The WhatsOnStage Podcast
Episodes
What’s hot on Broadway?
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In a special US based episode Sarah talks to David Gordon editor in chief of TheaterMania about the shows opening this spring. From Denzel Washington ...
Bonus episode: the cast of Operation Mincemeat on their Broadway debuts
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As the award-winning British musical opens in New York, Theatermania’s David Gordon catches up with writers and performers David Cumming, Zoe Robert...
Why are there never enough loos in theatres and do shows close in previews?
07 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In our second question and answer episode Alex and Sarah discuss pressing topics. Why’s it called a green room? What does an ahistorical settin...
We need to talk about the Oliviers nominations
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From Oscars to Oliviers! In a special mid-week episode, Sarah and Alex respond to the Olivier Awards nominations, which were led this year by the reco...
Are stars ruining - or saving - the theatre?
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Hiddleston, Hayley Atwell, Rami Malek and Brie Larson are the latest movie stars to fill the West End stage. But does their presence help or hinde...
Bonus episode: Interviews with Jonathan Bailey, Hayley Atwell, Tom Hiddleston, Mason Alexander Park and Jamie Lloyd in a Shakespeare bonanza!
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
With two major Shakespeare productions opening in two days in London, WhatsOnStage's intrepid deputy editor Tom Millward went to visit Jonathan Bailey...
Why is everyone obsessed with awards?
21 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Awards season is in full swing – so Sarah and Alex rope in TheaterMania's editor-in-chief David Gordon for a gallivant around the world of Oscar-nom...
How to solve a problem like Ophelia
14 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah talks to Nancy Carroll and Nia Towle about working on Rupert Goold’s new production of Hamlet which opens at the RSC this week with Luke Thall...
Bonus episode: Imelda Staunton, Andrew Lloyd Webber and more talk WhatsOnStage Awards wins
12 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this special bonus episode, we bring you a selection of highlights from the press room at the 25th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards, where Imelda S...
Can critics spoil shows?
07 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah and Alex went together to see Inside Number Nine Stage/Fright and give their verdict from the stalls. Plus Alex takes us behind the scenes - and...
Bonus episode: Cameron Mackintosh, Matthew Bourne and more talk Oliver! in the West End
31 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Consider yourself spoilt with a bonus podcast episode as Cameron Mackintosh, Matthew Bourne, Shanay Holmes, Simon Lipkin and Billy Jenkins talk bringi...
Special guests Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey on the RSC's gigantic plans for the year
29 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Joined by two famed artistic leaders, podcast hosts Sarah Crompton and Alex Wood discuss the RSC's exciting plans for the coming year - including a ne...
The greatest stage disasters
24 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah and Alex look back at some terrible theatrical fails and ask what they have in common. What unites Peter O’Toole’s Macbeth and Shogun:The Mu...
The future of West End musicals, AI reviews and Michael Sheen's next move
17 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah and Alex blast away the January blues by battling through a deluge of theatre news – from the West End transfer of Stereophonic to Michael She...
Britain’s most haunted theatres, ghost lights, the future of the National and stage size headaches
10 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In our first question and answer episode, Sarah and Alex answer your queries. What does break a leg mean? Are there any good shows featuring pup...
Bonus episode: Sigourney Weaver and Jamie Lloyd talk Tempest
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In a special mid-week bonus episode, WhatsOnStage's intrepid deputy editor Tom Millward raced over to Theatre Royal Drury Lane to discuss the ongoing ...
Will 2025 be a game-changing year for theatre?
02 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
With Stephen Sondheim’s last musical, Michael Shannon and Ruth Wilson teaming up, Evita returning to the West End, a bumper year at the National The...
Top tips for shows to see in 2025 - part one
01 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From a new Hamlet to Jonathan Bailey as Richard II, or from Cate Blanchett and Emma Corrin in Chekhov to Brie Larson and Rami Malek in contrasting Gre...
Is Wicked the best stage-to-screen movie? What might beat it?
27 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As the musical Wicked becomes a big screen sensation, Sarah and Alex talk about the challenges and pleasures of transferring a stage show to a movie f...
The best movies about theatre
25 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With the release of Sing Sing, a film about the power of theatre in prison, in time for the awards season, Sarah and Alex chose their top three backst...
What are the best stage shows of 2024?
20 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As the theatrical year comes to an end with The Tempest, Sarah and Alex look back on the hits of the last 12 months from The Years to Fiddler on the R...
Bonus episode! Wilde women Sharon D Clarke, Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́ and Eliza Scanlen discuss the National Theatre's Importance of Being Earnest
18 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In a fantastic additional episode, WhatsOnStage's intrepid deputy editor Tom Millward hopped to the National to meet three of the stars of The Importa...
The ultimate theatre stocking fillers
13 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Al Pacino, Hadestown, Sunset Boulevard, a new Sondheim deepdive, Lin-Manuel Miranda and more are among Sarah and Alex’s top books and vinyls for Chr...
The Sex Education effect
06 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In a new episode, Sarah and Alex mull on the National Theatre's bold new take on Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest led by Sex Education an...
Santa vs Scrooge: top Christmas shows for all tastes
29 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Alex takes the role of Santa and Sarah finds her inner Scrooge to round up the top Xmas fare whether your mood is full of joy or melancholy - or a bit...
Bonus episode! The Wicked movie costume designer Paul Tazewell spills his spellbinding secrets
27 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this bonus episode of the WhatsOnStage Podcast, Features Editor Tanyel Gumushan sits down with the award-winning designer Paul Tazewell, who has wo...
164 years, 70 characters. Three actors. Three hours
22 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Since its premiere in 2018, The National Theatre’s production of The Lehman Trilogy has enjoyed extraordinary success around the world. As it arrive...
Special guest Mason Alexander Park on The Tempest, The Sandman and The Emcee
15 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ahead of starring as Ariel in Jamie Lloyd's new Shakespeare production of The Tempest at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Mason Alexander Park took time out ...
Noël Coward was an angry young man
08 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On the eve of A Marvellous Party, a star-filled gala to celebrate Noël Coward, Sarah Crompton talks to producer Julian Bird and Coward’s biographer...
Return of the Actress
01 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy’s back! Former co-host of the WhatsOnStage Podcast’s predecessor As An Actress Said to the Critic returns to talk adapting and starring in t...
Will the West End rule over Broadway in 2025?
25 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Sarah and Alex turn their attention to the Great White Way – something that a whole raft of West End productions seem to be doing at the ...
London theatre enters its tragic era
18 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As Robert Icke tackles Oedipus and Alexander Zeldin reinterprets Antigone as The Other Place, Alex and Sarah talk about the ways Greek tragedies speak...
Look back in anger - or dismay?
11 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Theatres at the moment are working like time machines, whisking audiences back to the 1950s as a new generation of directors explore the work of the p...
Special guest James McArdle talks Tom Stoppard, Macbeth and how to save regional theatre
04 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah sits down for a wide-ranging conversation with James McArdle, currently starring in The Real Thing at the Old Vic. He talks about returning to t...
Ghastly or a joy? End of an era at the National Theatre
27 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah and Alex report from behind the scenes of the press conference at which the retiring artistic director announced his final season of work. What ...
The wonder of Ian McKellen
20 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The release of The Critic, a new film starring Ian McKellen and written by Patrick Marber prompts Sarah and Alex to discuss McKellen’s passion for t...
Special guest Carrie Hope Fletcher talks love, motherhood and taking a new show on the road
13 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's special episode, Alex talks to musical theatre sensation Carrie Hope Fletcher about her career so far, her dream roles and the changes ...
What happens when critics get it wrong?
06 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah and Alex lift the curtain on the complicated moment when a critic starts to wonder whether they are on the wrong side of history - and confess t...
What are the unmissable shows this autumn?
30 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After a summer of Scottish trips, Sarah and Alex are now back and ready for the start of the autumn. What a season to look forward to! With shows acro...
Special guest Francesca Moody talks Fleabag, Fringe and the secret to stage success
23 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode recorded from both sides of the Scottish border, Alex and Sarah talk to special guest producer Francesca Moody as she complete...
Our favourite musical revivals
16 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Finally, a reunion! Alex and Sarah are back in the same room after many weeks apart to catch up on their latest theatre outings - to the Almeida, Chic...
Who wins at Edinburgh?
09 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Alex reports from the Edinburgh Festival where there's an American invasion, a lot of producers trying out new shows, a few rising stars, and not many...
Bernadette Peters: the Broadway legend on Sondheim, solo concerts and sharing a dressing room with dames
02 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week Alex had a virtual sit down with musical legend Bernadette Peters ahead of her eagerly anticipated solo concert at Theatre Royal Drury ...
From Edinburgh Fringe to world domination?
26 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As the Edinburgh Festival begins, Sarah and Alex talk about their memories of festivals past - from great shows such as Fleabag!, Six and Baby Reindee...
Is Death of England the great state of Britain play? Ft Roy Williams and Clint Dyer
19 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this guest episode, Sarah talks to playwright Roy Williams and the National Theatre's deputy artisitc director Clint Dyer about the three plays the...
What happens when a show loses its star?
12 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In a week of shock substitutions Alex and Sarah talk about James Corden at the Old Vic, Justine Mitchell at the Almeida and the way that history of th...
Is Andrew Lloyd Webber cool now?
05 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With a new production of Starlight Express taking over the Wembley Troubadour and Jamie Lloyd's radical Sunset Boulevard due to open on Broadway, Sara...
Are musicals manipulative?
28 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Alex has been singing along to Taylor Swift and Sarah has been on a musical theatre adventure with London Theatre at Sea. Which got us thinking about...
Tonys special: Light in a troubling time for Broadway + Sondheim's supremecy cemented
18 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the second WhatsOnStage podcast, Sarah is literally all at sea but still finds time to talk to Alex about the most significant awards in American t...
Performing rights, Operation Mincemeat and amateur theatre
14 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In their brand new podcast the chief theatre critic of WhatsOnStage and the managing editor Alex Wood talk about the ties that bind them to the theatr...
(ATASTTC) And it's goodbye from Nancy
08 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After 60 episodes, Nancy's going to leave As the Actress Said to the Critic - but Sarah is launching a new podcast with WhatsOnStage. They talk about ...
(ATASTTC) Tom Holland's Romeo and Ian McKellen's Falstaff
30 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Huge, enthusiastic queues are surrounding the Duke of York's theatre where Tom Holland, famous for Spider-Man is playing Romeo opposite Francesca Amew...
(ATASTTC) Food on stage - and guests for the dream dinner party
20 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy and Sarah discuss their attitudes to food on stage and off. Does Nancy eat before a show? Does Sarah write hungry or stuffed? And are there pe...
(ATASTTC) The secrets of learning lines - plus Machinal and Love's Labour's Lost
03 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy and Sarah discuss terrific new productions of Love's Labour's Lost at the Royal Shakespeare Company and Machinal at the Old Vic and Nancy reveal...
(ATASTTC) Last word on the Oliviers - and two new plays about friendship
20 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah and Nancy have been watching the Oliviers on screen - and wondering why it's so difficult for television to catch the spirit of theatre. Plus N...
(ATASTTC) Brian Cox, Patricia Clarkson, the Brontes - and why cutting the creative arts is mad
07 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah and Nancy talk about a new compelling new production of Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night, starring Brian Cox and Patricia Clarkson...
(ATASTTC) What's the point of critics if they can't agree?
30 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The reviews of Opening Night, a new Rufus Wainwright musical starring Sheridan Smith, have ranged from utterly brilliant to absolutely abysmal. Sarah...
(ATASTTC) Faith Healer, Keir Starmer and the arts, and the popularity of podcasts
24 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's been a busy time for Nancy and Sarah, with Nancy recording a new audio drama that builds on new ways of listening to plays and visiting the Royal...
(ATASTTC) A final word on the Oscars
15 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy and Sarah have been watching the Oscars - and the Oscar-nominated films. Although Oppenheimer won most of the prizes, all this year's best pictu...
(ATASTTC) Family sagas from Dear Octopus to The Simpsons
10 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As Dodie Smith's Dear Octopus is revived at the National Theatre, Sarah and Nancy talk about family sagas they have loved. Does Star Wars count? Is ...
(ATASTTC) Hadestown, Matt Smith and the importance of speaking out
29 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week Nancy and Sarah discuss criticism itself, inspired by a new, updated version of Ibsen's An Enemy of the People starring Matt Smith which enc...
(ATASTTC) One Day and the appeal of romcoms
20 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy and Sarah are hooked on One Day, the Netflix adaptation of David Nicholls' best-selling novel. What is it that makes it so great and why are ro...
(ATASTTC) Is British theatre in crisis?
12 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As the Young Vic's Kwame Kwei-Armah becomes the latest in a list of artistic directors to announce they are leaving the theatres they have run with gr...
(ATASTTC) Merrily We Roll Along on Broadway ft Jonathan Groff
03 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode from the US, Nancy and Sarah talk to the legendary Jonathan Groff, currently starring on Broadway in Stephen Sondheim's Merril...
(ATASTTC) Oscar nominations - and the wonder of Jodie Foster
25 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As the Oscar nominations are announced, Sarah and Nancy ask whether 13 nominations for Oppenheimer, the treatment of Barbie and the omission of Greta ...
(ATASTTC) Putting up a fight ft Kombat Kate
17 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy and Sarah talk to their special guest Kate Waters, aka Kombat Kate, one of a handful of female fight directors working in the UK today. She's w...
(ATASTTC) The appeal of Father Brown
10 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode, to mark the return of the television series Father Brown in which Nancy has featured since 2012, she and Sarah talk about the...
(ATASTTC) Looking ahead in 2024
02 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
From radical musicals to fascinating revivals, from new plays to ongoing shows. As 2024 begins, Nancy and Sarah make their choices of the best theatre...
(ATASTTC) Six top feel-good films to watch at Christmas
23 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy and Sarah each recommend three movies for Christmas viewing - and discuss what makes the perfect film to watch from the sofa. Their choices als...
(ATASTTC) Love , music and the cold war. Plus the appointment of Indhu Rubasingham to the National Theatre
19 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy and Sarah hail the appointment of Indhu Rubasingham as artistic director of the National Theatre. And talk about Rock N Roll, which Nancy is per...
(ATASTTC) Technical Rehearsals and the power of women on stage
07 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As Nancy gets ready for the press night of Rock n Roll at Hampstead she explains what really happens at a technical rehearsal - while Sarah reports ba...
(ATASTTC) What makes a Christmas show feel good?
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Swept on a wave of sugary excitement, Nancy and Sarah talk about Christmas shows - for many people their one theatre treat of the year. What qualitie...
(ATASTTC) What makes a classic?
15 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As Nancy begins rehearsals for a new production of Tom Stoppard's Rock 'N' Roll, she and Sarah discuss the whole idea of revivals, why some plays seem...
(ATASTTC) Hurrah for the National Theatre!
31 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As the Royal National Theatre celebrates its 60th anniversary Nancy and Sarah look back at productions they have loved, productions they wish they had...
(ATASTTC) Noel Coward and Private Lives - ft Patricia Hodge
20 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
To mark 50 years since Noel Coward's death, the great Patricia Hodge, currently starring in Private Lives at the Ambassador's Theatre in in London, jo...
(ATASTTC) Good news on star ratings - and thoughts on Andrew Scott's Vanya
09 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy and Sarah are celebrating because WhatsOnStage, where Sarah is theatre critic, is going to move the stars to the bottom of the page, to encourag...
(ATASTTC) Can star ratings be improved?
18 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah and Nancy went to see A Mirror at the Almeida Theatre, London, starring Jonny Lee Miller, Micheal Ward, Tanya Reynolds and Geoffrey Streatfeild....
(ATASTTC) Feel-everything musicals and why they work
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The opening of Next to Normal at the Donmar Warehouse - a musical about bi-polar illness - prompts a conversation about the need for honesty on stage ...
(ATASTTC) End of summer catch up
22 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy and Sarah are back after their summer holidays with a lot to talk about, including Sarah's visit to the Edinburgh Festival, the inspirational qu...
(ATASTTC) Before and after Brideshead- ft Diana Quick - part two on women and great roles
21 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy and Sarah continue their conversation with the award-winning actress Diana Quick about her career beyond Brideshead Revisited, in which she went...
(ATASTTC) Before and after Brideshead - ft Diana Quick - part one
04 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy and Sarah quiz Diana Quick about her career, which began when she was a student and is still going strong. She has paved the way for so many wo...
(ATASTTC) Groundhog Day, Tom Stoppard - and why actors make art
18 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy has been curating an exhibition of art made by actors; Sarah has been watching musicals including Groundhog Day at the Old Vic and 42nd Street o...
(ATASTTC) Succession and acting on screen vs stage
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Inspired by Sarah's obsession with Succession and the way in which actors with both screen and stage backgrounds combine to make a perfect whole, Sara...
(ATASTTC) The power of Puppets - ft Finn Caldwell
22 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Finn Caldwell is the Olivier-award-winning movement director and director of puppetry behind Life of Pi and Ocean at the End of the Lane and many othe...
(ATASTTC) Dancing at Lughnasa and Brian Friel - ft Jo Stone-Fewings
10 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
To celebrate the National Theatre's wonderful new production of Brian Friel's Dancing at Lughnasa, Nancy and Sarah talk about what makes the play such...
(ATASTTC) Richard Burton and the appeal of Hamlet
30 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Motive and The Cue by Jack Thorne is about to open - inspired by the time Richard Burton played Hamlet in New York, directed by John Gielgud, with...
(ATASTTC) Violence on stage
16 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As Ivo van Hove's ultra-violent version of A Little Life starring James Norton opens on stage, Nancy and Sarah take a look back at some of the history...
(ATASTTC) In praise of the matinee
03 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Inspired by Jamie Lee Curtis, and Nancy's matinees at the Menier Chocolate Factory in Marjorie Prime, Sarah and Nancy take a gentle look at the pleasu...
(ATASTTC) Losing - and finding - your voice
24 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy, currently on stage in Marjorie Prime, completely lost her voice thanks to bacterial laryngitis - which prompted Sarah to ask whether actors' vo...
(ATASTTC) Putting Women Centre Stage
09 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As Nancy prepares to open in Marjorie Prime, she and Sarah discuss how few women's voices are still heard - and ways to make sure women are studied i...
(ATASTTC) Dog poo, creatives and critics
24 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After an incident in which a choreographer smeared dog faeces in a critic's face because he took against her review, Nancy and Sarah discuss what driv...
(ATASTTC) What happens in rehearsals?
09 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy is in rehearsals for a new play at the Menier Chocolate Factory. So she and Sarah take the opportunity to talk about what goes on behind the sce...
(ATASTTC) A visit to the Circus ft Luke Hallgarten of Revel Puck Circus
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy and Sarah return from their January break full of excitement as Luke Hallgarten, artistic director of the Revel Peck Circus, explains how the ar...
(ATASTTC) What makes a great Christmas show?
21 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah and Nancy tip full-tilt into Christmas with a chat about Scrooge, pantomime dames, and all things festive. What does make a good Christmas show?...
(ATASTTC) Why the arts deserve government support
09 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In Second World War, the British government thought the arts mattered enough to fund an entire entertainment arm. After the war, they built new theat...
(ATASTTC) Best of Enemies ft Jeremy Herrin
26 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As James Graham's new play Best of Enemies transfers to the West End, Nancy and Sarah talk to director Jeremy Herrin about working with new playwright...
(ATASTTC) Theatre for kids
12 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As we begin the run up to Christmas, Nancy and Sarah look back on shows that had a huge impact on them and their children - and the magic ingredients ...
(ATASTTC) First Nights - the triumphs and disasters
05 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Inspired by Dominic Dromgoole's new book First Nights That Changed the World, Nancy and Sarah talk about the rituals of first nights - the food, the p...
(ATASTTC) Food for thought ft Sarah Hemming
27 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy and Sarah welcome their first critic guest, Sarah Hemming, who writes for the Financial Times and the conversation goes all over the place, from...
(ATASTTC) A life in theatre - ft David Hare
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy and Sarah talk to David Hare about actors he has loved, performances he remembers, the difference between writing and directing, why some people...