The April 16-23 edition of "Radio Playbill," the weekly radio show of Broadway on Sirius Satellite Radio, sits in on a rehearsal of Thoroughly Modern Millie with composer Jeanine Tesori, who reveals details of her upcoming musical theatre projects in collaboration with Pulitzer winners Tony Kushner and Suzan-Lori Parks.
Also on this week's show: A survey of great music from "postmodern musicals" by the likes of Jason Robert Brown, Adam Guettel, Michael John La Chiusa and their contemporaries. Plus: samples from Bernadette Peters' new solo album, the weekly Playbill Music Quiz, and a brief history of nudity on Broadway from Playbill's senior editor and archivist, Louis Botto.
"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.
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. 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 shows include samples from the new cast album of Sweet Smell of Success, interviews with Into the Woods director/librettist James Lapine and Suzan-Lori Parks, and a Tony Awards preview from Gerard Alessandrini, creator of Forbidden Broadway.
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 began a national rollout of its 100 commercial-free stations Feb. 14 with promotions in four cities, Denver, Houston, Phoenix and Jackson, Miss. More cities are being added weekly until full national coverage is achieved July 1, accelerated from the originally-announced Aug. 1.
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.
