Special Episode #12: In anticipation of the upcoming release of the cast recording of Encores Off Center’s production of God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater starring Santino Fontana, I bring you a podcast episode featuring Santino himself! I had the privilege of playing a small role in the show, so I got to watch Santino at work, and he is truly a brillia…

Special Episode #11: Five years later!! Here I am again with a new episode and an extra special guest star, THE bright star of Bright Star, Carmen Cusack! Carmen exploded last season with her highly acclaimed Broadway debut as "Alice Murphy" in Steve Martin and Edie Brickell's musical, garnering every lead-actress-in-a-musical nomination that exist…

Month Upon a Time, Episode #12 (May): It's the final installment of my yearlong song cycle! I did it! And I have the perfect guest with whom to complete the cycle, someone who knows a thing or two about song cycles himself: Michael Winther! I've known Michael since the early 90's, when we were Plaids at the same time (but never in the same producti…

Month Upon a Time, Episode #11 (April): Remember last month when I said I wanted to do something special to celebrate my 50th podcast episode? Well, I'd say I hit the jackpot with a visit from the very special Dee Hoty! I've been a big Dee Hoty fan since seeing her as Alaura in City of Angels, and she has never disappointed, giving standout perform…

Month Upon a Time, Episode #10 (March): As you might have noticed, this month I give new meaning to the concept of waiting until the last minute. I'm literally recording, editing, and posting this episode on March 31, so I'm singing the song myself, out of necessity. (OK, admittedly, maybe I was ready to sing one of these songs anyway.) This month'…

Month Upon a Time, Episode #9 (February): I've been a big fan of Dee Roscioli's from the minute I laid eyes on her at the meet-and-greet for the 2010 24-Hour Musicals. Little did I know that she had already distinguished herself as the actress who performed the role of Elphaba in Wicked more times than any other performer in North America, a "title…

Month Upon a Time, Episode #8 (January): January... all about new beginnings, right? Well then, isn't it appropriate that my first special guest of the new year is my new bff, Courtney Balan? I've known about Courtney by reputation, ever since she stood by for both of the superstar ladies of [title of show]. But I'd never met her until last month, …

Month Upon a Time, Episode #7 (December): Remember back in the day when the holiday season would bring all kinds of special episodes of TV shows or even better, all singing/all dancing TV specials? Well, this is my interpretation of the holiday special, and what makes it so special is the fact that it's my first group podcast! Actually, I think it …

Month Upon a Time, Episode #6 (November): Look who I got for this month's episode: Ghetto Superstar Billy Porter! Billy has been a friend since the early days, and it was only a matter of time before he popped up on here. What an interesting journey and varied career he's had - everything from Star Search winner (1992) to Broadway musical theatre s…

Warning: ADULT SEXUAL CONTENT in this episode OK, you're been warned. Month Upon a Time, Episode #5 (October): For a podcast that avoids repeat guests, I sure do a lot of double-dipping. But as you'll soon see, it's obvious why nobody but Julia Murney could sing this song.... As I was reviewing the October ideas that had been sent to me, I couldn't…

Month Upon a Time, Episode #4 (September): The last time she made a guest appearance on this podcast, Alysha Umphress was just getting her feet wet in the New York talent pool. Now, five years later, she is positively drenched! First came her Off Broadway debut understudying the two female roles in the Bill Finn revue, Make Me a Song. Then followed…

Month Upon a Time, Episode #3 (August): How does one find words to describe the force of nature that is Brooks Ashmanskas? "Funny," "outrageous," "fearless" - they just don't seem to do him justice. Brooks and I crossed like ships in the night 15 years ago, when he made his Broadway debut taking over the role of Bud Frump from me in the last (first…

Month Upon a Time, Episode #2 (July): I know this probably isn't a big deal to most tech-savvy people, but I'm feeling very 21st Century announcing this, my first virtual episode! Last month, I selected Jon Orton's Twitter suggestion to write a song about July at the summer theatre camp Stagedoor Manor, which I attended in the 70's and where Jon wa…

Month Upon a Time, Episode #1 (June): It's opening night of my new podcast series/song-cycle, Month Upon a Time! And I'm thrilled to have the super-talented Kate Wetherhead on the bill to sing the first song, "Drink My Way!" Kate first caught my eye in TheatreworksUSA's wonderful production of Sarah Plain and Tall, and she has continued to impress …

Special Episode #10: Look who's blown back into podcastville! I've come around again, and this time, I've brought a special guest - I'm so happy to introduce the young and talented Gillian Goldberg! I had the good fortune to catch Gillian in the Barrington Stage production of Barry Wyner's Calvin Berger a few years ago. (If you listened to The BMI …

Special Episode #9: Here's something you don't come across everyday: a song commissioned for a cancer event. Through my association with Amy Southerland of AWOL (aka Artists WithOut Limits, producers of the highly acclaimed NYMF productions of The Mistress Cycle, The Shaggs, and the upcoming 8 Minute Musicals), I was asked to write and perform a so…

Special Episode #8: It's the day before Valentines Day, and I thought I'd offer up this little musical "Valentine," even in the wake of the performance of Anti-Valentines, the 24 Hour Musical that I wrote with Julia Jordan during one long, harrowing night last weekend to benefit The Exchange. After listening to my chat about it on this episode, I r…

Special Episode #7: It's been so long since I've done one of these episodes that I omitted a word from my intro! (Did anyone catch it?) I'm thrilled to welcome back the incomparable Sutton Foster. Not just a ridiculous talent, but also one of the warmest, most generous people with whom I've had the privilege of collaborating. Sutton is currently gi…

Special Episode #6: Kate Shindle may have come to our attention first as Miss America 1998, but she has clearly staked out a place of her own in the musical theatre world. She's appeared on Broadway in Jekyll and Hide, headlined as Sally Bowles in the Sam Mendes/Rob Marshall revival of Cabaret, and originated the role of Vivienne in Legally Blonde,…

Special Episode #5: I had so much to talk about that I simply HAD to do a new episode. Tune in to hear all about my upcoming UK concert "tour, " and find out about my limited-time special songbook offer. Also, check out this never-heard-before trunk song, "My Time with You," written for the now-abandoned Betty Boop musical. (Recorded 4/24/08.) If y…

Special Episode #4: I'm so thrilled to add Donna Lynne Champlin to my list of special guest stars, first at my Birdland concert in November, and now on the podcast. After loving her performances in such Broadway shows as By Jeeves, Hollywood Arms, and Sweeney Todd, it's a real treat for me to get to hear her sing my songs. I do feel the need to men…

Special Episode #3: After a long break, I'm back! Last month, I finally got to meet Jose Llana at, of all places, Broadway Idol. (He was there as a judge, I was a there as a screaming Alysha Umphress fan.) As we were talking, I realized that I needed him to sing this song, so I pounced. And here he is! Jose is remembered, most recently, for his por…

Special Episode #2: I'm so thrilled to be joined today by the uber-talented and outrageously foxy Michael McElroy. You probably remember his stand-out, Tony-nominated performance as Jim in the Deaf West/Roundabout revival of Big River a few seasons ago. Or perhaps you have been enjoying his fantastic performances on the original cast recordings of …

Special Episode #1: When I decided I wanted to use "Man in the Moon" for a *special* podcast episode, it came to me in about a millisecond who HAD to sing it: Nancy Anderson. Not only because she's an amazing talent and friend, but also because no one captures the sound of the 20's and 30's like Nancy. Check out her wonderful new solo CD, Ten Cents…

Bonus Episode #9: Wow, I can't believe this is the last episode! Doing this podcast has been such a wonderful experience for me. I've had the great privilege of hearing my songs performed by the creamiest of the crop, I've received beautiful emails from some very kind and supportive listeners, and I've even sold a bunch of songbooks along the way. …

Episode #20: I can't imagine a better person to have as my final special guest star than the super-special star of TV's Will and Grace, Megan Mullally. Megan and I met twelve years ago when we were mere children performing on Broadway in our respective revivals, Megan in Grease and myself in Damn Yankees. Soon thereafter, I had the amazing opportun…

Bonus Episode #8: Wow, I can't believe it's almost the end of the podcast! When I started this bad boy, it seemed like such a long road ahead of me, and now here it is, just weeks from the GRAND FINALE! OK, enough sentimental talk. I'll save that for the actual last episode. I'm here with another bonus/filler song (i.e. a song not in the songbook).…

Episode #19: Carolee Carmello wouldn't let me gush about her on the podcast as much as I wanted, so I'm going to have to do it here! Carolee and I met doing a production of Grease at Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera in 1989, and her career since then has been continuously and completely jam-packed with goodies, many of which we didn't even get to discu…

Bonus Episode #7: 46 years ago this month, Rita Gardner was opening as Luisa in The Fantasticks, a then unknown Off-Broadway musical. Could she ever have imagined at the time that the show would have such an historic run, that she would be rapping on Broadway today, that there would be such a thing as podcasts and that she'd be on one? Lucky for us…

Von Jeff Blumenkrantz

Bonus Episode #6: Hey everybody, it's time for another episode celebrating Raw Impressions! This organization enables artists to produce new projects VERY quickly, which is how I met my lovely guest star of the day, Alysha Umphress. Alysha, a recent graduate of The Boston Conservatory, made a splash last year at the Chelsea bar, XL, winning their A…

Bonus Episode #5: If Yo Yo Ma is the cello star of the classical world, I'm going to say that Peter Sachon is the cello star of the musical theatre world. Not only has he played on such wonderful shows (and recordings) as the recent Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof, Off Broadway's A Man of No Importance and The Thing About Men, and the magic…

Bonus Episode #4: I warned you that there'd be a few bonus episodes coming up.... This week it's "He'll Never Get What I Do", written for a musical entitled Hush, which dealt with the relationship between a gay theatre composer and a deaf video artist. This song is sung by the composer and is pretty self-explanatory. Music and lyrics by me. Recorde…

Bonus Episode #3: Stalling... stalling.... There are only three more songbook songs left! And the amazing singers who are scheduled to record them aren't available for a spell, so it's time for another bonus episode. This week, I took a little detour down memory lane and picked a song in honor of my upcoming trip to my alma mater, Northwestern Univ…

Episode #17: Twice the talent, twice the laughs, twice as long! But when you're in the room with Ruth Gottschall and Mary Testa, you just don't want to leave! I had a fantastic afternoon with the two of them, chatting and websurfing and singing "Moving Right Along", the women's version. Yes, this is the same explicit song that you heard back in Jan…

Episode #16: I'm gay and even I have a crush on Kelli O'Hara, the dreamy, creamy-voiced Broadway "Babe." For the past six years, she has been accumulating street cred with her lovely performances in such Broadway and Off-Broadway shows as Jekyll & Hyde, Follies, Sweet Smell of Success, My Life with Albertine, and Dracula. Finally, last year, she hi…

Episode #15: Jenn Colella gives new meaning to the word "irresistible." The second I laid eyes on her, I fell hard, and the love affair continues. I daresay that goes for anyone who's ever met her. She is the most fun-loving, open-hearted, life-affirming person working in the theatre, not to mention ridiculously gorgeous and outrageously talented. …

Episode #14: Well, it was only a matter of time before I dragged my friend Emily Skinner onto this podcast. Emily has all my favorite actor-ingredients: a boundless and beautiful voice, a major sense of humor, fearlessness, creativity, intelligence, and above all, a ton of heart. She's given some of the most memorable performances on Broadway in re…

Episode #13: Howdy! I'm so excited to be reunited with the great Sally Mayes on this week's episode. It was Sally who gave birth to my first Broadway song-baby (Is that a horrible metaphor or what?) in the 2003 production of Urban Cowboy, the musical. Unfortunately, that score was never recorded, but here, on the JBS Podcast, we are making Sally's …

Bonus Episode #2: Yes, it's another "very special episode" - a song... well, songs really... that are NOT in the songbook. None of my upcoming guest stars were available to record this week, so I'm taking this opportunity to tell you about a wonderful organization called Raw Impressions, which brings random artistic people together to accomplish so…

Episode #12: It is impossible to ignore the sparkle that is Sutton Foster. If you've ever seen her onstage or heard her sing, you must be as dazzled and as charmed by her as I am. While her early-career Broadway resumé is impressive (Les Mis, Grease, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Annie), her Tony-winning performance in the title role of Thoroughly Modern …

Bonus Episode #1: Becca's back! I've made it a policy to avoid repeat guest appearances, but I had to make an exception for Rebecca Luker: a) because she was my first podcast guinea pig, back before I was able to separate the piano and the vocals, and I wanted to have an opportunity to record her magnificent voice with better sound, and b) because …

Episode #11: Judy Kuhn can do (and has done) it all! She's a legit soprano (Cosette in Les Miserables), she's a classic musical theatre leading lady (She Loves Me), she's a dramatic belter (Chess), she's a dramatic actress (Two Shakespearean Actors), she's a pop singer (Eli's Comin'), she's a voiceover artist (Pocohontas), she's a recording artist …

Episode #10: Until this year, Julia Murney was the biggest Broadway musical theatre star to have never actually appeared on Broadway. As we all know, that distinction was dashed with her performance in this season's Lennon, and it was about time! New York audiences know her from her fantastic performances in three Manhattan Theatre Club musicals, n…

Episode #9: Celia Keenan-Bolger is Broadway's newest "it" girl, and if you've seen her perform, you know why. Yes, she has a great voice, but she also brings enormous charm, intelligence, and creativity to everything she does (including party games!). A Tony-nominee for her beautiful performance as Olive in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Be…

Episode #8: Singing with Liz Callaway is literally a dream-come-true for me. Ever since I first heard her spectacular voice on the Baby cast recording, I have marveled at the purity and musicality of her voice. What a privilege to have her on this podcast today, singing my duet setting of the Edna St. Vincent Millay poem, "Recuerdo." Recorded 1/31/…

Episode #7: So you've been wondering why that explicit rating has been hovering over this podcast? Finally! Here it is: one of two songs in the book with dirty words in it! Parents (and prudes), be warned. Remember last week's episode with Judy Blazer as the Jewish mother whose son has just come out? Well, this week it's that son and his best frien…

Episode #6: How did I get so lucky to have such talented friends?? This week, it's the remarkable Judy Blazer, who stopped by after a day of rehearsing for Michael John LaChiusa's latest, Bernarda Alba, coming soon to the Mitzi Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center. Judy lends her comic genius to "It'll Work for You," a Jewish mother's reaction to her…

Epidose #5: Look who came over this week! Victoria Clark, "the most talented person in the world," and this year's Tony winner for her spectacular performance in my favorite new show, The Light in the Piazza, dropped by to sing "I Won't Mind," lyrics by Annie Kessler and Libby Saines, music by me. Recorded 1/6/06. Don't miss Vicki's Lincoln Center …

Episode #4: Hooray!! Another special guest star, this time the amazing Sally Wilfert (Assassins, Tom Sawyer, King David), who sings "I'm Free," from the one-act musical, Precious Little Jewel, with lyrics (and book) by Libby Saines and music by me. Recorded 12/29/05. Look for Sally in Rob Kapilow's upcoming What Makes It Great concerts in LA and Bo…