The WhatsOnStage Podcast

By 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’... more

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FAQs about The WhatsOnStage Podcast:

How many episodes does The WhatsOnStage Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 169 episodes available.

The WhatsOnStage Podcast episodes:

September 10, 2025 Bonus episode: Podcast chaos with Lucie Jones, David Hunter and the writers of 13 Going On 30
Another mid-week bonus episode of the WhatsOnStage Podcast sees Alex talking to the team behind the world premiere production of 13 Going On 30 The Musical, which opens this September in Manchester. Cathy Yuspa and Josh Goldsmith, who penned the original Hollywood classic, are back at the helm of the new stage production, which reunites Lucie Jones and David Hunter.
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33min
September 05, 2025 Emma Rice starts a new chapter – and wants to solve the touring problem
This week, Emma Rice rechristened her company Wise Children with the new name Emma Rice Company, and we took the opportunity to sit down and reflect on her career so far – from touring new work, to enchanting families at Christmas and taking productions across continents. She explains her efforts to try and solve the problems around regional tours, her opinions on her time as artistic director at Shakespeare's Globe, and the magic of working with Ncuti Gatwa. And, controversially, that she thinks Chekhov is boring.
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31min
September 03, 2025 Kyle Soller talks Romans, bringing Albee to Star Wars and what to do about modern-day men
In this episode, we sit down with Olivier Award-winning actor Kyle Soller to talk about his latest role in Romans, a novel, Alice Birch’s ambitious new play at the Almeida Theatre. Directed by Sam Pritchard, the piece is a sweeping exploration of masculinity from the nineteenth century to today. Kyle reflects on what drew him to the project, the challenges of embodying such expansive storytelling, and how Romans fits within his acclaimed career spanning stage and screen, from The Inheritance to Andor (and that famous bed scene).
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32min
August 29, 2025 The best autumn theatre part one: from Bacchae to Romans, from Joe Locke to Alicia Vikander
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
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37min
August 27, 2025 Bonus episode: Tony Award winner Laura Benanti explains why nobody cares
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.
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25min
August 22, 2025 Is stage door etiquette getting worse?
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 etiquette and expectations, after Broadway legend Audra McDonald posted a video about an intense experience after a performance of Gypsy.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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40min
August 20, 2025 Bonus episode: What happens when your press night goes wrong?
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 why musical comedy performances don’t always get the recognition they deserve.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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48min
August 15, 2025 Why Liam Gallagher is wrong about festivals
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 said the 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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38min
August 12, 2025 Bonus episode: Bridgerton star Luke Newton talks returning to the stage – and why it is his safe space
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.
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18min
August 08, 2025 Who’s getting married in the morning?
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 by writers 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 wedding ceremony will reveal more than than the bride and groom had bargained for.
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33min

FAQs about The WhatsOnStage Podcast:

How many episodes does The WhatsOnStage Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 169 episodes available.

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