Broadway producer Jeffrey Seller, from ‘RENT’ to ‘Hamilton’
5/8/202646 min
Broadway producer Jeffrey Seller played a key role in the production of RENT, Hamilton, In the Heights, Avenue Q, and the revival of Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd that starred Josh Groban. His memoir traced his path from ‘Theater Kid’ to producer of Broadway mega-hits.
Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews ‘Silent Friend.’
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David Bianculli· Host0:16
This is Fresh Air. I'm David Bianculli. The 2026 Tony Award nominees were announced this week with numerous nominations for the musicals Lost Boys, Schmigadoon!, and the revival of Ragtime. Our guest today was a key behind-the-scenes figure in two Broadway mega-hits, Rent and Hamilton. Each won a Pulitzer Prize for drama and multiple Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Our guest, Jeffrey Seller, produced Rent with his business partner. Seller's own company produced Hamilton. He also was a producer of Lin-Manuel Miranda's first musical, In the Heights, as well as the satirical adult puppet musical Avenue Q, and the revival of Sondheim's Sweeney Todd, starring Josh Groban. You might assume, since his skills include raising money to produce shows, that he's from money. But he's most definitely not. His family was often broke or close to it. He grew up in a neighborhood outside Detroit that was nicknamed Cardboard Village because the houses were so cheap and shoddy. Seller is the author of the memoir Theater Kid. After many stops along the way, he became a booker