Know the Show

About Know the Show

Join Director Michael Fling (Artistic Associate, Goodspeed Musicals) and Dramaturg Anika Chapin (Director of Artistic Development, Signature Theatre) as they explore and examine your favorite shows, from contemporary hits to classic Broadway. They’ll share fascinating tidbits about each show’s creation and history, then analyze a song or scene to illustrate how the dramaturgy of the show works. Whether you're "Getting to Know" a show for the first time or learning more about an "Old Friend", you're guaranteed to fall in love with musical theatre all over again. New episodes monthly.

Publisher

Michael Fling, Anika Chapin

Category

arts · history · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

14 Apr 2020

Latest episode

28 Jul 2026

Latest episodes

2 of 70 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   28 Jul 2026TRANSCRIPT

   The Book of Mormon

   Anika and Michael explore the irreverent humor and cultural impact of the Broadway musical "The Book of Mormon" in this interview.

2. 

   6 Apr 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Sunday in the Park With George

   On this episode of Know the Snow, Michel and Anika take a deep dive into Sunday in the Park with George—the luminous, pointillist masterpiece by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine. Inspired by Georges Seurat and his iconic painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, this Pulitzer Prize–winning musical explores the tension between art and life, legacy and love. They unpack the show’s innovative structure, its hauntingly intricate score, and the emotional cost of creating something that lasts. From George’s obsessive pursuit of perfection to Dot’s yearning for connection, Michael and Anika examine how the musical asks one of its central questions: what do we sacrifice to make something meaningful—and is it worth it? Whether you’re a die-hard Sondheim fan or new to the piece, this episode will help you see the dots—and the bigger picture—more clearly.

3. 

   17 Jul 2025

   Kiss Me, Kate

   While there is no spanking to be found in this episode, Anika and Michael dive into one of the more troublesome shows of the Golden Age and unpack it's problematic elements.

Inside a recent episode

The Book of Mormon

Published 28 Jul 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] And, like, there is something about the structure of a musical and understanding songs and how songs work to tell a story and the structure of a joke. Yeah. That makes total sense as to why those two forms would be aligned. And there's a very... Like, I feel like the comedy people... who are very good, especially at like structural comedy, which I think actually these guys would fully fit into that thing. And, you know, even like Bo Burnham, like formally... formal comedians in some ways like are often using music because I feel like they're if you understand one you kind of naturally understand the other yeah the timing like timing is very important and that's one of the things that I love about Book of Mormon is like as even when you watch the Tony performance like the timing of it is so perfect and Um, and obviously timing is a big thing in music too. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

43 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 39 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

43

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

85

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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