Closing Night cover art

Closing Night

Closing Night

By: Patrick Oliver Jones
Listen for free

About this listen

 Step into the captivating world of Broadway musicals with Closing Night, a theater history podcast unraveling the short lives of musicals and play on Broadway. In Season 1, we explored the turbulent history of the Marquis Theatre, one of Broadway's youngest venues, beginning with the controversial demolitions that birthed its legacy. For Season 2, the focus shifts to some infamous productions that closed before actually opening on Broadway. Relive the excitement and at times artistic chaos that almost brought these musicals to Broadway and what led up to their closing night. Whether you're a theater enthusiast, creative artist, or history buff, you'll enjoy the journeys of theatrical gems that have come and gone.@2024 WINMI Media Art Entertainment & Performing Arts World
Episodes
  • Miss Saigon

    Miss Saigon
    Aug 31 2025
    When a white actor was recently announced to replace Darren Criss in Maybe Happy Ending, it sparked a fresh wave of debate over racial casting on Broadway. For Asian Americans like playwright David Henry Hwang and actor B.D. Wong, it felt like déjà vu, echoing a controversy they had spoken out against more than 30 years ago with Miss Saigon. That blockbuster musical became the center of a storm back in 1990 when Jonathan Pryce was chosen to reprise his Eurasian character from the London production when it transferred to Broadway. This decision ignited protests, ultimatums, and the first major reckoning with yellowface in American theater. In this episode, we look back at Miss Saigon, the clash between producer Cameron Mackintosh and Actors’ Equity, and how that moment set the stage for Hwang’s satirical play Face Value—and continues to reverberate today. --- Click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for a transcript and list of all resources used. Produced by Patrick Oliver Jones and WINMI Media with Dan Delgado as co-producer. Theme music created by Blake Stadnik. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    37 mins
  • Let My People Come

    Let My People Come
    Jul 31 2025
    With July 31st being National Orgasm Day (that's right, it has its own day), we celebrate by diving into the fascinating, forgotten history of the 1974 musical Let My People Come. This groundbreaking show, by Earl Wilson, Jr., ran for over 1300 performances, offering an all-inclusive, sexually liberated vision for a pre-AIDS 1970s audience. We also explore its uninhibited embrace of pleasure, acceptance for all, and why this audacious production, despite its Grammy-nominated cast recording, famously never "opened" and held the record for the most preview performances ever. Discover the vibrant legacy of a downtown musical that truly embodied the spirit of sexual freedom! --- Theme music created by Blake Stadnik. Click ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠ for a transcript and list of all resources used. Produced by Patrick Oliver Jones and WINMI Media with Dan Delgado as co-producer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    38 mins
  • Breakfast at Tiffany's

    Breakfast at Tiffany's
    Jul 7 2025
    You know the book. You know the movie. But do you know the Broadway musical that lasted just three days? In the mid-1960s, producer David Merrick (the notorious "Abominable Showman") had a glittering vision: transform Truman Capote's beloved Breakfast at Tiffany's into a Broadway musical. He assembled a dream team: beloved TV star Mary Tyler Moore as Holly Golightly, heartthrob Richard Chamberlain, and legendary director Abe Burrows. What could go wrong? Almost everything. In this episode, we unravel the chaotic, star-studded saga of Breakfast at Tiffany's. From disastrous out-of-town tryouts and frantic rewrites to a rough stint on the road before trying to make it to Broadway, this is the story of a glamorous failure that became one of the most infamous flops in theater history. Discover how a show with every ingredient for success spiraled into a legendary disaster that nearly derailed the careers of its leading stars. --- Theme music created by Blake Stadnik. Click ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ for a transcript and list of all resources used. Produced by Patrick Oliver Jones and WINMI Media with Dan Delgado as co-producer. One of the pieces of background music in this episode is "Mom n' Pa" by Beat Mekanik and is used under a Attribution 4.0 International License. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    54 mins
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.