Broadway Overanalyzed

by Samuel Riddle and Lydia Riddle

Broadway Overanalyzed is a podcast that puts the spotlight not on the Broadway stage but on the orchestra pit underneath. In each episode, Sam and Lyd overanalyze a new Broadway score. They’ll discuss the show’s soundtrack, dissect the show’s recurring themes, and dive into its style, structure, and influences.

Podcast episodes

  • Episode 6: The Music Man

    Episode 6: The Music Man

    In episode 6, we step back in time to 1957 to discuss Meredith Willson's The Music Man. Join us as we discuss diegetic music in theater, patter songs, counterpoint, and more. Instrumental tracks are provided by Stage Stars Records: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k0226Vwov47JoTjSePmAk8FSKOWh_9zoc Meredith Willson interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD3ypmrTSRg Sadder but Wiser Girl/My White Night mashup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djMWD_Q_bmA Have any comments, questions, or suggestions? Send us an email at bwayoveranalyzed@gmail.com. Follow Broadway Overanalyzed on Instagram at @bway.overanalyzed. 0:00:00 -Introduction 0:04:32 - The 2022 Music Man revival, the 2003 TV version, and the 1962 film 0:09:02 - A 40-second summary of the show 0:12:07 - The meaning of The Music Man 0:15:36 - Meredith Willson and The Music Man's trip to Broadway 0:19:28 - Diegetic sounds 0:27:23 - Patter songs 0:31:05 - The orchestra of The Music Man 0:32:15 - Overview of the soundtrack 0:32:56 - "Rock Island" 0:41:35 - "Iowa Stubborn" 0:47:10 - "Ya Got Trouble" 0:51:53 - "Piano Lesson" 0:56:46 - "Goodnight, My Someone" 1:03:12 - "Seventy-Six Trombones" 1:06:00 - "Sincere" 1:10:23 - "Sadder but Wiser Girl" 1:17:54 - "Pick-a-little Talk-a-little/Goodnight Ladies" 1:19:46 - "Marian the Librarian" 1:22:16 - "My White Knight" 1:29:26 - "Wells Fargo Wagon" 1:32:25 - "It's You" 1:33:02 - "Shipoopi" 1:39:03 - "Lida Rose/Will I Ever Tell You" 1:41:10 - "Gary, Indiana" 1:42:19 - "Til There Was You" 1:45:26 - "Finale" 1:49:53 - Rating The Music Man 1:52:46 - Outro

  • Episode 5: Hadestown

    Episode 5: Hadestown

    In episode 5, we tackle our most recent show, Anaϊs Mitchell's Hadestown. Join us as we discuss folk music, New Orleans jazz, sung-through musicals, and more. Instrumental tracks are provided by EJM Instrumentals: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChUymQJBCznj1RhrJ2ln0Lw Have any comments, questions, or suggestions? Send us an email at bwayoveranalyzed@gmail.com. Timestamps: 0:00:00 - Introduction 0:03:59 - Sam and Lyd discuss their experience with Hadestown 0:07:40 - A 45 second summary of the show 0:09:30 - Anaϊs Mitchel and Hadestown's trip to Broadway 0:15:33 - The musical styles of Hadestown 0:17:20 - Folk music 0:22:28 - The Indie Folk movement 0:26:15 - New Orleans Jazz 0:28:31 - Overview of the soundtrack 0:30:45 - "Road to Hell" 0:42:22 - "Anyway the Wind Blows," "Come Home with Me," and "Wedding Song" 0:51:02 - "Epic I," "Epic II," and "Epic III" 0:57:16 - "Livin' It Up on Top" 0:59:40 - "All I've Ever Known" 1:03:13 - "Way Down Hadestown" 1:08:11 - "Chant" 1:13:24 - "Hey Little Songbird" 1:16:02 - "When the Chips are Down" 1:17:40 - "Wait for Me" and "Wait for Me (Reprise)" 1:24:44 - "Why We Build the Wall" 1:28:23 - "Our Lady of the Underground" 1:31:46 - "Flowers" 1:34:01 - "If It's True" 1:36:38 - "Promises" 1:38:42 - "Doubt Comes In" 1:46:14 - "Road to Hell (Reprise)" 1:50:38 - Rating Hadestown 1:54:34 - Outro

  • Episode 4: In the Heights

    Episode 4: In the Heights

    In episode 4, we take a look at the musical that was the basis for this past summer’s hit film, In the Heights. Join us as we discuss the legendary career of Lin-Manuel Miranda, the effect of hip-hop in musical theater, and the several varieties of Latin music. Have any comments, questions, or suggestions? Send us an email at bwayoveranalyzed@gmail.com. Follow Broadway Overanlyzed on Instagram at @bway.overanalyzed. Timestamps: 0:00:00 – Introduction 0:03:40 – Sam and Lyd discuss their experience with In the Heights 0:06:00 – Lin-Manuel Miranda and In the Heights’ trip to Broadway 0:14:21 – A brief synopsis of the show 0:15:29 – The musical styles of In the Heights 0:16:44 – Hip-hop 0:23:50 – Musical theater’s history with “rapping” 0:27:59 – Latin music 0:35:41 – Overview of the soundtrack 0:37:27 – “In the Heights” 0:49:24 – “Breathe” 0:54:48 – “Benny’s Dispatch” 0:56:28 – “It Won’t Be Long Now” 1:00:56 – “Inútil” 1:03:29 – “No Me Diga” 1:05:46 – “96,000” 1:09:35 – “Paciencia y Fe” 1:13:15 – “When You’re Home” 1:17:43 – “Piragua” 1:19:08 – “The Club” 1:20:29 – “Blackout” 1:25:54 – “Sunrise” 1:30:13 – “Hundreds of Stories” 1:31:02 – “Enough” 1:32:55 – “Carnaval del Barrio” 1:36:07 – “Atención” 1:37:13 – “Alabanza” 1:40:17 – “Everything I Know” 1:42:44 – “Piragua (Reprise)” 1:43:23 – “Champagne” 1:48:48 – “When the Sun Goes Down” 1:51:42 – “Finale” 1:57:35 – Rating In the Heights 2:00:46 – Outro

  • Episode 3: West Side Story

    Episode 3: West Side Story

    In episode 3, we wind back the clock to 1957 and anticipate the upcoming Stephen Spielberg film remake based on the Broadway show, West Side Story. Come along as we discuss the music theory of tritones, Latin American musical sounds, and dance infused theater. Have any comments, questions, or suggestions? Send us an email at bwayoveranalyzed@gmail.com Follow Broadway Overanalyzed on Instagram at @bway.overanalyzed Timestamps: 0:00:00 - Introduction 0:03:06 - Sam and Lyd discuss their experience with West Side Story 0:04:43 - A tangent on movie musicals 0:06:25 - Background on Leonard Bernstein 0:07:51 - West Side Story's rocky trip to Broadway 0:14:33 - A brief synopsis of the show 0:15:23 - The tritone 0:29:18 - The musical styles of West Side Story 0:34:18 - Overview of the soundtrack 0:37:31 - "Prologue" 0:45:03 - "The Jet Song" 0:49:59 - "Something's Coming" 0:54:43 - "The Dance at the Gym" 1:00:01 - "Maria" 1:04:56 - "Tonight" 1:08:18 - "America" 1:13:24 - "Cool" 1:18:32 - "One Hand, One Heart" 1:23:00 - "Tonight (Quintet)" 1:27:20 - "The Rumble" 1:29:27 - "I Feel Pretty" 1:31:59 - "Somewhere" 1:39:12 - "Gee, Officer Krupke" 1:41:30 - "A Boy Like That/I Have a Love" 1:45:05 - "Finale" 1:48:42 - Rating West Side Story 1:53:53 - Outro

  • Episode 2: Wicked

    Episode 2: Wicked

    In episode 2 of Broadway Overanalyzed, we travel to Oz to discuss the 2003 musical phenomenon Wicked with a score by Stephen Schwartz. Have any questions, comments, or suggestions? Send us an email at: bwayoveranalyzed@gmail.com Timestamps: 0:00:00 - Introduction 0:03:18 - Sam and Lyd talk their experience with Wicked 0:06:25 - Background on Stephen Schwartz 0:08:00 - Wicked's trip to Broadway 0:11:49 - A brief synopsis of the show 0:13:23 - The musical influences of Wicked 0:20:28 - Thematic elements in Wicked 0:33:08 - 1990s pop 0:38:07 - Overview of the soundtrack 0:39:08 - "No One Mourns the Wicked" 0:49:12 - "The Wizard and I" 1:01:16 - "What is this Feeling?" 1:03:31 - "Dancing through Life" 1:12:11 - "Popular" 1:15:25 - "I'm Not that Girl" 1:17:02 - "One Short Day" 1:19:17 - "Defying Gravity" 1:25:59 - "Thank Goodness" 1:29:33 - "Wonderful" 1:32:26 - "I'm Not that Girl (Reprise)" 1:33:08 - "As Long as You're Mine" 1:34:51 - "No Good Deed" 1:37:28 - "For Good" 1:43:37 - "Finale" 1:46:09 - Rating Wicked 1:49:44 - Outro