Stagecraft with Gordon Cox

Behind the scenes with the biggest stars on Broadway, Off Broadway and beyond. Hosted by Gordon Cox.

Arts
Music
Society & Culture
1
For Grant Gustin, The Hard Parts Are His Favori...
34 min
2
Bernadette Peters Wants to Play Sweeney Todd
Recorded live on the Broadway Cruise, musical theater icon Peters recalls the moment she fell in love with Sondheim's work, shares the biggest lessons she's learned in her career, and reveals the one Sondheim role she'd still love to play.
33 min
3
From 'Succession' to 'Stereophonic' With Julian...
Soon to make her Broadway debut in the buzzy play “Stereophonic,” Canfield talks learning all those overlapping lines, telling an accidental lie on the way to winning her part in the show, the “Succession” diaspora on stage, and that one time the “Stereophonic” cast became a real band in Brooklyn.
38 min
4
Love, Loss, Time, and Lots of Onstage Rain
How the creators of the new Broadway musical adaptation of "The Notebook," Ingrid Michaelson and Bekah Brunstetter, aim to both satisfy and surprise—and why the show's theatricality makes the popular story even more universal.
39 min
5
How To Be A Theater Influencer
Two theater influencers, Kristin Hopkins and Ashley Hufford, reveal the secrets of becoming a theater influencer. The first thing to know: There's not much money in it, but there's a lot of free theater. "If I wanted this to be my day job, I should have done beauty influencing," Hufford jokes. Kristin Hopkins: @kristin_bria on Instagram, @kristinbhopkins on TikTok Ashely Hufford: @ashley_hufford on Instagram, @ashleyhufford on TikTok
37 min
6
How 'Ilinoise' Takes a Page From 'A Chorus Line'
Director-choreographer Justin Peck and Pulitzer winning playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury talk about making a nontraditional dance musical based on Sufjan Stevens’ “genre-defying” album “Illinois.” The show is now having its world premiere at Chicago Shakespeare Theater and will run at the Park Avenue Armory in Manhattan in March.
32 min
7
The ‘Reservation Dogs’ Creators Wrote a Play
Just as the acclaimed FX series "Reservation Dogs" was being developed, five of the writers involved in the show were premiering their first play. "Reservation Dogs" co-creator Sterlin Harjo and series writer Bobby Wilson, both members of the sketch comedy troupe The 1491s, reveal the backstory of their play "Between Two Knees" as the show makes its New York premiere in Feb. 2024.
27 min
8
The 21 Year Backstory of 'Days of Wine and Roses'
Stars Kelli O'Hara and Brian D'Arcy James on the joyous challenges of Adam Guettel's new Broadway musical.
38 min
9
Stephen Schwartz is a Busy Guy
The storied Broadway composer shares his latest updates on the "Wicked" movie, the VOD release of "The Prince of Egypt," and the songs he's writing for Kristin Chenoweth in "Queen of Versailles."
28 min
10
'Waitress' Changed How Sara Bareilles Writes Songs
With a filmed version of the Broadway production of "Waitress" hitting theaters, the singer-songwriter-actor reveals all the ways that her involvement in the musical changed her work — and her life.
27 min
11
The 'Spamalot' Cast Can't Keep a Straight Face
Actors James Monroe Iglehart, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer and Michael Urie detail the onstage (and backstage!) shenanigans in "Spamalot."
36 min
12
Sierra Boggess and Warren Carlyle Make 'Harmony'
The actress and the director-choreographer talk working with Barry Manilow, the cast addition that changed the whole show, and how rare it is to hear a duet for a soprano and a belter.
30 min
13
How Patrick Page Summons Shakespeare's Devils
The "Hadestown" Tony nominee on his new solo show "All the Devils Are Here," working with hearing loss, and when he grew into that deep, deep voice.
34 min
14
Stars Come Out for Variety's Business of Broadway
Presenting two lively discussions from Variety's 2023 Business of Broadway breakfast: In the keynote conversation, Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez reveal the reasons they work so well together in the buzzy revival of "Merrily We Roll Along"—and give each other a healthy dose of ribbing along the way. Before that, five producers behind some of this season's biggest shows share timely insights into the state of business. Sponsored by City National Bank, Variety's 2023 Business of Broadway breakfast was held Oct. 2 at the Pool in midtown Manhattan.
54 min
15
Leslie Odom, Jr. is the Happiest He's Ever Been
Generous comedy, divine inspiration and life lessons with the "Hamilton" Tony winner who is now the star and producer of "Purlie Victorious."
35 min
16
Rachel Bloom's Death-Defying Act
Bloom talks trunk songs, cut jokes, demo derbies and wrestling with mortality in "Death, Let Me Do My Show."
30 min
17
The Hidden Art and Craft of Broadway Video Design
Finn Ross and Nina Dunn, two designers responsible for the most striking video work now on Broadway, take us behind the scenes -- and behind the screens -- of "Back to the Future" and "The Shark is Broken."
38 min
18
This Musical is a Videogame
And now for something completely different: I talk with three of the creators behind Stray Gods, the new videogame that describes itself as a "Roleplaying Musical." Taking us behind the scenes (behind the code?) of this unusual genre mashup are Summerfall Studios creative director David Gaider, composer Austin Wintory and actor Anjali Bhimani.
44 min
19
Theater Is (Not) Doomed
In the trenches with three theater leaders from organizations around the US and in the UK as they battle the economic crisis facing theaters everywhere.
42 min
20
Jason Alexander Has So Much Theater in the Works
Alexander, the “Seinfeld” star who directed the new Broadway comedy “The Cottage,” talks the choreography of comedy and spills details on all the theater projects he’s developing for Broadway and beyond.
42 min
21
How Theater Kids Improvised an Entire Movie
"Theater Camp" co-creator and star Molly Gordon talks kissing gay boys at camp, improv comedy with kids, and crushing on Ben Platt.
31 min
22
Conrad Ricamora Hates to Break Up the Party
The "Here Lies Love" actor on queer characters, Filipino pride and the cognitive dissonance of singing about the Marcos regime in a karaoke dance party.
29 min
23
Busy in Theater, On Strike in TV
Writer Tori Sampson, whose play “This Land Was Made” is now running off Broadway, shares her POV as one of the many writers who love the theater but make most of their living in TV.
35 min
24
Jessica Chastain is Trapped in 'A Doll's House'
The Tony-nominated actress offers a deep-dive into her performance's signature moments – and why one of them made her think of “Evil Dead.”
33 min
25
Ben Platt Had Tony Advice for Micaela Diamond
The Tony-nominated duo on the urgency of "Parade," owning their Jewish identities and living in the awards-season moment.
35 min