Closing Night

In the previous episode you learned about the 30-year journey of 9 to 5, from a movie to a a big hit song to a TV show and eventually a Broadway musical. And in this bonus interview episode, you'll hear from Lisa Howard, one of the ensemble members in 9 to 5 who played Franklin Hart’s wife and was a part of the show from its early days in Los Angeles until its closing night on Broadway. She gives behind the scenes insights into the rehearsal process and some of the challenges this show faced just getting onstage and actually making it through a performance without stopping.

But wait, there’s more! You’ll also get an extra conversation about another musical Lisa did at the Marquis Theatre: Escape to Margaritaville. Now, this musical went through 4 out-of-town tryouts in 2017 before finally coming to Broadway the following year. But Margaritaville and its Jimmy Buffett score met with mixed reviews and only lasted 3.5 months at the Marquis.

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Closing Night is a production of WINMI Media with Patrick Oliver Jones as host and executive producer. Dan Delgado is the editor and co-producer, not only for this podcast but also for his own movie podcast called The Industry. Blake Stadnik composed the theme music, and Maria Clara Ribeiro is co-producer.

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In April of 2012, the very first revival of Evita came to Broadway, having done the same in London six years earlier. And in both productions, the title role featured a relatively unknown actress to Western audiences: Elena Roger. She followed a select few chosen to take on one of the most difficult female roles in musical theater. First, there was Julie Covington, then Elaine Paige, Patti LuPone, and Madonna. Among this group of women, Madonna was the only one to have already been a celebrity when she took on the role. As for the other ladies, it was Evita that introduced them to the world and turned them into stars. Such is the power of this musical, with book and lyrics by Tim Rice and the iconic score by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Whether it’s the 2006 West End revival or its subsequent transfer to Broadway in 2012, neither version even lasted a year, a far cry from their respective original productions. So how did this revival differ from those previous productions? And why couldn’t it recapture the fame and longevity of the original? In this episode, we’ll explore the history of this high-flying adored musical and the factors that led to its Broadway revival. We’ll also highlight some challenges this production faced and the impact Evita continues to have on audiences today.

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Closing Night is a production of WINMI Media with Patrick Oliver Jones as host and executive producer. Dan Delgado is the editor and co-producer, not only for this podcast but also for his own movie podcast called The Industry. Blake Stadnik composed the theme music, and Maria Clara Ribeiro is co-producer. Much appreciation goes to Hal Luftig, Christina DeCicco, and Sammi Cannold for their insights as well as the voice talents of our very own Dan Delgado.

Click here for the transcript and full list of links and resources used in this episode.

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Throughout this season and in between the main episodes, you get to hear some of my interviews with artists, creatives, and industry experts. And in this bonus interview episode, two of the guests from the Evita episode share more stories and insights.

The first one is actress Christina DeCicco, who played Eva Peron twice a week in the 2012 Broadway revival of Evita. She talks about her audition process, what rehearsals were like, and how she went about portrayed this iconic leading lady. I even open up a bit about my own time on the national tour and some of the parallels we both had in our respective productions.

Next, is Sammi Cannold, a director and long-time fan of the musical itself. She was actually in Argentina when we had this conversation, and she’ll be sharing what she’s learned about this larger-than-life woman, who even decades later is still very much a part of the fabric of Argentina life and culture. This research has informed each of the three productions she's directed of Evita. The latest one was at American Reperatory Theater in Summer of 2023, which the Boston Globe called "Exceptional! A new generation’s take on Evita."

Follow on Instagram and listen to Closing Night on your favorite podcast app!

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Closing Night is a production of WINMI Media with Patrick Oliver Jones as host and executive producer. Dan Delgado is the editor and co-producer, not only for this podcast but also for his own movie podcast called The Industry. Blake Stadnik composed the theme music, and Maria Clara Ribeiro is co-producer.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Marquis Theatre was having great success in 2001 with the revival of Annie Get Your Gun. It had opened in 1999 with Bernadette Peters and Tom Wopat and became just the second show in Marquis history to surpass 1000 performances. It closed with Crystal Bernard in the title role with Tom Wopat coming back as Frank Butler to close the show on September 1, 2001.

But ten days after Annie Get Your Gun closed, all of Broadway closed, New York City shut down, and an entire nation was brought to its knees in anguish, heartache, and disbelief. Everything stopped.

So far this season, Closing Night has been focused on individual shows at the Marquis Theatre and how and why they closed. But in this special episode, we’ll look at the whole Broadway community—the shows and actors and industry leaders—how they were affected by 9/11 and what it took to bring theater back to New York City.

Follow on Instagram and listen to Closing Night on your favorite podcast app.

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Closing Night is a production of WINMI Media with Patrick Oliver Jones as host and executive producer. Dan Delgado is the editor and co-producer, not only for this podcast but also for his own movie podcast called The Industry. Maria Clara Ribeiro is co-producer, and a big thank you goes to Playbill, the Guides Association of NYC, and the American September Project whose resources made this episode possible.

Click here for the transcript and full list of links and resources used in this episode.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Closing Night, a theater history podcast celebrating Broadway shows that closed too soon. In the previous episode we went back to the dark days of 9/11 as Broadway went dark and had to find its own way back as a nation grieved and was forever changed.

Back in 2021, which marked the 20th anniversary of those devastating 9/11 attacks, a live recording of the Broadway production of Come From Away was released. It featured many past and present members of the cast. But one of the original cast members, Rodney Hicks, was absent from the filming. And in this bonus episode I’m sharing a conversation I had with Rodney on my other podcast Why I’ll Never Make It. We discuss his long journey with the show, and how it came to a rather sudden end. Yet through it all, though, Rodney remained sure that even in the darkest of times, there is still some light to be found.

Rodney Hicks was featured in two episodes on Why I’ll Never Make It and they can be found on your favorite podcast app or on Youtube.

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Follow Closing Night on Instagram and listen to it on your favorite podcast app!

Closing Night is a production of WINMI Media with Patrick Oliver Jones as host and executive producer. Dan Delgado is the editor and producer, not only for this podcast but also for his own movie podcast called The Industry, and Maria Clara Ribeiro is co-producer.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices