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.