Theater History and Mysteries
I take a musical theater production and do a deep dive to find a richer understanding about the lessons the show has for theater and life. And, I’ll never miss an opportunity to pursue any mystery, bizarre coincidence, improbable event, or supernatural suggestion along the way because, in the words of Dirk Gentley, it is all connected.
Released every other Tuesday. Coming release dates are Jan 28, Feb 11, Feb 25, Mar 11, Mar 25, April 8.
Music by Jon Bruschke and Andrew Howat, arranged, performed, and recorded by Andrew Howat.
Episodes
12 episodes
Les Miserables -- Let the seances end...for now... Episode 12 (6 of 8).
Starting in September 1853 Victor Hugo, exiled to an island off the coast of France because the now-Emperor Louis Napoleon has told the army to shoot Hugo on sight, has been holding a series of seances. There are been hundreds of them.&nb...
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48:27
Les Miserables -- Let the seances begin! Episode 11 (5 of 8).
Seance transcript images:Pages 1187 and 1189 of the seance transcripts contain the words "fille" and "morte," but neither includes the words Leopoldine.
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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42:33
Les Miserables -- The meaning of the book before the musical. Episode 10 (4 of 8).
Thanks almost entirely to his mistress, Victor Hugo escaped France with his life and an early manuscript of Les Miserables. While living in exile and on an island close to the coast but under British control, he finishes the book 10 years...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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34:24
Les Miserables -- Plot summary and the real people who inspired it. Episode 9 (3 of 8).
This episode covers 5 real historical figures that helped inspire the novel, and a whirlwind plot summary of the original Victor Hugo novel.Errata: For some reason I kept referring to the character Marius as "Ma...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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42:29
Les Miserables -- The completion of the book and how unlikely it was ever written. Episode 8 (2 of 8).
It's 1860, and Victor Hugo, having taken to the barricades against the hated Louis Napoleon, has escaped Paris with a price on his head. And his mistress, not his wife, has successfully smuggled both he and h...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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45:54
Les Miserables -- Victor Hugo and the French Revolution. Episode 7 (1 of 8).
It’s 1848 and there is yet another violent transfer of power going on in France. One of its greatest citizens – both a member of the legislative body and the Legion of Honor, has been in hiding for 9 days with a price on his head. I...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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41:11
The Phantom of the Opera -- The Broadway musical. Episode 6 (part 3 of 3).
Errata For some reason I keep calling Andrew Lloyd-Webber Andrew Lloyd-Wright, which is weird because I know nothing about architecture. Anyway, the author of Phantom of the Author is Andrew Lloyd-Webber, not Andrew Lloyd-Wright.&n...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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57:08
Phantom of the Opera -- The Silent Movie and how Lon Chaney saved the story. Episode 5 (part 2 of 3).
It’s the fall of 1923, and Lon Chaney Sr. has just starred in a smash hit based on Victor Hugo’s Hunchback of Notre Dame. There is going to be a follow-up show, and it is going to be a hit. But who’s idea was it? And ...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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1:02:10
Phantom of the Opera -- The original book before the movie before the musical. Episode 4 (part 1 of 3).
This is EPISODE 4. The next episode, EPISODE 5, will drop on December 16.It’s 1786, and a male ballet dancer (“Dahn- sir”) and ballerina both dance at the Paris opera house, and the man falls in love with the woman. B...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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1:12:23
The Man From La Mancha -- The Broadway musical. Episode 3 (part 3 of 3).
In the early 1970s and a writer for plays, movies, and television is holed up in Palm Springs at one of the most unusual restaurants in operation. There was a sole proprietor, the menu has one dish, and there is no advertising or tourists...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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49:32
The Man From La Mancha -- Miguel de Cervantes, maybe the most interesting author ever. Episode 2 (part 2 of 3).
This is the story of how one of the greatest books ever written, Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, became one of the most successful musicals in broadway history, which of course was The Man from La Mancha by Dale Wasserman....
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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1:05:33
The Man of La Mancha -- Don Quixote, the best Spanish novel ever. Episode 1 (part 1 of 3).
Thank you to the fan from Los Angeles who writes: "Hi. I've been enjoying your Cervantes podcast but unless the show on Broadway that was made from the book by Cervantes turned it into a spy story, the proper title of the musical is "Man of La ...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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33:57
