The Johns end Season 6 of the podcast with a show very near and dear to their hearts in Stephen Sondheim's "Sunday in the Park with George". They talk about the narrative devices found within, their views on Bernadette Peters, which is the "bes

The Phantom of the Opera

May 10th, 2023 52m 39s

On this week's "very special episode" of John and John (overdramatic title provided courtesy of John N.), the pair discuss the longest-running musical in Broadway history, "The Phantom of the Opera". The Johns talk about the cultural impact of

Bring it On

May 3rd, 2023 25m 21s

This week, the Johns backflip in to discuss the 2012 musical "Bring It On". Come take a look as they discuss the uniformity of the score, the role and reach of licensing in the life cycle of a Broadway musical, and how this show manages to dist

Matilda

Apr 26th, 2023 37m 20s

This week, the Johns delve into the world of Roald Dahl and look at the Tim Minchin musical "Matilda". A significant departure from the work of "Groundhog's Day", the duo gets into their thoughts on the fantastical elements of the show, where t

Once

Apr 19th, 2023 28m 10s

It's no secret on this podcast that "band on stage" holds a solid part of the Johns' hearts. This week, the pair discuss the 2012 musical "Once" that not only features the band on stage, but the band as part of the story. John and John give the

Newsies

Apr 12th, 2023 24m 50s

John and John seize the day in their next show and discuss the 2012 Disney musical "Newsies". They have a few notes about the score, the dichotomy of the dance vs non-dance music, the attempts at authenticity, and the role of dance in the moder

Songs For A New World

Apr 5th, 2023 25m 23s

This week, the Johns venture a little bit off the traditional path and delve into the 1995 show, "Songs For A New World". They talk about the through-line that replaces a traditional plot, their thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of Jason

Groundhog Day: The Musical

Mar 29th, 2023 20m 21s

Some weeks, it feels like you're saying the same thing over and over - week after week. With the modern Broadway trend leaning heavily into movie adaptations, it becomes easy to feel like one is in a loop. So, John and John run headfirst and go

Heathers: The Musical

Mar 22nd, 2023 26m 33s

Every so often, we like to take a look at a show that isn't a "Big Broadway Hit" and try and contextualize it in the larger scheme. This week, the Johns look at the 2014 Off-Broadway show "Heathers: The Musical" and discuss how it moved the nee

Me and Juliet

Mar 15th, 2023 33m 9s

This week the Johns return to the Dynamic Duo of Rogers and Hammerstein and a show, that, while not a flop like "Pipe Dream" - was a rare miss for the team. "Me and Juliet" suffers from too much on the stage and not enough attention off it. Joh

Brigadoon

Mar 8th, 2023 19m 55s

This week the Johns travel to the magical and mystical land of... Scotland. I mean, in this case, it really is! The pair discuss the 1947 musical "Brigadoon" and get into 18th-century Scottish law, how this show is more accurate than "Bravehear

Anastasia

Mar 1st, 2023 32m 43s

Well, after last week with John M. being the voice of reason, we felt it was only fair to let the wind shift slightly and so we started out our non-flops portion of the season with a show that he... does not like. The Johns discuss the 2017 mus

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (February Flop #4)

Feb 22nd, 2023 18m 26s

To end this year's February Flops, the Johns take Leonard Bernstein to task (kinda, sort of) for his 1976 flop "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue". The pair talk about the troubled road this show had on it's way to Broadway due to incessant meddling dur

Mack and Mabel (February Flops #3)

Feb 15th, 2023 27m 6s

For the third week of February Flops, the Johns take a look at a show that may not have been a flop... had it premiered 20 years earlier. While discussing Jerry Herman's maligned show "Mack and Mabel" - the pair get into the state of Broadway i

The Baker's Wife (February Flop #2)

Feb 8th, 2023 26m 59s

This week, John and John tackle the monolithic (in terms of performance length, not artistic merit) Stephen Schwartz musical "The Baker's Wife". Their share their feelings on the quality of the book, their takeaways from the score, and... would

Season 6 Premiere: Pipe Dreams (February Flop #1)

Feb 1st, 2023 27m 13s

It may be a little late, but we are back! And with another set of February Flops to kick things off!For our first show in the 2023 edition of the Flops, we look at a very rare miss from the titans of the Golden Age - Richard Rodgers and Oscar

Season 5 Finale: Into the Woods

Nov 16th, 2022 40m 42s

Once upon a time....In a far-off kingdom...There were two podcast hosts.John and John wind down Season 5 (more to come!) by talking about the monolithic "Into the Woods". They debate the role of the role of Narrator/Mysterious Man, the movie

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Nov 9th, 2022 39m 59s

This week, John and John discuss the Disney musical that never made it to Broadway in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". They discuss the representation in the show, the genesis from "Der Glöckner der Notre Dame", the problems this show has and tri

The Apple Tree

Nov 2nd, 2022 21m 42s

This week, the Johns talk about the 1966 musical "The Apple Tree" and look at how the show works as a series of three separate stories, but comes together under a common umbrella to make a complete show. They also discuss the greatness that is

Two Gentlemen of Verona

Oct 26th, 2022 18m 54s

For this week's episode, John Squared talks about the 1971 production of "Two Gentlemen of Verona", a musical based on the play of the same name by William Shakespeare. Listen in as the pair talk about the absurd nature of the material and how

The Prom

Oct 19th, 2022 19m 14s

On the heels of last week's episode with Stage Manager Kelsey Tippins, the Johns talk about the 2018 show "The Prom" - one that John N. seems to desperately want to work on. The pair discuss their love of the music, the framing of the heart of

Interview with Stage Manager Kelsey Tippins

Oct 12th, 2022 35m 50s

This week, John and John sit down with Stage Manager Kelsey Tippins, who is fresh off the first national tour of "The Prom", and she talked about tour life, how one becomes a stage manager, and some of the more interesting venues around the cou

Discussion: Rodgers and Hammerstein's Best Song

Oct 5th, 2022 1h 13m

Join John and John as they have a lengthy discussion about the "best" song written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein during their collaboration. As with our last show, the categories are set, (almost) every show is represented, and opini

Shrek

Sep 28th, 2022 28m 18s

Travel with the Johns to a mystical land of ogres, princesses, dragons, fairy tale creatures... and way too many fart jokes. The duo talks about the 2008 musical "Shrek" and discusses some of the more memorable moments, their thoughts on the pa

Ain't Too Proud

Sep 21st, 2022 25m 33s

On the heels of last week's interview with Brian Binion, John and John talk about the musical "Ain't Too Proud" and talk (yet again) about their feelings on jukebox musicals, the source material of the show, and the concept of narration, and Jo