Chasing Phantom

David Timberline
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Broadway's longest running shows

  1. #68: "Dreamgirls" with the dreamy Katrinah Carol Lewis

    1D AGO

    #68: "Dreamgirls" with the dreamy Katrinah Carol Lewis

    Valentine's Day is coming up, a time when the warmth of love takes our minds off the cold weather. So it's the perfect time for an episode about a show I love without reservation: "Dreamgirls." I'm not alone - critic Frank Rich called it "the most exciting staging of a Broadway musical in this decade." Others have labeled it "one of the most iconic, influential, and straight-up thrilling musicals ever written." For me, it was the first musical I ever saw on Broadway and there's always a special place in your heart for your first, particularly when it's this good. Joining me in raving about his show is Katrinah Carol Lewis, an exceptionally accomplished performer, director and actor who played the "replacement" Dream, Michelle, in a smashing 2016 production. I would have a blast talking about just about any show with Katrinah, but it's a particular pleasure delving into this one with her.  In addition to lifting up the music in the show, we touch on some of the issues masterfully explored in the musical, including the appropriation of black music by white artists and the exploitation of young women in the music business. We even sneak in a reference to Richmond home town star, Emily Skinner, who played one of the backup singers in the appropriating Dave and the Sweathearts group, in the 2001 Actors Fund of America concert version of the show. It was a recording of that performance that was the vehicle for Katrinah's discovery of this amazing musical. Please check out the my website, ChasingPhantom.net, for more information on "Dreamgirls" and some essential video clips.

    39 min
  2. #63: Matilda the Musical, and why it's not just a kid's show with Shannon Schilstra

    JAN 21

    #63: Matilda the Musical, and why it's not just a kid's show with Shannon Schilstra

    It's weird how prescience can come from such unexpected places. When I recorded this episode about "Matilda the Musical" with the delightful Shannon Schilstra, I had no idea how relevant the show's themes about the bad behavior of bullies would be. It's a good thing that cloud wasn't hanging over our conversation, allowing Shannon and I to have a fun and carefree conversation about the unexpected rapturous praise this wonderfully weird show, developed by the Royal Shakespeare Company, would receive. While certainly popular on Broadway, the show was and is an absolute smash in London, still running there for more than 14 years. Though my entree into the story was via the 1996 movie directed by Danny DeVito. Shockingly, Shannon has still not seen the original movie; she found Matilda through the musical first and has loved it ever since. We talk about how playing Miss Honey was a dream come true, both for her and her husband. Be sure and check out my website, ChasingPhantom.net, for more information about "Matilda the Musical" and some great video clips related to the show. And here's hoping the world's real-life bullies suffer the fate of Miss Trunchbull and get their just rewards in the years to come.

    39 min
  3. #67: 42nd Street (2001 revival), celebrating the New Year with Phil Crosby

    JAN 7

    #67: 42nd Street (2001 revival), celebrating the New Year with Phil Crosby

    For this first episode of 2026, I expose perhaps the most embarrassing gap in my theater knowledge. I often say I'm not as devoted a theater nerd as you might expect from someone who's written about theater for more than 25 years and has a theater history podcast but this episode is the proof.  I am ashamed to say I have never in my life seen what may be the ultimate Broadway lover's Broadway show, "42nd Street." This Broadway show about putting on a Broadway show includes all of the benchmarks of a Golden Age musical, even though the original idea for adapting the movie into a show only came to fruition in 1980. Even though this show exposed a huge gap in my theater knowledge, my guest is possibly the best person to talk about it: the podcast's most frequent guest, Phil Crosby. In this, his 8th appearance, Phil once again brings his extensive knowledge base to bear in our conversation about this classic "small town girl becomes a star" story. Phil was itching to dig deeper into the original production - and we couldn't help but dig into it a little - but in our consideration of the revival, we talk about why this show plays so well with certain generations, why it doesn't necessarily require big name stars, and what changed (for the better but arguably for the worse) between the original and the revival. Be sure and check out my website, ChasingPhantom.net, for more information related to the 2001 revival of "42nd Street" and, most importantly, some relevant video clips. Happy 2026! Let's hope this one's better than last year!

    33 min
  4. #60: Mary, Mary and the too-witty woman with Jordan Schildcrout

    12/23/2025

    #60: Mary, Mary and the too-witty woman with Jordan Schildcrout

    In the midst of your "Merry, Merry Christmas," let me interest you in a little "Mary, Mary" Broadway! Don't feel bad if you've never heard of this play -- I certainly hadn't -- but like so many other shows I've covered, there are SO many crazy and interesting stories related to this surprising entry in the pantheon of long running productions that reveal fascinating aspects of Broadway history. And the perfect person to bring a near-bottomless depth of knowledge to the subject of plays on Broadway is, of course, Jordan Schildcrout, author of "In the Long Run: A Cultural History of Broadway's Hit Plays." As we get to talking about this play, Jordan lays out the context for its unexpected success and we explicate how it ends up being weirdly both pro- and anti-feminist. We also spend some time ruminating on the career of Barbara Bel Geddes, known to most from "Dallas," but actually rose to fame initially for originating Maggie in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," a role Elizabeth Taylor would go on to own thanks to the movie adaptation. This "Mary, Mary" isn't so contrary a subject for the holidays as, in its own oddly traditional way, it reinforces conservative values and the sanctity of marriage. But at the same time, we can look back at it and be thankful that we truly have moved on past when women weren't "allowed" to be both pretty and witty. Be sure to check out our website, ChasingPhantom.net, for more information and related video clips. For "Mary, Mary," the whole movie is actually out there on YouTube. Happy holidays and see you in the new year!

    40 min
  5. #56: Ain't Misbehavin' with the incomparable Desirée Roots

    12/10/2025

    #56: Ain't Misbehavin' with the incomparable Desirée Roots

    Sure, you "Ain't Misbehavin'" at holiday time, but what about the rest of the year? For an expert on not misbehaving year-round, what person could I talk to that would be better than Desirée Roots?  Roots has graced Virginia stages for decades and her exceptional voice has made her a consistent draw for cabarets, big band performances, and special appearances with groups like the Richmond Symphony. Not only is she a great performer, but she has become a knowledgeable and savvy non-profit arts administrator and she brings all of that experience to bear in our deep dive into this show that features the enduring music of Fats Waller. "Ain't Misbehavin'" is a unique show - a jukebox musical of sorts before there was such a thing, but also a musical revue where the actors in the Broadway production would become the "characters" actors would play for all future production. There is only one other musical revue of its kind that ran longer on Broadway ("Smokey Joe's Cafe") so it is situated in a weird but fascinating niche in the Broadway canon.  Is "Ain't Misbehavin'" overlooked and underproduced? Or does it remain an underappreciated but still regularly staged show in the regional circuit? Desirée and I talk about all of that and more in this great conversation. Check out my website at ChasingPhantom.net for more information about this show and associated video clips. And please reach out to me at davidhintztimberline@gmail.com with comments, suggestions or cries of outrage!

    35 min
  6. #75: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying with Dr. Kristin Stultz Pressley

    11/25/2025

    #75: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying with Dr. Kristin Stultz Pressley

    If you look down the list of Pulitzer Prize-winning musicals, past more recent capital "I" important musicals like "Hamilton" and "A Strange Loop," you eventually get to "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." Sure, it's a caustic take on corporate culture but prize-winning? That seems a stretch, even with the creative team behind arguably the most beloved musical ever, "Guys and Dolls," on board. Luckily, I was able to talk to the woman who wrote the book on this subject, Kristin Stultz Pressley, to help make sense of this situation. Her book, "Pulitzer Prize-Winning Musicals: Of Thee I Sing to A Strange Loop," provides fascinating background on the 10 shows that have earned the prestigious prize and the sometimes unexpected reasons for their recognition. Dr. Pressley and I dig in deep on "How to Succeed..." and I came away from our conversation with a new appreciation of this show and also a deeper understanding of why it was honored some 60 years ago. As this episode is being released during Thanksgiving week, I thought it was a great time to highlight new friends I've made through this podcast, like Dr. Pressley, and also take a small aside at Black Friday which follows on the heels of the holiday. If you are feeling cynical about capitalism, "How to Succeed..." sure provides plenty of grist for that particular mill! Be sure and check out my website, ChasingPhantom.net, for more information and links to video clips relevant to our conversation. I am thankful for all of you listeners and hope you have a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday!

    43 min
  7. #80: Oh! Calcutta! with (a thankfully clothed) Dr. Jesse Rabinowitz

    11/12/2025

    #80: Oh! Calcutta! with (a thankfully clothed) Dr. Jesse Rabinowitz

    In approaching "Oh! Calcutta!" today, it's hard not to react with a "What! Really?!?" This is a show, that between the original production and its revival, had more than 7,200 performances on Broadway. Really? Full of nudity and bawdy - but also mostly bad - comedy, the popularity of this show is truly dumbfounding. And when dealing with something I have trouble understanding, I often turn to my very wise friend, Dr. Jesse Rabinowitz, for insight and a reality check. Dr. J provides that and more in this very fun episode explicating a very odd show. And after listening to it, you'll want to visit my website, ChasingPhantom.net, where I've added a new section with more info on some of my podcast guests that includes a *special offer* from author and historian Jordan Schildcrout. Check it out!

    37 min
  8. #64: Jekyll & Hyde with literary authority, Grace Todd

    10/29/2025

    #64: Jekyll & Hyde with literary authority, Grace Todd

    Happy Halloween! We have the perfect show to dig into for spooky season - mostly because it's downright scary how bad this musical is!  Frank Wildhorn's "Jekyll & Hyde" is a musical that, if there was a just theater god, would be forever relegated to the dustbin of Broadway history. There are many musicals I don't like but this is one I actively despise, partially for its innate flaws but also for its utter failure to achieve anything close to what it was aspiring for. Despite this - or maybe because of it - this podcast episode is delightful! It gave me the opportunity to catch up with classic literature maven and host of the podcast "Didn't Read It," Grace Todd, to get extremely snarky about all that is wrong with "J&H." We touch on everything from its complete abnegation of the original story to the lackluster and lazy staging of the Broadway production. And even after more than 30 minutes of criticism, we really only scratched the surface. By all means, please just listen to this episode and DON'T, for the love of god, spend any of your precious time watching this musical or listening to its music. You'll only encourage the man behind it, the notorious Frank Wildhorn, to do more violence to the good name of musical theater. If you do have time to spare, check out the podcast Grace and I did together called "Convince Me I Care." It's a lot more fun than Jekyll or Hyde! And of course as always, head to ChasingPhantom.net for more information about this show and others I've covered in the past, as well as video clips related to each production. And check back in 2 weeks for more of the best of BOO-roadway!

    38 min
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About

Broadway's longest running shows

Information

  • Creator
    David Timberline
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    68
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Chasing Phantom
  • Show Website
    Chasing Phantom