{"podcast":{"title":"Closing Night","slug":"closing-night-6469355","podcast_index_feed_id":6469355,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/closingnight","website_url":"https://broadwaypodcastnetwork.com/podcast/closing-night/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/2bf54e30-ece8-11ed-a593-5fb14b3bb4ec/image/0e5e80b73eca08e43e01183cdb9984a4.jpeg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"WINMI Media, LLC","episode_count":47,"summary":"Every Broadway show has an opening night. This podcast is about what happens next. Closing Night explores famous and forgotten shows that closed too soon, using the stories of individual productions to uncover the larger history of Broadway. Through deep research and immersive storytelling, each episode examines the artists, ambitions, successes, and failures that have defined American theater. From legendary flops to celebrated classics, every closing night has a story worth telling.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-06T08:18:11.835863+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/closing-night-6469355"},"episode":{"title":"Orpheus Descending (1957)","slug":"orpheus-descending-1957","published_at":"2026-05-29T21:28:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/closing-night-6469355/orpheus-descending-1957","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/closing-night-6469355","url":"https://broadwaypodcastnetwork.com/podcasts/closing-night/","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/BPNET4374864067.mp3","summary":"In 1957, Tennessee Williams returned to the Martin Beck Theatre with Orpheus Descending, a play he had spent nearly two decades trying to get right. Originally produced in 1940 as Battle of Angels, the drama had collapsed amid censorship battles, technical problems, and public outrage. Yet Williams could never leave it behind. In this episode, we trace the remarkable seventeen-year journey of the play, from its disastrous Boston tryout to its rebirth on Broadway under a new title. Along the way, we explore Williams's complicated relationship with success and failure, the creative partnership that shaped his work, and the cast and collaborators who helped bring Orpheus Descending to life, including Maureen Stapleton, Harold Clurman, Boris Aronson, Robert Loggia, Cliff Robertson, and Lois Smith. Featuring archival interviews and firsthand accounts, this is the story of one of Broadway's most ambitious productions, why audiences rejected it, and how its failure marked a turning point in the life of America's greatest playwright. -- Click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for a transcript with photos, videos, and a list of all resources used. Produced by Patrick Oliver Jones and WINMI Media with Dan Delgado as co-producer. Theme music created by Blake Stadnik. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices","meta_description":"In 1957, Tennessee Williams returned to the Martin Beck Theatre with Orpheus Descending, a play he had spent nearly two decades trying to get right. Origi…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2342,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/closing-night-6469355/episodes/orpheus-descending-1957/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/closing-night-6469355/orpheus-descending-1957.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}