Playbill's podcast has officially launched! The inaugural episode of The Playbill Podcast: A Show On Broadway, featuring Hadestown Broadway stars Merle Dandridge and Carlos Valdes, is now available anywhere you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also listen below.
Dandridge, who joined the company February 18, is currently starring as Persephone in the Anaïs Mitchell musical at the Walter Kerr Theatre. She's also a Broadway vet, with additional performances in Once On This Island, Rent, Tarzan, Spamalot, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Aida. Valdes, who joined the show as Orpheus January 14, made his Broadway debut in 2013 in Once.
The folk- and jazz-infused musical layers the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice with that of Hades and Persephone, intertwining the actions—and consequences—of gods and mortals. Hadestown originally began as a theatrical concert performed by Mitchell.
Along with a chat with Dandridge and Valdes, the Hadestown episode of The Playbill Podcast also features host Playbill Chief Operating Officer and Vice President Alex Birsh joined by Playbill writer Margaret Hall, our resident superfan of the musical, to discuss what makes this show so special, not to mention long-running. Listen to the full episode below.
Future episodes of The Playbill Podcast are slated to center on SIX: The Musical with its Tony-winning creators Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss; Maybe Happy Ending with star and co-producer Darren Criss; Operation Mincemeat with two of its stars, Natasha Hodgson and Jak Malone; & Juliet with current stars Maya Boyd and Alison Luff; and lots more in the weeks ahead.
“The two most common questions anyone at Playbill gets from friends or family are: 'What's on Broadway? And what should I see?,'" says Birsh of the inspiration behind the new project. "The Playbill Podcast is here to help. Whether you’re a Broadway veteran or just starting to explore, we'll bring you the magic of Broadway, one show at a time.”
Along with Birsh and stars from each spotlighted show, episodes feature conversations with Playbill's resident theatre experts, aka the staffers that spend all their days writing and working on theatre and most nights seeing shows. The Playbill Podcast connects you with the savvy and fun theatre fans you've been looking for, whether it's to help you find your next ticket to buy or just giving you a place to geek out about your favorite show.
