Today, I Wanna Be Like Aaron Lazar! Aaron Lazar is a Grammy award nominated Broadway superstar having starred in The Last Ship (with music and lyrics by Sting), A Light in the Piazza, A Little Night Music and Les Miserables, to name a few! Some of his on screen credits include The Wolf Of Wall Street, Everything Everywhere All At Once and Girl Meets World! After receiving an ALS diagnosis a few years ago, Aaron released an album titled The Impossible Dream in 2024 which also featured Josh Groban, Sting, Lin Manuel Miranda, Kristin Chenowith, Brian Stokes Mitchell and MANY MANY more which earned him his Grammy Award nomination! The album’s proceeds benefit the ALS Network and was the start of a mission Aaron has since surrounded his life around, the “impossible dream” to heal himself from ALS. He’s gone on to start a podcast of his own (Impossible Dreams podcast) with guests like Ben Stiller, Mark Cuban and Andrew Rannells to name a few and has been on a journey to help people heal themselves.
Today, I Wanna Be Like Jerry Zaks! FOURTH DREAM GUEST MANIFESTED BY JESS LEPROTTO! Jerry Zaks is a legendary director with credits in theater, film and television. He's received 4 Tony Awards for his direction on The House of Blue Leaves (starring the Broadway debut of Ben Stiller!), Lend Me A Tenor, Six Degrees of Separation and the iconic production of Guys and Dolls starring Peter Gallagher, Nathan Lane and JK Simmons. On screen, he directed the film Marvin's Room (starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert DeNiro, Meryl Streep, Gwen Verdon and Diane Keaton), as well as episodes of Frasier, Two and a Half Men and Everybody Loves Raymond! Most recently, he's behind some of the biggest Broadway shows of the last decade such as The Music Man starring Hugh Jackman & Sutton Foster, Hello Dolly starring Bette Midler and A Bronx Tale: The Musical (co-directed with Robert DeNiro). We get to talking about all of that as well as what makes a strong director and what he looks for from actors who enter the audition room with him.
Today, I Wanna Be Like Rob W Schneider! Rob W Schneider is a director with numerous regional theater and Off Broadway credits. Most recently, he became an author having written his first book: Queer Musicals: Boy Meets Boy to Jagged Little Pill which is a part of the Essential Musicals series. The book covers 10 musicals all rooted in queer history. We get to talking about each one of them. Rob’s also the Artistic Director of J2 Spotlight Musical Theater which has committed to revive musicals that didn’t get their due when they were previously on Broadway while also showcasing emerging AEA artists. He discusses the 2026 season to us as well as the upcoming production of Frozen he’s directing at A.C.T. plus the time Hal Prince shared with him what makes a strong director.
Today, I Wanna Be Like Mary Testa! THIRD DREAM GUEST UNLOCKED MANIFESTED BY THERESA MCCARTHY!Mary Testa is a Tony nominated actress whose work spans decades. She’s originated musicals on and off Nroadway such as Lucky Stiff, A New Brain, Xanadu, Barnum and The Rink. Most recently, she was seen on the Broadway stage in 2019 as Aunt Eller in Oklahoma (which earned her a Tony Award nomination) as well as off Broadway in The Gardens of Anuncia. Her relationship with Michael John LaChuisa and William Finn has become a huge part of her career originating shows like In Trousers, Marie: Christine, First Daughter’s Suite and The Queen of the Mist! She also starred in The Rink where she understudied Angel, the role originated by Liza Minnelli. We get to talking to her about it all as well the 3 new musicals she’s a part of that are now in development!
Today, I Wanna Be Like Jeb Brown! Jeb Brown is a Tony Award Nominated actor with 10 Broadway shows under his belt. Currently he’s starring as the title role in Beau the Musical Off Broadway at the Distillery at St Luke’s Theatre. Some of his Broadway credits include Cat on a Hot Tin Roof starring Elizabeth Ashley (at just 10 years old!), Bring Back Birdie (the sequel to Bye Bye Birdie) alongside Chita Rivera, Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark and Dead Outlaw (for which he received a Tony Award Nomination for playing the band leader). We get to talking about it all plus his history with the guitar, where he teaches us a little bit himself. GO SEE BEAU AT THE ST LUKES THEATER NOW THROUGH JANUARY 4TH!!!
Today, I Wanna Be Like Stan Zimmerman! Stan Zimmerman is WGA nominated screenwriter who’s written on The Golden Girls, Roseanne and Gilmore Girls to name a few. His new book The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore is out now! We get to talking all about his time writing pilots, spec scripts and seasons of beloved sitcom television as well as A Very Brady Movie and even some of his work in the theater!
Today, I Wanna Be Like Michael Kostroff! Michael Kostroff is an actor with over 100 TV/Film credits! He’s most known for his role as the defense attorney Maurice Levy on The Wire as well as the executive producer Marshall Pike on Disney Channel’s Sonny with a Chance! Upcoming, he’ll be starring in the new live action Marvel/Sony series Spider-Noir based on the hit Spider Verse films alongside Nicolas Cage on MGM+. His most prominent theater credits include Thenardier on the national tour of Les Miserables as well as Max Bialystock (u/s) on The Producers National Tour! He’s also an author of the book The Stage Actor’s Handbook! We get to chatting about the most helpful audition advice (as he served as an acting/audition coach for many years) plus the biggest nuanced differences between stage and screen acting!
Today, I Wanna Be Like Merri Sugarman! Merri Sugarman is a Casting Director for The TRC Company whose work spans decades of Broadway and on screen work. Prior to casting, Merri was an actor having been in the national tour of Les Miserables (which she now casts) and Aspects of Love. She then went on to cast for the screen on shows like Freaks & Geeks, The Larry Sanders Show as well as Spin City! Now she casts for numerous shows on and off Broadway and across the country most recently including The Who’s Tommy, Here Lies Love, and Company! We get to talking to her about her career(s) as well as answer your burning casting questions!
Today, I Wanna Be Like Douglas Lyons! SECOND DREAM GUEST UNLOCKED manifested by Patrick Dunn! Douglas Lyons is a multi-hyphenate artist having acted in multiple Broadway shows (Beautiful: the Carole King Musical, The Book of Mormon) and written plays on and off Broadway (Chicken and Biscuits, Table 17) as well as television (Fraggle Rock on Apple TV). NOW, his new musical Beau has been the talk of the town having done an Off Broadway run with Out of the Box Theatrics this past spring and is now downtown at the St Luke's Theatre running NOW to January 4th!
Today I Wanna Be Like Tyler Hardwick! Tyler Hardwick is currently starring in Tartuffe alongside Andre DeShields at the House of the Redeemer! His Broadway credits include Motown and Once On This Island, both of which he also took on national tours! Next up, he's going to play Cornelius in OFC Creations Theater's production of Hello Dolly alongside Elaine Hendrix as Dolly Levi as well as the upcoming film Six Till Midnight and a new single to be released soon! We also get to talking about him starring in the first production of Dreamgirls with an African American cast in Seoul, South Korea as well as him recently starring in the national tour of Company as PJ. Make sure you catch Tartuffe at the House of the Redeemer which closes November 23rd so get your tickets now!
Today I Wanna Be Like Richard Ridge! FIRST EVER DREAM GUEST UNLOCKED manifested by Matt Rodin! Richard Ridge has been the host of BroadwayWorld for over 2 decades. His name and face have become synonymous with Broadway red carpets and rehearsal rooms, having interviewed everyone from Chita Rivera (an inspiration to him throughout his life) to Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. From an early age working as a server at the classic Broadway eatery Ted Hook’s Backstage, Richard made impressions on some of the biggest stars including Cher, Karen Black and Elizabeth Taylor. He finally made his Broadway debut in 2018 as himself in The Prom! We get to chat with him about where it all began, his favorite red carpet interviews, the future of Broadway and more!
Today I Wanna Be Like Bradley Dean! Bradley Dean is a Broadway veteran crossing a dozen shows with the show he’s currently starring in, Chess alongside Lea Michele, Aaron Tveit and Nicholas Christopher! He also was a part of the original cast of the final musical written by the late Stephen Sondheim, Here We Are! This wasn’t the only Sondheim piece he starred in professionally, having done Company (2006, covering Raul Esparza) and A Little Night Music (2014, alongside Elaine Stritch, Bernadette Peters, Catherine Zeta Jones and Angela Lansbury) on Broadway! On top of this, he is also a vocal teacher with over 20 years of professional experience! We get to talking about his entire career including the one time he wrote, directed and starred in his own original musical, Sextet! Go see him as Molokov in Chess on Broadway at the Imperial Theater in previews now!
Today I Wanna Be Like Elizabeth Stanley! Elizabeth Stanley is a Tony Award nominated Broadway star nominated for her portrayal of Mary Jane Healy in Jagged Little Pill (2019). After making her Broadway debut in John Doyle’s revival of Company (April), Elizabeth starred in numerous cult classic Broadway musicals including Cry Baby and Million Dollar Quartet. Most recently, she’s led the Savion Glover, Tony Goldwyn directed Pal Joey at New York City Center (now known as Chez Joey) which is having a follow up production at Arena Stage next year. From legit soprano to Alanis Morissette hits, Elizabeth gets to talking to about her classic vocal training, how she approaches new material and more!
Today I Wanna Be Like Matt Rodin! Matt Rodin is actor and host extraordinaire who is currently starring as Ace Baker in Beau the Musical at the Distillery at St Luke’s Theatre with previews beginning October 13! Prior to this, Matt played Jamie on the National Tour of the most recent revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Company! You may also know him as the former face of Broadway.com where he produced and hosted shows including Red Carpet Challenge, Live at Five and Side by Side! Currently, he runs his own weekly newsletter titled The Fourth Wall, where he details the current theater events from a more personal lens as well as a website, buttsinseats.xyz sharing the weekly capacity statistics of Broadway each week. Having worked in all aspects of the industry, Matt shares his thoughts on all things state of the industry, the difference between press and marketing and why remaining optimistic is so important during an oftentimes tumultuous time in the entertainment industry.
Today I Wanna Be Like James T Lane! James T Lane is a triple threat Broadway performer currently starring in Chicago on Broadway! Previously this year, he was Louis Armstrong 2 nights a week at Studio 54 in A Wonderful World - The Louis Armstrong Musical alongside Tony Award Winner James Monroe Iglehart! In 2023, he starred and wrote in his own one man show titled Triple Threat Off Broadway which detailed his struggle with addiction while simultaneously performing on tour with Fame the Musical as Tyrone! Some of his Broadway credits include Scottsboro Boys (original cast), Kiss Me Kate (2019 revival, and his Broadway debut: Richie in the 2006 revival of A Chorus Line which he recently got to revisit this past summer at the 50th Anniversary of the show at the Shubert Theater!
Today, I Wanna Be Like Patrick Dunn! Patrick Dunn is currently making his Broadway debut in the hit musical Mamma Mia as one of the ensemble members and understudying Bill and Harry! Prior to this, he starred as Jean Valjean in Les Miserable on the national tour as well as covering the Phantom in Phantom of the Opera on tour and the original national tour of Waitress! He's also become incredibly well known as Elvis Presley, having won the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest in 2021 at Graceland and travels the world paying tribute to Elvis Presley performing the greatest hits and then some!
The Broadway Flea Market is a one of a kind charity event where Broadway fans can find the most niche Broadway treasures all while supporting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids! With former guests like Jerry Mitchell and Aidan McDermott plus potential upcoming guests like Kevin Del Aguila and Richard Ridge, we get to chatting with Broadway personalities and YOU GUYS! See how long fans waited in line for The Outsiders memorabilia and see them put to the test with a game of Finish The Lyric! This year's Broadway Flea was a success!
BROADWAY FLEA CHAPTERS!
1. 00:00 Intro
2. 02:30 The Return of Aidan McDermott
3. 04:00 Just in Time Finish The Lyrics
4. 05:30 Kevin Del Aguilla!
5. 07:10 The Outsiders Finish The Lyrics
6. 08:42 The Return of Jerry Mitchell!
7. 09:53 Death Becomes Her Walk On Auction?!
8. 11:20 Once on this Island Poster & The Outsiders Shoe
9. 14:00 Richard Ridge from BroadwayWorld!
10. 16:15 Thank You Broadway Flea 2025!
Today I Wanna Be like Jared Goldsmith! Jared Goldsmith is a content creator with collectively almost 1 MILLION followers on Instagram and TikTok! As a child actor, Jared had the chance to do guest spots on Blue’s Clues, Blue’s Room, The Ant Bully and Spider Man 3. A graduate from Elon University, Jared made his Broadway debut as Jared in Dear Evan Hansen after touring with the show on its initial national tour for a year. During the pandemic, he began releasing short form comedic content with much success! Most recently on stage you may have seen him in The Little Mermaid at Paper Mill Playhouse where he played Scuttle or onstage doing standup around New York City especially Gotham Comedy Club where his set succeeded Jerry Seinfeld and Jim Gaffigan!
Today I Wanna Charlie Siedenburg! Charlie Siedenburg is a press representative who’s worked on Broadway and at many regional houses across the country. Most recently, he announced he will be retiring from being the press representative at Barrington Stage after working there for 21 years to step into the new role of producer. Charlie has taken up the mantle at the College of Staten Island as producer heading their community theater productions starting with Fiddler on the Roof that wrapped up this past summer and featured a cast of 46 Staten Island natives spanning generations. He’s tells us all about working for the 50th Tony Awards, walking Donna Murphy down the red carpet and the time he visited Stephen Sondheim at his house in Turtle Bay.
Today I Wanna Be Like Brett Boles! Brett Boles is a musical theater composer and lyricist whose work has been professionally performed regionally and in workshops in NYC. Most recently, a workshop of his musical Time Stops was presented at MTC starring Norbert Leo Butz and Elizabeth Stanley. He’s most well known on social media (with over 650K followers collectively on TikTok and Instagram) for providing “The M Tea” giving viewers an inside look as to how some of their favorite music has been crafted. A former schoolteacher, Brett has launched a program to educate budding composers in musical theater the keys to writing a successful musical. We get to chatting all about that, what makes Disney music unique, that time he went to Sondheim’s house for dinner and much more!