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.

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Top 10 The WhatsOnStage Podcast Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The WhatsOnStage Podcast episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The WhatsOnStage Podcast for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The WhatsOnStage Podcast episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Top tips for shows to see in 2025 - part one

The WhatsOnStage Podcast

01/01/25 • 31 min

From a new Hamlet to Jonathan Bailey as Richard II, or from Cate Blanchett and Emma Corrin in Chekhov to Brie Larson and Rami Malek in contrasting Greek tragedies, Sarah and Alex take a look at some of the best British theatre has to offer in 2025

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Bernadette Peters: the Broadway legend on Sondheim, solo concerts and sharing a dressing room with dames

The WhatsOnStage Podcast

08/02/24 • 26 min

This week Alex had a virtual sit down with musical legend Bernadette Peters ahead of her eagerly anticipated solo concert at Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 12 August. Their discussion ranged from Sondheim to West End audiences, working with musical directors who know the difference between singing and making noise and Broadway Barks.

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From Edinburgh Fringe to world domination?

The WhatsOnStage Podcast

07/26/24 • 34 min

As the Edinburgh Festival begins, Sarah and Alex talk about their memories of festivals past - from great shows such as Fleabag!, Six and Baby Reindeer, to disasters, miseries and the rain.

Is the Edinburgh Festival still really a hotbed for new talent or are prices and rents simply too high for the truly unknown to thrive? And what part did the Fringe play in the end of Alex's career as a playwright

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Is Death of England the great state of Britain play? Ft Roy Williams and Clint Dyer

The WhatsOnStage Podcast

07/19/24 • 33 min

In this guest episode, Sarah talks to playwright Roy Williams and the National Theatre's deputy artisitc director Clint Dyer about the three plays they wrote together that seem to sum up the spirit of the times. As Michael, Delory and Closing Time are performed together for the first time at Soho Place, the writers discuss what promted the plays, their struggles with illness, Covid and sheer bad timing to get them to the stage, and the impact their work has had. Plus why you can be deadly serious and very funny at the same time.

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What happens when a show loses its star?

The WhatsOnStage Podcast

07/12/24 • 32 min

In a week of shock substitutions Alex and Sarah talk about James Corden at the Old Vic, Justine Mitchell at the Almeida and the way that history of theatre is filled with understudies who become the star.

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Are musicals manipulative?

The WhatsOnStage Podcast

06/28/24 • 27 min

Alex has been singing along to Taylor Swift and Sarah has been on a musical theatre adventure with London Theatre at Sea. Which got us thinking about the power of song and how it makes people feel. Why does that make musicals such a potent force and are our emotions being played on - with special reference to Ghost Quartet, Dear Evan Hansen and Next to Normal

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(ATASTTC) Tom Holland's Romeo and Ian McKellen's Falstaff

The WhatsOnStage Podcast

05/30/24 • 34 min

Huge, enthusiastic queues are surrounding the Duke of York's theatre where Tom Holland, famous for Spider-Man is playing Romeo opposite Francesca Amewudah-Rivers as Juliet. Next door, veteran actor and star of Lord of the Rings, Ian McKellen is performing Falstaff for his own adoring fans. In this week's episode Nancy and Sarah discuss the two productions and what it shows us about Shakespeare - and about the new generation of actors.

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(ATASTTC) Food on stage - and guests for the dream dinner party

The WhatsOnStage Podcast

05/20/24 • 44 min

Nancy and Sarah discuss their attitudes to food on stage and off. Does Nancy eat before a show? Does Sarah write hungry or stuffed? And are there perilous foodstuffs that you might want to avoid on stage? Plus: who would they both invite to their dream dinner parties?

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(ATASTTC) The secrets of learning lines - plus Machinal and Love's Labour's Lost

The WhatsOnStage Podcast

05/03/24 • 38 min

Nancy and Sarah discuss terrific new productions of Love's Labour's Lost at the Royal Shakespeare Company and Machinal at the Old Vic and Nancy reveals the secrets of memorising long parts - and why the writers whose words are hard to learn aren't always the ones that you'd expect.

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Bonus episode: Cameron Mackintosh, Matthew Bourne and more talk Oliver! in the West End

The WhatsOnStage Podcast

01/31/25 • 9 min

Consider yourself spoilt with a bonus podcast episode as Cameron Mackintosh, Matthew Bourne, Shanay Holmes, Simon Lipkin and Billy Jenkins talk bringing Oliver! to the West End! If you're looking for our main episode, we released it slightly early this week – so scroll on to hear more from the RSC's co-artistic directors.

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FAQ

How many episodes does The WhatsOnStage Podcast have?

The WhatsOnStage Podcast currently has 123 episodes available.

What topics does The WhatsOnStage Podcast cover?

The podcast is about Acting, Society & Culture, Journalism, Writing, Podcasts, Arts, Theatre and Performing Arts.

What is the most popular episode on The WhatsOnStage Podcast?

The episode title 'Bernadette Peters: the Broadway legend on Sondheim, solo concerts and sharing a dressing room with dames' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on The WhatsOnStage Podcast?

The average episode length on The WhatsOnStage Podcast is 35 minutes.

How often are episodes of The WhatsOnStage Podcast released?

Episodes of The WhatsOnStage Podcast are typically released every 7 days, 1 hour.

When was the first episode of The WhatsOnStage Podcast?

The first episode of The WhatsOnStage Podcast was released on Apr 5, 2022.

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The WhatsOnStage Podcast

Sarah Crompton & Alex Wood

Top 10 The WhatsOnStage Podcast Episodes

FAQ

How many episodes does The WhatsOnStage Podcast have?

What topics does The WhatsOnStage Podcast cover?

What is the most popular episode on The WhatsOnStage Podcast?

What is the average episode length on The WhatsOnStage Podcast?

How often are episodes of The WhatsOnStage Podcast released?

When was the first episode of The WhatsOnStage Podcast?

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