{"podcast":{"title":"Broadway Breakdown","slug":"broadway-breakdown-224933","podcast_index_feed_id":224933,"rss_url":"https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/5180103.rss","website_url":"https://bwaybreakdown.substack.com/podcast","image_url":"https://substackcdn.com/feed/podcast/5180103/51fb47cc9d6a6b1047d753f00e814b08.jpg","author":"Matt Koplik","episode_count":333,"summary":"Matt Koplik is the most opinionated, foul-mouthed, and passionate theatre geek with access to a mic. Every week, Matt and a guest explore Broadway history by diving into the careers of the artists who shaped it.","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/broadway-breakdown-224933"},"episode":{"title":"Broadway Birthday Q & A","slug":"broadway-birthday-q-a","published_at":"2026-03-26T04:15:07+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/broadway-breakdown-224933/broadway-birthday-q-a","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/broadway-breakdown-224933","url":"https://bwaybreakdown.substack.com/p/broadway-birthday-q-and-a","audio_url":"https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/192170871/3655553f6889eeaddf7e1056c8ec5443.mp3","summary":"It’s Matt’s birthday (almost), which means it’s time for the annual tradition: handing the mic (metaphorically) over to the listeners. In this wide-ranging, unfiltered Q&A, Matt tackles everything from dream casting do-overs and Broadway flops to industry gossip, personal reflections, and the future of Broadway Breakdown itself. It’s equal parts theater nerder-y, hot takes, and just enough chaos to feel like a proper celebration. Important Links Broadway Breakdown: Discord Broadway Breakdown: Substack Broadway Breakdown: May 3 Show Broadway Breakdown: June 1 Show Timestamps 00:00 – Birthday episode intro and Q&A format 03:00 – Dream recasting: can casting fix a flop? 10:30 – Spring season excitement and upcoming shows 15:45 – Broadway rumors: what’s coming next season? 21:30 – Personal questions (yes, he answers them) 26:00 – Favorite theater experiences that changed everything 35:15 – Shows that grew on him over time ( Passion discourse) 42:00 – Alternate-universe composer birthday mashups 48:30 – Advice (or lack thereof) for young theater writers 55:10 – Flops that could succeed today 1:02:45 – Most “artistically successful” current musicals 1:10:30 – Broadway Breakdown future plans (Substack, monetization, more) 1:18:00 – Dream final show before the apocalypse 1:25:00 – Broadway books, docs, and backstage tea recommendations 1:32:30 – Rapid-fire questions, hot takes, and final thoughts Listener discussion questions * Which of Matt’s answers did you agree (or violently disagree) with the most? * What Broadway flop do you think deserves a second life today? * If you could ask one question for next year’s Birthday Q&A, what would it be? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit…","meta_description":"It’s Matt’s birthday (almost), which means it’s time for the annual tradition: handing the mic (metaphorically) over to the listeners. In this wide-rangin…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":5182,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/broadway-breakdown-224933/episodes/broadway-birthday-q-a/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/broadway-breakdown-224933/broadway-birthday-q-a.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}