Michael and Anika announce the Sweet 16 matchups for the 2022 Musical March Madness contest! Voting is open now in our Instagram story @knowtheshowpod

As the second season of IN THE SPOTLIGHT comes to a close, Anika and Michael share some of their favorite musical theatre-adjacent Christmas things and let spill some very exciting news...

In the first ever LIVE episode of the show, Michael & Anika JETÉ (see what we did there) into the American classic WEST SIDE STORY, which first premiered over 60 years ago. From its origins as Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet to the upcoming remake that is about to be released, this episode will absolutely get you ready for The Rumble.

While exploring mental health isn't completely foreign to Broadway musicals, when NEXT TO NORMAL premiered it was a game changer of how musical theatre could explore complex emotional topics. Join Anika and Michael as they analyze this Pulitzer Prize winning show and it's wild journey to legendary status.

At 78 years old, Oklahoma!, is lookin fine. Rodgers and Hammerstein's first musical together blew onto the scene in 1943 and redefined American Musical Theater forever. The deceptively simple story hides layers of complexity that have yielded rich interpretations ever since (and terrible high school productions, much to the chagrin of many a musical theater lover.) Michael and Anika dive into the darkness in the sunny text, the question of insiders and outsiders in American communities (and...

Midnight... not a sound from the pavement... except a pack of unitard-clad dancing felines in yak-hair wigs. Yes, for this episode we are taking a look at the most famous show ever written about a pack of cats who are auditioning to die: the Jellicle musical itself, CATS. Every part of this show, from its source material by a titanic poet known mostly for his dark musings on the futility of life, to its fraught development process, to its eventual mega-hit status, is unlikely. We'll discuss...

Someone tell the story... of the brilliant, dark, fascinating ASSASSINS. Join Michael and Anika for this mega-episode about the one-of-a-kind Sondheim and Weidman musical that has divided critics and audiences, exposed the dark loopholes of the American dream, and only become more "shmelevant" (don't worry, we'll explain) since its 1990 debut. From the addition of 'Something Just Broke', to the odd and interesting roles of the Proprietor and Balladeer, to how the show might have pleased...

Lights up on our latest episode, about Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes' joyous musical IN THE HEIGHTS. Join Michael and Anika as they track the show back from movie to Broadway to off-Broadway to workshop to college to Lin-Manuel Miranda's childhood neighborhood, and discuss what of the groundbreaking show is based on fact and what is fiction. We'll also debate our complicated feelings about the show's happy (?) ending and debut a brand new podcast segment! Grab a cafe con leche...

Put on your Sunday clothes and polish up those silver trays, because IN THE SPOTLIGHT is diving into Hello, Dolly! Join Michael and Anika as they talk about the show's surprisingly ancient inspirations and complex road to Broadway - including which parts of the score might not actually be composed by the great Jerry Herman. Come for the insights into one of Broadway's greatest shows, stay for how often we confuse the names Ernestina and Ermengarde. Press play - it only takes a moment!

Ready to ride on the wheels of a dream? On this episode, Michael and Anika dive into the celebrated late 90's spectacle that looms large in the Broadway imagination. Widely considered to be one of the contemporary classics in the canon, they'll debate the quality of the musical adaptation and whether or not it is the perfect show for this moment in American history...or the worst...

For the launch of Season 2 of In the Spotlight, Michael and Anika dive into CAMELOT, the fondly remembered Lerner & Loewe chestnut which debuted on Broadway in 1960. Though the show’s cast album topped the charts for over 60 weeks and has since become affiliated with the Kennedy administration, the development of the show was far from the perfection to which King Arthur strived. From one of musical theatre’s horniest songs to the truly bizarre original title, this may just be the Holy...

Dive into the results from the Championship of Movie Musical March Madness! Michael and Anika bring you the results live and on YouTube, full of their predictions, insights, color commentary, quips, and some fun musical movie memes. Movie Musical March Madness is here!!!

Dive into the results from the Final Four of Movie Musical March Madness! Michael and Anika bring you the results live and on YouTube, full of their predictions, insights, color commentary, quips, and some fun musical movie memes. Movie Musical March Madness is here!!!

Dive into the results from the Elite Eight of Movie Musical March Madness! Michael and Anika bring you the results live and on YouTube, full of their predictions, insights, color commentary, quips, and some fun musical movie memes. Movie Musical March Madness is here!!!

Dive into the results from the Stage Left divisions of Movie Musical March Madness! Michael and Anika bring you the results live and on YouTube, full of their predictions, insights, color commentary, quips, and some fun musical movie memes. Movie Musical March Madness is here!!!

Join Michael & Anika as they deep dive into the creation of the new musical PASSING THROUGH and the process of “Putting It Together” with writers Brett Ryback & Eric Ulloa. Come along as they take you on a journey that starts with Andrew Forsthoefel's trek across America and ends with the musical's world premiere production at Goodspeed's Terris Theatre in Summer 2019, which is currently streaming on Goodspeed on Demand until April 4th. Tickets are available now at goodspeed.org!

Dive into the results from the Stage Left divisions of Movie Musical March Madness! Michael and Anika bring you the results live and on YouTube, full of their predictions, insights, color commentary, quips, and some fun musical movie memes. Movie Musical March Madness is here!!!

Dive into the results from the Stage Left divisions of Movie Musical March Madness! Michael and Anika bring you the results live and on YouTube, full of their predictions, insights, color commentary, quips, and some fun musical movie memes. Movie Musical March Madness is here!!!

Dive into the results from the Stage Right divisions of Movie Musical March Madness! Michael and Anika bring you the results live and on YouTube, full of their predictions, insights, color commentary, quips, and some fun musical movie memes. Movie Musical March Madness is here!!!

We're back with MOVIE MUSICAL MARCH MADNESS! Voting begins March 16th and Anika and Michael will be LIVE on YouTube on March 17th at 1pmEST with the first results and armchair punditry. And in case you can't join us live, the results shows will appear in the podcast feed afterwards.

In this one of a kind episode, join Michael and Anika as they recap the first season of IN THE SPOTLIGHT, dish on some of their favorite parts of the season, and reveal how they choose musicals to put in the spotlight! Curious about what will be featured in the second season? Well there may be a few clues in the episode as well...so start your new year right with IN THE SPOTLIGHT!

In the season finale of IN THE SPOTLIGHT, we take a ride aboard SHOW BOAT. The 1927 Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II epic arose out of a sea of operettas and revues to be the first true musical - or was it? We look at the show's fascinating history and complicated legacy, dive into how "Bill" went from being a comedy number in another show to a devastating torch song with only a few tweaks, and celebrate the show that just keeps rollin' along almost a century after it changed theater...

In 1967 it was the Age of Aquarius on Broadway with the arrival the "American Tribal Love-Rock Musical" HAIR. The trippy, bold, messy, occasionally-naked show by James Rado, Gerome Ragni, and Galt MacDermot had started life at the Public Theater, the first show to do so, and its unconventional journey from the streets and parks of New York City to the Public to Broadway befits the deeply unconventional show itself. We'll take a look at the show's unique history, its distinctive structure, and...

It was a loverly day when My Fair Lady opened on Broadway in 1956, and it quickly became a smash hit and beloved classic. Writing team Lerner and Loewe succeeded where others had failed and turned George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion into a musical - and what a musical! We'll look at the show's complex pre-history and thorny rehearsal days, and dive into the question of whether the show is a romance, or sexist, or both. Find one enormous chair and settle in for our latest episode!

In a very spooky Halloween episode, we're headed to Skid Row as we explore LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS! We'll dive into the cult-classic movie that inspired Off-Broadway smash, how it catapulted its authors, Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, into musical stardom, and confront how the show expertly entertains audiences and pulls at their heart-strings. So, lift up your head, wipe off that mascara and most importantly remember...DON'T FEED THE PLANTS!