BROADWAY NATION

BROADWAY NATION

A lively and opinionated cultural history of the Broadway Musical that tells the extraordinary story of how Immigrants, Jews, Queers, African-Americans and other outcasts invented the Broadway Musical, and how they changed America in the process. In Season One, writer and host David Armstrong traced the evolution of American Musical Theater from its birth at the dawn of the 20th Century, through its mid-century “Golden Age”, and right up to its current 21st Century renaissance, and explored how musicals have always reflected and shaped our world -- especially in regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, and equality. In Season Two he will continue to highlight musicals, creators, and topics that didn’t fit into last season, and dig deeper into those in which there is much more to explore. In addition, David will investigate a number of new areas of interest that he, and frequent co-host Albert Evans have been researching during their hiatus. As always, Broadway Nation will be unique mix of music, history, opinion, analysis, and interviews with leading Broadway experts, artists, and insiders.

Recent Episodes

Dec. 10, 2025

Ep 193: BY STRAUSS! In Search of THE GREAT WALTZ, part 2

This week Albert Evans joins me once again as we go “ In Search of Lost Broadway.” Specifically, the 1934 smash-hit musical The Great Waltz , conceived, directed, and lighted by Hassard. Short , with a book by Moss Hart , cho...
Dec. 7, 2025

A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FROM BROADWAY NATION!

You are invited to join me on December 11 at 5:00 PM at The Museum of Broadway where Tony and Olivier Award-winning lyricist , David Zippel, will be interview me about my new book, Broadway Nation: How Immigrant, Jewish, Quee...
Nov. 21, 2025

Encore Episode: MY FIRST SONDHEIM

This episode was recorded in 2021 just five days after it was announced that Stephen Sondheim had died and as it happened my friend, colleague and frequent co-host and contributor to Broadway Nation, Albert Evans, was spendin...

Recent Blog Posts

Dec. 2, 2022

The Lullaby Of Old Broadway!

This sequence (directed by Busby Berkley and featuring Winifred Shaw) of course has a lot more impact when seen on the big silver screen of a movie theater than it does on a laptop or phone!   I distinctly remember seeing it at the Regency Th…

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June 3, 2022

GREASE is 50?!?!

It may be hard for some of us to believe (including me), but this past Valentine’s Day – Feb 14, 2022 – marked the 50th Anniversary of the New York opening of the musical GREASE (at the Eden Theater on 2nd Avenue). And next we…

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May 19, 2022

The Letters Of Oscar Hammerstein II

The latest episode of Broadway Nation is streaming now!   My guest is Mark Eden Horowitz who joins me to discuss his fascinating new book: The Letters of Oscar Hammerstein II.   Mark is Senior Music Specialist in the mus…

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About the Host

DAVID ARMSTRONG Profile Photo

DAVID ARMSTRONG

Host, Writer, Producer

David Armstrong is the producer writer and host of the popular podcast BROADWAY NATION, which was inspired by a course he teaches at the University of Washington School of Drama on the history of the Broadway Musical. During his 40 years career in the professional theater he has worked as a director, writer, producer, and choreographer on Broadway and at many leading theater companies across America. He is best known for his work at The 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle where from 2000 to 2018 he served as the Producing Artistic Director and Executive Producer. During his tenure The 5th produced 19 new musicals, including nine that subsequently moved on to Broadway including the Tony Award winning “Best Musicals” HAIRSPRAY and MEMPHIS.

Reviews

Great podcast

"I heard this episode in advance and can’t wait for all of you to hear this and future podcasts! You won’t be disappointed."

techymom75 | May 9, 2020

My regards to Broadway Nation

"This well-produced and polished series offers a compelling narrative of the origins and journey of the Broadway musical. Fascinating stories, engagingly told, and interspersed with music, present a c…"

Guilly | May 13, 2020

Loved it!

"I learned so much about something I thought I knew so well. If you love Broadway musicals, this is the podcast for you!"

MissingJon | May 21, 2020

Can’t wait for each episode

"David Armstrong and Albert Evans offer a rich cultural history lesson in each episode that is far from stuffy and highly entertaining. Their goal is to show how the “outsiders” created the Broadway w…"

KellyA1042 | May 26, 2020

Brilliant

"Thank you to David Armstrong for educating me in an in depth but simplistic way. He’s ability to convey complicated circumstances for a novice brain is remarkable. It’s not just facts but incites i…"

Miss 165432 | June 1, 2020

Like a broadway encyclopedia

"I’m an actor and I’m always looking for great resources to help with my character and industry research... this is AMAZING! So great to have this here as opposed to the usual “clipping” articles and …"

Malcolm GNX | June 5, 2020

Broadway Nation

"David Armstrong provides fantastic details on words, music and dance on American composers and shows which were mostly created by minorities. Extremely interesting and entertaining for anyone who enj…"

Any name that is available | June 24, 2020

Using in our MT curriculum!

"Theatre educator here. We are going to be using this podcast as a supplement in our theatre history and musical theatre curriculum! Finally an authoritative voice on the under-recognized contributi…"

SeattleTheatreTeacher | July 16, 2020

Love it

"Really enjoying this podcast. I listen to it while out running and always learn some really interactive g stuff. Highly recxomend it."

sundayclothes | Aug. 13, 2020

Engaging and Accessible

"David Armstrong, and his colleague Albert Evans, are incredible resources of musical theatre history and song analysis. This podcast is a treasure trove that allows them to share their knowledge wit…"

Pauls Macs | Aug. 14, 2020

Thanks for Episode 13, an outstanding episode of an outstanding podcast

"Dear David, Episode 13 was a breakthrough for the podcast as was the Bench Scene itself in musical history. The elucidation of that scene is Carousel was so brilliant and hopefully shows the way for …"

Amaran Tarnoff | Aug. 24, 2020

I highly recommend this podcast!

"It is so exciting to delve into the historical context of the great Broadway shows that I’ve been playing for 20 years as a pit musician. This podcast is well crafted and professionally produced. It …"

Key 2 Sub | Aug. 28, 2020

Engaging, informative, and quick

"I have so enjoyed this podcast. David manages to pack in some fascinating broadway trivia, some great song excerpts, and some engaging historical context in a tight 30 minutes. I consider myself a bi…"

Showbiz5678 | Aug. 28, 2020

Terrific!

"What a wonderful podcast! David Armstrong has put together a string of fun, informative, well-researched episodes chock full of fresh anecdotes and rich history. Great for musical theatre-makers an…"

Magic Matt NYC | Aug. 31, 2020

Fascinating and fun!

"David Armstrong digs deep and comes up with stories and unexpected connections between stories that are theater gold! Bravo!"

Tom Robinwood | Sept. 5, 2020

Finally, a Musical Theatre Podcast for Adults!

"As someone who has been thinking of starting a podcast to talk about the older shows that you almost never hear about on other podcasts, this show is Manna from Heaven."

sondheimboy | Sept. 12, 2020

Wonderful podcast!

"I am loving the historical background of Broadway and Musical Theater! David’s research and information is so thorough and really explains how Broadway got to be what it is today!"

raquelmariah | Nov. 11, 2020

This is the real deal

"An honest and vivid look at the impact Broadway has had on the world. David’s podcast is a colorful, entertaining and insightful valentine to Musical Theatre. And when Albert Evans drops by it is a h…"

Bebop9 | Nov. 14, 2020

Always informative

"I have always enjoyed how David breaks down Broadway in both a creative and financial way. I could listen to him for hours. So happy he has this podcast!"

Sullivanh10 | Dec. 9, 2020

INCREDIBLE!

"David’s insight is both revealing and inspiring as he shows us, through it’s history, the power of Musical Theater. A complete masterclass to understanding the history of the Broadway musical and utt…"

jstevens2422 | Dec. 27, 2020

Insightful and Moving

"David and his guests routinely bring new perspectives and insider information about the evolution of Broadway shows and their creators, along with an exploration of the ways in which they reflect the…"

BAM-STG | Dec. 28, 2020

Living history

"Informative, entertaining and consistently high quality. I thought I knew a lot about the history of musical theatre but this takes it way beyond facts to the life stories behind the creation and cr…"

Adventurist27 | Jan. 4, 2021

The real deal

"It has all the great features of a worthwhile podcast—knowledgeable, well-researched discussion by people who are passionate about the subject. Each episode is an easily-digestible length. Like sitt…"

Dadofcal | Feb. 2, 2021

What a fun listen!

"This is show is, if nothing else, a very fun listen! David Armstrong is a warm and informative host. There is so much history, insight, and lots of musical clips from the show tunes genre packed in…"

tommygeneharlow | Feb. 9, 2021

Great history!

"A fine way to learn or relearn the history of the great shows, stars, and creators of musical theatre throughout the decades. I love the clips and the length of the podcast is a handy 35-40 minutes. …"

Bogue Herb Lives | March 30, 2021

So Much Fun and So Illuminating!

"No one knows more about musical theatre than David Armstrong and no one could possibly be more fascinating to listen to than he is as he expounds on his lifetime enthusiasm for America’s great indige…"

Mkdell | July 2, 2021

Excellent

"As a life long theater goer, it is great to listen and learn the history and background of the shows that I’ve seen. David does a wonderful job of explaining. I highly recommend this podcast to anyon…"

wise brother | Sept. 26, 2021

For aficionados and students

"Who needs a musical theatre history class when you can listen to this podcast? The music examples are definitive and the whole narrative is fun, funny and inspiring. It may highlight the contribution…"

Dougorsino | Jan. 19, 2022

I never knew!

"So informative! I can’t wait to hear them all, so much I didn’t know. The podcaster themselves are very charming. Looking forward to the next ones coming out."

Past0071 | May 15, 2022

The Best of Podcasts is Here

"I think this podcast is unbelievable and I have tears in my eyes just writing about it. I have a deep love for Broadway shows and music and I finally found someone who shares that with me. Thank you …"

Debbie Klein | June 25, 2022

Absolutely fabulous!

"If you love Musical Theatre, you’ve come to the right place. This podcast is so thoroughly researched and beautifully written. I look forward to every episode- and I’ve learned so much!"

CaymanIlika | Aug. 1, 2022

Perfect show for a Broadway fan!

"I am huge fan of Broadway musicals having performed in and musical directed many shows (and even taught a class in the history). Love this podcast!!! I have read so many great books on this subject…"

MJPMacM | Aug. 11, 2022

Fantastic

"Each episode is a deep dive into an interesting topic. Love the detail and enthusiasm."

wash hts | Aug. 12, 2022

What a treasure!

"This is heaven for anyone who’s obsessed with musical theater… the host is charming and informative. Love David Armstrong!"

abu4382 | Sept. 2, 2022

Always enjoyable and enlightening

"I thought I knew a lot about musical theater until I started listening to this podcast! David Armstrong is a great teacher knowledgeable of all the broad facts and back stage details to make all his…"

DCTheaterFanatic | March 2, 2023

Excellent podcast!

"This guy knows his stuff. This podcast is highly entertaining and informational. I’m addicted and can’t wait to keep learning more!"

anonymous281281 | March 23, 2023

Musical Theatre History Heaven!

"This podcast has an amazing amount of historical knowledge! I started at the beginning and am so excited to journey through. If you love hearing from the people that were there to create and someone …"

donny gersonde | April 6, 2023

A necessary listen for any aspiring or current theatre professional!

"David’s insight is both revealing and inspiring as he shows us, through it’s history, the power of Musical Theater. A complete masterclass to understanding the history of the Broadway musical and utt…"

jstevens2422 | Oct. 29, 2023

Thank you!

"I’m loving your interview with Kevin Winkler about Bette Midler. It is bringing back some great memories of her performances."

chabad fan | June 6, 2024