Half Hour with Jeff & Richie (Post-Show Broadway Discussions and Interviews)

In this episode of Half Hour, we take a deeper dive into the Broadway production of Dog Day Afternoon at the August Wilson Theatre. We walk through the true crime story behind the show, how the Oscar-winning film was adapted for the stage, and what shifts when a sweaty Brooklyn bank robbery plays out live in front of an audience.

We break down the overall production, including Stephen Adly Guirgis’ script, Rupert Goold’s direction, and the balance between gritty tension and comedy. The conversation digs into performances from Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, how this staging captures 1970s New York, and where the play lands in today’s Broadway landscape.

We also touch on critical reactions, Dog Day Afternoon’s awards potential, and what they think works best in this limited engagement.

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In this episode of Half Hour, we take a deeper dive into the 2026 Broadway revival of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman at the Winter Garden Theatre. We walk through the production’s take on the American Dream, the pressure to succeed, and how those themes land in 2026. We break down Joe Mantello’s direction, including the spare, symbolic staging, the recurring car motif, and the way the production frames Willy Loman’s world as a kind of purgatory. We also look closely at the performances, from Nathan Lane’s take on Willy’s unraveling to Laurie Metcalf’s grounded, quietly devastating Linda, along with the supporting work from Christopher Abbott and Ben Ahlers. We talk about how this revival speaks to modern capitalism, influencer culture, technology’s impact on sales, the cycle of debt in America, and why Death of a Salesman keeps returning to the Broadway stage. We also consider critical reception so far and make some early Tony predictions for the production and its stars.

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In this episode of “Half Hour”, we take a closer look at the 2026 Broadway revival of David Auburn’s Proof at the Booth Theatre, starring Ayo Edebiri and Don Cheadle in their Broadway debuts. We walk through the play’s structure and plot, considering how this production navigates questions of genius, trust, and mental health within a family still reckoning with loss. We break down Thomas Kail’s direction, pacing, and emotional temperature of the evening, while reflecting on how the performances by Ayo Edebiri, Don Cheadle, Kara Young, and Jin Ha shape the onstage dynamics. We also discuss the set and lighting design, how the visual world supports the mathematics and memory at the heart of the play, and how revisiting the script compares to encountering this revival in performance. The conversation turns to awards prospects, with predictions for potential Tony nominations and thoughts on where this Proof fits into recent Broadway revivals. We close with creative notes we would offer the production team and cast, and what this staging suggests about the play’s future life on Broadway and beyond.

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In this episode of Half Hour, we take a deeper dive into the Broadway production of The Fear of 13 at the James Earl Jones Theatre, written by Lindsey Ferrentino and directed by David Cromer. We break down how the original documentary has been reshaped into a theatrical experience, and what is gained when Nick Yarris’s story of wrongful conviction and years on death row is told live onstage. We talk through Adrien Brody’s performance as Nick and Tessa Thompson’s work as Jacki, along with contributions from Ephraim Sykes and the ensemble, and how their choices shape the evening’s emotional impact. We also examine Cromer’s pacing, the production’s minimalist set and symbolic lighting, and how music and sound design reinforce themes of justice, systemic failure, and the human cost of the appeals process. Finally, we consider The Fear of 13’s partnership with criminal justice advocates, its relevance to ongoing conversations about wrongful convictions, and where we see this production landing in the Tony Awards conversation this season. 

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In this episode of Half Hour, we take a closer look at the 2026 Broadway production of Titaníque at the St. James Theatre, the Céline Dion-fueled parody of Titanic that has sailed uptown after its celebrated Off-Broadway run. We break down how the show’s journey from a downtown cult favorite to a commercial Broadway production affects the storytelling, the humor, and the overall energy in a larger house. We discuss the creative team’s concept, the use of Dion’s catalog, and the legal and artistic hurdles of building a parody around iconic film characters and globally known pop songs. We examine how the production values (set, lighting, sound, and choreography) have been scaled up for the St. James, and whether the show maintains the scrappy, anything-for-a-laugh spirit that defined its Off-Broadway run. The conversation highlights standout turns from Marla Mindelle as Céline Dion, Melissa Barrera, Deborah Cox, Frankie Grande, John Riddle, Constantine Rousouli, and Layton Williams, and considers how this ensemble shapes the show’s tone and audience reception on Broadway. We also speculate on potential Tony Awards attention and where Titaníque fits in the broader landscape of contemporary Broadway comedy and parody musicals.

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