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PODCAST

The WhatsOnStage Podcast

Sarah Crompton & Alex Wood

WhatsOnStage managing editor Alex Wood and chief theatre critic Sarah Crompton host a weekly podcast on all things theatrical. News, views, frank exchanges and lists offer an unmissable guide to what’s happening on stage (and in film and on television) now, in the past and in future. From musicals, to plays, to immersive shows, to interviews with the biggest stars, there"s something for everyone! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

arts performing arts

All Episodes

37:00

The best autumn theatre part one: from Bacchae to...

The WhatsOnStage Podcast ·

2025/08/29

As the nights draw in, Sarah and Alex discuss some of their favourite shows about to hit the stage in the next couple of months including a stage version of The Hunger Games, the return of the Conor McPherson classic The Weir and appearances from Joe Alwyn, Nicola Walker, Letitia Wright, Susan Sarandon and many more Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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24:59

Bonus episode: Tony Award winner Laura Benanti...

The WhatsOnStage Podcast ·

2025/08/27

As she wraps up a month at the Edinburgh Fringe, Laura Benanti travels south to present her solo comedy show Nobody Cares. She explains her inspiration for the show, why it isn't like anything else she's done on stage, and how she's found a month of performing at the iconic Scottish arts festival. Oh, and why it's such a scary time for comics in the current climate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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39:12

Is stage door etiquette getting worse?

The WhatsOnStage Podcast ·

2025/08/22

It's a packed agenda on this week's episode of the WhatsOnStage Podcast. First up, Sarah reflects on her latest trip north of the border to talk on a panel about all things criticism, alighting on the subject of critic Arifa Akbar's wonderful series on criticism available on BBC Sounds. From there, Alex and Sarah mull over Sarah's fantastic interview with Alicia Vikander, due to sail onto the London stage this autumn in The Lady from the Sea. Finally, the pair discuss the hot topic of stage door

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47:04

Bonus episode: What happens when your press night...

The WhatsOnStage Podcast ·

2025/08/20

In this episode, we’re joined by two leading lights of musical theatre who are stepping into one of the most beloved shows in the canon. Phillip Attmore and Lucy St. Louis star as Jerry Travers and Dale Tremont in Top Hat at Chichester Festival Theatre this summer, taking on roles made famous by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.We also discuss how the Harlem Renaissance influenced the original film, what it was like when press night had to be restarted, the importance of representation on stage, and

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37:56

Why Liam Gallagher is wrong about festivals

The WhatsOnStage Podcast ·

2025/08/15

Sarah has been to the Edinburgh Festival at the same time as Oasis and Liam Gallagher chose to make a few choice remarks about there being another event up the road. She and Alex discuss why his comments - he saidthe festival consisted of people “juggling f---ing b------s… swallowing swords” and “s----y card tricks” - cut against the spirit of festivals.And why a new book about the Greenwich and Docklands International Festival’s first 30 years sums up the unique appeal of that particular event

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17:03

Bonus episode: Bridgerton star Luke Newton talks...

The WhatsOnStage Podcast ·

2025/08/12

Luke Newton has won over millions of hearts as Colin Bridgerton, but will face a wholly different challenge when he stars in Darrah Cloud’s House of McQueen off-Broadway at The Mansion at Hudson Yards. Newton will take on the role of Lee Alexander McQueen, more commonly known simply as Alexander McQueen, in a show based on the iconic fashion designer's life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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32:57

Who’s getting married in the morning?

The WhatsOnStage Podcast ·

2025/08/08

It’s wedding season and Alex is away at one of the numerous celebrations he’s been invited to this summer. Which made him and Sarah think about the way that weddings are used on stage, screen and television.As Beth Steel’s Till the Stars Come Down packs them in in the West End, they look back at plays bywriters such as Lorca, Shakespeare and more surprisingly Brecht have used the conventions, tensions and hidden dramas of marriage to unpick uncomfortable truths about human nature and how sometimes a

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30:12

Bonus episode: Rosalie Craig talks Good Night, Oscar,...

The WhatsOnStage Podcast ·

2025/08/06

West End star Rosalie Craig will be returning to the stage this summer to appear alongside Sean Hayes in the London transfer of Good Night, Oscar, now playing at the Barbican Theatre. We sat down to have a virtual chat about the show, why it fits the Barbican so well and how for Craig, it's something of a homecoming. Beyond that, she also pined for an actor-musician version of Company – perhaps reuniting with her former co-star, and clarinet-playing friend, Jonathan Bailey... Hosted on Acast. See

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37:52

Has the New York Times sent shockwaves through the...

The WhatsOnStage Podcast ·

2025/08/01

Sarah and Alex pick up the debate about the role of criticism triggered by the New York Times decision to take three critics off their customary beat. And apply the lessons to the extraordinary range ofreactions to Burlesque. And Alex reports back from Jesus Christ Superstar at the Watermill and Top Hat at Chichester. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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29:44

Bonus episode: How do we build theatre audiences of...

The WhatsOnStage Podcast ·

2025/07/30

We checked in with Emma De Souza, executive director of audience and commercial at Society of London Theatre and the mastermind behind the long-running audience development initiative, Kids Week. The scheme provides free theatre tickets for youngsters accompanying paying adult punters – a huge move in order to encourage the audiences of the future into the West End and beyond.Decades on from its launch, De Souza reflects on where Kids Week went so right, and why we live in unprecedented times for

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48:05

Burlesque's turbulent arrival in the West End – and...

The WhatsOnStage Podcast ·

2025/07/25

Sarah is still swanning it up in bella Italia (the country, not the restaurant), so Alex has brought in TheaterMania's editor-in-chief David Gordon to comb through two big stories in theatre this week. First of all, the turbulent Burlesque the Musical has had its opening night at the Savoy Theatre, with Alex giving his verdict on the production – and whether or not the behind-the-scenes controversy was over-sensationalised. Then – David reflects on his trip to Williamstown Theatre Festival in

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32:13

Bonus episode: Three Elphabas talk the new world of...

The WhatsOnStage Podcast ·

2025/07/23

In a special midweek episode, three former Elphabas – Louise Dearman, Kerry Ellis and Rachel Tucker – come together to discuss the legacy of Wicked and the new surge in love for the franchise after the release of the hit film. The trio will be appearing together for a special concert at Theatre Royal Drury Lane at the end of August, and have used this opportunity to reflect on the lasting legacy of the production, and how it set the blueprint for the modern musical – and its very devoted fanbase

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45:24

What are the hits and who are the stars of tomorrow?

The WhatsOnStage Podcast ·

2025/07/18

As the Edinburgh Festivalapproaches Sarah and Alex cast their eye over the listings to see if they can pick the hottest shows and the most promising futures. Plus a WhatsOnPage bonus of their holiday reading lists. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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21:00

Bonus episode: Natasha Hodgson and Alex Young go...

The WhatsOnStage Podcast ·

2025/07/16

Alex and Sarah will be back on Friday, but in the meantime we’ve dedicated an episode to a British show that continues to conquerboth sides of the Atlantic, having been crowned the 2024 Best New Musical at both the WhatsOnStage and Olivier Awards in London and receiving four Tony nominations (winning one) in New York – Operation Mincemeat. We paired up co-creator and original cast member Natasha Hodgson (now performing at the Golden Theatre in NYC) with current West End company member Alex Young,

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35:18

What's the point of an interval? And why are we...

The WhatsOnStage Podcast ·

2025/07/11

On this week's episode of the WhatsOnStage Podcast, Sarah and Alex plunder the letter bag to tackle some tantalising listener questions – with subjects ranging from cleaning costumes (very topical in the ongoing heatwave!) to the importance of intervals. Finally, they take a trip down memory lane to think about productions they'd love to have seen from years gone by. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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14:50

Bonus episode: What does an actor-musician musical...

The WhatsOnStage Podcast ·

2025/07/09

With Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Jesus Christ Superstar celebrating a lengthy summer run at the award-winning Watermill Theatre in Newbury, Alex Wood popped into the rehearsal room to find out how the show is being performed by a group of actor-musicians - transplanting the tunes and placing them slap bang in the heart of the action. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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17:42

Rachel Zegler, Andrew Lloyd Webber and more discuss...

The WhatsOnStage Podcast ·

2025/07/04

As we put out our main episode two days early (go back and give it a listen!) – here's something to take you through the weekend. In what is our last episode on Evita for a while (we promise), we sit down with star Rachel Zegler and team behind the new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Evita at The London Palladium. They spill the beans on that infamous balcony scene, the chance to revitalise classic musicals for new audiences, that staggering choreography and what the future might

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36:56

Is Evita the show of the summer? And if not, what is?

The WhatsOnStage Podcast ·

2025/07/02

In an excitable episode (fuelled by the heatwave), Sarah Crompton and Alex Wood unite to chew over Jamie Lloyd's production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Evita, starring Golden Globe winner Rachel Zegler – now that the embargo has lifted. After that, the pair discuss other shows that have wowed them in recent weeks – including a surprise and special hit in the form of Intimate Apparel at the Donmar Warehouse. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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33:26

Why seeing a play from the cheap seats can change...

The WhatsOnStage Podcast ·

2025/06/27

As her brilliant play Till the Stars Come Down transfers to the West End, playwright Beth Steel talks to Sarah about her unexpected discovery of theatre and the mental blocks and financial obstacles that stop working class voices being heard Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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32:32

Bonus episode: Special guest Katie Brayben on the...

The WhatsOnStage Podcast ·

2025/06/20

With this week's main episode coming out two days early, special guest Katie Brayben joins Alex Wood for a Friday chitchat. The two-time Olivier Award-winner will be returning to the role of Elizabeth in the hit Bob Dylan musical Girl from The North Country, now playing once more at the Old Vic in London. Other topics include Brayben's time in Tammy Faye, the state of new musicals and the problems performers face with social media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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176 results

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