Broadway Press Day with Ruthie Fierberg

There’s nothing quite like a villain origin story — especially when the villain in question is “Stranger Things”’ Vecna. The stage adaptation of the Duffer Brothers’ hit Netflix series, “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” is a prequel to the TV show and shows how a young boy named Henry Creel becomes a monster.Louis McCartney originated the role of Henry Creel in the premiere production of “The First Shadow” in London’s West End. Now, he's on Broadway and has earned a 2025 Tony Award nomination for his performance. Host Ruthie Fierberg, executive editor of Broadway News, sat down with McCartney to get the scoop on his wildly physical, vocally taxing and psychologically complex performance.Want to be the first to hear these chats? Subscribe to broadwaynews.com today, starting at only $1 per month, and get early access to these episodes and many more exclusive interviews and breaking news stories on Broadway and the Tony Awards.Photo credit: Louis McCartney as Henry Creel in “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” on Broadway; photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

Ruthie Fierberg hosts Broadway News’ latest awards season interview series. More than 130 artists were nominated for 2025 Tony Awards. In the span of a single day, Ruthie spoke to more than 40 of them. Every day from now through the 78th Annual Tony Awards on June 8, 2025, we'll release episodes that feature one-on-one conversations with these nominated artists. From “Stranger Things” star Louis McCartney to “Oh Mary!” standout Conrad Ricamora, from “Boop!” choreographer Jerry Mitchell to “Death Becomes Her” director-choreographer Christopher Gattelli, from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins to powerhouse designer Clint Ramos and more, Broadway News brings you the inside scoop on Broadway and the Tony Awards.

"Real Women Have Curves" first debuted as a play, by Josefina López, in 1990. Inspired by some of her own experiences, López adapted her own work into a 2002 film, which starred America in her breakout role. In 2025, that story has been reimagined once again as a Broadway musical: "Real Women Have Curves." Starring Tony Award nominee Justina Machado (TV's "One Day at a Time," "Jane the Virgin" and Broadway's "In the Heights") and newcomer Tatianna Córdoba, "Real Women" is a mother-daughter story, a coming-of-age story, a love story and an immigrant story. Directed and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo, it features a Tony-nominated score by pop star Joy Huerta and musical theater writer Benjamin Velez. Hear from these creators and stars about what to expect from the musical that is now playing at the James Earl Jones Theater.Learn more at realwomenhavecurvesbroadway.com.

Straight from the Netflix universe, “Stranger Things” has come to Broadway. But it’s not an adaptation of the series. As you’ll hear in this episode, Broadway’s “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” is a prequel to the streaming show. And it is absolutely canon.Kate Trefry, a writer and executive producer of the Netflix show, penned the play while still writing the series — and she made sure it would all fit together. Hear from her and co-director Justin Martin as well as from Tony Award-winning mega-producer Sonia Friedman about the process of writing the story and creating a stage spectacular.Then, hear from Main Stem stars Louis McCartney (who plays Henry Creel) and Alex Breaux (who plays Dr. Brenner) to learn more about what to expect from the play, what to expect from their characters and why “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” is actually a mix of “10 Things I Hate About You” and “The Exorcist.”Click here to keep up on “The First Shadow” Click here for more info about the show

“Floyd Collins” first bowed in New York City nearly 30 years ago, Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons. The musical tells the true story of cave explorer Floyd Collins, who became trapped in Kentucky’s Sand Cave back in 1925. As Floyd fought for his life below, a media circus sprouted above him — as thousands of people wanted to see if Floyd would be rescued.After success Off-Broadway, writer-director-lyricist Tina Landau (a Tony Award-nominated director for “SpongeBob SquarePants”) and composer-lyricist Adam Guettel (a Tony winner for “The Light in the Piazza”) wanted to wait for the exact right venue and timing to bring the show to Broadway. That day has come! “Floyd Collins” is now in Broadway previews at Lincoln Center Theater’s Vivian Beaumont Theater. In the latest episode, host Ruthie Fierberg discovers how Landau and Guettel first became a creative partnership, how they discovered the story of Floyd and how they musicalized it. Ruthie also talks to leading actors Jeremy Jordan (Tony nominee for “Newsies”), Jason Gotay (“Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark”) and singer-songwriter Lizzy McAlpine about their characters, the challenging score and what audiences will see when they come to the Beaumont.For more news about the show: broadwaynews.com/tag/floyd-collins/For more info: lct.org/shows/floyd-collins

After taking home the 2024 Tony Award for “Merrily We Roll Along,” actor Jonathan Groff returns to Broadway in the Bobby Darin bio-musical “Just in Time.” Groff is known for his breakout role in Broadway’s “Spring Awakening,” his turn as a sassy King George III in “Hamilton” and his voice in the “Frozen” franchise (he’s Kristoff). So why Bobby Darin, the singer of “Mack the Knife” and “Beyond the Sea”? Turns out, Darin had quite a life — even if it was only 37 years long.In this episode, Groff reveals the unlikely origin story of this new Broadway musical. Director Alex Timbers (Tony winner for “Moulin Rouge!”) gives a taste of what to expect from the immersive production. Plus hear from Groff’s co-stars Gracie Lawrence (of the band Lawrence) and Erika Henningsen (“Mean Girls”) as well as choreographer Shannon Lewis and music supervisor Andrew Resnick. “Just in Time” officially opens on April 26, 2025, at the Circle in the Square Theatre.justintimebroadway.com

The now-iconic cartoon character Betty Boop first debuted in Fleischer Studios' Talkartoon series in the 1930s. Betty was a bit player, but became so popular the studio created animated movies just for her. Betty comes to Broadway in an entirely original story with “Boop! The Musical!”Starring newcomer Jasmine Amy Rogers (Betty), Tony Award winner Faith Prince (Valentina) and Ainsley Melham (Dwayne) “Boop!” is a romantic musical comedy for the whole family — as director-choreographer Jerry Mitchell tells host Ruthie Fierberg in this episode of “Broadway Press Day.”With music by 16-time Grammy Award winner David Foster (songs like Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing”) and lyrics by Tony nominee Susan Birkenhead, the cast and creative team share what to expect from the new musical.boopthemusical.com

Emmy and Golden Glob Award winner Sarah Snook makes her Broadway debut in “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” Adapted by Kip Williams from the Oscar Wilde novel, this staging of “Dorian Gray” is a one-person show. Snook plays 26 characters in one wild ride.The play bowed in London's West End in 2024, and Snook took home the Olivier Award for Best Actress. She's got a herculean task, but why did it make sense to Williams to create a solo play out of this dynamic book? How do he and Snook accomplish it? Broadway News' Ruthie Fierberg spoke to Williams (who also directs the production) and Snook about the characters, the use of live performance, live simulcast and pre-recorded video, and to give audience a sense of what to expect from the production.Related content:The women on Broadway are sexy and owning it

NBC's cult-favorite television series "Smash" comes to Broadway as a brand new stage musical. The series — about the making of a Marilyn Monroe bio-musical called "Bombshell" — first debuted in 2012. Broadway's "Smash" will officially open at the Imperial Theatre on April 10, 2025.The show was a melodrama on television, but the Main Stem version is a backstage farce — highlighting the shenanigans that go on as a group of artists try to make the original musical "Bombshell." The shift in tone was producer Steven Spielberg's idea (yes, that Steven Spielberg).Hear from book writers Rick Elice and Bob Martin, songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, director Susan Stroman, choreographer Joshua Bergasse, producers Robert Greenblatt and Neil Meron and actors Jacqueline B. Arnold, Brooks Ashmanskas, Caroline Bowman, Bella Coppola, Casey Garvin, Robyn Hurder, Nicholas Matos and Kristine Nielsen as they share what to expect from "Smash" on Broadway.

Tony Award-winning actor Idina Menzel ("Wicked") returns to Broadway in the new, original musical "Redwood." Menzel stars as Jesse, a woman who has experienced a profound personal loss. After a year of avoiding her own feelings and struggling to deal with her grief, Jesse longs to escape. She drives until she can't anymore — until she lands in the Redwood Forest. "Redwood" chronicles Jesse's transformative experience among nature and the people who care for it.Menzel not only stars in this musical, she co-conceived it with Tony-nominated director Tina Landau ("SpongeBob SquarePants"). Tina wrote the book and co-wrote the lyrics; Menzel provided additional material. Newcomer Kate Diaz composed the music and co-wrote lyrics. But "Redwood" isn't just about original material — it spotlights technology, design and aerial choreography in a way Broadway hasn't experienced. Learn about the creative and rehearsal process and what you can expect from "Redwood," now playing at Broadway's Nederlander Theatre.