Broadway is coming to podcasting with some serious star power. Billy Porter, Leslie Jones and Phoebe Robinson are joining forces for Places, Dahlingz!, a new comedy podcast bringing Broadway's personalities, backstage stories and creative energy to audiences far beyond New York's theater district.
The series, announced by Acast on October 22, premieres November 5 and will feature conversations with celebrated performers including Ariana DeBose, Renée Elise Goldsberry and Shoshana Bean.
There's an ambitious creative element, too. The hosts and their guests will help develop an original theatrical production over the course of the season, culminating in a live performance.
The announcement highlights an increasingly interesting relationship between Broadway and podcasting, as performers and entertainment companies explore ways to bring theatrical storytelling to audiences beyond the stage.
Three Big Personalities, One Broadway Podcast
The appeal of Places, Dahlingz! begins with its hosts, whose careers span theater, television, comedy and podcasting.
Porter is one of Broadway's most recognizable performers, with Tony, Emmy and Grammy awards to his name. His career includes acclaimed theatrical performances and a prominent presence in television and popular culture.
Jones brings a very different energy. The comedian and former Saturday Night Live cast member is known for her outspoken humor and larger-than-life personality. Robinson, meanwhile, is a bestselling author, comedian and established podcast personality, best known for co-creating 2 Dope Queens.
The three also have different relationships with theater. Porter brings the experience of a Broadway veteran, Jones approaches the subject with some skepticism, and Robinson comes as an enthusiastic fan.
That combination could make the show particularly accessible to listeners who enjoy entertainment and comedy but don't necessarily follow Broadway.
“Theater should never be precious or exclusionary. It should be a celebration,” Porter said in the announcement.
The show's format reflects that sentiment, pairing candid conversations with an ambitious creative experiment.
Across its 48-episode inaugural season, guests will contribute ideas toward an original one-act production, with the project eventually moving from podcast conversations to a live theatrical performance.
It's an unusual premise that gives the series a continuing creative storyline while introducing listeners to the people and processes behind theatrical productions.
Broadway's Growing Presence in Podcasting
Broadway personalities have been building audiences through podcasts for years. The Broadway Podcast Network, founded to bring theater-focused storytelling to listeners around the world, now reports a catalog of more than 180 theater and theater-adjacent podcasts, spanning interviews, audio dramas, behind-the-scenes conversations and theatrical history.
Its programming includes The Theatre Podcast with Alan Seales, which has featured performers and creative professionals discussing their careers, alongside shows such as Breaking Broadway, hosted by Tony-nominated performer Kerry Butler.
The relationship has also attracted established theater publications. In April 2025, Playbill launched The Playbill Podcast: A Show on Broadway, offering conversations with performers and creative teams behind productions including Hadestown, SIX and Maybe Happy Ending.
These productions have helped create an audio space for theater enthusiasts, providing access to performers and industry conversations that were previously more closely associated with specialist publications and backstage interviews.
Places, Dahlingz! enters that established landscape with a different proposition.
Its three hosts bring considerable recognition outside the theater industry, while the show's comedy-led format and eventual live production give audiences a reason to engage with Broadway beyond conventional interviews.
That combination offers an interesting example of how established entertainment industries can use podcasting to reach audiences who might not already consider themselves fans.
Why Broadway and Podcasting Make an Interesting Pair
Broadway has traditionally relied on live attendance, touring productions, cast recordings, reviews and publicity to connect with audiences.
Podcasting introduces a different kind of relationship.
Long-form conversations give performers space to discuss their experiences and creative work, while audio and video distribution allow audiences to engage with theatrical personalities regardless of where they live.
For an industry closely associated with New York and major theater destinations, that accessibility is particularly valuable.
It also creates opportunities to introduce productions and performers to people who may have discovered them through television, comedy or social media rather than the theater itself. The commercial possibilities are expanding alongside the creative ones.
Places, Dahlingz! is being produced by Acast Productions in collaboration with Tiny Reparations and Incognegro, with distribution across audio and video platforms.
Acast is offering advertising and sponsorship opportunities that include branded video content and live-event activations, extending the show's commercial potential beyond traditional podcast advertising.
That approach reflects a broader development in entertainment podcasting, where a show can support multiple experiences and revenue opportunities rather than existing solely as an audio series.
In this case, the connection between the podcast and its planned stage production is particularly interesting. The content introduces the performers and creative process, while the live finale offers audiences another way to engage with the project.
Bringing the Theater Experience Beyond Broadway
For Porter, Jones and Robinson, Places, Dahlingz! offers an opportunity to introduce their audiences to a creative world that has influenced entertainment for generations.
For Broadway, the appeal is the chance to reach listeners through personalities and platforms they already follow.
Theater-focused podcasts have demonstrated that there is an audience for conversations about the stage. This new series brings mainstream entertainment recognition and a more experimental format to that existing space.
Whether the hosts' theatrical experiment produces a memorable one-act show remains to be seen. But the concept offers an entertaining possibility: audiences who come for the comedy and celebrity conversations may leave with a greater interest in Broadway itself.
And for an industry built on the magic of live performance, finding new ways to introduce people to that experience is always worth exploring.
Places, Dahlingz! premieres November 5, 2026, with new episodes released weekly across major podcast platforms.
