Episodes

  • 179. The Best Plays Of The Century Part Six: the years 2010/11

    179. The Best Plays Of The Century Part Six: the years 2010/11
    Jun 25 2026
    We've hit the 2010s! Sarah and Alex continue their odyssey through the top plays of the century, which in this episode has two central themes: plays about climate catastrophe and the gargantuan success of the Royal Court under Dominic Cooke. At the same time, playwrights like Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and Alice Birch are entering the mix... while Laura Wade correctly predicts Partygate a decade early. And James Corden brings some cheer with One Man, Two Guvnors.

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    56 mins
  • 178. Bonus episode: RSC's former artistic director Gregory Doran on Venus and Adonis + new book Walking Shadow

    178. Bonus episode: RSC's former artistic director Gregory Doran on Venus and Adonis + new book Walking Shadow
    Jun 24 2026
    Gregory Doran stops by on this bonus episode to discuss his production of Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis, performed by puppetry and narrated by Simon Russell Beale. As part of the chat, Doran also dives into the prompts behind his new book Walking Shadow, based on diary entries and experiences following the death of his husband, the legendary actor Antony Sher.

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    40 mins
  • 177. The art of naming theatres, and will Paddington work on Broadway

    177. The art of naming theatres, and will Paddington work on Broadway
    Jun 18 2026
    Awards season may be over but the theatre news does not slow down! James Graham is back with a brand new play landing direct in the West End, while news from New York sees that indomitable bear Paddington making its furry way to Broadway. Also - Judi Dench will have a theatre named after her, and there's great news from the Bush as part of its 2026 season. Plus, Sarah mulls over what she thinks of the Traitors being turned into a five-part-cycle stage play experience.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    45 mins
  • 176. How The Traitors will work on stage

    176. How The Traitors will work on stage
    Jun 16 2026
    In this bonus episode of the WhatsOnStage Podcast, Alex sits down with Stephen Lambert, one of the masterminds behind the hit TV series The Traitors, as well as writer John Finnemore and director Rob Hastie, who explain how exactly they plan to bring The Traitors to the stage – in a multi-show experience like nothing else seen in the West End.

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    22 mins
  • 175. Bonus episode: Adrian Lester and Susannah Fielding talk Cyrano de Bergerac and the Dartmouth Scar Experiment

    175. Bonus episode: Adrian Lester and Susannah Fielding talk Cyrano de Bergerac and the Dartmouth Scar Experiment
    Jun 11 2026
    If you're looking for our main episode, we released it two days early as the dust settled on this year's Tony Awards. That said, we had to get a bonus episode in to help with your weekly theatre fix, so below is our interview with the two stars of the forthcoming West End transfer of Cyrano de Bergerac, Adrian Lester and Susannah Fielding, who will be returning to the roles of Cyrano and Roxane for the Noël Coward run of Edmond Rostand's play, adapted by Simon Evans and Debris Stevenson. In the interview, the pair discuss reinterpreting the role of Roxane, why a nose had to be shown on stage and the different rhyming structure bedded into the text. Oh – and if you're looking for the project Lester refers to, it's the Dartmouth Scar Experiment.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    23 mins
  • 174. Can we solve the theatre etiquette problem once and for all?

    174. Can we solve the theatre etiquette problem once and for all?
    Jun 10 2026
    What's this? The main episode of the week coming out two days early? As the dust settles on another Tony Awards season, Sarah and Alex have a lot to chew on – topics include Brits thriving on Broadway, the sacrifices mothers have to make to succeed in the performing arts and, after an incident at Inter Alia, the mobile phone etiquette debate. If that's not enough, they also pick the six summer shows they can't wait to see - with shows in Manchester, Stratford-upon-Avon, London and Chichester (if you're travelling south via the M6, M40, A3 and A27).

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    46 mins
  • 173. High Cs on the high seas – Sarah has a nautical, musical adventure to New York

    173. High Cs on the high seas – Sarah has a nautical, musical adventure to New York
    Jun 5 2026
    While Alex has been manning the fort back in London, Sarah has sailed over to the Great White Way for a small Broadway bonanza ahead of this weekend's Tony Awards. She observes the "Miller moment" that seems to be ongoing with productions of Death of a Salesman, All My Sons and Broken Glass all making headlines over the last year. After sampling the best New York has to offer, she makes some predictions ahead of Sunday's glitzy event.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    34 mins
  • 172. Bonus episode: New musicals special with Redcliffe team, Sam Tutty and Christiani Pitts

    172. Bonus episode: New musicals special with Redcliffe team, Sam Tutty and Christiani Pitts
    Jun 3 2026
    In this bumper episode, we are celebrating the world of new musicals with two great insights into the experience of staging new world. In the first part, we bring you our on-stage discussion with the music team of Redcliffe, Jordan Luke Gage's brand new musical having its world premiere at Southwark Playhouse Borough. In part two, we head across the Atlantic to talk to Sam Tutty and Christiani Pitts, the two "strangers" bring baked goods to the masses in the five-star musical Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York), playing now on Broadway - ahead of this Sunday's Tony Awards.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    46 mins