also sing Gonna wash that man right out of my hair when I was like a baby, baby, like, doing baths, bushel, and a peck from Guys and Dolls. So, like, this was in the regular rotation for me as a kid before I even cared about musical theater. So I love seeing this. Alicia is phenomenal and one of the great songs in musical theater history.

[C]

I've been living through all of these videos that Arena Stage is putting out because I obviously did not get to go see this production as much as I wanted to. So kudos to all of them that made sure that there was some B roll shot of this amazing production.

[D]

All right, Grace, anything on your radar for this weekend that people need to watch out for?

[C]

No, not. No, not that I'm aware of. I'm doing a lot of TV watching at home, and I feel like, what are you watching? I'm watching Only Murders. Only murders in the background.

[D]

I got to catch up.

[C]

Yeah, I know. I know, because I got rid of my Hulu account for a second, so now I got to get it back. So there we go.

[D]

Yeah, very good. Yeah, I've got to watch this week's Only Murders. I've got to catch up on a couple weeks of Slow Horses I've got to get into. And. And then, of course, I'll have. By the time this comes out in the regular feed, I'll have a new GBBO to watch. So. Always good stuff to watch this time of year. All right, everybody, that's all that we have for today. Thanks for listening to Today on Broadway. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. BroadwayRadio. If you want more Broadway video, head over to Patreon.com BroadwayRadio I will have my travelogue episode up over the weekend. I will get that recorded before I head to Ohio on Friday morning. So if you want to hear all about all of those shows that I saw, make sure you sign up at the mezzanine tier and above Grace. Where can people find you?

[C]

You can find me at Grace Hockey.

[D]

All right, everybody have a wonderful Friday, and we're back to talk to you next week. Depending on my travel plans, we may or may not have an episode on Monday. It just kind of depends on how wonky things are with the government shutdown and how airports are running out of Columbus, Ohio. So either way, we will talk to you either on Monday or Tuesday.

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