Chasing Phantom – Details, episodes & analysis

Why is a conversation with Jordan Schildcrout always a good time? Because in the course of just 30 minutes chatting about the relatively obscure play “Cactus Flower,” you’ll hear about additionally fascinating plays like “Two for the Seesaw” and “The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window.” Jordan and I dig into both the weird and wonderful aspects of “Cactus Flower,” the show that brought Lauren Bacall back to Broadway. The movie version would win Goldie Hawn her only Oscar and feature a decent comic turn by the legendary Ingrid Bergman and a befuddling romantic lead performance by Walter Matthau.

Jordan wrote an essential book of Broadway history, “In the Long Run: A Cultural History of Broadway’s Hit Plays,” so not only knows about specific shows, but has a broader perspective on where “Cactus Flower” fits in among the pantheon of long-running plays. We touch on the history of the manic pixie dream girl stereotype, the resonance of Bacall and Vaccaro’s voices, and do our due diligence in talking about “Just Go With It,” the Adam Sandler / Jennifer Aniston modern-day retelling of the “Cactus Flower” story.

Why does a seemingly outdated show like “Boeing Boeing” succeed but something like “Cactus Flower” seems relegated to the dust bin of history? Find out in this episode!

As always, check out ChasingPhantom.net for some great video clips related to the show and to listen to past episodes.

Easter is this weekend and, while you might think I'm featuring the show "Sugar Babies" to make an allusion toward those sweet treats found in children's Easter baskets, well, you're right! BUT, thanks to my always incredibly knowledgeable guest, Phil Crosby, it came to light that this throwback vaudeville revue would also make sense to highlight because of Ann Miller's star turn in the movie "Easter Parade." Phil makes the astute point that Miller, who was the co-headliner of "Sugar Babies" with Mickey Rooney, was not often given her due as an excellent light comic actor. In "Easter Parade," he says that she holds her own in a packed cast replete with stars light Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, and more.

Miller was clearly a good foil and formidable match against Rooney and a large part of why "Sugar Babies," which now seems outdated and a bit of an anachronism, was so popular. It's a show that gives Phil and I the opportunity to dig into what vaudeville was, why it was so popular as a form early in the 20th century, why there was such a large audience eager to check out a show featuring it, and to explore the throughline from shows like "Sugar Babies" to variety shows like "The Carol Burnette Show."

As always, Phil brings an amazing backlog of Broadway scuttlebutt to the conversation and we even touch on a very direct connection between "Sugar Babies" and place both Phil and I call home, Richmond, VA.

Also as always, you'll want to check out my website, ChasingPhantom.net, for more information and video clips from or related to "Sugar Babies." You'll be glad you did!

In the first ever bonus episode of Chasing Phantom, Phil Crosby and I talk about the ending of "The King and I," one that was a surprise to me so don't listen if you want it to be a surprise to you! We also get back into some of the history of the real life King of Siam and Anna Leonowens.

This bonus is also an opportunity to drop a couple more sound bites in from the show's score which is a real treat. Happy holidays everyone!

Please check out my website ChasingPhantom.net for more information and fun video clips related to "The King and I." 

We are hurtling towards the holidays and so, for this episode, I make the case for "The King and I" to be considered among your holiday viewing options. Even though it's a 70+ year show, it's a smart and sophisticated musical with interesting cross-cultural dynamics. And so, of course, I turned to the smart and sophisticated Phil Crosby, most knowledgeable of all humans on the subject of older musicals, to help me explicate and praise this wonderful show.

Phil provides some vital context on Gertrude Lawrence, who originated the role of Anna and who is a Broadway diva largely forgotten or overlooked today. We also give only the briefest recap of the fascinating emergence of Yul Brynner as a star, a former circus performer who first arrived on Broadway at 21 having already lived a remarkable life spending time in Russia, China and Paris.

"The King and I" is the fifth Rogers and Hammerstein collaboration and full of amazing music, gorgeous sets and costumes, and compelling leading characters. Though Deborah Kerr isn't singing in the movie adaptation, she makes for a fine Anna. This isn't a show that gets staged that often any more, but we are lucky that the movie version is pretty remarkable. So go ahead and dial it up during some holiday downtime - you'll be glad you did!

You're definitely going to want to check out my website at ChasingPhantom.net if, for nothing else, YouTube clips of Gertrude Lawrence so you can get a sense of what a dynamic performer she is!

For this pre-Thanksgiving episode, we hurtle up the list of long-running productions to give everyone something to celebrate and lift our spirits. "Mamma Mia!" may be the longest-running jukebox musical ever to run on Broadway (so far) but it's story transcends that reductive label. As expertly elucidated by Grey Garrett, who won a Best Supporting Actress in a Musical award for her performance as Tanya, this is a show that foregrounds female life experience and friendship in a somewhat revolutionary way for a show created in 1999.

Drawing from the experience of playing Tanya twice, Grey highlights the cycles of life that the show touches on, relates her own experiences of "falling in friend" with cast members, and the vital enjoyment of communal effervescence that the show fosters. In the meantime, I uncross my grumpy old arms and, at least in this one case, learn to love a jukebox musical.

This may not be the only time we talk about "Mamma Mia!" but it's a lively start to the consideration of a show that has broken a crazy number of records and continues to bring joy to "Dancing Queens" across the world.

You'll definitely want to check out my website, ChasingPhantom.net, for links to ABBA-tastic videos associated with this show. As always, please reach out to me at davidhintztimberline@gmail.com if you have cries of complaint or cheers of praise, or anything in between. And go see Mamma Mia! on tour - check out the website for upcoming performances!

On the week after Veteran's Day, my friend Jesse and I dig into "Mister Roberts," a play about sailors during World War II and humble hero who was an example of (mostly) passive resistance to a petty tyrant. When we recorded this episode, I had no idea how appropriate it would be to air during this week. Don't get me wrong - as a 1940s era comedy, it's not a great show by any means. But still, in these times in particular, it does offer some intriguing ideas about what service and leadership look like.

Jesse and I have a good time comparing and contrasting the play and movie versions of "Mister Roberts" as well as the not-really-surprisingly despicable depiction of women (or really just "woman" in the play). And how in the hell did Jack Lemon get an Oscar for his work in the movie? So many mysteries to talk about when it comes to "Mister Roberts" - we hope you enjoy the ride!

Check out ChasingPhantom.net for more information and YouTube clips related to this show. And hit me up at davidhintztimberline@gmail.com with questions, complaints or suggestions.

What could be more terrifying than to think you’re going insane? That basic horror makes “Angel Street” the perfect show to talk about during spooky season. Originally produced in London as “Gas Light” and adapted for the screen (twice) as “Gaslight,” this tale of a husband psychologically abusing his wife in order to access hidden riches was a surprise hit on Broadway in the 1940s. It was so popular, it overcame the monumentally bad timing of opening just days before the Pearl Harbor bombing to ultimately run for more than 3 years.

My guest, Lindsey Zelli, made her debut in the Virginia theater scene with her starring role in “Gaslight” and it was a local smash. Both Zelli and her costar, Axle Burtness, ended up winning Richmond Theatre Community Circle awards for their performances. Zelli and I talk about the challenge of building suspense on stage, finding the emotional beats in such an intense work, and making friends through theater. I lay out Vincent Price’s surprisingly robust early stage career also relate a bonkers story about his Broadway costar Judith Evelyn. There are no jump scares, but it’s still a conversation right in line with the horrifying aesthetic of Halloween.

Be sure and check out my website, ChasingPhantom.net, for essential video clips related to this show, a link to the full radio play and other fun facts. For more on Lindsey Zelli, check out her website. She's going to be in a show coming but she wouldn't / couldn't tell me what it is!

When you want to know about a production, there's no better source than talking to someone who was in it. I never thought that would be possible with the original Broadway run of "Annie Get Your Gun" - I mean, it closed in 1949! But Mary Ellen Ashley, who had a marquee role as the Girl in the Lampshade Hat in the show, is still alive and very much kicking. Though only 8 years old when the show opened, she was already a child star, having been in 2 other major productions and even appearing in a promotional film produced by the Navy, shot in Virginia Beach.

My conversation with Mary Ellen starts with her first public performance at the age of 4 and then quickly moves to her time in "Annie Get Your Gun." It's full of anecdotes and memories, all delivered with a playful attitude that Mary Ellen still maintains at the spry young age of 86.

Please check out my website, ChasingPhantom.net, for previous podcast episodes, links to videos related to the productions I talk about, and additional fun facts and stories. For more on Mary Ellen Ashley, check out her website. 

"Torch Song Trilogy" was a ground-breaking production and opened many doors for openly gay artists. It launched the career of Harvey Fierstein who would go on to write and perform in some additionally landmark shows on Broadway. In my hometown, it also was a landmark of sorts for one local actor, Keegan Ferrell. The recent college graduate was slated to be the understudy of the lead role, Arnold Beckoff, but ended up performing the opening weekend of the show due to an illness in the cast.

In our fun conversation, Keegan talks about that experience as well as providing some sense of what the "youths" these days might know about this seminal play in theater history.  And man, what a load of interesting theater history this show captures - incubating at La MaMa first as three separate plays before being combined, launching Matthew Broderick as well as Fierstein, gaining the support of the Glines who heroically raised money for the move to Broadway, becoming a sensation just as the AIDS crisis was emerging -- there's just so much!

That's one of many reasons you should pick up the book "In the Long Run" by Jordan Schildcrout that has a chapter all about "TST" and go to my website, ChasingPhantom.net, to see clips and find out more fun facts about the show!

We all know that sex sells, but is that the only thing that drove thousands of people to see "Equus" back in the mid-1970s? Listen in on my discussion with McLean Fletcher  as we discuss the explosive intersection of sex, religion and psychology that playwright Peter Schaffer squeezes into this sometimes disturbing tale.

McLean starred in the Cadence Theatre production of the play in 2015 as Jill Mason, one of two characters who spend an extended scene naked on stage. McLean argues that the nudity wasn't really the point but also, in many ways, really was the point. She's smart, insightful and absolutely delightful in her analysis of the show, as well as a big fan of the Daniel Radcliffe starring revival in 2008.

And the episode provides a very specific reason to check out the related post on our website, ChasingPhantom.net. The short post is largely devotes to Frances Sternhagen, a Tony Award nominee for "Equus," that we tragically did not get a chance to talk about in the podcast.