## The Stage Door

Content for Fans, By Fans

### [Here Are Some Other Broadway Revivals That Need the “Jellicle Ball” Treatment](/content/columns/2026/6/10/here-are-some-other-broadway-revivals-that-need-the-jellicle-ball-treatment/index.html)

Some Broadway revivals need a fresh coat of paint. Others need a wrecking ball. After _Cats: The Jellicle Ball_, I’m dreaming up the classic musicals that deserve a full transformation next.

### [When the Tallest Person in the Room Sits Directly in Front of You…](/content/columns/2026/5/8/when-the-tallest-person-in-the-room-sits-directly-in-front-of-you/index.html)

For every short theatregoer who has ever paid full price for a ticket and spent the evening watching the back of someone’s head instead of the stage, this one is for you.

### [Track by Track: “Songs for a New World” (1995 Off-Broadway Recording)](/content/columns/2026/5/3/track-by-track-songs-for-a-new-world-1995-off-broadway-recording/index.html)

This week’s _Track by Track_ goes back to one of the sacred texts of early 2000s musical theatre kids: _Songs for a New World_. Basically, if this recording ever lived in your CD binder, this one’s for you.

### [A Statement from the Audience Member Who Shouted ‘The Pitt’ References at Isa Briones During ‘Just in Time’](/content/columns/2026/5/3/a-statement-from-the-audience-member-who-shouted-the-pitt-references-at-isa-briones/index.html)

People around me kept turning around and glaring, but I assumed they were impressed. One woman whispered, “Please stop,” which I took as theatrical banter.

### [Track by Track: “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (Film Soundtrack)](/content/columns/2026/4/18/track-by-track-the-hunchback-of-notre-dame-film-soundtrack/index.html)

My latest Track by Track takes on Disney’s _The Hunchback of Notre Dame_, a film I still cannot quite believe exists under the Disney banner at all. It is dark, daring, musically ambitious, and for my money, one of the best animated movie musicals ever made.

### [Track by Track: “Godspell” - 2011 Broadway Revival](/content/columns/2026/4/3/ezvgov52f7gqvqs6owg8c3at57fewz/index.html)

With Easter Weekend upon us, I took on the 2011 Godspell revival recording and honestly, it made me appreciate the show more than I expected.

### [Track by Track: “The Addams Family”](/content/columns/2026/3/16/track-by-track-the-addams-family-musical/index.html)

This week in my cast recording series, I took on _The Addams Family_ original Broadway cast album. Despite this show’s massive popularity in schools and colleges, it has never quite been my thing. But let’s give it another shot.

### [Track by Track: “The Phantom of the Opera”](/content/columns/2026/3/13/track-by-track-the-phantom-of-the-opera/index.html)

I’m starting a new series where I listen to cast recordings track by track, hand out a few totally subjective awards, and decide whether they still slap today. First up: _The Phantom of the Opera_ original London cast recording.

### [Some Theatre Teachers Really Need to Learn the Difference Between Teaching and Killing Dreams](/content/columns/2026/3/13/some-theatre-teachers-really-need-to-learn-the-difference-between-teaching/index.html)

Every so often, I hear from theatre people who were told by a professor or teacher that this just “wasn’t for them.” And every time, I have the same reaction: where do these people get the nerve?

### [Why Those Post-Show Diner Trips Meant Everything](/content/columns/2026/2/22/why-those-post-show-diner-trips-meant-everything/index.html)

If you were a theatre kid, you already know the show was never really over at curtain call. The real final act happened in a diner booth somewhere after midnight with coffee, fries, and a cast still buzzing from the stage.