Today on Broadway: Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025

Summary

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BroadwayRadio: Today on Broadway

Episode Date: Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025
Hosts: Matt Tamanini & Grace Akey

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Overview

This episode delivers a packed roundup of major Broadway news, focusing on a surge of notable casting announcements, innovative theatrical approaches, and reactions to both revivals and new works. The hosts, Matt Tamanini and Grace Akey, discuss the impact of star power, the evolving definition of theatre, inclusivity in casting, and ongoing trends with source material adaptations. The tone is conversational, critical, and passionate, aiming to both inform and provoke thought about Broadway’s shifting landscape.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Daniel Radcliffe in "Every Brilliant Thing"

[00:30–02:42]

• Announcement: Daniel Radcliffe will headline the solo show Every Brilliant Thing on Broadway, with a limited run at the Hudson Theater beginning March 12, closing (for now) May 24.

  • The play, by Duncan McMillan and Johnny Donahoe, is known for its uplifting message about finding joy in life’s small moments.
  • Radcliffe’s star power is expected to draw broader audiences.

• Significance: The show, previously successful worldwide and as an HBO special, is considered especially resonant in hard times.

  “This is a show that a lot of people have really clung onto as a, as a kind of a feel good show in really dark times.”
  —Matt Tamanini [01:38]

• Speculation: Matt expects a possible extension if Radcliffe is available, to capitalize on award season buzz.

2. Luke Evans Cast as Frank N. Furter in "The Rocky Horror Show"

[02:42–05:05]

• Announcement: Sam Pinkleton will direct a new Broadway staging of The Rocky Horror Show at Studio 54, opening March 26. Luke Evans, in his Broadway debut, will play Frank N. Furter.

  • Evans’s credits include Beauty and the Beast (Gaston), The Hobbit, and stage roots in London musicals.

• Casting Conversation: Grace raises questions about inclusive representation, given the role’s queer and gender-fluid history. She voices trust in Pinkleton’s approach but curiosity about casting choices.

  “I was really surprised to see a CIS actor cast in this role. I think there were a lot of different conversations happening around a revival of this particular show…inherently queer but never explicitly, but then also in some ways very explicitly.”
  —Grace Akey [04:33]

  • Matt and Grace both acknowledge Pinkleton’s inclusive directing history and anticipate further casting details with interest.

3. "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" Spring Production Details

[05:05–07:58]

• The Debbie Allen-led revival of August Wilson’s Joe Turner's Come and Gone will begin previews March 30 at the Barrymore Theatre, with an opening night April 25 and a closing date set for July 12.

  • Cast includes Taraji P. Henson, Cedric the Entertainer, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, and Joshua Boone.

• The hosts highlight the growing clarity around spring Broadway schedules as more theaters announce programming.

4. Star-Powered Rotating Cast for "Good Sex"

[07:58–08:33]

• The experimental play Good Sex will feature different celebrity pairings for each performance, who meet for the first time on stage to read the script together.

  • John Cameron Mitchell & Elliot Page, Morgan Spector & Constance Wu, and Chris Perfetti & Brandon Flynn are already announced.
  • The final pairing: Carla Gugino & Arian Moyad (opening Nov 5).

  “It feels a little bit voyeuristic…makes me a little bit uncomfortable with the whole idea of it, but nonetheless, if you’re going to have stars of their magnitude and their talent joining the cast, it should be an interesting production.”
  —Matt Tamanini [08:19]

5. Ian McKellen Headlines "An Arc" in Mixed Reality

[08:33–10:42]

• An Arc, written by Simon Stephens and starring Ian McKellen, is described as a “mixed reality” play at The Shed (Jan 9–Mar 1).

  • Audiences experience the show via headset; actors are not physically present.
  • Director Sarah Francom expressed excitement for breaking live theater boundaries.

• The hosts debate whether this constitutes “true” theatre since it removes live, in-person performer/audience synergy. Matt expresses skepticism about paying stage prices for a headset experience.

  "To me, the magic of theater is being in the room with the performers…none of that is possible. So to me, this is like you’re watching TV in a room with 200 people."
  —Matt Tamanini [10:42]

  "Man, everything's theater at this point. I don't know…sometimes some things are being used liberally, and I don't know."
  —Grace Akey [10:23]

6. "Not Ready for Primetime" Extended Off-Broadway

[10:42–11:49]

• The unauthorized Saturday Night Live origin story, currently at MCC Theatre, is extended through Dec. 7 due to demand.

7. "Alice in Neverland" — Another Classic Mashup Musical

[11:49–14:01]

• A new musical, Alice in Neverland, will get a private industry reading Nov 6–7. It serves as a sequel to Alice in Wonderland and a prequel to Peter Pan.

  • The cast includes Beth Leavel (Queen of Hearts), Jane Bruce (Alice), Akron Watson (James), Jake Peterson (Peter), and Jakira Davis (Tinkerbell).

• Matt is critical of continual adaptations of the same public domain properties, noting the lackluster track record of previous attempts.

  • Grace counters that writers often struggle to get original work produced, and these adaptations are more marketable to producers.

  "It's not that people aren't making them, it's that no one's buying them…all of their original work isn't. That is more telling to me."
  —Grace Akey [13:37]

  "After a rash of, like, bad versions of these types of stories already, I think we could probably put our efforts towards something more original and something more interesting."
  —Matt Tamanini [12:54]

8. Congratulations: Eva Noblezada & Reeve Carney Wedding

[14:01–15:30]

• Celebratory mention of the Hadestown stars tying the knot in New Orleans, with a parade and fellow Broadway alums in attendance. Social media posts from Hadestown and industry friends captured the festivities.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “This is a show that a lot of people have really clung onto as a, as a kind of a feel good show in really dark times.”
  —Matt Tamanini on Every Brilliant Thing [01:38]

• “I was really surprised to see a CIS actor cast in this role…inherently queer but never explicitly, but then also in some ways very explicitly.”
  —Grace Akey on Rocky Horror cast announcement [04:33]

• "To me, the magic of theater is being in the room with the performers…and none of that is possible. So to me, this is like you’re watching TV in a room with 200 people."
  —Matt Tamanini on Mixed Reality An Arc [10:42]

• “It's not that people aren't making them, it's that no one's buying them.”
  —Grace Akey re: public domain adaptations [13:37]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Daniel Radcliffe in Every Brilliant Thing: [00:30–02:42]
• Luke Evans as Frank N. Furter: [02:42–05:05]
• Joe Turner’s Come and Gone Details: [05:05–07:58]
• Good Sex Celebrity Pairings: [07:58–08:33]
• Ian McKellen in Mixed Reality Play: [08:33–10:42]
• Not Ready for Primetime Extension: [10:42–11:49]
• Alice in Neverland Preview: [11:49–14:01]
• Eva Noblezada & Reeve Carney Wedding: [14:01–15:30]

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Summary Takeaway

This episode is a lively, opinion-filled reflection of Broadway’s current landscape: star-driven productions, representation debates, experimentation with format and technology, concern over creative recycling versus original work, and continued celebration of the Broadway community’s personal milestones. Listeners walk away informed about major upcoming shows, with nuanced insights on broader industry conversations and an appreciation for Broadway’s evolving interface with audiences and artists alike.

Transcript

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[Matt Tammanini]

Welcome to Today on Broadway for Thursday, October 30, 2025. I'm Broadway Radio's Matt Tammanini and I'm.

[Grace Akey]

Tell Me on a Sunday Podcast, Grace Akey.

[Matt Tammanini]

Grace, we felt for a while there like we weren't getting any news. Between holidays and it being slow, there just wasn't a whole lot going on. But the last few days have been jam packed with news so we're gonna dive right into it. And the first story is one that I think a lot of people will be excited about, both from the star studded nature of it, but also the theatrical side of it as well as Daniel Radcliffe will be returning to Broadway in the one person show Every Brilliant Thing. This is a solo play that is currently making its West End debut over in London, but it has had not only runs at Edinburgh Fringe Off Broadway, but is done all around the country. I've previously interviewed John o' Hurley here on Broadway Radio when he did a production of the show down here in Orlando. So this is one that people really love. But it'll begin performances at the Hudson Theater on Broadway on March 12 and will run just for a very limited time, at least as of now through May 24th. This is a show by Duncan McMillan and Johnny Donahoe. It is being directed by Olivier and Tony Award nominee Jeremy Heron as well as McMillan. The show revolves around a man who looks back at his life with the glimmers of hope that carried him through. All told, through a list of every wonderful, beautiful and delightful thing, big, small and everything in between that makes life worth living. This is a show that a lot of people have really clung onto as a, as a kind of a feel good show in really dark times. Not only has it been performed all over the world, but it was also done as an HBO special. So this is one that has had a lot of impact even if people don't know it. But I think with having Daniel Radcliffe at the center of a Broadway production, Grace is going to bring a lot more eyeballs to a, to a show and a text and a message that is probably very useful right now.

[Grace Akey]

Yeah, I think it's just like a testament to how well crafted that show is that it keeps getting done over and over and over again. And I say that in a complimentary sense over at the Soho Theater in London especially this one is just a beloved piece and I'm excited that this beloved actor is getting to do it.

[Matt Tammanini]

Yeah, obviously it's only on Broadway schedule for right now for like a little over two months. With the star power of Daniel Radcliffe, if he has the ability. I would not be surprised if this one gets extended and plays through at least another few weeks of Tony's season. But we will have to wait and see all about that. But that was not the only star studded Broadway casting that we got yesterday because we already knew that the Roundabout Theater Company would be bringing the Rocky Horror show back to Broadway this season. It'll begin performances at Studio 54 on March 26th. We knew that Sam Pinkleton of O Merry fame will be directing, but we didn't know any of the cast. That is until yesterday when it was confirmed that stage and screen star Luke Evans will make his Broadway debut playing Frank N. Furter. Luke Evans, probably for a lot of folks, is most well known for playing Gaston in the live action Beauty and the Beast. But he's also done a ton of like, big action movies like Clash of the Titans, Fast and Furious 6. He was in The Hobbit. He was on TV in Nine Perfect Strangers. But he started his career in musical theater in London having done Miss Saigon, Rent and tons of other stuff. He is going to take on the role of Dr. Frank N. Furter with the rest of the cast, obviously to be announced in the coming months before it begin performances on Broadway in the spring. Luke Evans is not a Daniel Radcliffe, Radcliffe level star, obviously, Grace, but somebody who does bring a certain star power to a show that, I don't know, maybe doesn't need it as much. But I think it'll be really interesting to see a guy who has built his career on a lot of action stuff dive back into the genre of musical theater. That really got his career going.

[Grace Akey]

Yeah, you know, I was really surprised to see a CIS actor cast in this role. I think that there were a lot of different conversations happening around a revival of this particular show that has always been, quote, inherently queer, but never explicitly, but then also in some ways very explicitly, but. But not an identity. So I'm, I'm curious to see how that's gonna, you know, flesh out. But I know I trust Sam Piggleton like immensely with so many different things. And I think that if you're gonna have anybody directed, it's gonna be him. So I' to see where this goes.

[Matt Tammanini]

Yeah, I saw some people discussing that on social media on Wednesday after the announcement. I do think that you're right with Sam Pinkleton, who obviously has no fear of diving into gender and identity fluid situations with casting and, and stories themselves with Omari and tons of other experimental work that he has done off Broadway and around the world. I think that that is a, a really interesting thing to play out with the rest of this casting, especially at a time when trans and non binary people are being vilified to abhorrent levels. We will see what happens. And to be quite honest with you, I know Luke Evans has identified as gay in the past. I don't know what his individual gender identity is. But like you said, Sam Pinkleton, if you're going to have somebody direct a version of this in this day and age, seems like one of the best people to do it. All right, let's dive into some more Broadway news because yesterday we got further details about the Debbie Allen directed production of Joe Turner's Come and Gone that'll be coming to Broadway this spring. We now know when and where that will be. Previews will begin on March 30th over at the Barrymore Theater with an official opening night set for April 25th. Currently, the run is scheduled to ramp up on July 12th. We already know that Taraji P. Henson and Cedric the Entertainer are going to be leading the company, but last week we found out that Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago Hudson and Tony nominee Joshua Boone will be joining the cast. Just chalk another theater off of the list, Grace, because we are starting to get some more announcements. We're starting to get some things lined up. There are a number of houses that are still open in the spring, so we will see as those things start to get filled out. But now that we know what is being slotted into the Barrymore, a few other things can start to be to be put into place as well. Next up, I got this press release just like less than 10 minutes before we started recording and we got the final pair of rotating cast members for the upcoming Powerhouse international production of Good Sex. You remember that we talked about this one a week or so ago. There's going to be just a handful of four performances and each one is going to star a pair of stars opposite each other doing the show for the first time. These actors don't do know each other. They've never worked together, they've never read the script, they've never rehearsed it. But for every performance they will go through the script for the first time, with the help of an intimacy director, to kind of navigate the complicated nature of intimate sexuality on stage. We already knew that John Cameron Mitchell and Elliot Page would be doing one performance, Morgan Spector and Constance Wu would be doing another, and then Chris Perfetti and Brandon Flynn would be doing the last one. What we didn't know was who would be opening the performances on November 5th. Now we know that Stage and Scre stars Carly Gugino and Arian Moyad will be starting things off on November 5th at 7:30pm Two great actors. Two great actors that I've seen on stage in really, really devastating productions. So having the opportunity to watch those two together, Grace will be very fascinating. As you said, it feels a little bit voyeuristic on this. It makes me a little bit uncomfortable with the whole idea of it, but nonetheless, if you're going to have stars of their magnitude and their talent joining the cast, it should be an interesting production.

[Grace Akey]

Yeah, I mean, I trust Arian Moyad with anything he ever wants to do, ever. So this is fabulous news for me.

[Matt Tammanini]

Speaking of stars coming to the stage, the great and indomitable Ian McKellen will be leading a new show Off Broadway this season. It's being described as being created for and in mixed reality. We'll get into what that means, but it is called an arc. It is written by Olivier and Tony Award winner Simon Stevens of Curious Incident, of the Dog of the Nighttime fame. The ensemble will be led by Sir Ian McKellen, and it is described as a meditation on a single human lifetime compressed down to just 47 minutes from the wonder of childhood and the joy of first love to the complexities of parenting and the inevitability of death. The play invites audiences into a deeply personal exploration of what it means to live, to grieve and to connect. It is going to play at the Shed, beginning performances on January 9th and running through March 1st. It is being directed by Sarah Francom, and in a statement with a press release, she said, quote, throughout my professional life, I've defined myself as a theater artist, but I've historically only ever been interested in working in the live medium. However, I've become very excited about how mixed reality might take an audience into a remarkable relationship with a group of actors and create completely new opportunities to experience a play and make theater. This new medium creates a magical space for an extraordinarily intimate and mesmeric encounter with actors and stories. What that means is, in the production, an audience of up to 200 people will be Seated in the gallery with a headset as each of the actors speaks directly into their ears. Though the actors will not be physically present, the production will be augmented by mixed reality technology. So, Grace, I guess this is theater, but, like, if you're just watching it in person on headsets and the actors aren't there, can we really call this theater?

[Grace Akey]

Man, everything's theater at this point. I don't know. I. I've stopped. I don't. I don't think it's, like, great to, like, Gatekeep. Like, what is performance in art and theater? However, sometimes some things are being used liberally, and I don't know. But I mean, good, Good forum, good for them.

[Matt Tammanini]

Yeah. I just feel like if you're gonna have somebody watch something, paying theatrical prices might not be the way to do it. And I don't know what the prices for these tickets are, but it seems to me like a way to have your cake and eat it too. Like, to me, the magic of theater is being in the room with the performers, and anything can happen, and it feeds off of that interaction between actor and audience, and none of that is possible. So to me, this is like you're watching TV in a room with 200 people. And I'm not sure how I feel about that, especially if the prices are traditional theater prices. But let's stick off Broadway. And we got a little bit more news about the off Broadway show Not ready for primetime. The Unauthorized, unsanitized and wildly entertaining look at the early years of Saturday Night Live. It is currently playing at the MCC theater, although it is not an MCC production. Just after the show opened, the they've announced an extension. It is now going to play through December 7th. And Grace, for years I've had a rule that or something that I wish was a rule that I don't think we need any more musicals based on either Peter Pan or Alice in Wonderland. I think every time we've seen those things, like, we're at the point now where, like, we just don't need anymore. Like, we're good. I would say the same thing about the wizard of Oz. Like, we've got ones that all work, and let's just stick with those. We don't need to keep rehashing the same source material. I understand that a lot of those things, Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan, are all in the public domain, so you can do whatever you want with them. But it looks like my requests have fallen on deaf ears because coming up next month, November 6th and 7th, there will be a private industry presentation of a new musical called Alice in Neverland. It is a sequel to Alice in Wonderland and a prequel to Peter Pan. It is written by Phil Kenny and Reston Williams and will be directed by Katie Davis with choreography by Dominique Kelly. The cast will include Beth Leavel as the Queen of Hearts, Jane Bruce as Alice, Akron Watson as James, Jake Peterson as Peter, and Jakira Davis as Tinkerbell. And it has to do with an adult Alice who's grown up and she's stuck in a life that feels smaller than her childhood dreams. And she is pulled back not to Wonderland, but to Neverland, where adventure and temptation blur. Look again, who am I to say what a great musical could be or what people decide to put their artistic talents to? But after a rash of, like, bad versions of these types of stories already, I think we could probably put our efforts towards something more original and something more interesting. But again, Beth Leavel, Jane Bruce, that cast, it'll probably be really entertaining, but I wish that people would move on to other things.

[Grace Akey]

You know, I would. I would actually argue not the opposite. But I do want to say it's not that people aren't making them, it's that no one's buying them. And so if this was either commissioned or this is what, you know, these writer writers and artists are able to get through, but all of their original work isn't. That is more telling to me. You know what I'm saying?

[Matt Tammanini]

Yeah, I totally understand that. It's just like the last few times we've seen adaptations of either Alice in Wonderland or Peter Pan, nobody has come to see them, and they've lost, you know, money, and they weren't very good to begin with. That was Wonderland on Broadway and Alice by Heart off Broadway or whatever. I think this my first time. I've actually. I actually said this was after Alice by Heart flopped off Broadway, and it was a pretty bad show. It's just like. I get what you're saying, because there's probably an audience for shows like that, especially if you license it out, but we could probably do better. I don't know. But you're right. A lot of these artists are, you know, are actively trying to get their original stuff done, and it's just not being produced. All right, let's wrap up with kind of a recommendation and a congratulations, because over the weekend, Eva Noblezada and Reeve Carney officially got married in New Orleans. It was announced not only by the official Hadestown Instagram account, but also Grace, your friend Abby defilllips was posting a lot of behind the scenes content as well have links to both of those social media posts in there. They got married in New Orleans and at least part of it was a processional that felt very Hadestown esque. If you watch the footage you will see a lot of their former co stars, many of them from Hadestown. You can see Patrick Page giving a speech. Sam Pauley is there from the Great Gatsby which she did with ivanovalzada. I also saw Noah Ricketts from Gatsby in there too. So lots of former co stars went to celebrate this happy marriage with the two down in the Big Easy. So congratulations to them. I will have links to all of that in the show notes if you want to check that out. Out 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 radio, head over to patreon.com broadwayradio Just a reminder, we will have the opening for Little Bear Ridge Road happening tonight. What that means for our release schedule we will let you know. But somehow we will have those reviews to you tomorrow. Grace. Where can people find you?

[Grace Akey]

You can find me at Grace Hockey.

[Matt Tammanini]

All right everybody, have a wonderful Thursday. We'll be back to talk to you tomorrow. From.

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