With the Wicked movie adaptation just around the corner, The Cosmic Curtain host Brian Kitson wanted to revisit the novel and musical to explore what people can expect from the first Wicked movie. Joining him in this Wicked discussion is the incomparable Izzy Friedman, a fellow writer at The Cosmic Circus and Broadway enthusiast. Listen as the duo explores possible storylines that could be expanded upon, essential pieces of the story that need to be included, and why anything with Johnathan Bailey is worth watching.

Wicked arrives in theaters on November 22! Are you excited about the film? Have you seen the Broadway musical before? What did you think of this episode? Let us know your thoughts on social media @mycosmiccircus and @boxseatbabes!

Wicked the movie stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Ariana Grande as Glinda, Johnathan Bailey as Fiyero, Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard and many more!

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Find the full video version of this podcast on YouTube @CosmicCircusBroadway or the website https://broadway.thecosmiccircus.com

MJ the Musical explores Michael Jackson's life through the songs that made him a pop music sensation. Having won four Tony Awards and becoming one of the highest-grossing musicals of all time, it makes perfect sense that MJ The Musical would tour North America!

Ahead of its premiere here in Detroit at The Fisher Theatre as a part of the Broadway in Detroit series of shows, Brian Kitson sat down with one of the show's stars, Devin Bowles, who plays Joe Jackson and Rob in MJ The Musical! In this exclusive Cosmic Circus Broadway interview, Bowles talks about his life journey from football player to Broadway star, what he connected with in this show, and what makes MJ The Musical so special! Enjoy!

For the full video of this interview visit our YouTube channel @CosmicCircusBroadway at https://youtu.be/BHADOmAj1oM?si=-V50M_tBAhwGq2nz

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MJ The Musical is at The Fisher Theatre in Detroit, Michigan from now until November 3, as a part of the Broadway in Detroit 2024-2025 season! This musical is currently in year two of its tour, so catch it when it arrives in a city near you!

For more Broadway coverage, visit https://broadway.thecosmiccircus.com Follow us on social media @ mycosmiccircus @ boxseatbabes or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircusbroadway

With Strangers on A Train beginning its run last week, we've sat down with Meadow Brook Theatre's Artistic Director, Travis Walter, along with stars of this play, Ron Williams and Stephen Blackwell! In this interview, the two stars and director discuss why Strangers on a Train felt like the perfect show to begin the season with, what drew them to the project, how some of the character decisions and motivations came to be, and how this production has challenged them all in their respective roles. Enjoy!

Timestamps for this interview:

• 00:00 - Intro
• 00:40 - How is production going so far with Strangers on a Train? What has the audience reaction been?
• 04:35 - Talking about the opening scene, the banter and intensity and the dynamic between the characters.
• 11:42 - Impressive performances from the actors provide a lot for the audience to take in with every performance
• 15:27 - Perception of Guy's behavior from the audience
• 16:47 - Book (by Patricia Highsmith) vs Alfred Hitchcock film vs the play. How the hero and villain roles are presented, and the motives of the characters.
• 28:25 - The addition of "the mirror bit"
• 30:00- Balancing humor & charm with an equally terrifying character
• 32:00 - Charles' return and audience reaction
• 35:30 - Guy's reaction and guilt about what happened
• 36;55 - Challenges of this production
• 43:05 - What are you hoping audiences will take away from Strangers on a Train?
• 47:20 - Outro

Simon Henriques and Skylar Fox wrote The Grown-Ups, which The Ringwald is opening up their 2024-2025 season with!

The show opened this past weekend and runs through November 4, and just before its debut, we were able to sit down with the director of this production of The Grown-Ups, Jennifer Goff! In this exclusive interview, Goff discusses what drew her to wanting to direct this story, which themes stick out to her the most, and the challenges of transitioning an outdoor show to a black box theater. Enjoy!

Timestamps for this interview:

00:00 - Intro

00:34 - How is the rehearsal process going for The Grown-Ups?

01:05 - What is The Grown-Ups about?

02:08 - What drew you to this story? What makes it unique?

05:41 - The show is closing just before the 2024 election, why was this the right time to tell this story?

06:16 - Challenges of bringing this play and story to life on stage?

08:49 - As the director, what's your process bringing your ideas to the stage?

11:40 - What themes in The Grown-Ups resonate with you the most?

12:30 - Outdoor vs indoor shows

14:02 - What do you want audiences to walk away with from The Grown-Ups?

14:35 - Outro

For more Broadway coverage, visit https://broadway.thecosmiccircus.com Follow us on social media @ mycosmiccircus @ boxseatbabes or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircusbroadway

Ahead of the production's debut on October 25th, Brian Kitson sat down with Krista Schafer, the director of the University of Detroit Mercy's Witch. In this interview, Schafer discusses what drew her to this production, how working with college actors differs from some of her past directorial work, how she's grown in this role, and what themes from Witch resonate with her the most. Enjoy the interview!

Timestamps for this interview: 00:00 - Intro 00:35 - How are rehearsals going so far for Witch? 03:43 - Managing technical aspects of the show as the director 07:35 - About Witch 09:45 - What makes this show unique 13:49 - How as Witch been updated from the original story? 14:25 - Exploring gender and gender roles in Witch 18:23 - Process of bringing a show like this to stage 22:48 - How has Witch challenged you as a director? 25:02 - Themes in this play that resonate the most with you? 27:27 - What's next for you? 29:15 - Outro

For more Broadway coverage, visit https://broadway.thecosmiccircus.com

Follow us on social media @ mycosmiccircus @ boxseatbabes or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircusbroadway

If you're looking for the perfect stage show for Halloween, the University of Detroit Mercy's theatre department has the show for you, as they bring Jen Silverman's Witch to life on their stage! Ahead of the production's debut, I sat down with one of the Witch's cast members, Katherine Mutschler, a senior at the university. In this interview, Mutscheler discusses her role in the play, how this production has pushed her as an actor, what she's most excited for audiences to take away from Witch, and where she sees her future in show business going. Enjoy the interview!

If you're in the Metro Detroit area, grab your tickets for University of Detroit Mercy's Witch, which runs for six shows beginning October 25!

Timestamps for this interview:

• 00:00 - Intro
• 00:35 - How are the rehearsals for Witch going so far?
• 01:45 - About Witch, the premise for the show and Kathrine's role in it.
• 03:40 - How the show has been updated/modernized from an old Jacobean story/play?
• 05:35 - Why tell this story now? A good story to tell for around Halloween.
• 07:03 - How does your character evolve over the course of the story?
• 08:30 - How has this production pushed you as an actor?
• 09:30 - What are the themes in Witch that resonate with you the most?
• 11:16 - Standout moments in the production
• 12:43 - What has been your experience with the University of Detroit Mercy's theatre department so far?
• 14:32 - Do you plan to continue acting after graduation?
• 15:20 - What is your dream role to play?
• 17:17 - What do you hope audiences take away from Witch?
• 19:10 - Show info, and outro

For more Broadway coverage, visit https://broadway.thecosmiccircus.com

Follow us on social media @ mycosmiccircus and @ boxseatbabes and find the video version of this interview on our YouTube channel @CosmicCircusBroadway https://www.youtube.com/@CosmicCircusBroadway

The second show in Broadway in Detroit's 2024-2025 season, Some Like It Hot is an adaptation of a 1959 film starring Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, and Marilyn Monroe! This musical adaptation is not an exact remake of the film, as it makes some major updates to some of the stories and characters.

Hosts Brian Kitson and RJ Miller-Zelinko were excited to discuss the show and have a fascinating in-depth discussion! Brian and RJ discuss some of the changes, how their personal experience helped to dictate their enjoyment of the show, stand-out performances, and moments from Some Like It Hot, and if they would see it again. Catch Some Like It Hot when it arrives in a city near you!

Timestamps 00:00 - Intros 00:53 - SPOILER warning for Some Like it Hot the musical and the movie discussed in this podcast, and general info about the show. 04:45 - Changes to the ethnicity of some of the characters from the film to POC. 09:30 - Sugar (Marilyn Monroe's character in the 1959 film) and the musical having a more modern approach to her character. 13:30 - Daphne/Jerry (Jack Lemmon's character in the film) and differences from the film. How the musical approaches a trans storyline. 20:18 - The older generation's reaction to the musical's trans aspects. (RJ's mom POV) 23:14 - Comparing this musical to how & Juliet handled a trans character, and audience reactions. 26:47 - Questions for the writers about the approach to the trans storyline. 27:14 - Moulin Rouge and & Juliet and aspects of the Jukebox musical having less of an impact on some audiences than a show like Some Like It Hot does for certain subjects. 28:45 - The crossdressing aspects of the film and shows like Mrs. Doubtfire and using it for comedy. 33:17 - Big band and the music in Some Like It Hot 38:31 - Stand out performers in the show 41:35 - The jokes and humor in the show 45:49 - Weak points 45:00 - The costumes and set 48:20 - Rewatchability of Some Like it Hot the musical 49:45 - Outros

For more Broadway musical and theatre coverage, visit https://broadway.thecosmiccircus.com and follow @ mycosmiccircus and @ boxseatbabes on social media for updates!

Broadway in Detroit is looking towards the next show that is arriving in just a few weeks. Some Like It Hot, an adaptation of the 1959 film starring Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, and Marilyn Monroe, opens in the Metro Detroit area on October 1st! We sat down with Stephen Michael Langton, who is a part of the ensemble as well as the understudy for Osgood!

In this interview, Langton spoke about how the show (in previews at the time of recording) is developing, what the challenges are for his roles, how he balances his mental health on the road, and his love of gaming.

Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:30 - About Some Like It Hot and what drew you to this show? 04:27 - Audition process 06:42 - Challenges to playing two different roles in the show. 10:20 - Getting into character 12:00 - How being in Newsies helped prepare you for Some Like It Hot 13:45 - Being a gamer: PC vs console and "comfort games." 15:35 - Protecting your mental health while on the road. 17:40 - How your role in Some Like It Hot pushes you as an actor 19:30 - Is there anything special or specific you try to do as you visit different cities during the tour? 21:50 - Outros

Find the video version of this interview and more on our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@CosmicCircusBroadway

For more Broadway coverage, visit https://broadway.thecosmiccircus.com

Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus