Thank You, Five
Arts
About
Matt and David put their theater degrees to good use. By talking about musical theater! What's the plot of the show? What's the juicy backstage drama? What's on the Wikipedia page? Come, sit a spell, and learn about shows that aren't Rent! Theme Music by James Higgens https://www.iamjameshiggins.com/ Cover Art by Elizabeth Brozek https://www.elizabethbrozek.com/
Episodes
- Shows That Bring Comfort and What's Coming Next
Welcome back!!! Matt and David had a really rough start to 2026, hence why we haven't been uploading episodes. We're back and we're looking to sit down and talk about more shows but first, we wanted to catch up and talk about shows that we…
- 2025 Holidays and Shows
We don't have a show to talk about this month, due to family things and holidays but we still wanted to bring you some fun theater talk! We want to wish all of our listeners a happy holiday season and a bright new year! Remember to leave a…
- Kiss of the Spider Woman - Act 2
Act 2 of Kiss of the Spider Woman and we're back with Molina and Valentin. Both are on the recovery from both their torture and their illnesses. Both are dreaming of the outside world and what they will do when they are free. If they get f…
- Kiss of the Spider Woman - Act 1
It's the 90s but we're in the 50s! Or is it the 80s? It's Brazil! Or is it Argentina? It's the Kiss of the Spider Woman, an early 90s queer revolutionary musical based off a movie based off a novel and that currently has a movie adaptation…
- The Scarlet Pimpernel - Act 2 (All Versions?) w/ Christine Caccipuoti from Footnoting History
It's Act 2 and we're back in France! Except when we're not! Join Christine, Matt, and David as we go over versions 1, 2, and 3 of act 2 of The Scarlet Pimpernel!! To find out more about Christine, please check out mynameispurpose on most i…
- The Scarlet Pimpernel - Act 1 (All Versions?) w/ Christine Caccipuoti from Footnoting History
We're talking about the musical about the French Revolution!!! Wait, no, we didn't already do that because Les Mis doesn't take place during the French Revolution! It's Frank Wildhorn's The Scarlet Pimpernel, the musical with almost as man…
- Hair - Act 2
Good morning, Starshine! It's time to Be-In and go through Act 2 of Hair! Just make sure you're sitting down cause act 2 is a ride that goes all over the place. So, Let the Sun Shine and join us! Remember to leave a five star review and no…
- Hair - Act 1
It's the summer of love and the sexual revolution and Vietnam is happening and there's so much civil unrest! It's time for Hair! So let's pull out our best bell bottoms and prayer beads and get ready to sit in and be in. Remember to leave…
- Anyone Can Whistle - Acts 2 & 3
We don't normally do this but we also don't normally do 3 act musicals!!! The Lady from Lourdes has shown up to investigate the Miracle but who is she? And what is Hopgood up to? And will Cora get all the Cookies back in the Cookie Jar? Re…
- Anyone Can Whistle - Act 1
This July, we're talking about Sonheim's second Broadway show he did both the music and lyrics for. Yes, we say it's the first in the show but we're correcting that now! Everyone in a small, poor town is overseen by the ruthless mayor Cora…
- La Cage aux Folles - Act II
Albin has left the stage, and the Dondins are on their way!! What can Georges and Jean-Michel do to patch this up and get Anne's family to love them? Well, a lot of shenanigans and the realization Jean-Michel is a terrible person. We're fi…
- La Cage aux Folles - Act I
It's June and to celebrate Pride, we're going back to La Cage Aux Folles! Come for the drag and stay for the shenanigans!!
- Tonys 2025
One of us just finsihed a show, and the other one of us is on their honey moon so let's talk about the Tony nominees that are out!!!
- Wicked - Act 2 w/ Emily Edwards
Wicked: For Good isn't out yet, but we're here to talk about Act 2 of the musical, which, spoiler alert, will be the basis of the second movie! After Elphaba leaves the Emerald City, things take a dark turn. And then Dorothy drops in. For…
- Wicked - Act 1 w/ Emily Edwards
*sung to the tune of Popular* Crossover! We're doing a CROSS OVER! This week is a big week here cause we're doing a crossover with Emily Edwards, author and host of F*ckbois of Literature podacst to talk about Wicked. We talked about the b…
- Urinetown - Act 2
It's Act 2 and we're ready to be tossed off the .. I mean, find out what Urinetown ACTUALLY is! Where is it? Who lives there? What is a metaphor? None of these questions and more will be answered until we have a musical song and snap numbe…
- Urinetown - Act 1
We continue the year of revolutionary thinking to bring you Urinetown! What is Urinetown? Where is Urinetown? Unfortunately, we'll have to wait for act 2 for this to be revealed in song and dance but until then, we can learn more about thi…
- Grey Gardens - Act 2
We're still wintering in the Hamptons with Big Edie and Little Edie and their army of racoons and cats! It's act 2, which means we're heavy into the documentary territory recreation and out of fantasy land. What caused the rift between the…
- Grey Gardens - Act 1
We're donning our revolutionary costumes for today and are taking you back in time to discuss Grey Gardens! Act 1 is all about Big Edie overshadowing Little Edie during her engagement announcement to Joe Kennedy Jr and the fallout that hap…
- Pippin - with David M. Perry and Matthew Gabriele
We're talking Pippin today, and we're joined by David M. Perry and Matthew Gabriele, historians and authors of books you should read! We're here today to talk about Pippin, the musical about the son of Charlemagne, music and lyrics by Step…
- Peter Pan, Panto, and the Meaning of Christmas
We take a holiday break to talk a bit about an intellectual property that includes musical theater and is associated with Christmas in England, but not necessiarly together. We're talking Peter Pan, the history of the IP, what IS a panto,…
- Mack and Mabel - Act 2 w/ Emily Edwards
We're rounding out November with the second act of Mack and Mabel with author and podcaster Emily J. Edwards! For more Emily, check out https://msemilyedwards.com/ and for Ticklish Business, check out https://ticklishbusiness.podbean.com/…
- Mack and Mabel - Act 1 w/ Emily Edwards
Today we're joined by Emily Edwards, author and cohost of the Ticklish Business podcast!!! We're talking pre Hayes code Hollywood, or at least the Jerry Herman rose colored glasses version of it in the famous musical flop, Mack and Mabel!…
- The Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder - Act 2
We finish off spooky month with the second act of Gentleman's Guide!!! Who's killing the D'Ysquiths? Why didn't this podcast episode come out on time? Will Monty marry Phoebe or Sybella? All of these questions might be answered on this pod…
- The Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder - Act 1
This October we're talking about MURDER and DEATH and maybe sorta LOVE. It's The Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder! See how one actor plays 500 different roles like that one TikToker renacting Rock Island from the Music Man! Gush over t…
- Sweet Charity - Act 2
We're back and we're just a big brass band for daddy! Join Matt and David as we finish up Sweet Charity! Will Charity find love? Will she admit her job to Oscar? Will they ever not be trapped somewhere?
- Sweet Charity - Act 1
In this era of Brat Summer, we're gonna talk about the ultimate musical theater queen of Brat Summer, Charity Hope Valentine! Who is she? What's a taxi dancer? What is my motivation during Hey Big Spender? All of these questions and more!
- Broadway Breakdown Fall 2024
It's hot (Wait, we already did that bit) and Matt and David are looking ahead to the cooler months to see what's coming and going on big ol way that we call Broad to see what we're willing to postpone our student loan payments to buy ticke…
- 110 in the Shade - Act 2
It's still hot in here, but at least the sun has finally gone down and we can see what happens to the townsfolk when things heat up as they cool off! Lizzie realizes things about herself and Starbuck tells some stories. And then something…
- 110 in the Shade - Act 1
It's hot and we're all praying for rain and a break in the heat and what better way to do that then with the Harvey Schmidt, Tom Jones, and N. Richard Nash musical, 110 in the Shade! You might know this from Nash's play The Rainmaker or th…
- The Grass Harp - Act 2
We're here for Act 2 of this delightful but also slightly dated little musical!
- The Grass Harp - Act 1
It's the musical based off of Truman Capote's novel! The story of two sisters arguing and thus one of them deciding to live in a tree and how that affects the family didn't do well as a Broadway musical, but it seems like there might have…
- Flora the Red Menace - Act 2
- Flora the Red Menace - Act 1
It's May so we're talking workers' rights! And Liza! And Kander and Ebb! It's a doozy and we're realizing this show doesn't get as much love as it deserves so check out Flora the Red Menace with us!
- A Little Night Music - Act 2
We're uninvited but we're still weekending in the country. Wear your hair down and get ready for act 2 of A Little Night Music! So many things happen in the space of one dinner party! Love, sex, a stunning red dress!
- A Little Night Music - Act 1
A podcast in the country! We wish we'd been asked! Fresh from the flop (at the time) that was Follies, the team of Sondheim and Prince were looking for something more ... lighthearted and decided to look to both French farces and Bergman f…
- Candide - Act 2
Life truly is happiness indeed, except when Mercury is in Retrograde, but even then it's the best of all possible worlds! We're finishing up February with act 2 of Candide! Who dies this time? To hear more from Zach or to check out the Har…
- Candide - ACT 1
Life is truly happiness indeed in that we get to talk to someone new about a great show! We're joined by Zach Ward of the Hardly Focused podcast to discuss Bernstein's Candide! Which one you ask? Well, sorta, all of them? What do you mean…
- The Sound of Music - Act II
We're back from trapaizing around the Austrian foothills in curtain clothes and we're ready to tackle the incoming Nazi take over! It's time for Act II of The Sound of Music! Happy Holidays!
- The Sound of Music - Act 1
It's a holiday tradition! Somewhere! We finding out what we can't face and deal with those who are sixteen going on seventeen. Come join us as we trek through the Austrian Alps with the Sound of Music!!
- Guys & Dolls - Act 2
We're all still getting over our psychosomatic colds and it's time for act 2 of Guys and Dolls!!! When we last left our cast, Sarah had ceremoniously broke it off with Sky, Adalaide was waiting for Nathan to settle down, and the various ga…
- Guys & Dolls - Act 1
It's November so our thoughts start heading towards warmer climates. Havana, especially! We're doing act 1 of the powerhouse, Guys & Dolls! So grab your dice and your bushels and your medical journals!
- The Rocky Horror Show - Act 2
Brad and Janet are spending the night over at the Frankestein place and things take a turn. Not that they weren't already. Touch A Touch A Touch A Touch Me cause we're doing Act 2 of The Rocky Horror Show!
- The Rocky Horror Show - Act 1
Who's Rocky Horror? Will Janet and Brad make it to Doctor Scott's? What does toast have to do with any of this anyway? We're talking about the cult show to end all cult movies or something hyperbolic like that! Put on your tap shoes and ge…
- Funny Girl - Act 2 with Robbie Rozelle
We get off the tug boat in Montecarlo and are ready for Ramin's abs and Omar's smile. What happens to Fanny once she gives up on fame for love? Will she stay away from the stage? All this and more with this month's special guest, Robbie Ro…
- Funny Girl - Act 1 with Robbie Rozelle
Don't tell us not to live, cause we're doing Funny Girl!!! International cabaret superstar Robbie Rozelle. We talk about everything from Taylor Dayne to Deborah Gibson. You can follow Robbie on all platforms at divarobbie. You can find Tha…
- Sweeney Todd - Act 2 w/ Alyssa Dyksterhouse
We're back with more pies and more shaving and more mayhem. Will Sweeney's plan come to fruition? Will Anthony rescue Johanna? How many versions to these parlor songs are there?!!! If you want to listen to Oh Malort or know more about Chic…
- Sweeney Todd - Act 1 w/ Alyssa Dyksterhouse
We're joined by Alyssa Dyksterhouse of the wonderful Oh Malort podcast to talk about Stephen Sondheim's macabre murder musical, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street! Sure it's long, but it's a great episode and a great show that…
- The Prom - Act 2
We're finishing Pride Month with act 2 of The Prom!!! It's a little shorter but so are most act 2s! Happy Pride everyone and enjoy!
- The Prom - Act 1
Happy Pride everyone!!! We're doing this month with The Prom so get your dresses and tuxes and flower arrangements and get ready to awkwardly slow dance to The End of the Road! Or whatever the kids are dancing to these days! Follow us on T…