Lion King, Guys and Dolls, Sondheim Tribute, and a Pinter Chat on Playbill Radio March 16-24

By David Gewirtzman
March 13, 2009

In addition to round-the-clock show tunes, Playbill Radio offers the following special programming.

The schedule for the week of March 16-24 follows.

The Magic of Disney on Broadway
March 16: Broadway's original Pumbaa the warthog, Tom Alan Robbins, has returned to the role in Disney's long-running The Lion King opposite Danny Rutigliano, who has played the role of Timon the meerkat more than 4,000 times. Together, the two have created a comedy partnership that recalls some of the classic Broadway comedy teams. They talk about the creation of The Lion King, and tell their secrets to keeping the show fresh, when Playbill Radio's Robert Viagas visits them backstage.

"The Magic of Disney on Broadway" debuts at 7 PM ET Monday, March 16 with repeats scheduled for (all times ET) 3 PM Tuesday, March 17; 10 PM Friday, March 20; and 2 PM Saturday, March 21.

Center Stage
March 17: Come with Robert Viagas through the doors of Broadway's Nederlander Theatre, down a long hallway, through a door, and up a flight of stairs to the dressing room of Craig Bierko who, with his co-star Kate Jennings Grant, play the timeless Broadway couple of gambler Sky Masterson and Save-a-Soul Mission doll Sarah Brown in Frank Loesser, Abe Burroughs and Jo Swerling's timeless musical fable of Broadway, Guys and Dolls. They tell how director Des McAnuff used them to help tell the classic story in a brand-new way.

Each week's new "Center Stage" show debuts at 7 PM ET Tuesday, with repeats scheduled for (all times ET) 2 AM Wednesday, March 18; 11 PM Wednesday, March 18; 2 PM Thursday, March 19; 11 AM Saturday, March 21; and 4 PM Sunday, March 22.

Edited versions of the "Center Stage" programs are available as podcasts.

Composer Spotlight
March 19: Playbill Radio plays the second part of our tour through the career of Stephen Sondheim, playing both familiar and rare songs from the composer of Company, Follies and Sweeney Todd.

Each week's "Composer Spotlight" debuts at 7 PM (ET) Thursday, with repeats scheduled for: (all times are ET) 2 AM Friday, March 20; 11 PM Friday, March 20; 10 PM Sunday, March 22; and 2 PM Monday, March 23.

"Theater Talk" on Playbill Radio
March 21: Drama critics John Simon of Bloomberg News and Linda Winer of Newsday discuss the impact of playwright Harold Pinter (1930-2008) on the world of the theatre and debate the true importance of his work to the development of modern drama.

Each week's "Theater Talk" show debuts at 7 PM (ET) Saturday, with repeats scheduled for: (all times are ET) 11 PM Monday, March 23; 2 PM Tuesday, March 24.

This weekend's programming features God of Carnage at 11 AM Saturday, March 14 and 4 PM Sunday, March 15; part one of a tribute to Stephen Sondheim at 8 PM Sunday, March 15 and 2 PM Monday, March 16; and "Theater Talk" at 7 PM Saturday, March 14, 11 PM Monday, March 16 and 2 PM Tuesday, March 17.