Scene to Song

Is Glinda’s side of Wicked memory-based? And why is she so darn optimistic? This episode, Shoshana is joined by actor and singer Jennafer Newberry, best known for serving as the Glinda standby in the Broadway production of Wicked after previously playing Glinda on the national tour. In addition to her performing career, Newberry is also a musical theatre faculty member at the New York Film Academy. The main conversation dives into Glinda’s character arc in Wicked, exploring the idea that the story may be Glinda’s memory-based retelling of Elphaba’s life. Shoshana and Newberry unpack Glinda’s privileged optimism at Shiz University, the comic brilliance of “Popular,” and how songs like “Dancing Through Life,” “One Short Day,” and “Thank Goodness” reveal her gradual transformation. They also discuss the emotional weight of “For Good” and the leadership role Glinda ultimately steps into by the end of the story. In the “Why Is This So Good?” segment, they analyze “Agony” from Into the Woods, exploring how Stephen Sondheim uses humor, structure, and character to elevate the song into one of musical theater’s great comedic duets. Music featured: “Popular” from Wicked “Dancing Through Life” from Wicked “One Short Day” from Wicked “Thank Goodness” from Wicked “For Good” from Wicked “Agony” from Into the Woods You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @‌ScenetoSong  Be sure to sign up for the monthly e-newsletter at http://scenetosong.substack.com and consider supporting the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/scenetosong . The theme music is by Julia Meinwald.

Shoshana is joined by writer and theater aficionado John Verderber, author of Harry Reams Goes to Hollywood and American Father, longtime Little Red Light Theater associate, and contributor to Time Out New York, New York Magazine, and Everything Sondheim. We deep dive into Christopher Guest's beloved mockumentary Waiting for Guffman and the musical within it Red, White, and Blaine. In honor of Catherine O’Hara we thought diving into Waiting for Guffman was timely. We explore what makes the film endure: its uncanny authenticity to the world of community theater, the emotional stakes bound up in the hope of Broadway recognition via the elusive Mort Guffman, and the genuine earnestness at the heart of its musical numbers. They also trace its influence on the wave of mockumentary-style comedies that followed. In the Why Is This So Good? segment, Verderber makes the case for "The Dream" from Fiddler on the Roof. Music featured: A Penny for Your Thoughts from Waiting for Guffman. Stool Boom from Waiting for Guffman The Dream from Fiddler on the Roof. You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @‌ScenetoSong and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald.

"We watch a Holocaust play and we know that all of these people are gonna die. We watch an AIDS play and we know how badly it's gonna turn out." So what does it mean for a musical to be a period piece marked by tragedy? In this Season 9 premiere of Scene to Song, host Shoshana Greenberg sits down with dramaturg Deborah Blumenthal to explore how musicals like Rent and Falsettos have transformed from contemporary stories into historical texts. They examine these iconic Broadway shows through the lens of the AIDS crisis, discussing how audiences experience them differently now than when they first premiered. The conversation also features an analysis of "New York" from the 2024 West End musical Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York). In this episode, you'll hear about: How Rent and Falsettos function as AIDS-era period pieces The evolving audience relationship with tragic historical musicals Deborah's dramaturgical approach to reviving classic shows Her upcoming production of Heartbreak Hotel What makes a musical become a "period piece" You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @‌ScenetoSong and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald.  

Five of this season's guests--William Forrest  (Episode 118: The Sherman Brothers' Movie Musicals for Disney), Rick Rhobajt Widen (Episode 121: Bible Musicals), Tara Krieger (Episode 123: Tim Rice, Benny Andersson, and Björn Ulvaeus's Chess), Nathan Platte (Episode 126: Meet Me in St. Louis), and BethAnn Cohen (Parody in Musical Theater (Ep. 127))--return to discuss topics from the season and answer listener questions and comments. We also discuss the song "Chim Chim Cher-ee" from the 1964 film Mary Poppins. This discussion was held live on Monday, December 22nd on Scene to Song’s YouTube channel, and was recorded for this podcast almost in its entirety. Scene to Song will return in January 2026. In the meantime, you can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow us on Instagram at @ScenetoSong and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music you are hearing is by Julia Meinwald. Music played in this episode: "Chim Chim Cher-ee" from Mary Poppins

Did you know writer and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston wrote a musical? Now you do! Multidisciplinary Black feminist scholar-artist Jordan Ealey discusses Hurston’s 1944 musical Polk County and what this anthropological musical was like, as well as its past and future in the musical theater canon. We also discuss “Sweet Chitty Chatty” from Kirsten Childs’s 2000 musical The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin. Join us for the annual Scene to Song Live Show on December 22nd at 8PM EST- streaming on Scene to Song's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@SceneToSong  Music played in this episode: "Halihmuhfack" “Wake Up, Jacob” “Sweet Chitty Chatty” from The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin

How did William Finn and Jonathan Larson revolutionize musical theater in the 1980s and 90s? Assistant Professor of Music Alex Bádue joins host Shoshana Greenberg to explore the parallel journeys and creative intersections of these two groundbreaking composers. From their early work in the 80s to their hits Falsettos and Rent in the 1990s and more. We also talk about the song “Four Jews in a Room Bitching” from William Finn’s 1981 musical March of the Falsettos and then William Finn and James Lapine’s 1992 musical Falsettos. Music played in this episode: ”Rent” from Rent ”Republicans” by William Finn ”All Fall Down” from Romance in Hard Times “Rap Mitzvah” by Jonathan Larson, Jeff Kahn, and Ben Stiller “Four Jews in a Room Bitching” from March of the Falsettos/Falsettos 💌 Write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. 🫶 Follow on Instagram at @‌ScenetoSong and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” ✅ sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. ❤️ Support the independently produced show on the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald.

BethAnn Freed Cohen joins Scene to Song to discuss parody in musical theater. We discuss “what exactly is a parody?” and what it means in musicals. We dig into what elements make a good parody, using examples such as Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance and the episode “Original Cast Album: Co-op” from the show Documentary Now! As BethAnn notes, ” there are musicals that are funny but are not parodies and there are musicals that copy styles but are not funny.” We also talk about the Stephen Sondheim and Mary Rodgers song “The Boy From…” from 1966 revue The Mad Show. You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @‌ScenetoSong and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald. Music played in this episode: ”With Cat-Like Tread, Upon Our Prey We Steal” from The Pirates of Penzance ”I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General” from The Pirates of Penzance ”The Element Song” by Tom Lehrer ”My Home Court” from “Original Cast Album: Co-Op” ”I gotta go” from “Original Cast Album: Co-Op” ”Holiday Party (I Did a Little Cocaine Tonight)” from “Original Cast Album: Co-Op” ”The Boy from…” from The Mad Show

Associate Professor of Musicology Nathan Platte discusses the 1944 movie musical Meet Me in St. Louis and 1989 Broadway musical adaptation, looking at how songs are used and how the story and songs changed from author Sally Benson's treatment to the big screen and beyond. We also talk about the Sherman Brothers' song "Feed the Birds (Tuppence a Bag)" from the 1964 movie musical Mary Poppins. You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @ScenetoSong and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald.  Music played in this episode: "Over the Bannister" from Meet Me in St. Louis "Under the Bamboo Tree" from Meet Me in St. Louis "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" from Meet Me in St. Louis "Feed the Birds (Tuppence a Bag)" from Marry Poppins

In this episode, singer, actress, writer, lyricist, and voiceover artist Amanda Fischler discusses Greek mythology in musical theater from Hadestown to The Golden Apple and all the aspects that go into writing these stories. We also talk about the song "In My Own Little Corner" from Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's 1957 TV musical Cinderella, specifically the 1997 TV version with Brandy. You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @ScenetoSong and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald.  Music played in this episode: "Why We Build the Wall" from Hadestown "The Tirade" from The Golden Apple "In My Own Little Corner" from Cinderella

In this episode, dramaturg, director and producer Shaun Leisher discusses the Muppet movies as musical theater. We also talk about the song "Side by Side/What Would We Do Without You" from Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's 1970 musical Company, specifically The Muppet Show version with Loretta Swit. You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @ScenetoSong and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald.  Music played in this episode: "Moving Right Along" from The Muppet Movie "Rainbow Connection" from The Muppet Movie "Going to Go Back There One Day" from The Muppet Movie "Hey It’s a Movie" from The Great Muppet Caper "Happiness Hotel" from The Great Muppet Caper "Cabin Fever" from Muppet Treasure Island "You Can’t Take No for an Answer" from The Muppets Take Manhattan "Scrooge" from The Muppet Christmas Carol "Side by Side/What Would We Do Without You" from Company

In this episode, attorney and writer Tara Krieger discusses Tim Rice, Benny Andersson, and Björn Ulvaeus's 1986 musical Chess. We also talk about the song "This Is the Hour" from Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg's 1989 musical Miss Saigon. You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @ScenetoSong and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald.  Music played in this episode: "Merano" from Chess "Pity the Child" from Chess "One Night in Bangkok" from Chess "Someone Else's Story" from Chess "Nobody's Side" from Chess "The Arbiter" from Chess "Quartet (A Model of Decorum and Tranquility)" from Chess "Endgame #1" from Chess "Endgame #3" from Chess "This Is the Hour" from Miss Saigon

In this episode, writer and director Michael Boyd discusses Tom O'Horgan, Helen Miller, and Eve Merriam's 1971 musical Inner City, the story behind this short-lived musical, most likely the first Broadway musical with a score by two women, as well as a look some of the songs. We also talk about the song "Hushaby/My Mother Said" from Inner City. You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @ScenetoSong and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald. StageStuck! Conference Information

In this episode, theater Reviewer, composer, lyricist and librettist Donald H. Sandborn III discusses Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's 1973 musical A Little Night Music. We also talk about the song "Send in the Clowns" from A Little Night Music. You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @ScenetoSong and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald. Music played in this episode: "Now / Later / Soon" from A Little Night Music "The Glamorous Life" from A Little Night Music "The Glamorous Life" from A Little Night Music film "Every Day a Little Death" from A Little Night Music "A Weekend in the Country" from A Little Night Music "Send in the Clowns" from A Little Night Music "Finale: Send in the Clowns" from A Little Night Music Glynis Johns singing "Send in the Clowns" on television.

In this episode, writer Rick Rhobajt Widen discusses bible musicals, running the gamut from Children of Eden, Two by Two, and Jesus Christ Superstar to religion-adjacent musicals like Saved and Leap of Faith . We also talk about the song "Writing a Gospel Play" from Michael R. Jackson's 2022 musical A Strange Loop. You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @ScenetoSong and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald. Music played in this episode: "Generations" from Children of Eden "Why Me?" from Two by Two "Deborah (Lead Me to the Rock)" from Bible Women "Answer Me" from The Band’s Visit "Two by Two" from Two by Two "Samuel Anoints David" from King David "I Don’t Know How to Love Him" from Jesus Christ Superstar "Feelings" from The Apple Tree "Writing a Gospel Play" from A Strange Loop "Faith Hope Love" by Rick Rhobajt Widen

As I prepare to record more episodes, I am sharing a conversation I had with former podcast guest Spencer Robelen on his The Hitchcock Gays podcast about Hitchcock’s 1945 film Spellbound starring Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck. I hope you enjoy getting to know Spencer’s podcast, and Scene to Song will be back in two weeks with a new episode. You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @ScenetoSong and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald.

In this episode, composer, lyricist, music director, and educator Katya Stanislavskaya discusses representations of Russia/the USSR in musical theater from Fiddler on the Roof to Anastasia to off-Broadway's Iron Curtain and many in between. We also talk about the song "The Beauty Is" from Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas's 2005 musical The Light in the Piazza. You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @ScenetoSong and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald. Music played in this episode: "To Life" from Fiddler on the Roof "Prologue" from Natasha, Pierre, & The Great Comet of 1812 "No One Else" from Natasha, Pierre, & The Great Comet of 1812 "Crossing a Bridge" from Anastasia "Two Worlds" from Doctor Zhivago "That's Capital" from Iron Curtain "Our Time" from Lempicka "The Beauty Is" from The Light in the Piazza

In this episode, actress, Chair of Performing Arts at New York Film Academy, and original Wicked cast member Kristy Cates discusses Elphaba's journey in Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman's 2003 musical Wicked. We also talk about the song "No One is Alone" from Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's 1987 musical Into the Woods. You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @ScenetoSong and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald. Music played in this episode: "The Wizard and I" from Wicked "No Good Deed" from Wicked "For Good" from Wicked "No One Is Alone" from Into the Woods

In this episode, writer, dramaturg, and publishing professional William Forrest discusses the Sherman Brothers' Movie Musicals for Disney, tracing their trajectory from their early pop hits to the sophistication of of the book musical in such films as Mary Poppins (1964). We also talk about the song "Soon It's Gonna Rain" from Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt's 1960 musical The Fantasticks. You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @ScenetoSong and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald. Music played in this episode: "Pineapple Princess" by The Sherman Brothers "The Parent Trap" from The Parent Trap "Chim Chim Cheree" from Mary Poppins "A Spoonful of Sugar" from Mary Poppins "Valentine Candy" from The Happiest Millionaire  "Soon It’s Gonna Rain" from The Fantasticks

In this episode, five of this season's guests--Robert W. Schneider (Episode 114: Queer Characters in Musical Theater), Christopher Culp (Episode 105: Class, Race, and Gender Anxiety in Little Shop of Horrors), Andi Carter (Episode 112: Andrew Lloyd Webber's Musical Cats Part 2), BethAnn Cohen (Episode 108: The Bimbo or Ditz Character in Sondheim Musicals), and Matt Koplik (Episode 109: Jeanine Tesori Musicals)--return to discuss topics from the season and answer listener questions and comments. We also discuss the song "Wonderful" from the 2003 Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman musical Wicked. This discussion was held live on Monday, December 23rd on Scene to Song’s Facebook page, and was recorded for this podcast almost in its entirety. Scene to Song will return in January 2025. In the meantime, you can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow us on Instagram at @ScenetoSong and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.”  And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music you are hearing is by Julia Meinwald. Music played in this episode: "Wonderful" from Wicked

In this episode, composer, lyricist, and playwright Spencer Robelen discusses musical theater in the films of Alfred Hitchcock, from his early silent movies to Waltzes from Vienna to Stage Fright to The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956). We also talk about the song "Miss Up-to-Date" from his 1929 film Blackmail. You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @ScenetoSong and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald. Music played in this episode: "Like a Star in the Sky" from Waltzes from Vienna "With All My Heart" from Waltzes from Vienna "The Laziest Gal in Town" by Cole Porter, sung by Marlene Dietrich in Stage Fright "Que Sera Sera" by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, sung by Doris Day in The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) "Miss Up-to-Date" by Billy Mayerl and Frank Eyton, sung by Cyril Ritchard in Blackmail