Jim and Tomic's Musical Theatre Happy Hour
Musings on musicals, from Broadway to the West End…literally.
All Episodes
Happy Hour #106: On Wednesdays we Podcast Pink - ‘Mean Girls’
Get in, losers. We’re talking about Mean Girls. From it’s earliest self-help origins all the way through to todays “the-trailer-didn’t-say-it-was-a-musical” movie, Jimi and Tommy contemplate the traps of adaptations, memes from old movies, the Jimmy (and Jimi) awards, and Tina Fey’s (literall) love letter to high school theatre.
Happy Hour #105: New Podcast, New Podcast - ‘On the Town’
The Bronx is up, the Battery's down, and Jimi and Tommy are right here delving into the Americana classic of a musical On the Town. Lenoard Bernstein (or is it Bernstein), Betty Comden (the bombshell that she is) and Adolph Green (he’s there too) have devised a wonderful, timeless(?) classic in this show which might, indeed, be the FIRST true musical comedy!
Happy Hour #104: Heart and Podcasts - ‘A New Brain’
Want to support the show? Check out our Patreon! ➤ Get ready to delve into the warren of William Finn’s fantastical mind as we voyage into ‘A New Brain.’ Beautifully mirroring the mania of the show itself, this is a manic episode where we dart from deep, impossible discussions about unhoused populations, to analysing the changes between the original and the Encores!
Happy Hour #103 - Think About the Pod, Pippin - ‘Pippin’
Strike up the band and pull back the curtain on Stephen Schwartz’s odyssey musical - ‘Pippin'. This musical gained legendary status when it was revived recently but we go right back to the start to look at its complex origins with a burgeoning Stephen Schwartz and a high-flying Bob Fosse.
Happy Hour #102: Every Podcast Has A Lesson - ‘Ride the Cyclone’
Get ready for some sycophantic Jim and Tomic as we buckle up and ‘Ride the Cyclone.’ The cast recording for this incredible show by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell has just dropped and we couldn’t wait to talk about it.
Happy Hour #101 - The Von Trapp Family Podcast - 'The Sound of Music'
It’s time to ride on those wild geese as we fly into Austria to talk all about potentially the world’s most famous musical, ‘The Sound of Music.’ We try and pull apart why it’s so popular while discussing the real Von Trapp family, the tonal differences between the film and stage show , why Maria is a lesbian icon and discover the best musical theatre themed Hallowe’en costume.
Happy Hour #99 - This is Gonna be a Good Podcast, and Here's Why - ‘Dear Evan Hansen'
Dear Faithful Listeners, this is going to be a good podcast, and here’s why: we’re having an open and honest discussion about the smash hit contemporary musical, ‘Dear Evan Hansen.’ This show has been extremely divisive among its audiences and we try to pick apart why that is in this week’s episode.
Happy Hour #98 - It’s Only A Podcast - ‘The Frogs’
All aboard Hades express (no not the train, the boat this time!) as we join Dionysus and Xanthias on their descent into the underworld in search of the saviour of art in Stephen Sondheim’s ‘The Frogs'. It’s been a while since Jimi and Tommy butted heads but it is alive and well in this episode!
Happy Hour #97 - Listen to Podcasts, Jimmy - ‘Reefer Madness’
There is a terrifying craze creeping up on your children, no - it’s not pool, it’s ‘Reefer Madness!’ Whether you’re a fan of the green stuff or not, this musical is an incredible send-up of B-Movies and American politics and has some stonking star turns in its movie adaptation.
Happy Hour #96 - How Did They Build This Podcast? - ‘Titanic'
How DID they build Titanic? Maury Yeston and Peter Stone’s 1998 Tony Award winning musical showcases a deeply emotional story with a sensational score.
Happy Hour #95 - Olivia Newton-Podcast - ‘Xanadu’
It’s the cult musical everyone loves to hate! Featuring Olivia Newton-John, Gene Kelly, rollerskates and cartoon fish - it could only be Xanadu! This time we’re chatting all about the musical that started the Razzies. But we work out if it is actually as bad as everyone says it is?
Happy Hour #94 - Oom-Pah-Pod - ‘Oliver!’
It’s time to talk about the show that put the UK on the Musical Theatre Map - ‘Oliver!’ It’s the story of the orphan boy who asked for more and was sent on a journey that would change his life forever.
Happy Hour #93 - Podcast in C-sharp Minor - ‘Preludes’
Jim and Tomic get classical! This time we’re checking out Dave Malloy’s Lincoln Centre special - ‘Preludes'.’ Set in the hypnotised mind of big-handed composer Sergei Rachmaninoff, this is a show that is comfortably nestled in the fringes of contemporary musical theatre.
Happy Hour #92 - Sparklejollytwinklepodcasty - ‘Elf: the Musical’
Support the Show ➤ Seeing as it’s the holiday season we thought it was the perfect time to talk about one of the newsest festive institutions: ‘Elf: the Musical.’ As we explore The Story of Buddy the Elf and his efforts to save Christmas they rate all the differences between the musical and the film, Jimi paints a picture about the insane Arena tour in the UK and we wonder if Warner Bros.
Happy Hour #91 - Did That Podcast Just Happen? - ‘Wicked’
Support the Show ➤ Did you know black is this year’s pink? A giant hat is blowing in from the west, it can only be the untold story of the witches of Oz - ‘Wicked.’ Crank up your time dragons as this one’s a doozy!
Happy Hour #90: Podcast on the Sand - ‘La Cage Aux Folles’
Support the Show ➤ It’s time to put on a little bit of mascara and throw your wigs to the ground as we’re heading to French Riviera to join Georges and Albin in ‘La Cage Aux Folles.’ Tackling our third Jerry Herman, we decide how it measures up to his other big hitters.
Happy Hour #88: Now I’m A Podcaster - ‘Shrek The Musical’
Support the Show ➤ Welcome to Jimi and Tommy’s Karaoke Dance Party! Are podcasts more like onions or parfait?
Happy Hour #87: One Hand in My Podcast - 'Jagged Little Pill'
Support the Show ➤ Get ready to swallow this down - Jimi and Tommy are chatting all about Alanis Morissette’s venture onto Broadway: ‘Jagged Little Pill.’ This jukebox musical with an original book was one of the last shows to premiere on Broadway before the shutdown so it’s time we give it its due diligence and examine its impact before everything stopped!
Happy Hour #86: Ten Podcasts Ago - 'Cinderella'
Fol-de-rol and fiddledy dee; fiddledy, faddledy fodcast - Jimi and Tommy are fin’ly doing a ‘Cinderella’ podcast! Yes indeed, we are talking all about Rodgers and Hammerstein’s foray into television broadcasting and the eventual Broadway output, stopping for some Whitney along the way of course.
Happy Hour #85: The Podcast on the Wall - 'The Mystery of Edwin Drood'
Happy Hour #85: The Podcast on the Wall - 'The Mystery of Edwin Drood' Will this be the podcast episode that never ends?! The jury’s out as we deep dive into Rupert Holmes’ “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” - please insert your own gavel.
Happy Hour #84: Mobius Podcast - 'A Strange Loop'
Happy Hour #84: Mobius Podcast - 'A Strange Loop' Let’s get metaphysical! It’s about darn time we discussed Michael R. Jackson’s Pulitzer winning ‘A Strange Loop.’ Potentially one of the most challenging musicals we have ever listened to, we are so excited delve into this extremely unique piece of musical theatre.
