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
'Cats' Meets Drag Ball Culture
Behind the scenes with three of the creators of "Cats: The Jellicle Ball," the colorful, queer reimagining of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical that's become a breakout hit of the summer.
36 min
2
Tony Awards Telecast Producers Promise to Wow You
Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner, the directing-producing duo behind the Tony Awards telecast, talk wowing the audience, innovating the staging, and why the Tonys always have the best acceptance speeches.
34 min
3
Sarah Paulson Gets Real About Tony Season
The Tony-nominated star of "Appropriate," Sarah Paulson, and its nominated playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins share some real talk about Tony season, reveal how the extended run of "Appropriate" has changed things both for the actors on onstage and for the audiences in the house, and banter about why Paulson should maybe play Prince in "Purple Rain."
40 min
4
Backstage With Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin
The Tony-nominated stars of "Cabaret" take listeners backstage for a peek at the "synchronized chaos" behind the scenes, and talk rowdy crowds, critics, and Redmayne's fourth go-round in the role of the Emcee.
33 min
5
Jessica Lange Feels 'Wild and Liberated' in 'Mo...
Oscar, Emmy and Tony winning actress Lange, now on Broadway in a Tony-nominated performance in "Mother Play," discusses premiering a new play on Broadway, explains why she could do without Wednesday matinees, and reveals why her recent work has her feeling "wild and liberated."
33 min
6
Talking 'Lempicka' With Tony Nominees Eden Espi...
In a conversation recorded before the announcement of the Tony nominations, actors Espinosa and Iman talk criticism discourse, the irresistible allure of Lempicka, and the Broadway community that’s rallied around their show.
32 min
7
For Grant Gustin, The Hard Parts Are His Favori...
Now starring on Broadway in the critically acclaimed "Water for Elephants," Gustin shares what's most challenging — and most rewarding — about his first return to musical theater after nine years as the star of the long-running CW series "The Flash."
34 min
8
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
9
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
10
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
11
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
12
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
13
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
14
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
15
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
16
'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
17
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
18
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
19
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
20
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
21
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
22
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
23
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
24
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
25
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