The WhatsOnStage Podcast

Nancy and Sarah talk to David Hare about actors he has loved, performances he remembers, the difference between writing and directing, why some people loathe the theatre and why critics are so often wrong about breakthrough plays.

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This week Nancy and Sarah went to the Old Vic to see Eureka Day - a comedy about a serious subject. One scene makes the audience collapse with helpless laughter, which got us thinking about the role of laughter in theatre.

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Nancy and Sarah discuss recent theatrical outings at the Globe, the National Theatre and elsewhere to see multiple versions of Much Ado About Nothing. Why are some Shakespeare plays performed all the time - and should directors be bolder in their choices? Nancy also reveals her understanding of the reason you can't say Macbeth in a theatre - and Sarah shows a sad obsession with alphabetising her programmes.

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In the week after Queen Elizabeth's death, Nancy and Sarah find themselves talking about the way she had been portrayed on stage and screen and how that affects our views - both of her personally and of the monarchy

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Nancy has been watching All's Well that Ends Well at the RSC in preview on her travels, and Sarah has been to see a sensational and long-running production of The Seagull. In this week's episode, we talk about the benefits of previews - and why they enrage journalists while helping actors.

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After a visit to the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre to see 101 Dalmatians together, Nancy and Sarah talk about the effects of theatre in the open air - and how different audiences react to different venues. Plus Sarah reports back from her trip to the Edinburgh Festival.

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As thousands flock to the Edinburgh Festival over the next few weeks, we decided to devote this week's podcast to the joys of being in a city which is totally taken over by art - from the street performers to the most famous international artists. Nancy has performed there as a student; Sarah has watched an awful lot down the years. And we both have very happy memories of the place and what we have seen.

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Patrick Marber's Closer is 25 years old. As a new version opens at the Lyric Hammersmith, Nancy - who was in the last London revival - and Sarah are joined by the playwright to discuss what it meant when it was first unveiled, what it means now, and the role of critics in making it a success.

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Nancy has been part of a project performing all Christopher Marlowe's plays so we took the opportunity to have a chat about the mysterious life and difficult work of a master playwright. Mamma Mia, here we go again....

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In this week's episode, as the awards season comes to its end with the announcement of the Tony Awards in New York, we talk about theatrical prizes - what it's like to win one, what it's like to judge them, and what purpose they serve. Plus Nancy describes going into labour in the middle of the Olivier Awards. You won't want to miss this one.

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