How Four of Broadway’s Biggest Shows, ‘Chess,’ ‘Ragtime,’ ‘The Queen of Versailles’ and ‘Waiting for Godot,’ All Came Together
A Broadway opening often marks the culmination of a years-long journey for the collaborators who have created a show, whether they’re working on a new musical or a revival of a familiar play. On the final, supersized episode of Variety’s theater podcast, “Stagecraft,” the stars behind some of the buzziest titles of the 2025-26 season shared some of their backstage secrets now that their own shows have opened on Broadway after years of development.
Listen to this week’s “Stagecraft” podcast below:
Speaking earlier this month at the Variety Business of Broadway 2025 breakfast presented by City National Bank, notable names including Keanu Reeves, Kristin Chenoweth, Stephen Schwartz, Lea Michele and more brought listeners behind the scenes of four productions now turned heads in the theater district: “Chess,” “Ragtime,” “The Queen of Versailles” and “Waiting for Godot.”
The morning’s discussions and panel conversations are presented in full in the latest episode of “Stagecraft.” Among the tidbits dropped along the way:
Also during their conversations, both Michele and Chenoweth said their latest roles gave them a chance to try something new. For Michele (“Spring Awakening”), it was the opportunity to portray a full-grown woman: “It’s the first time that I’m really playing an adult on Broadway,” she said. “Every show that I’ve ever done — I literally played the Little Girl in ‘Ragtime’ [in 1998], and even in ‘Funny Girl,’ she starts off at 16 before she ages up,” the actor said.
Meanwhile, Chenoweth said she relishes the opportunity to play a real person in “The Queen of Versailles,” which is based on a 2012 documentary. “I won a Tony for playing a cartoon [in ‘You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown’], and I played a girl from Oz [in ‘Wicked’],” she joked. “‘Queen of Versailles’ just seemed like the right move.”
The day’s Business of Broadway panels also revealed the secret origins of some of the season’s big shows — including the moment of divine inspiration that led to the new “Godot.” As Reeves recalled: “I was in a hotel room around 1:00 am with jet lag in London, and I was in a fugue state, and then something came from the universe and said: Do ‘Waiting for Godot’ with Alex.'”
To hear the entire conversation, listen at the link above or download on podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and the Broadway Podcast Network. “Stagecraft” will be ending with this episode, but listen for more theater talk in upcoming episodes of the “Daily Variety” podcast.
Listen to this week’s “Stagecraft” podcast below:
Speaking earlier this month at the Variety Business of Broadway 2025 breakfast presented by City National Bank, notable names including Keanu Reeves, Kristin Chenoweth, Stephen Schwartz, Lea Michele and more brought listeners behind the scenes of four productions now turned heads in the theater district: “Chess,” “Ragtime,” “The Queen of Versailles” and “Waiting for Godot.”
The morning’s discussions and panel conversations are presented in full in the latest episode of “Stagecraft.” Among the tidbits dropped along the way:
Also during their conversations, both Michele and Chenoweth said their latest roles gave them a chance to try something new. For Michele (“Spring Awakening”), it was the opportunity to portray a full-grown woman: “It’s the first time that I’m really playing an adult on Broadway,” she said. “Every show that I’ve ever done — I literally played the Little Girl in ‘Ragtime’ [in 1998], and even in ‘Funny Girl,’ she starts off at 16 before she ages up,” the actor said.
Meanwhile, Chenoweth said she relishes the opportunity to play a real person in “The Queen of Versailles,” which is based on a 2012 documentary. “I won a Tony for playing a cartoon [in ‘You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown’], and I played a girl from Oz [in ‘Wicked’],” she joked. “‘Queen of Versailles’ just seemed like the right move.”
The day’s Business of Broadway panels also revealed the secret origins of some of the season’s big shows — including the moment of divine inspiration that led to the new “Godot.” As Reeves recalled: “I was in a hotel room around 1:00 am with jet lag in London, and I was in a fugue state, and then something came from the universe and said: Do ‘Waiting for Godot’ with Alex.'”
To hear the entire conversation, listen at the link above or download on podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and the Broadway Podcast Network. “Stagecraft” will be ending with this episode, but listen for more theater talk in upcoming episodes of the “Daily Variety” podcast.