THEATER TALK, the 2017 NY Emmy Award-winner for "Best Interview/Discussion Series," will begin its new season in early October with the show's Executive Producer Susan Haskins-Doloff returning as co-host.

In this episode of THEATER TALK, Barbara Cook (1927-2017) discusses her break-out starring role as Marian, the Librarian, in the original 1957 Broadway production of THE MUSIC MAN (taped April 21, 2000).

This week on Theater Talk, artist/illustrator Ken Fallin. Fallin discusses how he went from being a young aspiring actor to one of the most sought after caricaturists working today with celebrity caricatures appearing in many periodicals including The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker and BroadwayWorld.com. He also shows us a number of his best works, including some wonderful new drawings of the 2017 Broadway season.

This week THEATER TALK presents the Season's-End Critics panel - with Peter Marks of The Washington Post, Terry Teachout of THE WALL Street Journal, Elisabeth Vincentelli of The New York Times & The New Yorker, and Linda Winer of Newsday - discussing the notable plays of Spring 2017 on Broadway. Then, Tony winner Joel Grey joins co-hosts Michael Riedel of the New York Post and Susan Haskins to talk about his revealing memoir, 'Master of Ceremonies' (Flatiron Books). The episode also features a surprise Michael Musto Roast featurette.

This week Theater Talk focuses on on 'Sweat,' Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize-winning/TONY-nominated play about the lives of factory workers in Reading, Pennsylvania as their lives are devastated by dehumanizing corporate decisions, following the enactment of NAFTA. Guests include playwright Nottage, the play's director Kate Whoriskey and two members of its company, TONY-nominated actors Johanna Day and Michelle Wilson.

This week Theater Talk focuses on the TONY-nominated play A Doll's House, Part 2 in a conversation with playwright Lucas Hnath along with its TONY-nominated lead actors Laurie Metcalf and Chris Cooper. The play picks up 15 years after the end of the classic Ibsen drama A Doll's House. Nora returns to the home she once shared with Torvald and events take an unexpected turn, in a theatrical work that also surprises audiences in both its style and tone.

This week Theater Talk welcomes back two all-time favorite guests, composer/lyricist Marc Shaiman and lyricist Scott Wittman whose new show Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has just opened on Broadway. Along with them was Tony-winning director Jack O'Brien, making his first appearance on our show. The trio whose collaboration on Hairspray won them all Tony Awards and massive acclaim in 2002, have returned to Broadway with this stage adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic 1964 children's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The musical also includes an infusion of some key songs from the 1971 film of the story, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. In addition to some snappy conversation between them, Shaiman performs several of his compositions for the new show and a delightful time is had by all.

This week's guests include Oslo playwright J.T. Rogers, director Bartlett Sher, and actors Jennifer Ehle and Jefferson Mays, who portray real-life Norwegian diplomats Mona Juul and Terje Rod-Larsen. All the members of our panel are 2017 Tony nominees for Oslo, which received a total of 7 Tony Award nominations.

Dear Evan Hansen's composer/lyricists Justin Paul and Benj Pasek, along with librettist Steven Levenson, join Susan Haskins and guest co-host Jesse Green around Theater Talk's grand piano to discuss and perform key songs from their blockbuster new show, now on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre.