Backstage

Ivan Muir (from Nivara Lounge) joins us to have a yarn about smaller performance spaces, Mike talks about the MTNZ annual conference, and our #MusicaloftheWeek is The Last Five Years...

'Next!' Auditions... love them or hate them, they're a necessary part of theatrical life, for both performers and directors. Mel and Mike discuss rejection and how to cope when you don't land that role you walways wanted. Plus our #MusicaloftheWeek is Miss Saigon.

What's in a name? We cover the many ways playwrights choose their titles, and why some work, and some don't! Plus our #MusicaloftheWeek is 'Nine'.

"Ladies and gents, this is the moment you've waited for..." In the centre ring for this week's show, we shine the spotlight on the life of the consummate master of the big show, PT Barnum. So, naturally, our #MusicaloftheWeek is The Greatest Showman!

Enter, the Narrator. Mel and Mike explore productions which feature an omnipresent and other-worldly character that bridges the gap between audience and cast, usually. And our #MusicaloftheWeek is Fun Home!

This week looking at queer theatre that has helped shape the genre, and put LGBTQ stories in the mainstream. Our #Musicalof theWeek? Hedwig and the Angry Inch!

That deaf, dumb and blind kid sure plays a mean pinball! Yep — our #MusicaloftheWeek is The Who's Tommy. And we talk to Hamilton's resident Energiser Bunny, Courteney Mayall about her pet projects and how the hell she manages to do so much!

Film adaptations of stage musicals that may (or may not) see the light of day this year; catching 2021's first local productions; and The Prom - our #MusicaloftheWeek.

Are children really maggots...? Maybe our #MusicaloftheWeek Matilda will answer that question. And we welcome Geoff Turkington and Nick Walsh fromn the Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival into the studio to spill the beans on how they do the magic they do each year.

Throw the bouquet! Yep, we just can't help ourselves — it's all wedding bells this week on Backstage with Mel and Mike. Notably, our #MusicaloftheWeek is The Wedding Singer, based on the Adam Sandler movie of the same name.