629. How Is Live Theater Still Alive?
11 April - 59 minsIt has become fiendishly expensive to produce, and has more competition than ever. And yet the believers still believe. Why? And does the world really want a new musical about ... Abraham Lincoln?! (Part one of a three-part series.)
SOURCES:Christopher Ashley, artistic director of La Jolla Playhouse.Quentin Darrington, actor.Joe DiPietro, playwright and lyricist.Crystal Monee Hall, composer, singer, actor.Rocco Landesman, Broadway producer, former owner of Jujamcyn Theaters, former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.Alan Shorr, Broadway producer.Daniel Watts, writer, choreographer, actor.Richard Winkler, Broadway producer.
RESOURCES:3 Summers of Lincoln (2025)“Live Perform...
Series Episodes
656. How Handel Got His Mojo Back
When he wrote “Messiah” (in 24 days), Handel was past his prime and nearly broke. One night in Dublin changed all that. (Part two of “Making ‘Messiah.'”)
57 mins
12 December Finished
“The Greatest Piece of Participatory Art Ever Created”
Why does an 18th-century Christian oratorio lend such comfort to our own turbulent times? Stephen Dubner sets out for Dublin to tell the story of George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah.” (Part one of “Making ‘Messiah.’”)
56 mins
5 December Finished
Dying Is Easy. Retail Is Hard. (Update)
Macy’s wants to recapture its glorious past. The author of the Wimpy Kid books wants to rebuild his dilapidated hometown. We just want to listen in. (Part two of a two-part series, first published in 2024)
1 hour 2 mins
28 November Finished
Is Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade Its Most Valuable Asset? (Update)
The iconic department store calls the parade its “gift to the nation.” With 30 million TV viewers, it’s also a big moneymaker — at least we think it is: when it comes to parade economics, Macy’s is famously tight-lipped. In this 2024 episode, we try to loosen them up. (Part one of a two-part series.)
52 mins
27 November Finished
654. Is the Public Ready for Private Equity?
A Trump executive order is giving retail investors more access to private markets. Is that a golden opportunity — or fool’s gold?
1 hour 3 mins
21 November Finished
653. Does Horse Racing Have a Future?
Thoroughbred auction prices keep setting records. But tracks are closing, gambling revenues are falling, and the sport is increasingly reliant on subsidies. Is that the kind of long shot anybody wants? (Part three of a series, “The Horse Is Us.”)
1 hour 1 min
14 November Finished
