The schedule for the week of May 25-June 2 follows.
The Magic of Disney on Broadway
May 25: The Good Times really are back, now that Guys and Dolls star Faith Prince has returned to the world of musicals, taking over the role of Ursula the Sea Witch, one of Disney's most deliciously evil villainesses, in the Broadway musical The Little Mermaid. After spending the last few years on TV dramas and stage musical dramas like A Catered Affair and A Man of No Importance, she tells Playbill Radio what it's like like to use her comedy chops once more in the Alan Menken musical at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre — plus, she gives a truly hair-raising demonstration of the evil laugh she cooked up for the role.
"The Magic of Disney on Broadway" debuts at 7 PM ET Monday, May 25 with repeats scheduled for (all times ET) 3 PM Tuesday, May 26; 10 PM Friday, May 29; and 2 PM Saturday, May 30.
Center Stage
May 26: The Tony Awards broadcast is coming up on June 7, and Playbill Radio spent an afternoon shortly after the nominations were announced talking to some of the lucky recipients about their shows, their reactions, their hopes and their dreams. In addition to Broadway stars like Alice Ripley, Christopher Sieber and Constantine Maroulis, we hear from the songwriting team of Next to Normal that earned two nominations each; the producers of Billy Elliot and The Norman Conquests, whose shows earned a total of 22 nominations; the rising young stars of Reasons to Be Pretty; plus some of Broadway's lesser-known magic makers, all of whom had some surprising and interesting things to say about their chance at Tony glory.
Each week's new "Center Stage" show debuts at 7 PM ET Tuesday, with repeats scheduled for (all times ET) 2 AM Wednesday, May 27; 11 PM Wednesday, May 27; 2 PM Thursday, May 28; 11 AM Saturday, May 30; 4 PM Sunday, May 31. Edited versions of the "Center Stage" programs are available as podcasts, including:
Talking to the 2009 Tony Nominees (Part 1)
"The Little Mermaid: From the Deep Blue Sea to the Great White Way"
The Norman Conquests
Composer Spotlight
May 28: A tour through the career of the songwriting team of Rodgers and Hart, who gave us "Babes in Arms," "Blue Moon," "Spring Is Here" and dozens of other standards. Part one of two parts.
Each week's "Composer Spotlight" debuts at 7 PM (ET) Thursday, with repeats scheduled for: (all times are ET) 2 AM Friday, May 29; 11 PM Friday, May 29; 10 PM Sunday, May 31; 2 PM Monday, June 1.
"Theater Talk" on Playbill Radio
May 30: Beloved actress Angela Lansbury is our guest. Ms. Lansbury is nominated for a Tony Award for her performance as Madame Arcati in the Broadway revival of Noël Coward's Blithe Spirit. This is Ms. Lansbury's seventh Tony nomination and could be her fifth win (which would tie Julie Harris' record for the most Tony Awards). Lansbury discusses her lengthy career in films and on Broadway and how at age 83 she maintains the vitality and bravura that have made her a great star.
Each week's "Theater Talk" show debuts at 7 PM (ET) Saturday, with repeats scheduled for: (all times are ET) 11 PM Monday, June 1; 2 PM Tuesday, June 2.
This weekend's programming features The Toxic Avenger at 11 AM Saturday, May 23 and 4 PM Sunday, May 24; a salute to Jason Robert Brown at 8 PM Sunday, May 24 and 2 PM Monday, May 25; and "Theater Talk" at 7 PM Saturday, May 23, 11 PM Monday, May 25 and 2 PM Tuesday, May 26.
