MusicalSplaining
American podcast about musicals
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
MusicalSplaining is a podcast hosted by filmmaker Kaveh Taherian and writer Angelina Meehan. Each episode, the two hosts are introduced to a different musical and they discuss its plot, themes and production.[1] The podcast was pitched as a show for both musical-lovers and musical-haters.[2] Prior to 2022, the show was hosted by Taherian and Lindsay Ellis.
- Discussion
- music
- theater
- Lindsay Ellis
- Kaveh Taherian
| MusicalSplaining | |
|---|---|
| |
| Genre |
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| Format | Audio |
| Language | English |
| Creative team | |
| Created by |
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| Cast and voices | |
| Hosted by |
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| Production | |
| Length | ~60 minutes |
| Publication | |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 80 |
| Original release | February 4, 2020 – December 26, 2023 |
| Provider | Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, Nebula, Podchaser |
| Updates | Every other Tuesday |
| Reception | |
| Ratings | Chartable |
| Related | |
| Website | Apple Podcasts |
Overview
The format of the show leaned into the divisive nature of musicals, with Ellis or Meehan assuming the role of a musicals fan and Taherian a theatre skeptic.[2][3] The episodes covered a mixture of classic musicals like The Phantom of the Opera and The King and I, and newer musicals including Frozen and SpongeBob SquarePants.[4]
Ellis and Taherian attended film school together at USC. Ellis stated that she chose Taherian as a co-host because he could balance his performative anger at musicals with a critical tone.[5] The two hosts were sometimes joined by a guest host, which have included Hank Green and fellow YouTuber Jenny Nicholson.[6]
Two months into the podcast, theatres in California shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] In an interview with OnStage Blog, Ellis described how the hosts had originally planned to tour around the state to see musicals in theatres, but COVID-19 "totally wrecked" those plans. They have since relied on proshoots to watch and review each musical.[5]
The podcast is available via Amazon Music,[8] Apple Podcasts,[9] Spotify,[10] Google Play,[11] Stitcher,[12] Nebula.,[13] and Podchaser.[14]
On December 17, 2021, in "The Lion King" episode, it was announced that the show was going on an indefinite hiatus following Ellis's retirement from online content creation.[15] The show returned on January 18, 2022 with an episode on the film Tick, Tick... Boom! with frequent guest and Ellis's former co-writer Angelina Meehan taking over as the podcast's new co-host.[16]
On November 14, 2023, in the "Gypsy" episode, it was announced that the show would end by the end of the year.[17] The show released the final episode on December 26, 2023.[18]
Episodes
| Episode no. | Musical discussed | Guest host | Original podcast release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cats | N/a | February 4, 2020 |
| 2 | Frozen | Jenny Nicholson | February 18, 2020 |
| 3 | Hadestown | N/a | March 3, 2020 |
| 4 | Beetlejuice | N/a | March 17, 2020 |
| 5 | The Phantom of the Opera | Angelina Meehan | March 31, 2020 |
| 6 | Six | N/a | May 5, 2020 |
| 7 | Rent | N/a | May 19, 2020 |
| 8 | The King and I | N/a | June 9, 2020 |
| 9 | American Idiot | N/a | June 23, 2020 |
| 10 | Love Never Dies | Angelina Meehan | July 14, 2020 |
| 11 | Hamilton | Hank Green | July 28, 2020 |
| 12 | SpongeBob SquarePants | N/a | August 19, 2020 |
| 13 | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | Angelina Meehan | September 9, 2020 |
| 14 | Ratatouille the Musical | N/a | January 5, 2021 |
| 15 | Moulin Rouge! | Angelina Meehan | January 19, 2021 |
| 16 | Repo! The Genetic Opera | N/a | February 2, 2021 |
| 17 | The Sound of Music | N/a | February 16, 2021 |
| 18 | The Wizard of Oz | Antonella Inserra | March 2, 2021 |
| 19 | O Brother, Where Art Thou? | N/a | March 16, 2021 |
| 20 | Om Shanti Om | Siddhant Adlakha | April 20, 2021 |
| 21 | Descendants | Jenny Nicholson | May 4, 2021 |
| 22 | Phantom of the Paradise | Angelina Meehan | May 18, 2021 |
| 23 | Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (film) |
N/a | June 1, 2021 |
| 24 | In the Heights | N/a | June 15, 2021 |
| 25 | Moana | Princess Weekes | June 29, 2021 |
| 26 | Singin' in the Rain | N/a | July 13, 2021 |
| 27 | The Greatest Showman | Jenny Nicholson | August 3, 2021 |
| 28 | Muppet Treasure Island | N/a | August 17, 2021 |
| 29 | Xanadu | N/a | August 31, 2021 |
| 30 | Mamma Mia! (film) Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again |
Todd in the Shadows | September 14, 2021 |
| 31 | Little Shop of Horrors (musical) | Elisa Hansen | October 5, 2021 |
| 32 | Truth of the Divine (special episode) | Abigail Thorn | October 19, 2021 |
| 33 | Wicked | Princess Weekes | November 9, 2021 |
| 34 | Chicago | N/a | November 23, 2021 |
| 35 | The Lion King | Angelina Meehan | December 17, 2021 |
| 36 | Tick, Tick... Boom! | (Angelina Meehan became a full-time cohost starting in this episode.) | January 18, 2022 |
| 37 | Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat | N/a | February 1, 2022 |
| 38 | Into the Woods | N/a | February 15, 2022 |
| 39 | Jekyll & Hyde | N/a | March 1, 2022 |
| 40 | West Side Story (1961 film) West Side Story (2021 film) |
N/a | March 15, 2022 |
| 41 | Rock of Ages | N/a | March 29, 2022 |
| 42 | Jesus Christ Superstar | Emily St. James Lindsay Ellis |
April 12, 2022 |
| 43 | Company (2006 revival) | Sarah Zed | April 26, 2022 |
| 44 | All That Jazz | Josie Azzam | May 10, 2022 |
| 45 | Annie | N/a | May 24, 2022 |
| 46 | Hairspray | N/a | June 7, 2022 |
| 47 | Waiting for Guffman | N/a | June 21, 2022 |
| 48 | Elvis | N/a | July 5, 2022 |
| 49 | Sunday in the Park with George | N/a | July 19, 2022 |
| 50 | The Last Five Years | N/a | August 2, 2022 |
| 51 | The Phantom of the Opera (2004 film) | Lindsay Ellis | August 16, 2022 |
| 52 | Hair (1979 film) | N/a | August 30, 2022 |
| 53 | Amadeus (1984 film) | N/a | September 13, 2022 |
| 54 | My Fair Lady (1964 film) | N/a | September 26, 2022 |
| 55 | Oklahoma! (2019 revival) | N/a | October 11, 2022 |
| 56 | Hello, Dolly! (1969 film) | N/a | October 25, 2022 |
| 57 | Mary Poppins (1964 film) | N/a | November 8, 2022 |
| 58 | Across the Universe | N/a | November 22, 2022 |
| 59 | The Book of Mormon (musical) | Hannah Hillam | December 6, 2022 |
| 60 | The Muppet Christmas Carol | N/a | December 20, 2022 |
| 61 | Diana: The Musical | N/a | March 7, 2023 |
| 62 | Mean Girls | N/a | March 21, 2023 |
| 63 | Matilda the Musical (2022 film) | N/a | April 4, 2023 |
| 64 | Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 | Emily St. James | April 18, 2023 |
| 65 | Shrek The Musical | Big Joel | May 2, 2023 |
| 66 | Bad Cinderella | Princess Weekes | May 23, 2023 |
| 67 | Rocketman (2019 film) | N/a | June 6, 2023 |
| 68 | Some Like It Hot (2022 musical) | N/a | June 20, 2023 |
| 69 | Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping | N/a | July 18, 2023 |
| 70 | Cyrano (2021 film) | N/a | August 1, 2023 |
| 71 | Fiddler on the Roof (1971 film) | Austin Wintory | August 15, 2023 |
| 72 | Les Misérables | Lindsay Ellis | September 5, 2023 |
| 73 | Cinderella (1997 film) | Princess Weekes | September 19, 2023 |
| 74 | Aladdin (touring production) | N/a | October 3, 2023 |
| 75 | South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut | Steven Ray Morris | October 17, 2023 |
| 76 | Newsies (2017 pro-shoot) | N/a | October 31, 2023 |
| 77 | Gypsy (2015 revival) | N/a | November 14, 2023 |
| 78 | Notre-Dame de Paris | Amal El-Mohtar | November 28, 2023 |
| 79 | Hedwig and the Angry Inch (film) | Lady Emily | December 12, 2023 |
| 80 | Cabaret (musical) | Lindsay Ellis | December 26, 2023 |