This weekend at The Ringwald Theatre located inside of The Affirmations building in Ferndale, MI, the Ringwald Reprise presents Applause, the first show of its kind at the theater! Being described as a staged concert version of the 1970 Tony Award-Winning musical, which in turn is based on the film All About Eve, Applause is looking to charm the audience once again!

In this Interview, director and cast member Joe Bailey discusses why now felt like the right time to bring this frequently overlooked musical to The Ringwald, what it's like to be both a cast member and the director of the show, how it takes a village to bring a musical to life, and where he sees this staged concert series going in the future.

For more information, and tickets visit: http://www.theringwald.com/production...

For the full video interview, visit YouTube @CosmicCircusBroadway https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfIbiSn_KNY&t=1s

Listen in as RJ Miller-Zelinko and Brian Kitson share their experience with Shrek from childhood to a more recent live show based on the beloved film Shrek The Musical via it's North America Tour.

Have you seen Shrek the Musical? What was your experience? Let us know your thoughts on social media @mycosmiccircus and @boxseatbabes or comment below! If you enjoy this podcast, please consider sharing it with friends and following us on social media, or joining our Discord.

Timestamps 00:00 - intro 01:41 - Childhood memories of watching the original Shrek movie 08:20 - Discussing Shrek the Musical and the complicated logistics of adapting the film to stage. 11:20 - Changes from the original version of the musical 17:20 - Shrek's backstory added to musical 19:41 - Lord Farquaad changes in the musical vs the original 23:43 - "Freak Flag" 25:01 - Comedic choices and changes in the musical 28:10 - Best performances in most recent viewing of Shrek The Musical North America tour stop in Michigan. 32:55 - The music in this show 38:16 - Staging and costume for Fiona's transformation, the Dragon and other effects 44:16 - What is the rewatch value of this show? 48:50 - Coming up next for Broadway in Detroit: Moulin Rouge 01:02:00 - Outro

Podcast credits and show notes

Contributors/Writers Brian Kitson RJ Miller-Zelinko

Executive Producer/Editor Lizzie Hill

FMI about Shrek the Musical's North America Tour visit https://shrekthemusicaltour.com/

For a written review by Brian visit https://broadway.thecosmiccircus.com/shrek-the-musical-tour-review/

For Brian's exclusive interview with Timmy Lewis (Lord Farquaad) visit https://broadway.thecosmiccircus.com/exclusive-interview-timmy-lewis-talks-shrek-the-musical/

Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus

It's been about a month since our last episode of The Cosmic Curtain came out, which kicked off our new podcast dedicated to our love of Broadway and theatre in general. While we're waiting for the 2024-2025 season of Broadway in Detroit to begin, which kicks off with Shrek the Musical, we've been filling our time with local productions around our neck of the woods. With a few different shows on both the community and professional level, we decided it was high time to boot up the cameras and switch on our microphones because we had to share all our excitement about some fantastic Michigan theater.

Listen as hosts RJ Miller-Zelinko and Brian Kitson discuss three recent shows featuring a mixture of musicals and plays. Beginning with OnOurOwnProductions of Beauty and the Beast, we cover The Ringwald's Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors and finish with Nicely Theatre Group's Guys and Dolls. With standout moments and aspects of each show, the Box Seat Babes discuss what made each production unique and what they look forward to seeing from the groups in the future. Check out the video of this podcast on our YouTube channel @CosmicCircusBroadway!

What are some local shows you've seen? What did you think of this episode? Let us know your thoughts on social media @mycosmiccircus and @boxseatbabes! If you enjoy this podcast, please consider sharing it with friends and following us on social media, or joining our Discord.

• Brian Kitson
• RJ Miller-Zelinko

• Lizzie Hill

Recorded on 07/29/2024

A companion article for this podcast is available at broadway.thecosmiccircus.com