Today on Broadway: Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025

Summary

BroadwayRadio: Today on Broadway – Tuesday, September 9, 2025

Overview of Episode

In this episode of Today on Broadway, hosts Matt Tammanini and Grace Hockey dive into the kickoff of NYC Broadway Week, industry news, new casting announcements, upcoming projects, and some notable moments closing out recent productions. The tone is upbeat and insider-y, focusing on both backstage and onstage happenings in the Broadway and West End communities.

---

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. NYC Broadway Week Returns

• What’s Happening?

  • Broadway Week (which is actually two weeks) allows theatergoers to purchase 2-for-1 tickets to 24 shows using code NYC BW400 ([00:37]).
  • Matt: “This is a great time to get out and see shows that maybe you hadn’t had an opportunity to or you want to go back and check out...” ([00:54]).

• Grace’s Pick:

  • Grace is passionate about seeing Tom Scott’s “incredible design,” urging listeners to see it while the original cast is still performing:
    • “If you have not seen Tom Scott's incredible design, these are the two weeks that you need to… It’s so masterful what’s been done in that space and that cast. A lot of them have been there from the beginning and just should be, should have the most glorious send off that can possibly happen.” ([01:24])

---

2. News: Great Gatsby’s Broadway Cast Change

• Ryan McCarten Departs

  • Ryan McCarten will depart the role of Jay Gatsby on November 9th. His successor has not yet been named, but Matt hints it could be someone familiar ([02:00]).
  • Current cast includes Aisha Jackson (Daisy), Michael Malakel (Nick), Lenadi Hanau (Myrtle), Austin Colby (Tom), Sam Pauley (Jordan), Charlie Pollock (George), Eric Anderson (Meyer).

• Speculation & Potential Casting

  • Matt floats the idea of Corbin Blue (who played Nick in the West End production) joining the Broadway cast:
    • “I’m wondering if we eventually get Corbin Blue to come over and play Nick, although I think he could also play Gatsby if he wanted to… that’s a pretty expert casting, especially because he’s already done the show over in London.” ([02:39])
  • Grace responds: “I would love that personally. Make it happen.” ([03:21])

---

3. John Doyle to Direct The Secret Garden Revival in London

• Project Details

  • Tony-winning director John Doyle will lead The Secret Garden revival at the York Theatre Royal from March 17 – April 4, 2026 ([03:24]).
  • The production will feature actor-musicians, a trademark of Doyle’s work (e.g., Assassins, Sweeney Todd, Company).

• Hosts’ Takes

  • Matt appreciates Doyle’s approach: “I’ve always really kind of liked that idea. I think it does bring something a little bit more intimate and interesting to a production.” ([04:30])
  • Grace on the actor-musician device: “You gotta have something, right? I think a lot of actors that play look forward to this opportunity because he’s one of the few… that does allow for people to be more nuanced in their performance with their musical capabilities.” ([04:47])

---

4. Moulin Rouge! Casting Update

• David Harris Returns as the Duke
  • Confirmed: David Harris will return to play the Duke of Monmouth starting September 30th, replacing Taye Diggs ([05:16]).
  • Grace is effusive about Harris:
    • “He is spectacular in that role… He is so good. He’s so powerful. He’s scary... The few times that I’ve taken people to see the show where they go, ‘Oh my God, wait, I’m siding with the Duke.’ Like, he’s really great.” ([05:45])

---

5. Omar Broadway Casting Note

• Philip James Brannon Returns
  • From September 11th, Philip James Brannon returns briefly as Abe while Kumail Nanjiani is away ([06:09]).
• Cast Praise
  • Matt relays critic Ashley Steeves’ assessment: “She did say it is the screamiest version of the cast that she has seen between Jinx Kumail and Michael Urie. So if you haven’t seen this new cast, you’ve got to go collect it like Pokemon.” ([06:47])

---

6. National Tour: Hell's Kitchen

• Full Cast Announced
  • The touring company for Hell’s Kitchen is set, with Maya Drake (Ally), Kennedy Coughlin (Jersey), and Roz White (Miss Liza Jane) as previously announced, plus Desmond Sean Ellington (Davis) and John Avery Worrell (Nuck) ([07:15]).
  • Tour starts October 10th at Playhouse Square, Cleveland.

---

7. New Musical at East Village BAS(e)ment: ‘Soon’

• About the Project

  • Nick Blaymire’s Soon will open at the new performance space the East Village BAS(e)ment, October 29–November 9 ([07:56]).
  • Will Blum will direct; cast includes Ava Delaney, Nicholas Pottany, Mike Millen, Melina Hall.
  • Plot: Young woman avoids the apocalypse by binging TV and eating peanut butter until forced to confront her own situation.

• Grace’s Perspective

  • “I love Nick. He’s a friend. I also really love the East Village Basement. I’m obsessed with them. I want to do a show in there.” ([08:16])
  • She praises Nick Blaymire’s writing, referencing his past works on similar themes.

---

8. Development: Fyre Fest The Musical

• Project Announcement

  • A satirical stage musical adaptation of Fyre Fest is in the works, with a score by Oscar-winner Paul Epworth and direction by Brian Buckley ([09:03]).
  • Production team includes Taika Waititi and Rita Ora.

• Official Description

  • Matt reads: “It’s not just a Greek sized tragedy of one man’s con. It’s a satirical indictment of an entire generation. Fyre Fest, the musical. It’s about as wrong as a bad idea can go.” ([09:20])

• Hosts’ Reaction

  • Matt: “I think the best musicals are built on bad ideas... I’m not saying this is going to be Sweeney Todd, but I think it is such a wild, bizarre, bonkers idea for a musical that it just could be something really special.” ([09:44])
  • Grace: “Yeah, I mean, listen, I feel like a little bit of a ship has passed on its like documentary cultural relevancy. So… but like, I’m curious to see how this kind of feeds into the modern zeitgeist.” ([10:38])

---

9. Notable Recommendations & Memorable Moments

• Heathers on the Today Show

  • Lorna Courtney and Casey Likes performed “Seventeen” from Heathers ([10:53]).

• John Proctor is the Villain’s Closing Curtain Call

  • The Booth Theatre production ended with a ritualistic scream on stage, led by director Donya Taymor: “She led the entire cast, everybody who was on stage and everybody in the audience in a ritualistic scream. And everybody on the stage got down on hands and knees and were pounding much like they do in the show.” ([11:20])

• Grace on Kimberly Bellflower’s Impact (Memorable Quote)

  • “When Kimberly Bellflower said a story about where she grew up, a North Georgia girl writing about other North Georgia girls and that like teenagers shouldn’t be discounted… It just obviously like moved me as a person who has that experience, but also just like as a person who looks forward to the future of theater.” ([11:54])
  • She emphasizes the show’s seismic impact for women in playwriting.

---

10. ‘John Proctor is the Villain’ Looking Forward

• Show’s Ongoing Life
  • Matt predicts the play will be ubiquitous in regional theaters and notes a film adaptation is in the works, with Sadie Sink executive producing and likely starring ([13:05]).

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Grace on Tom Scott’s Design:
  “If you have not seen Tom Scott's incredible design, these are the two weeks that you need to… it’s so masterful what’s been done in that space...” ([01:24])

• Matt on John Doyle’s Style:
  “I’ve always really kind of liked that idea. I think it does bring something a little bit more intimate and interesting to a production.” ([04:30])

• Grace on Actor-Musician Concept:
  “You gotta have something, right?... He’s one of the few… that does allow for people to be more nuanced in their performance with their musical capabilities.” ([04:47])

• Grace on David Harris in Moulin Rouge!:
  “He is so good. He’s so powerful. He’s scary… The few times that I’ve taken people to see the show where they go, ‘Oh my God, wait, I’m siding with the Duke.’” ([05:45])

• Matt on Fyre Fest Musical:
  “I think the best musicals are built on bad ideas… I’m not saying this is going to be Sweeney Todd, but… could be something really special.” ([09:44])

• Grace on Playwriting and Representation:
  “It just obviously like moved me as a person who has that experience, but also just like as a person who looks forward to the future of theater… I think that the ripple effect of it is going to be what I hope to be very good for everybody.” ([11:54])

---

Key Timestamps

• [00:37] Broadway Week and ticket deals discussion
• [01:24] Grace’s must-see Broadway Week recommendation
• [02:00] Gatsby news and speculation on future casting
• [03:24] Secret Garden revival announcement and John Doyle’s methods
• [05:16] Moulin Rouge! casting: David Harris’s return
• [06:09] Omar casting update and feedback
• [07:15] Hell’s Kitchen national tour cast announcement
• [07:56] Nick Blaymire’s Soon at the East Village BAS(e)ment
• [09:03] Development of Fyre Fest: The Musical
• [10:53] Recommendations: Heathers and John Proctor is the Villain closing
• [11:54] Grace on Kimberly Bellflower’s impact and future of theater
• [13:05] Future of John Proctor is the Villain, regional productions, film adaptation

---

Conclusion

This episode covers the start of an exciting two weeks for Broadway ticket buyers, multiple casting changes, new and developing musicals (including the eyebrow-raising Fyre Fest project), and impassioned reflections on the shifting landscape of American theater—especially for women playwrights. The hosts’ banter is enthusiastic, supportive, and offers both industry insight and personal anecdotes, making it a rich episode for theater fans and insiders alike.

Transcript

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Back to school is better with family freedom from T Mobile we'll pay off four phones up to $3200 and give you four free phones all on America's largest 5G network. Visit your local T Mobile location or learn more@t mobile.com familyfreedom up to $800 per line via virtual prepaid card typically takes 15 days. Free phones via 24 monthly bill credits with finance agreement eg Apple iPhone 16128 gigabyte 820099 eligible trade in eg iPhone 11 Pro for well qualified credits end and balance due. If you pay off earlier, cancel contact T Mobile.

[Matt Tammanini]

Welcome to Today on Broadway for Tuesday, September 9, 2025. I'm Broadway Radio's Matt Tammanini and I'm.

[Grace Hockey]

Tell Me on a Sunday podcast Grace.

[Matt Tammanini]

Ake Grace as we are recording on Monday, it is the first day of NYC Broadway Week. Even though it literally is two full weeks, they still call it Broadway Week. You can get 2 for 1 tickets with the code NYC BW400. I will have a link in the show notes. You can see all of the 24 shows that you can use this 2 for 1T deal on. This is a great time to get out and see shows that maybe you hadn't had an opportunity to or you want to go back and check out. This is a time when normally the attendance is a little down on Broadway. So getting a chance to go out and see these shows where, where they aren't as crowded, more tickets are available is a great opportunity. Grace, is there a show maybe for the Broadway Week samplings that you want to make sure that you head out and see?

[Grace Hockey]

I feel like, I'm sorry, but if you have not seen Tom Scott's incredible design, these are the two weeks that you need to and it's more, you know, exactly like it's, it's, it's more affordable than it's ever been and I just think it's such an exciting opportunity and it's so masterful what's been done in that space and that cast. A lot of them have been there from the beginning and just should be, should have the most glorious send off that can possibly happen. So you, you have to see Marisha. I've talked about it obviously, but like this is the moment you should take advantage of this.

[Matt Tammanini]

Another show that is available during Broadway Week is the Great Gatsby and that is where we're going to start with our news for this episode because Ryan McCarten, who has been playing the role of the titular Gatsby since January has set his departure date and that'll be on November 9th. He, of course, succeeded Jeremy Jordan in the role, and the successor for Ryan McCarten has not yet been named, but I might have just mentioned him anyway, so just keep that in the back of your head. But the current cast also includes Aisha Jackson as Daisy Buchanan, Michael Malakel as Nick, Lenadi Hanau as Myrtle Wilson, Austin Colby as Tom Buchanan, Sam Pauley, who was the original Jordan Baker, is still with the show, Charlie Pollock as George Wilson, and Eric Anderson as Meyer Wolfsheim. Grace. Also, the West End production, which was always a limited run, just ended this past weekend. I'm wondering if we eventually get Corbin Blue to come over and play Nick, although I think he could also play Gatsby if he wanted to. But he played Nick over in the West End, so I think that would just be another one of these. We've talked about how great the casting has been for this show. If you got Corbin Blue to come in here at some point after having Ryan McCarten and Sarah Hyland as replacements, like, that's, that's a, that's a pretty expert casting, especially because he's already done the show over in London.

[Grace Hockey]

I would love that personally. Make it happen.

[Matt Tammanini]

Yeah, make it happen. Speaking of things happening in London, yesterday, Variety had an exclusive report that the Tony winning director, John Doyle, will mount a major revival of the Secret Garden at the York Theatre Royal starting next spring. It is going to run from March 17 through April 4. That seems like a very short run of that show, so maybe that will be extended and maybe it will transfer somewhere else in London, as these things often do, from smaller theaters into West End theaters. The article kind of just goes through what the Secret Garden is and who John Doyle is. But one of the things that it does note is that like many of his productions in the past, this will feature a cast of actor musicians. So haven't seen one of these from him in a while, at least not on Broadway, I guess. We did see Assassins. We saw it together, actually. Grace. We saw it off Broadway with Assassins. He did it with Sweeney Todd. He did it with Company. The Color Purple didn't have that, which he. Which also earned a Tony Award. But I'm.

[Grace Hockey]

And the 12. The 12 at Goodspeed. Opera.

[Matt Tammanini]

That's right. Starring 1F Michael Haney.

[Grace Hockey]

Exactly.

[Matt Tammanini]

Yeah. I, I know some people, like get tired of it and think it's like it's kind of just a cliche and an annoying trick now, but I've Always really kind of liked that idea. I think it does bring something a little bit more intimate and interesting to a production.

[Grace Hockey]

I mean, listen, you gotta. I don't wanna say gimmick, but like, you gotta have something, right? And I think that this is a cool. I think that a lot of actors that play look forward to this opportunity because he's one of the few. I. I think he's the only, you know, constant creative that does allow for people to be more nuanced in their performance with their musical capabilities. So I think it's a great opportunity and I do like this construct for this show.

[Matt Tammanini]

All right, so let's talk about Moulin Rouge, Grace, because most recently over the weekend, you went and saw the new cast. Although Taye Diggs was out, now we know who is going to replace him when his run as the Duke of Monmouth ends later this month on September 28th. Returning to the role will be David Harris. He originated the role on the North American tour and then joined the Broadway production making his Broadway debut later. He will come back to the Al Hirschfeld Theater on September 30th to take over that role.

[Grace Hockey]

Can I just say, he is spectacular in that role. And, you know, sometimes accents can drive me nuts. He is so good. He's so good. He's so powerful. He's scary. He's. The few times that I've taken people to see the show where they go, oh my God, wait, I'm siding with the Duke. Like, he's really great. And I just think that it's so fabulous that they've got him back. That's all.

[Matt Tammanini]

I love it. Very cool. Speaking of guys returning to roles that they have previously played on Broadway for one week from September 11th through the Philip James Brannon will return to the role of Abe in Omar while Kumail Nanjiani is out for a week. I don't doing something else. I suppose Kumail will come back after that one week run and he is scheduled to be in the show through September 28th. Our friend Ashley Steeves just went and saw the new cast of Omar over the weekend and she said it is still fantastic. Everybody is great. She did say it is the screamiest version of the cast that she has seen between Jinx Kumail and Michael Urie. So if you haven't seen this new cast, you've got to go collect it like Pokemon. All right, let's go from Broadway out onto the road because we got the entire cast announced for the upcoming North American tour of Hell's Kitchen. We already knew that Maya Drake would be playing Ally, Kennedy Coughlin is playing Jersey and Roz White is playing Miss Liza Jane. We now know that Desmond Sean Ellington is going to be playing Davis and John Avery Worrell will be playing Nuck. We also have the entire ensemble in the show notes if you want to check that out. The tour will be starting with a three week engagement at the Playhouse Square in Cleveland, Omeo, Ohio Cleveland, Ohio on October 10th and then Grace coming back to New York for the first time actually will be the musical soon. This was written by Nick Blaymire, who we love, but it originally had its world premiere at Washington D.C. signature theater 10 years ago in 2015. It will now be the first musical to ever play the new performance venue, the East Village BAS basement. It is going to run from October 29th through November 9th and is going to be directed by Will Blum, who you might have seen in Beetlejuice. And it is going to feature Ava Delaney as Charlie, Nicholas Pottany as Jonah, Mike Millen as Steven, and Melina hall as Adrian. And the show is about a young woman who avoids the oncoming apocalypse, watching TV and eating peanut butter on her couch until she's forced to reckon her own role in her solitude. Now, Grace, you are a connoisseur of all things Nick Blaymire. Is this a show that you are familiar with?

[Grace Hockey]

I don't know the show yet, but obviously I love Nick. He's a friend. I also really love the East Village Basement. I'm obsessed with them. I want to do a show in there. Like, it's so cool and I really like this collaboration. It's only two weeks so I'm hopeful that they extend. But otherwise I like that this is going to hopefully become a new home for emerging artists. And by emerging I mean people that have literally had their shows on Broadway like Nick Blaymire. But also, you know, this just sounds like a great concept. I also think that, like, if anybody knows how to write about impending apocalypse or you know, youthful collaborations, I mean like Safety Not Guaranteed is very much in that vein and I just know that Nick has such a good grasp on that style of subject matter. So I'm very intrigued and I really hope I see this.

[Matt Tammanini]

All right, let's go into the developmental realm because yesterday it was announced that there is a stage musical being adapted based off of Fyre Fest and it's Fraudster creator Billy McFarland. This musical is in the works. It is going to feature a score by Skyfall songwriter Paul Epworth and book and Direction by Brian Buckley, who directed the film the Pirates of Somalia. The producers behind it, in addition to Buckley are some folks you might have heard of, Oscar winning director Taika Waititi, his wife, actress, singer, and for my purposes, the masked singer judge who replaced Nicole Scherzinger. Rita Ora. Also involved are Rock of Ages producer Matthew Weaver and global production company Hungry Man Productions. They're working on a new version, a musical version of Fyre Fest which just seems insane. The official description is this. It's not just a Greek sized tragedy of one man's con. It's a satirical indictment of an entire generation. Fyre Fest, the musical. It's about as wrong as a bad idea can go. And I say this all the time, Grace, and I've probably said it to you many times in the past. I think the best musicals are built on bad ideas like Sweeney Todd should not work. But it's a near perfect musical because it takes a bad idea for a musical and does it extremely well. I'm not saying this is going to be Sweeney Todd, but I think it is such a wild, bizarre, bonkers idea for a musical that it just could be something really special.

[Grace Hockey]

Yeah, I mean, listen, I feel like a little bit of a ship has passed on its like documentary cultural relevancy. So I. But like I'm curious to see how this kind of like feeds into the modern zeitgeist.

[Matt Tammanini]

Yeah. And I feel like if somebody is going to help helm a production about this, like Taika Waititi makes sense. Like his bizarre off kilter sensibilities really seem to work with that. So I'm interested to see what happens with this moving forward. All right, Grace, I have two recommendations here. The first comes from the the Today show on Monday morning where Lorna, Courtney and Casey likes seeing 17 from heathers. And then the other one comes from the Booth theater. We've talked about the fact that John Proctor is the villain closed at the booth on Sunday and as part of the closing night curtain call, the show's director, Donya Taymor came out and led the entire cast, everybody who was on stage and everybody in the audience in a ritualistic scream. And everybody on the stage got down on hands and knees and were pounding much like they do in the show. So Grace, I don't if you saw this, but this felt like the perfect way to wrap up this show's run on Broadway.

[Grace Hockey]

Yeah, I think that because I'm going to clip it when when Kimberly Bellflower said a story about where she grew up, a North Georgia girl writing about other North Georgia girls and that like teenagers shouldn't be discounted. Like, it just obviously like moved me as a person who has that experience, but also just like as a person who looks forward to the future of theater. I mean, right now that show has just wrapped. It's been so monumental and seismic to just playwriting women as a whole. We're about to open Liberation, you know, as, you know, another female led playwright, et cetera, that are both not really helmed around a major star. I know that Sadie Sink is a star in her own right, but these aren't the same that we're talking with like the George Clooneys of the world with this like mammoth productions which I understand like the very much need for those in the theater. But I just want to call out that like this beautiful success I am hopeful for for years to come. I think that the ripple effect of it is going to be what I hope to be very good for everybody.

[Matt Tammanini]

And even though John Proctor as the villain is closed on Broadway, the story of John Proctor as the villain is not done because obviously the show will be done everywhere. This is going to be one that is going to be in every major regional house over the next five, ten years, I assume. But then also there's a feature film in the works and while Sadie Sink has not been confirmed to be starring in it, she is executive producing it. And I imagine that she is going to star in it as well. I just think that was a no brainer as long as her schedule allows. So we will have to wait and see. But I would put some money on that being an eventuality. 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 rodwayradio. And if you want more Broadway radio, head over to patreon.com broadwayradio Grace. Where can people find you?

[Grace Hockey]

You can find me at Grace Hockey.

[Matt Tammanini]

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