Matt Koplik is the most opinionated, foul-mouthed, and passionate theatre geek with access to a mic. Every week, Matt and a guest explore Broadway history by diving into the careers of the artists who shaped it. Whether discussing Sondheim and Sweeney or Herman and Dolly, Matt is sure to give you fun facts, deep analysis, and lots of four letter words. Tune in!!
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"It just says 'Road' to me..." I don't know if you heard...but the WICKED movie came out! And after much discussion on the Discord Channel, Matt has agreed to cover it. But not without his trusty friend: Joel Guerrero-Sparks! Matt and Joel tackle all the questions from the Broadway Breakdown Discord, as well as share their origins with the stage mu…
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"I wish I could forget you..." Podmother Ali Gordon is back to talk about one of the most divisive shows from a divisive artist: PASSION. Matt and Ali talk about the difference between love and passion, the drag queen elements of Fosca, and why a show shouldn't have to tell you what it's saying. Join the Broadway Breakdown Discord Channel Here! htt…
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"Enjoy...the ground." Matt did a reading of his play, then immediately went and saw some shows! He also reads some new reviews of the podcast and discusses when it's appropriate to give people feedback on their work. REVIEW TIME STAMPS (depending on commercial length): Elf: 10:10 Tammy Faye: 26:00 Swept Away: 45:50 Death Becomes Her: 1:01:30 Join t…
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"I am standing here with poison in my pocket..." INDUBITABLY! Calling all Anglophiles: it's the GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE episode! Producing team and brothers Elliot and Harry White (Foster Cat Productions) stop by the Breakdown to discuss with Matt the extraordinarily British musicale. The group also discusses the benefits of slow-burn comedy, what makes …
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"Ay, there's the rub." What if HAMLET...wasn't a tragedy? But...a celebration?!?! New friend of the Breakdown Jayson Kerr stops by to talk about the Pulitzer winning play FAT HAM, plus the benefits of choosing joy, the dangers of repressing, and the line of dialogue that broke Matt. Join the Broadway Breakdown Discord!: https://discord.gg/tFBDvjFR …
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Matt saw some shows! And read some of your reviews! Matt talks about seeing MAYBE HAPPY ENDING from two different angles, the MEMENTO-ness of MCNEAL and the Tony winning musical that A WONDERFUL WORLD could learn from. Join the Broadway Breakdown Discord Channel Here! https://discord.gg/dauswSEN Donate to Matt's Play Here: https://www.paypal.com/do…
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"Feed Me..." A perfect musical needs the perfect guest to have the perfect discussion. Friend of the pod Sutton Lee Seymour returns to discuss all things parody, pathos and talent aliens. Join in the fun!! Join the Broadway Breakdown Discord Here: https://discord.gg/tFBDvjFR Donate to Matt's fundraiser Here: https://www.millironstudios.com/yours-tr…
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"The people called it..." Matt saw a play! And an Encores! And another play! What did he think of RAGTIME at Encores? SH*T. MEET. FAN? LEFT ON TENTH? Find out! Donate to Matt's Fundraiser Here! https://www.millironstudios.com/yours-truly Join the Broadway Breakdown Discord Here! https://discord.gg/qtN5AqNp Learn more about your ad choices. Visit me…
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"Hey STELLAAAAA!!!!!" Friend and Zaddy of the Pod Juan A. Ramírez returns to discuss the sexy play that's actually not all that sexy: A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE. Juan and Matt discuss sexual tension, method acting, what makes a good Blanche Dubois and how STREETCAR birthed the Jessica Lange we know now. Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/tFBDvjFR Fu…
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"O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou...line?" Matt saw ROMEO + JULIET, THE HILLS OF CALIFORNIA (with a new third act), and 3 Off-Broadway shows! And he's gonna TALK about 'em DAMMIT! Join the Broadway Breakdown Discord Here! https://discord.gg/tFBDvjFR or Help Donate to Matt's Fundraise Here! https://www.millironstudios.com/yours-truly Learn more ab…
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"A boy like that..." Who doesn't love the chance to talk about a Spielberg musical? Friend of the pod Margaret Hall is back to talk about the 2021 remake of WEST SIDE STORY. Together, Margaret and Matt discuss and debate what works, what doesn't, what the movie's legacy is and if it's possible for financially stable people to fall in love at first …
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"This is the moment..." It's all a facade. It's all in his eyes. It's all a dangerous game. It's all JEKYLL & HYDE, babyyyyyy. Cooper Howell (CATS: JELLICLE BALL) joins the Breakdown to discuss all the ways the murderous cult musical fails and yet...succeeds? Cooper and Matt can't make up their minds. Can you? Donate to Matt's Play: https://www.mil…
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"Silent music starts to play..." Matt saw 3 Broadway shows. And even though it's late, he's gonna talk about them. YOURS, TRULY fundraiser: https://www.millironstudios.com/yours-truly Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/VQWSrW5b Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices由Matt Koplik
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"Oh my God, Patrick, COLLEGE?!" Char the Mahi Mahi and rent some videotapes because we're talking AMERICAN PYSCHO. Fellow BPN'ers Richie Grasso and Jeff Malone (Half Hour) join the Breakdown to discuss the concepts of success, goodness, and what it means to be human. They also go on for a LONG time about defining your personality over the love of o…
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Matt reviews YELLOW FACE, THE BIG GAY JAMBOREE and GROUNDED at the Met (most of it). And a conversation about loss and remembrance within the theatre community. Some Mentioned Links: Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/7wkJpY3P Yours, Truly (Matt's play) Fundraising Page: https://www.millironstudios.com/yours-truly Learn more about your ad choices.…
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"ALL THE BALDWINS ARE DEAD?!" It's the launch of the new Grab Bag series and we're starting off with a bang: SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER AND UNCUT. Frequent Breakdown guest Marcus Scott comes back to talk with Matt about all the ways this movie is a perfect musical masterpiece. The two also talk about the dangers of censorship, the need for accounta…
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It's time... Matt makes a MAJOR announcement about the development of his play and 6-Time-Tony-Nominee Chad Beguelin (ALADDIN, THE PROM, ELF) stops by to discuss his new book SHOWMANCE...and other Broadway things. Link to YOURS, TRULY fundraising page: https://www.millironstudios.com/yours-truly Link to YOURS, TRULY Pitch Deck: https://www.canva.co…
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"Numbers are so HARD..." The week before a big announcement, and two weeks before the start of GRAB BAG, Matt takes a look at the Broadway grosses for the week ending 9/15 and tries to help you and himself understand them. Let's gab! To join the Discord Channel, Click: https://discord.gg/7wkJpY3P Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm…
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"Who's it gonna be...?" The 2024-2025 Season has BEGUN. And friend of the pod Robbie Rozelle is HERE to discuss it! In a few weeks, we begin "Grab Bag"! Make sure to join the DIscord in order to submit your questions and concerns for future episodes: https://discord.gg/jez6sDwB Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…
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You submitted the shows and movie musicals you wanted Broadway Breakdown to discuss and now the winners are here and ready to be announced!! Find out what the rest of 2024 has in store for the pod! AND AFTER YOU DO: subscribe to the BB Discord Channel to keep making your voice heard on the podcast! https://discord.gg/jez6sDwB Learn more about your …
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Few musicals have captured the hearts of audiences quite like Disney's ALADDIN. But did you know the beloved stage adaptation of the classic animation almost never came to be? This podcast pulls back the curtain on the untold story of ALADDIN's journey from conception to Broadway triumph. Join 11-time Emmy Award winning entertainment journalist for…
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JOIN THE BROADWAY BREAKDOWN DISCORD CHANNEL and talk about all your feelings on theatre, the podcast and random life stuff. It's a fun community! https://discord.gg/jez6sDwB "Sensitivity..." ONCE UPON A MATTRESS has transferred to Broadway from Encores! Is it different? The same? Better? Worse? Well...Matt went and he can tell you what he felt. For…
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"The Great American B*tch..." SUFFS Music Director, Arranger and Supervisor Andrea Grody stops by the podcast to talk about all things SUFFS as well as her other major musical contributions to the theatre (including her work on the Tony winning musical THE BAND'S VISIT). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…
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"Oh Mary! Your job is too much!" Matt saw two one-act plays about gals and guns and both transferred this year from Off Broadway: OH, MARY and JOB. Matt talks at length about both. Their pros, their cons, and their spoilers. WARNING: Some sensitive subject matter is discussed in JOB. Join the Broadway Breakdown Discord Channel and get in on the d*m…
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"There is nothing like LIVE THEATAH!" Make sure to join the Broadway Breakdown Discord and chat with other listeners about this week's episode! Link: https://discord.gg/jez6sDwB Broadway Breakdown made its Broadway Con debut with longtime friends The Theatre Lovers!!! Matt, Rachael and Will sat down and picked a musical at random out of a bowl and …
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"Who is she? Who was she? Who does she hope to be?" It's the finale of PROBLEMATIC(?) and we're going out with the Big Bang of Queer Theatre: THE BOYS IN THE BAND. And in order to talk about this momentous and still hotly-debated play, we had to bring out the big guns: John Wascavage!!! John and Matt talk about shared trauma, the glories of being m…
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"Bless your beautiful hide..." It's a return of "Problematic(?)" but with a surprise twist! Broadway Breakdown is covering a MOVIE MUSICAL. And one that is TRICKY. Alum Jon Reilly (Life's But a Song) stops by to discuss this sexy, sexist, sexual movie and all the rough and tumble dancing and gender politics that go along with it. GRAB YOUR BIBLE KI…
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Join the Broadway Breakdown Discord Channel and get in on the fun! Link: https://discord.gg/jez6sDwB This week Matt is joined by author and historian Ben West to talk about his new must-have book: The American Musical, Evolution of an Art Form! The two discuss the variety of genres in which the musical theatre has its origins, deep-cut songs, and t…
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"Hal...it's no longer about CATS." Oooohhh boy! Matt went and saw CATS: THE JELLICLE BALL, the wild, crazy and invigorating new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Feline Fantasia! Listen up for Matt's chaotic thoughts as well as his time sitting with Cynthia Erivo! PLUS!!! An invite to Broadway Breakdown's Discord Channel! Invite Link: https://dis…
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Matt saw FOLLIES! TITANIC! HOME! HERE THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES! And he's gonna talk about all 4! Plus a glorious 1-star review he got Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices由Matt Koplik
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"Stop texting me..." The 2024 Tony Awards occurred. Some shows won and some lost. People performed and the TV cameras got waaayyy to close for comfort. And Matt's royally annoyed at Alicia Keys. So let's talk about it! Friend of the pod James Seol (KPOP, COME FROM AWAY) is back to discuss the WHOLE Get Down and to wade through some of your comments…
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"Oi!" Hello again! Matt went to London! With his mom! And they saw some shows and did some things! Listen as the two discuss their London outings, plus their takes on OPERATION MINCEMEAT, GUYS AND DOLLS, STANDING AT SKY'S EDGE, and THE HILLS OF CALIFORNIA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…
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The Tony Awards: A Celebration in Excellence by Eila Mell is out in bookstores now! Find out more about Broadway's biggest night with an order! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices由Matt Koplik
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Everyone is a winner. Except for those who aren't. It's almost June, which means it's almost Tony month, which means we have to get off our butts and start predicting some WINNERS! Friends of the pod Rachael Joyce and Will Anderson aka The Theater Lovers are BACK! And together, the Lovers and Matt try to figure out who exactly is gonna win this f*c…
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It was supposed to be a discussion about Tony Award Snubs...oops, "omissions." But leave it to BROADWAY BOUND'S Robert W. Schneider to keep Matt distracted with tons of Broadway gossip and a foray into Matt's past trauma. Enjoy the shortest episode in weeks :) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…
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"It's an art..." Goldderby's Sam Eckmann stops by the Breakdown to discuss Tony trends, myths and what you need to take into account when making your predictions! DOLL OUT THE PUDDING! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices由Matt Koplik
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Oh look...it's the longest episode in Broadway Breakdown history. Matt saw every show of the 2023-2024 Broadway season. Now he wants to rank them. Because what else is there to do now? Feel free to listen to this episode while crossing Atlantic. Or while stuck in a 12 hour traffic jam. Or waiting for your souffle to rise. And feel free to yell at M…
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Motherhood...Sisterhood...and Silent Broadway Contracts... We've got another lovely surprise for you! Award-winning actress Susan Pourfar stops by the Breakdown to discuss her journey with MTC's MARY JANE, from its production at NYTW to its Broadway premier with Rachel McAdams. Matt and Susan also discuss the performance Matt attended when an audie…
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Well...they're here. After much speculating, predicting and dreaming...the 2024 Tony Nominations have ARRIVED. And there were CHOICES made. Matt takes to instagram to read what y'all had to say about the new crop of nominations...and what a few of you had to say about HIM. It's a fun journey!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/ad…
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Two more days... Recorded Sunday April 21, before Matt saw MOTHER PLAY, CABARET and others...and before the final Tony eligibility rulings...Slant critic Dan Rubins stops by the Breakdown to discuss what they both think the Tony nominees will be and what they WANT them to be. Take a listen! Dan's podcast, The Present Stage: https://www.thepresentst…
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"OK, who do you have?" The TONY nominations are in 5 days, y'all!! That means we gotta start making some new PREDICTIONS. Recorded a mere 2 hours before the Tony Committee released their second round of Eligibility Rulings, Broadway producer David Lynch stops by the Breakdown to share possible nominations. The two also discuss Matt's actions when t…
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"Find your light..." Y'all have been so good that we're treating you to a BONUS episode! An interview with lighting designer extraordinaire Cory Pattak! Cory made his Broadway debut this season with not one, but TWO musicals: SPAMALOT and THE GREAT GATSBY! Cory stops by the Breakdown to discuss the thrill and stress of putting together two very sud…
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"Everyone's a critic..." We're wrapping up the season very soon!!!! And before we do, we got some more shows for you: THE GREAT GATSBY, PATRIOTS and SUFFS! Matt discusses his opinions on all three. Plus some talk about some of the crazy that's been happening online this week in the community. Let's have fun. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
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"Woman is...or is she?" It's a bonanza!! Matt starts off with his reviews on seeing MERRILY a second time (now *with* Lindsay Mendez), LEMPICKA, THE HEART OF ROCK AND ROLL and STEREOPHONIC! Plus a new review that has notes for Matt. Plus after all of THAT is an interview with Broadway legend and Jack of All Trades: Jack Viertel. Jack talks with Mat…
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"See Me...and Stay Gold." It's April!!! Which means Tony season has sprung! Matt sees TOMMY and THE OUTSIDERS and gives you his thoughts...and then reads YOUR thoughts on upcoming results for the 2024 Tony Awards. And some of you are BOLD. Let's get some hardware!!! Tix for NYC Gay Men's Chorus concert "Bubblegum Pop" available here: https://nyuski…
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"There is nothing like New York in the SPRING!" A *lot* has changed since our first Tonys episode so Matt has come on to talk through some of it. First Matt gives thoughts after having seen WATER FOR ELEPHANTS and THE NOTEBOOK. Plus what it was like being at the infamous performance of AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE attended by protestors! Matt then goes t…
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"He has a story to tell..." It came to Broadway touted as the next ANGELS IN AMERICA. And yet...not every gay man was into it. Then it won the Tony...and some people still weren't into it. But does that make something "Problematic"?? Friend of the pod Robbie Rozelle comes back to the Breakdown to discuss THE INHERITANCE. Matt and Robbie spend an ep…
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"We all lead such elaborate lives..." It's sexy! It's dangerous! It's Disney! It's AIDA!!! Broadway music director Will Van Dyke (Pretty Woman, The Heart of Rock n Roll) comes on the Breakdown to discuss with Matt the first Broadway Disney musical "for adults." The two also discuss casting, fashion shows, and duty. TAKE ME IN!!!! Learn more about y…
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"Thank you, baby. Thank you for listening..." Welcome back to Problematic(?)! And ooooh boy do we have a DOOZY! Alum of the pod, Marcus Scott, returns to discuss SLAVE PLAY. The show that angered, excited and confused many theatergoers. Matt and Marcus get into the weeds of SLAVE PLAY's 12 Tony nominations and 0 wins, what intimacy is, and whether …
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Confident and Uninformed. That's the way to make predictions for Tony nominations THIS early. Breakdown alum Dylan MacDowell (DRAMA) returns to go through every possible candidate for this year's Tony Awards. And Matt spills some tea about exactly *what* Broadway thinks about some of its offerings... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphon…
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