It's hot up here. It's hot as hell in Philadelphia. It's too darn hot.
Porgy and Bess may have been alone is asserting that in the summertime, living is easy. Everyone else in theatre is sweating, some with worry, some with excitement. So the July 9-14 edition of "Radio Playbill" is devoted to a special Midsummer edition, reporting on the major openings on Broadway and across the U.S. in the next two months, while playing some of Broadway's most torrid summertime songs.
Also on the subject of hot, "Radio Playbill" has in the studio Sherie Rene Scott and Norbert Leo Butz, stars of Aida and Thou Shalt Not, respectively, who take us backstage on their working relationship this spring for Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years. They tell the stories, and "Radio Playbill" plays the songs from the recently released cast CD, which also serves as our Album of the Week.
Plus, Playbill historian Louis Botto is back with a second installment in his look back at some of Broadway's most memorable curtain calls.
"Radio Playbill," a weekly news and entertainment magazine show of theatrical interviews, features and music, is broadcast 12 times weekly on Sirius' A&E Channel, 154. The 30-minute weekly show debuts each Tuesday, with airings at 5 AM, 11 AM, 5 PM and 11 PM (ET).
Rebroadcasts of the show will occur each Thursday at 1 AM, 7 AM, 1 PM and 10 PM and Saturday at 5 AM, 11 AM, 5 PM and 11 PM (ET).
All the excitement and glamour of the American theatre scene comes across in this, the first radio project from the creators of Broadway's distinctive programs, and Playbill On-Line, the home of theatre on the internet. The program reflects Playbill's unique access and knowledge of the world of Broadway, broadcasting from Sirius' midtown Manhattan studios overlooking Times Square.
Upcoming "Radio Playbill" shows include samples from the new cast albums of Bombay Dreams, a survey of the work of Broadway's top orchestrators, and a comprehensive preview of songs from the upcoming new Broadway season.
And don't miss Playbill's theatre news headlines, being broadcast throughout the day, seven days a week on Sirius Radio's "Broadway's Best," channel 67.
Host for both the news and the magazine show is Robert Viagas, founding editor of Playbill On-Line and Theatre.com, and author of several books on theatre, including "On the Line: The Creation of A Chorus Line" and "The Amazing Story of The Fantasticks."
The signal can be heard coast to coast on the Sirius system, currently available mainly in automobiles, and streamed through the company's website at www.siriusradio.com
Sirius Radio's 100-channel service of 60 commercial-free music channels and 40 news, sports and entertainment channels is now available across the continental United States. Call 1-888-539-SIRIUS (7474) to order full satellite service. Sirius receivers and antenna cost approximately $249. Listeners are charged a $12.95 monthly fee, similar to cable television, and receive a wide range of targeted music and talk channels, from country to classical. Sirius has a deal to install receivers in Ford, BMW and DaimlerChrysler cars, though the receivers can be installed in any car. Sirius-ready receivers can be purchased at national retail stores such as Circuit City and Best Buy, as well as local car and audio retailers.
