Fresh Air: Stars of the Stage

5.0 (1)
ARTS

This collection features interviews with Broadway luminaries including some of its most celebrated stars, composers, and lyricists. We'll hear from Stephen Sondheim, Julie Andrews, Audra McDonald, Bock & Harnick, and Barbra Streisand.

10/29/2025

Fresh Air: Stars of the Stage Trailer

Broadwaaaaaay! This collection of interviews with Broadway luminaries includes some of its most celebrated stars, composers, and lyricists. We'll hear from Stephen Sondheim, Julie Andrews, Audra McDonald, Bock & Harnick, Barbra Streisand, and more. Subscribe to Fresh Air+ to get exclusive access to this and other collections. Plus, you'll get exclusive Fresh Air+ archive episodes every Sunday, and sponsor-free listening for all available episodes. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

1 min
04/19/2023 • FRESH AIR+ ONLY

"Chicago" and "Cabaret" songwriters John Kander and Fred Ebb

In 2023, Fresh Air paid tribute to the music of Broadway legends, John Kander and Fred Ebb. We listen back to an '83 interview with Kander and Ebb, plus '91 and '15 interviews with Kander.

35 min
04/10/2023 • FRESH AIR+ ONLY

Actor Josh Groban

The Grammy-Award winning baritone first auditioned to play the Demon Barber of Fleet Street back in high school. He didn't get the part then; now he's starring in the Broadway revival. He spoke with Fresh Air's Ann Marie Baldonado about his affinity for Stephen Sondheim, poking fun at his own image on TV, and starting his singing career as a teen.

34 min
10/21/2022 • FRESH AIR+ ONLY

Angela Lansbury on her great performances on stage and screen

In 2002 Lansbury received the Tony Award for lifetime achievement. The Murder, She Wrote star previously won Tonys for her performances in Gypsy and Sweeney Todd. Originally broadcast in 2000.

43 min
06/10/2022 • FRESH AIR+ ONLY

“The Sound of Music” star, Julie Andrews

Andrews was honored with the AFI's Life Achievement Award in 2022. In 2008 and 2019, she spoke to Fresh Air about growing up during WWII and performing in her parents' vaudeville.

36 min
03/05/2022 • FRESH AIR+ ONLY

"Annie," "Bye Bye Birdie" composer Charles Strouse

In this 2002 interview, composer Charles Strouse discusses his Broadway musicals include “Bye Bye Birdie,” “Annie,” and “Golden Boy,” which originally opened on Broadway in 1964 and starred Sammy Davis Jr. Strouse also composed music for film and TV, including "Those Were the Days," the theme song for TV's All in the Family.

41 min
12/01/2021 • FRESH AIR+ ONLY

Remembering Stephen Sondheim

Sondheim died Nov. 26, 2021 and was the lyricist and composer who gave us Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods and other shows. In 2010 he spoke about his writing process, from rhyming to finding the right note. We’ll also listen to archival interviews with collaborators and performers, including Stephen Colbert, James Lapine, Paul Gemignani and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

45 min
04/28/2014 • FRESH AIR+ ONLY

For Alan Cumming, Life Is (Once Again) A Cabaret

Cumming has starred in the musical Cabaret three times. He talks about the 2014 production — everything from his costume (which he calls a "Wonder Bra" for men) to the darker themes of the show.

43 min

See All (17)

TRAILER

Fresh Air: Stars of the Stage Trailer

Broadwaaaaaay! This collection of interviews with Broadway luminaries includes some of its most celebrated stars, composers, and lyricists. We'll hear from Stephen Sondheim, Julie Andrews, Audra McDonald, Bock & Harnick, Barbra Streisand, and more. Subscribe to Fresh Air+ to get exclusive access to this and other collections. Plus, you'll get exclusive Fresh Air+ archive episodes every Sunday, and sponsor-free listening for all available episodes. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

10/29/2025

•

1 min

Fresh Air from WHYY, the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues, is one of public radio's most popular programs. Hosted by Terry Gross and Tonya Mosley, the show features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries. Subscribe to Fresh Air Plus! You'll enjoy bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening - all while you support NPR's mission. Learn more at plus.npr.org/freshair And subscribe to our weekly newsletter, Fresh Air Weekly, to get interview highlights, staff recommendations, gems from the archive, and the week's interviews and reviews all in one place. Sign up at www.whyy.org/freshair

4.3 (35637)

BOOKS
Historians and reporters take us back to pivotal moments in the U.S. that have had long lasting reverberations: from the winners and losers of the financial crisis, to presidential legacies, to the fall of the Comanche Nation.

4.0 (6)

ARTS
A little-known secret about Fresh Air's staff: they're fervent pet parents. This is a collection celebrating cats & dogs, and how (and why) they behave like they do.

5.0 (2)

ARTS
Award winning authors discuss their craft and some of their classic works. From Stephen King (after his near fatal accident) to National Book Award winner Hilary Mantel, to remembrances of greats like Updike and Philip Roth.

4.8 (6)

ARTS
Hear from the cast members who've made Saturday Night Live a comedy institution for 50 years. This collection features comedy legends who regularly inspired Monday morning watercooler conversations. People like Tina Fey, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, John Mulaney, the Lonely Island, and more.

3.0 (2)

ARTS
With more than 40 years of interviews and reviews, there's a lot of Fresh Air to listen to. Hear the staff's favorites interviews, selected by host Terry Gross and her team.

4.3 (6)

ARTS

View Subscription FAQs

This collection features interviews with Broadway luminaries including some of its most celebrated stars, composers, and lyricists. We'll hear from Stephen Sondheim, Julie Andrews, Audra McDonald, Bock & Harnick, and Barbra Streisand.