The WhatsOnStage Podcast

On this week's episode of the WhatsOnStage Podcast, Sarah and Alex plunder the letter bag to tackle some tantalising listener questions – with subjects ranging from cleaning costumes (very topical in the ongoing heatwave!) to the importance of intervals. Finally, they take a trip down memory lane to think about productions they'd love to have seen from years gone by. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Jesus Christ Superstar celebrating a lengthy summer run at the award-winning Watermill Theatre in Newbury, Alex Wood popped into the rehearsal room to find out how the show is being performed by a group of actor-musicians - transplanting the tunes and placing them slap bang in the heart of the action. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we put out our main episode two days early (go back and give it a listen!) – here's something to take you through the weekend. In what is our last episode on Evita for a while (we promise), we sit down with star Rachel Zegler and team behind the new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Evita at The London Palladium. They spill the beans on that infamous balcony scene, the chance to revitalise classic musicals for new audiences, that staggering choreography and what the future might hold for the show... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In an excitable episode (fuelled by the heatwave), Sarah Crompton and Alex Wood unite to chew over Jamie Lloyd's production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Evita, starring Golden Globe winner Rachel Zegler – now that the embargo has lifted. After that, the pair discuss other shows that have wowed them in recent weeks – including a surprise and special hit in the form of Intimate Apparel at the Donmar Warehouse. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As her brilliant play Till the Stars Come Down transfers to the West End, playwright Beth Steel talks to Sarah about her unexpected discovery of theatre and the mental blocks and financial obstacles that stop working class voices being heard Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With this week's main episode coming out two days early, special guest Katie Brayben joins Alex Wood for a Friday chitchat. The two-time Olivier Award-winner will be returning to the role of Elizabeth in the hit Bob Dylan musical Girl from The North Country, now playing once more at the Old Vic in London. Other topics include Brayben's time in Tammy Faye, the state of new musicals and the problems performers face with social media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's a two-part episode as Alex and Sarah reunite after a few weeks out in the wild! Social media is all abuzz with clips of Rachel Zegler's performance of "Don't Cry For Me Argentinia" in Evita at The London Palladium. The only ones not talking about it? Theatre critics – who have to wait until early July to give their verdicts on the show. With weeks of embargoes, are critics having a tough time either cutting through the social media noise, or even being able to say anything before a show's initial excitement has died down? Separately, Sarah has some thoughts on the increasing trend towards the obligatory standing ovation – do more audiences need to sit down and stop rocking the boat? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Rachel Zegler prepares to take on the role of Eva Peron in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s ageless classic, Sarah sets out to find out more about the London Palladium production. Plus what was it like working with Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell and how did they cope with the crowds mobbing Sunset Boulevard in New York Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sunday night saw the winners crowned at the Tony Awards in New York. While new musical Maybe Happy Ending may have been the big winner, there were plenty of awards dished out to UK-originating shows, including Operation Mincemeat, Stranger Things: The First Shadow and more! We hear from all of them… while Andrew Lloyd Webber explains why a Sunset Boulevard film may not be happening!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Description: With Tony Award-winning record breaker Stereophonic in previews in the West End, chief critic Sarah Crompton and managing editor Alex Wood hopped over to Sonia Friedman Productions offices to talk to Friedman in a wide-ranging interview. Topics included what makes new writing so enticing, why the Broadway model is so hard and why Broadway box office reporting is causing headaches all round. Plus how she's trying to find the next generation of audiences with Hugh Jackman, and why the future of UK theatre concerns her! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.