Theater History and Mysteries

Dr. Jon Bruschke, PhD
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The deepest dives you can find anywhere into the history and backstory of the great musical productions.  Dense content...for people who aren't.  And, I’ll never miss an opportunity to pursue any mystery, bizarre coincidence, improbable event, or supernatural suggestion along the way because, in the words of Dirk Gentley, it is all connected. You can contact me directly at theaterhistorypodcast@gmail.com Released every other Tuesday.  Music by Jon Bruschke and Andrew Howat, arranged, performed, and recorded by Andrew Howat. Check out the interview on Musical Theater Radio, episode 404: https://www.musicaltheatreradio.com/podcast

  1. Jun 23

    Hamilton -- Is it cool for actors of color to play old white guys? The case FOR multiracial casting. (Hamilton 8 of 12, episode 45)

    Send us Fan Mail Lin-Manuel Miranda was not the first person to pursue multi-racial casting to make a political point.  Heather S. Nathans of Tufts university shares the history: “On March 5, 1858, around the first anniversary of the Dred Scott decision and on the anniversary of the Boston Massacre, African American abolitionist William Cooper Nell re-staged the massacre as a tableau vivant at Boston’s Faneuil Hall. Nell did it to commemorate the Scott decision and to protest the recent ruling by local Boston authorities who refused to declare Crispus Attucks the first victim of the Revolution. Nell’s restaging of the massacre used all black performers to protest their systematic erasure from the history of the Revolution. It also forecast a day when actors of color might rise up and claim their true rights and privileges.”  Nathans makes a direct connection to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton; the quote continues:  “In that, Nell resembles Miranda, who has said that one of the reasons he became a playwright was because there were no parts for him. Both men literally and figuratively wrote themselves into the archive and the repertoire.” But, whereas Nell’s staging was all about slavery, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton was not.  It was more about…Hamilton. And that might be the central question for Hamilton.  By casting historically white people with actors of color, Miranda has put race front and center of the production about a founder.  But, as we have explored in our past episodes, the show doesn’t entirely avoid race questions, but they are hardly a central point of the plot and, by design, no part of the character development. What happens when you make race a key feature of the casting but you then don’t take on central questions of race, including slavery.  Does that work?  Is it cool to play Geo Wash with a black man?  Alex Ham with a Puerto Rican/NewYorikan?  Does it make the show better or worse, and is it s net step forward for racial progress or not? Support the show

    1h 12m

  2. Jun 9

    Hamilton -- Is it cool for actors of color to play old white guys? The case against multiracial casting. (Hamilton 7 of 12, episode 44)

    Send us Fan Mail Hamilton, the musical, is a show about the founders of the United States, who were mostly white men, and to a much lesser extent white women, and it is played by people who are definitely not matched to the race of the historical figures.  Like, that is the most conspicuous part of the show.  The one thing that you can’t miss about Hamilton is that the cast is predominantly are actors of color playing historical figures who were undeniably white.  Chris Jackson, Leslie Odom Jr., and Daveed Diggs, all Black men, play Washington, Burr and Lafayette, all white men.  Lin Manual Miranda plays the title role of Alexander Hamilton, and according to wikipeida “He is of predominantly Puerto Rican descent and also has distant Mexican, English, and African American ancestry.“ Once it became clear this show was going into syndication, Miranda quipped: “That’ll be the note that goes with the school productions: If this show ends up looking like the actual founding fathers, you messed up.” LMM has claimed, “This is a story about America then, told by America now, and we want to eliminate any distance—our story should look the way our country looks.“ There are people who love this approach, there are people who really do not, and there are, strangely, a number of people who almost don’t seem to notice.  We’ll do a deep dive into all these points of view, and explore the nature of history, the nature of art, and figure out what the race options are in Broadway.com’s open casting drop-down menu, in this episode of THM. Support the show

    1h 10m

  3. May 26

    Hamilton -- Lafayette and werewolves (Hamilton 6 of 12, episode 43)

    Send us Fan Mail This is a show about Hamilton the musical, and it’s about one of the main characters.  The point is to give some deep backstory to figure, and as I have promised, to never miss an opportunity to explore a crazy coincidence or good ghost story along they way. This is the 6th episode about Hamilton, and this is our ghost story.  Or rather, a monster story. There were plenty of crazy coincidences in this guy’s life.  It seemed like history was swirling around him, as events in his life and in world history were moving back and forth across continents and within huge countries, and they almost seemed to land him in the middle of things that would make a statistician shake their head against the impossible odds that one person could walk into that many different major moments. What was his secret?  Was it that he, like Hamilton himself, found himself orphaned with nothing but his wits and his drive to climb his way up to the top of society?  Was there a social climb for this man, who rose from an entirely obscure and forgotten line of minor nobility to being an international figure? No, that was all the unlikely deaths by the time he was two. But, he did seem to have an affability and hopefulness, almost an obliviousness to the fact that other people might not like him.  That WAS part of his character, but it wasn’t the the thing that has convinced many serious historians that he had raw courage, that he was someone who was unafraid in the face of danger, who was willing to enter a fight that he probably couldn’t win just for the sake of who he was. What convinced historians of that piece of this man’s makeup? Why, the werewolf hunts, of course. This is about the hero of two worlds, and his role in the most famous werewolf incident to that point in history, and maybe ever.  We’ll learn about the Marquis de Lafayette’s role stalking the Beast of Gevaudan in this episode of THM. Support the show

    45 min

  4. May 12

    Hamilton -- Did Hamilton own slaves? (Hamilton 5 of 12, episode 42)

    Send us Fan Mail I’ll get right to the point: Did Alexander Hamilton own slaves? There are those who definitely say yes.  There were those who definitely said no, although those voices are growing quieter.  Even Ron Chernow probably lands on the side of “probably.” But what are the facts?  What do we know for sure?  Does it all add up to an air tight case against him? But the even bigger question, probably, is what that means.  Does it mean any speech he gave, any philosophy he held, or vote he cast for abolition is a lie?  Does it mean that he was delusional, trying to justify for himself that which was unjustifable? Or does it mean that his detractors are still too determined to paint him as a villain?  In his day it was the Jacksonians and the Jeffersonians who were too willing to paint him as evil…and today it might be those farther left, who are really upset by the multi-racial casting of the show and, by extension, view it as a death blow if Hamilton did own slaves? It’s a big question and a serious one, and it deserves a deep dive.  We are going to walk through the mist of the most uncomfortable part of history, and see how that affects how we can understand the smash hit musical, on this episode of THM. Support the show

    58 min

  5. Apr 28

    Hamilton -- the full story of the duel (Hamilton 4 of 12 episode 41).

    Send us Fan Mail What’s the one thing you knew about Hamilton before the show?  One thing I remember from elementary school?  It’s the duel. Isn’t the duel a big deal in the life of Hamilton? Stop: What does the show have to say about the duel.  What’s the take home point?  What does it mean? Probably, you like Ham by the end, and it’s sad. Also probably mad at Burr for killing him. If you’re like me, a little confused about why he did it.  Why duel at all? Why throw away your shot?  I mean, kinda honor, but had that been the real theme in the show so far?  Hadn’t it all been about a new country, and new ideas, and breaking convention, and rap battles? There ARE questions about the duel: Why did it happen in the first place? Who’s fault was it that they were dueling?  Who challenged who, about what, and why did they have to end it by shooting? Ham had 11 duels in his life, and most were solved before the dueling. Why wasn’t this one? What were they dueling about? If the 10 duel commandments were that you didn’t really shoot each other, why did they shoot each other? What do we know for sure really happened at that duel? Who shot first? The show ends when he dies…but was there interesting stuff that happened after that?  Yes, there was!  What was it? Do you wanna know the answers to those questions?  I do! And WE WILL!  In this episode of THM. Support the show

    1h 13m

  6. Apr 14

    Hamilton -- All the things that led up to the duel (Hamilton 3 of 12 episode 40).

    Send us Fan Mail You have seen the musical and you know how the story ends: Aaron Burr shoots Alexander Hamilton.  This is the podcast where we ask big questions, so let’s ask the biggest of all: Why?  Why did these two guys do it?  There IS more to know about the whole event…why was dueling even a thing?  It was the 11th duel Hamilton had been involved with…was that a little or a lot?  But there’s a bigger, more existential question here.  Did those guys hate each other that much?  Was it the election of 1800, where Burr had a shot at being President but lost?  Did it start earlier?  Not only did they not always hate each other, but their first meeting…was about as far from a duel as you can possibly get.  And their first experience with a duel that involved each other…was also nothing that would lead you to think these guys were destined to shoot the most famous duel in American history. Of all the guys in all of the revolutionary period, why were these two the ones so at odds that it ended with one of them killing the other?   I’m not sure I can answer all of it, but I’ll take my best shot on this episode of Theater History and Mysteries. Support the show

    1h 13m

  7. Mar 31

    Hamilton -- How he saved the economy and the whole country (Hamilton 2 of 12, episode 39)

    Send us Fan Mail What if history remembers you, but for the wrong thing?  Not like, for a bad thing, but you did a bunch of amazing things that are all forgotten, and one kinda stupid thing is all that people can remember about you? Here’s an example. Have you ever heard of Herbert Marx?  Nope, that’s not Karl’s brother.  (Herman and Edward are Karl’s brothers) This Marx created a company called Marman products, which produced and sold a motorcycle between 1948 and 1949.  In World War II the company manufactured lots of stuff, including the Marman clamp, used to secure cargo.  It was what held the atomic bomb on the Enola Gay, and is still used on spacecraft.  Also, Herbert invented a vapor delivery heating pad, and a wrtiswatch that was also a cardiac heart rate monitor that alerted the user to an irregular heart beat. If that sounds like an early version of the iWatch, or the FitBit, that monitors your biometrics, it WAS, and it was invented by the intrepid Herbert in the 1950s. Elizabeth Marshall, herself a scientist, wrote in 2024:  “Marx’s contribution to the field of medical technology had a lasting impact on both innovation and patient care. While his wristwatch with a heart monitor and heating pad may not have reached widespread production, its concepts and principles laid the foundation for future advancements in wearable health technology.” And ends the article with: “The wristwatch with a heart monitor and heating pad exemplifies Marx’s commitment to using technology for the betterment of humanity, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire innovators today.” You’d think at this point I was going to talk about how history has forgotten this medical research pioneers, who’s work has been overshadowed, overlooked, or just forgotten.  But that’s not what we’re here for!  We’re here to look aghast at people who have been remembered for all the wrong reasons. You DO know Herbert Marx, but not because he set in motion improvements in medical technology that still inspire researchers today.  You know him by the name “Zeppo” – the fourth of comic team of Marx Brothers, who made films like Duck Soup, Monkey Business, and Horse Feathers.  Even his own family looked at him as a second fiddle – his second wife left him for Frank Sinatra (although a lot of that, frankly, was his fault).  Anyway, if he’s remembered at all, it’s as the straight man to Groucho, or just as the least funny Marx brother. That’s some fate, huh?  You come up with a iWatch 70 years ahead of it’s time but all you’re remembered for is feeding Groucho Marx straight lines? Well, how about this: You single-handedly saved the United State from financial ruin and are more responsible than anyone else for the creation of the United States constitution, and all you are remembered for is losing a pistol duel to Aaron Burr Today, we’ll dive into what Alexander Hamilton should be remembered for but isn’t…we enter the world of high finance on this episode of THM. Support the show

    59 min

  8. Mar 17

    Hamilton -- The show and why Hamilton might be even more impressive that you think (Hamilton 1 of 12, episode 38)

    Send us Fan Mail Alexander Hamilton did some major things that still impact the world we live in today...but you might not really get what those are from watching the musical.  Today's episode is designed to review those things and figure out what the musical focuses on, what Hamilton really did, and why it might be even more impressive than you might think. My goal is to tell you something you don’t already know about Hamilton the musical, and Alexander Hamilton the guy. Here’s an opening: Grew up in Utah.  We had the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Donny and Marie Osmond, a very LDS influenced state legislature, and we did NOT have underground hip hop scene. You would have bet me in 1994 that this would have happened, I would have told you that you were crazy:  “Consider the following. On March 9, 2016, Utah State Senator Jim Dabakis, an openly gay Democrat and founder of an advocacy group called Utah Progressives, and Utah State Representative Ken Ivory, a conservative Republican best known for urging state officials to seize federal land, donned eighteenth-century costumes to extol the virtues of Hamilton to their fellow lawmakers. With Dabakis dressed as King George III and Ivory as Hamilton, they urged their peers to pass a resolution honoring Lin-Manuel Miranda and his historically inspired musical. Despite their many political disagree-ments, these legislators’ love of Hamilton had brought them to-gether. Their resolution praised the musical for capturing “the human drama, intrigue, passion, perplexity, and promise of Ameri-ca’s founding in a way that resonates with a modern and ethnically diverse America” and for captivating audiences “regardless of eco-nomic circumstances or political stances.”1 The resolution easily passed in both the House and Senate, and was quickly signed into law by Utah’s Republican governor Gary Herbert.” From Historians on Hamilton, chapter 14. That is mind-blowing.  I want to tell you more things you don’t expect.  I’ll start with the BASIC history about Hamilton.  Pretty sure that I can do it at least once in this episode of THM. Support the show

    50 min
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About

The deepest dives you can find anywhere into the history and backstory of the great musical productions.  Dense content...for people who aren't.  And, I’ll never miss an opportunity to pursue any mystery, bizarre coincidence, improbable event, or supernatural suggestion along the way because, in the words of Dirk Gentley, it is all connected. You can contact me directly at theaterhistorypodcast@gmail.com Released every other Tuesday.  Music by Jon Bruschke and Andrew Howat, arranged, performed, and recorded by Andrew Howat. Check out the interview on Musical Theater Radio, episode 404: https://www.musicaltheatreradio.com/podcast

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Jon Bruschke, PhD
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    46
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Theater History and Mysteries
  • Show Website
    Theater History and Mysteries