Recent Episodes
Jeffrey Seller: The Man Behind "Hamilton" & "Rent" | THEATER: All The Moving Parts
Jeffrey Seller helped bring "Rent" to Broadway and launched "Hamilton" into history, redefining what a musical can be. Now, he’s telling his own story in his candid new memoir, "Theater Kid."
Host Patrick Pacheco sits down with the legendary four-time Tony Award-winning producer who discovered Jonathan Larson, believed in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s vision for "In the Heights" and "Hamilton," and helped create the Broadway rush ticket system that democratized theatergoing. Seller’s shows have earned 22 Tony Awards, grossed over $4.6 billion worldwide, and been seen by more than 43 million people.
From the intimate conversation:
🎭 How a chance encounter with Jonathan Larson's "Boho Days" (later "Tick, Tick… Boom!") led to the "Rent" phenomenon
🎭 The brutal honesty behind giving creative feedback: “I don't understand the story... you have to tell the story”
🎭 Why "In the Heights" felt like “being embraced by warm Caribbean water”
🎭 The devastating impact of Larson’s death just hours before "Rent’s" first preview
🎭 How word-of-mouth still trumps marketing: “Once you get 50,000 people to see your show, your future is set”
🎭 Broadway’s biggest challenge: the “cost disease” that makes tickets increasingly expensive
Plus, exclusive insights on:
🎭 Ending professional relationship with his longtime producing partner Kevin McCollum before "Hamilton"
🎭 “The Last Ship" with Sting didn’t succeed commercially—despite his belief in the project
🎭 The emotional catharsis of writing about growing up poor in "Cardboard Village"
🎭 How the audiobook of "Theater Kid" features Broadway stars like Danny Burstein, Lindsay Mendez, and Darren Criss
🎟️ Your guide to affordable Broadway in 2025:
CUNY TV production intern Vincent Allen (a CUNY senior studying advertising and public relations) teams up with Andrew Block from the Theater Development Fund to reveal insider secrets for seeing Broadway without breaking the bank.
🎭 From digital lotteries you can enter on your phone
🎭 To TDF memberships offering tickets for just $11–$60 (TDF Membership Qualifications)
🎭 Plus rush tickets, standing room options, and the iconic TKTS Booth in Times Square
🎭 Whether you're a student, a lifelong theater lover, or just trying to see your first Broadway show—this is your roadmap to making it happen.
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Tape Date: First Air Date:
On THEATER: All the Moving Parts, host Patrick Pacheco looks beyond the spotlight at the passionate and unheralded creative talents that are critical to the theatrical experience. From costumer designers to dramaturges and everything in between, Patrick looks at all the moving parts of a Broadway production.
Watch more at: https://tv.cuny.edu/show/theaterallthemovingparts/
THEATER: All the Moving Parts playlist https://bit.ly/2N5eNLs
Subscribe to the CUNY TV channel: https://bit.ly/2GmGb13
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2025 Tony Awards: Nominations & Predictions Gala | THEATER: All the Moving Parts
The Tony nominations are here—and what a season it’s been. Corpses and Obsolete Robots and Demogorgons – oh my!
🎭 Host Patrick Pacheco is joined by top theater critics and journalists Helen Shaw (The New Yorker), Adam Feldman (Time Out New York), and Jan Simpson (Broadway Radio) to break down Broadway’s biggest night: the 78th Annual Tony Awards.
Together, they dive into standout shows, big surprises, and what the nominations say about the state of Broadway in 2025.
In this episode:
🎭 “Maybe Happy Ending” emerges as a standout critical favorite and a top contender for Best Musical
🎭 “Death Becomes Her,” a $30 million spectacle with two leading ladies, Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard, possibly splitting votes
🎭 Buena Vista Social Club delivers rhythm, heart, and a rich celebration of classic Cuban music
🎭 Kara Young makes history with a fourth consecutive Tony nomination—recognized for every Broadway role she’s ever played
🎭 Audra McDonald earns her record-setting 11th Tony nod for her powerhouse turn in “Gypsy”
🎭 Jasmine Amy Rogers lights up the stage with a star-making performance in “BOOP! The Musical”
🎭 Darren Criss earns acclaim for his physically precise and emotionally layered work in “Maybe Happy Ending”
🎭 Netflix’s “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” earns a Best Actor nomination for Louis McCartney, who Feldman says is “doing a spectacular job of keeping that show together”—a standout in a technically ambitious production
🎭 Nicole Scherzinger surprises with a bold, stylized take on Norma Desmond in “Sunset Boulevard,” earning her first Tony nomination
🎭 This year’s Best Actress in a Musical nominees include Audra McDonald (“Gypsy”), Nicole Scherzinger (“Sunset Boulevard”), Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard (“Death Becomes Her”), and Jasmine Amy Rogers (“BOOP! The Musical”)
But the episode doesn’t just celebrate the season—it interrogates it. “I think the nominators are interested in signaling these overpriced shows and saying, ‘You know what? We don’t like this,’” says Shaw. “There’s a kind of oppositionality—‘Oh, you’ve just swanned in to give a substandard, under-rehearsed performance? We will ignore you ruthlessly.’”
Filmed ahead of the June 8 ceremony at Radio City Music Hall—hosted by Cynthia Erivo—this candid conversation is your go-to guide to the Tony Awards.
Subscribe for more episodes of Theater: All the Moving Parts
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CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Introduction
02:32 – Musicals
29:14 – Plays
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INDIVIDUAL AWARDS:
03:00 – Best Musical
07:50 – Best Revival of a Musical
11:50 – Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
15:53 – Best Performance by an Actor in A Leading Role in a Musical
20:05 – Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
25:39 – Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
29:22 – Best Play
33:37 – Best Revival of a Play
38:58 – Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
43:12 – Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
46:35 – Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
50:22 – Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Subscribe for more episodes of Theater: All the Moving Parts
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Tape Date: 05/08/2025 First Air Date: 05/30/2025
On THEATER: All the Moving Parts, host Patrick Pacheco looks beyond the spotlight at the passionate and unheralded creative talents that are critical to the theatrical experience. From costumer designers to dramaturges and everything in between, Patrick looks at all the moving parts of a Broadway production.
Watch more at: https://tv.cuny.edu/show/theaterallthemovingparts/
THEATER: All the Moving Parts playlist https://bit.ly/2N5eNLs
Subscribe to the CUNY TV channel: https://bit.ly/2GmGb13
THMP07009
"Boop! The Musical" Bringing Betty Boop to Broadway | THEATER: All the Moving Parts
Betty Boop is boop-oop-a-dooping her way into 2025.
In this episode of “Theater: All the Moving Parts,” host Patrick Pacheco pulls back the curtain on “BOOP! The Musical,” Broadway’s bold, feminist reimagining of the iconic cartoon star Betty Boop. With a heart as timeless as its heroine, the musical brings this vintage character into a glittering, modern spotlight.
Jasmine Amy Rogers stars as Betty, capturing both the charm and power of the character with a performance that’s equal parts sparkle and soul. She’s joined by Tony Award winner Faith Prince, who plays Valentina—a brilliant astrophysicist who finds love later in life—and Ainsley Melham as Dwayne, a trumpet-playing romantic whose cool swagger and jazz roots make him Betty’s perfect match.
Director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell, the Tony Award-winning creative force behind “Hairspray” and “Kinky Boots,” brings his signature flair to the production, combining classic Broadway showmanship with contemporary storytelling.
In the second half, the episode showcases the designers responsible for creating Betty’s dual worlds. Tony Award-winning scenic designer David Rockwell and Emmy Award-winning hair and wig designer Sabana Majeed share how they crafted a visual landscape that nods to Betty’s animated origins while embracing a fresh theatrical vocabulary. Frank Caruso, longtime Betty Boop animator and creative director at Fleischer Studios—which birthed the character in 1930—joins the conversation to reveal what makes Betty leap off the page and onto the stage.
With a score by David Foster and Susan Birkenhead, a book by Bob Martin, and a message that champions individuality and empowerment, “BOOP! The Musical” is a joyful, time-traveling celebration of femininity, flair, and finding your voice.
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Guest List:
Frank Caruso, Creative Director, Boop! The Musical - Fleischer Studios
Sabana Majeed, Hair and Wig Designer, Boop! The Musical
Ainsley Melham, Actor, Boop! The Musical
Jerry Mitchell, Director/Choreographer
Faith Prince, Actor, Boop! The Musical
David Rockwell, Scenic Designer, Boop! The Musical
Jasmine Amy Rogers, Actor, Boop! The Musical
Tape Date: 04/15/2025 First Air Date: 04/25/2025
On THEATER: All the Moving Parts, host Patrick Pacheco looks beyond the spotlight at the passionate and unheralded creative talents that are critical to the theatrical experience. From costumer designers to dramaturges and everything in between, Patrick looks at all the moving parts of a Broadway production.
Watch more at: https://tv.cuny.edu/homepage/show/the...
THEATER: All the Moving Parts playlist https://bit.ly/2N5eNLs
Subscribe to the CUNY TV channel: https://bit.ly/2GmGb13
THMP07008
About This Show
Host Patrick Pacheco looks beyond the spotlight at the passionate and unheralded creative talents that are critical to the theatrical experience. From costume designers to dramaturges and everything in between, Patrick looks at all the moving parts of a Broadway production.
Regular Air Times
Friday – Sunday 8:30pm
Featured Segments
"& Juliet" Hit Musical | THEATER: All the Moving Parts
Combine a rewrite of "Romeo and Juliet" with the songs of the top hitmaker Max Martin and what do you get: "& Juliet" on Broadway! Host Patrick Pacheco talks with the cast of the show and then with Bill Sherman, the musical supervisor. In this clip actor Betsy Wolfe, who plays Ann Hathaway, Shakespeare's wife in the musical, talks about the songs of Max Martin.
Watch the full episode at https://tv.cuny.edu/show/theaterallthemovingparts/PR2011745
On THEATER: All the Moving Parts, host Patrick Pacheco looks beyond the spotlight at the passionate and unheralded creative talents that are critical to the theatrical experience. From costumer designers to dramaturges and everything in between, Patrick looks at all the moving parts of a Broadway production.
Watch more at: https://tv.cuny.edu/homepage/show/theaterallthemovingparts/
THEATER: All the Moving Parts playlist https://bit.ly/2N5eNLs
Subscribe to the CUNY TV channel: https://bit.ly/2GmGb13
Follow CUNY TV:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cunyedu/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cuny/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cunyedu/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/cunytv75
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cunytv/
Find more from CUNY TV at https://tv.cuny.edu
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Lighting "MJ, the Musical" | THEATER: All the Moving Parts
In this episode of “THEATER: All the Moving Parts,” host Patrick Pacheco welcomes master lighting designer and 6-time Tony Award winner Natasha Katz. For the
2022 Tony Nominations, she received a nomination for Lighting Design for a Musical for "MJ, the Musical", which received 10 nominations. In this clip, she talks about how she designed the lighting for the Michael Jackson character in "MJ, the Musical".
Watch the full episode: https://tv.cuny.edu/show/theaterallthemovingparts/PR2010837
On THEATER: All the Moving Parts, host Patrick Pacheco looks beyond the spotlight at the passionate and unheralded creative talents that are critical to the theatrical experience. From costumer designers to dramaturges and everything in between, Patrick looks at all the moving parts of a Broadway production.
Watch more at: https://tv.cuny.edu/show/theaterallthemovingparts/
THEATER: All the Moving Parts playlist https://bit.ly/2N5eNLs
Subscribe to the CUNY TV channel: https://bit.ly/2GmGb13
Follow CUNY TV:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CUNYTV
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cunytv
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cuny_tv/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/cunytv75
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cunytv/
Find more from CUNY TV at https://tv.cuny.edu
THMP04008_FS1
Meet the Host
Patrick Pacheco
Host