Sarah sits down for a wide-ranging conversation with James McArdle, currently starring in The Real Thing at the Old Vic. He talks about returning to the stage, his new film, playing opposite Saoirse Ronan as the Macbeths, what he learnt from Kate Winslet - and why an actor should always be able to make you laugh. Plus a radical idea to help regiona…

Sarah and Alex report from behind the scenes of the press conference at which the retiring artistic director announced his final season of work. What was the mood - and what do we think of his choices of work as he reaches the end of a decade in the hot seat? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

The release of The Critic, a new film starring Ian McKellen and written by Patrick Marber prompts Sarah and Alex to discuss McKellen’s passion for theatre, the fortitude of his generation of actors - and the changing face of critics. Are they really this nasty? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

In this week's special episode, Alex talks to musical theatre sensation Carrie Hope Fletcher about her career so far, her dream roles and the changes in her life and thinking since she gave birth to her daughter. Plus what makes her Love Letters tour so unique. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

Sarah and Alex lift the curtain on the complicated moment when a critic starts to wonder whether they are on the wrong side of history - and confess to a few reviews they’d like to rewrite Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a summer of Scottish trips, Sarah and Alex are now back and ready for the start of the autumn. What a season to look forward to! With shows across the nation piquing their interest, here's what can't be missed for theatre fans up and down the UK over the course of the next few months – including productions in Sheffield, Leeds, Chichester, th…

In this special episode recorded from both sides of the Scottish border, Alex and Sarah talk to special guest producer Francesca Moody as she completes another bumper season at the Edinburgh Fringe, all while also transferring smash-hit musical Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder to the West End. With shows like Fleabag and Baby Reindeer to her name, M…

Finally, a reunion! Alex and Sarah are back in the same room after many weeks apart to catch up on their latest theatre outings - to the Almeida, Chichester Festival Theatre, the London Palladium, the Edinburgh Fringe and beyond. Then, down to business: the duo pick their favourite musical revivals from across the years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.…

Alex reports from the Edinburgh Festival where there's an American invasion, a lot of producers trying out new shows, a few rising stars, and not many vegetables. But who is making a killing and who is losing out? Plus, Sarah visits the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre for a fabulous production of Fiddler On the Roof which makes the most of the varia…

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. Hosted on Acast. …

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 Fr…

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, t…

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

With a new production of Starlight Express taking over the Wembley Troubadour and Jamie Lloyd's radical Sunset Boulevard due to open on Broadway, Sarah and Alex ask whether the British composer is having a renaissance. Plus: does the seat you sit in change your feelings about a show? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

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 Nex…

In the second WhatsOnStage podcast, Sarah is literally all at sea but still finds time to talk to Alex about the most significant awards in American theatre - and how new thinking and some British input is changing Broadway. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In their brand new podcast the chief theatre critic of WhatsOnStage and the managing editor Alex Wood talk about the ties that bind them to the theatrical world. And to Coventry. Plus their plans going forward. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After 60 episodes, Nancy's going to leave As the Actress Said to the Critic - but Sarah is launching a new podcast with WhatsOnStage. They talk about what has surprised them, what they've learnt - and plans for going forward. Stay subscribed for new adventures. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

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 prod…

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? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

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

Sarah and Nancy have been watching the Oliviers on screen - and wondering why it's so difficult for television to catch the spirit of theatre. Plus Nancy has been to see An Actor Convalescing in Devon at Hampstead Theatre and Sarah has watched The Comeuppance at the Almeida which prompts a conversation about two great American writers - Richard Nel…

Sarah and Nancy talk about a new compelling new production of Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night, starring Brian Cox and Patricia Clarkson, and the new play Underdog: the other, other Bronte - both stories that lay bare the rivalries and difficulties of family life. And what is the UK government thinking about with its latest plan to cu…

The reviews of Opening Night, a new Rufus Wainwright musical starring Sheridan Smith, have ranged from utterly brilliant to absolutely abysmal. Sarah and Nancy talk about what this means about the state of criticism and whether this is a good or bad thing. Plus Andrew Scott's emotional speech at the Critics Circle awards Hosted on Acast. See acast.…

It's been a busy time for Nancy and Sarah, with Nancy recording a new audio drama that builds on new ways of listening to plays and visiting the Royal Shakespeare Company to say goodbye to long-time artistic director Gregory Doran. Meanwhile, Sarah has been to the Lyric Hammersmiith to see a fine revival of Brian Friel's great Faith Healer. Plus Ke…

Nancy and Sarah have been watching the Oscars - and the Oscar-nominated films. Although Oppenheimer won most of the prizes, all this year's best picture nominees - from Poor Things to Zone of Interest, from Barbie to Anatomy of a Fall - are some of the strongest films to watch today. And all reveal that though individuals win awards, film is a matt…

As Dodie Smith's Dear Octopus is revived at the National Theatre, Sarah and Nancy talk about family sagas they have loved. Does Star Wars count? Is this why The Simpsons is endlessly compelling? And why are Britain's playwrights turning their attention once more to this simplest and most interesting way of telling a story. Plus: Nancy reveals what …

This week Nancy and Sarah discuss criticism itself, inspired by a new, updated version of Ibsen's An Enemy of the People starring Matt Smith which encourages its audience to enter the debate - and by Sarah's review of the musical Hadestown which pitched her into an unexpected online controversy. Just how important is it to express strong opinions? …

Nancy and Sarah are hooked on One Day, the Netflix adaptation of David Nicholls' best-selling novel. What is it that makes it so great and why are romcoms very much back in fashion? All of which leads to a conversation about the romcoms they have loved, past and present. Plus a bit of Shakespeare. Nancy's been to see The Midsummer NIght's Dream (pe…

As the Young Vic's Kwame Kwei-Armah becomes the latest in a list of artistic directors to announce they are leaving the theatres they have run with great enthusiasm and distinction, Nancy and Sarah discuss whether standstill funding and the effects of Covid are bringing British theatres to their knees. There are a lot of reasons to fear that Kwei-A…

In this special episode from the US, Nancy and Sarah talk to the legendary Jonathan Groff, currently starring on Broadway in Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along with Daniel Radcliffe and LIndsay Mendez. We talk about singing Sondheim, playing King George in Hamilton, the joys of a long Broadway run, and voicing Kristoff and Sven in Frozen. And…

As the Oscar nominations are announced, Sarah and Nancy ask whether 13 nominations for Oppenheimer, the treatment of Barbie and the omission of Greta Gerwig from the best director list reveals a reversion to type in Hollywood's attitudes to women. And they talk about Nyad, a film which has brought Oscar nominations for both Annette Bening and Jodie…

Nancy and Sarah talk to their special guest Kate Waters, aka Kombat Kate, one of a handful of female fight directors working in the UK today. She's worked on more than 300 productions on stage - and is the fight director for Coronation Street and Emmerdale. Her recent shows include Macbeth with Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma and King Lear, which is…

In this special episode, to mark the return of the television series Father Brown in which Nancy has featured since 2012, she and Sarah talk about the appeal of period detective shows including Father Brown and Poirot and why they are both comforting and reflective of real social change. Plus, Nancy explains what it's been like to be part of such a…

From radical musicals to fascinating revivals, from new plays to ongoing shows. As 2024 begins, Nancy and Sarah make their choices of the best theatre to see in the coming year - and discuss the way in which technology is beginning to transform experiences for audiences. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

Nancy and Sarah each recommend three movies for Christmas viewing - and discuss what makes the perfect film to watch from the sofa. Their choices also include Paddington 2, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, and Die Hard with honourable mentions for The Great Escape and other festive favourites. There are some brilliant stories from behind the scenes …

Nancy and Sarah hail the appointment of Indhu Rubasingham as artistic director of the National Theatre. And talk about Rock N Roll, which Nancy is performing at Hampstead Theatre, and Cold War, which Sarah has just seen at the Almeida, and why love, music and the cold war are a potent mix. Plus some surprising heckling and how Nancy coped. Hosted o…

As Nancy gets ready for the press night of Rock n Roll at Hampstead she explains what really happens at a technical rehearsal - while Sarah reports back on a week of theatre viewing that included Macbeth, The House of Bernarda Alba and Annie Baker's Infinite Life. Plus: how women are taking over the National Theatre and our excitement about being a…

Swept on a wave of sugary excitement, Nancy and Sarah talk about Christmas shows - for many people their one theatre treat of the year. What qualities do they need to ensure that the outing goes with a swing? And why does it help critics to be allowed to take a guest? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

As Nancy begins rehearsals for a new production of Tom Stoppard's Rock 'N' Roll, she and Sarah discuss the whole idea of revivals, why some plays seem more popular than others, what directors bring to the table and how much expectation plays a part in enjoyment. Plus why she nearly ended up rehearsing from an airport. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com…

As the Royal National Theatre celebrates its 60th anniversary Nancy and Sarah look back at productions they have loved, productions they wish they had seen - and talk about the building's importance in our cultural life Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To mark 50 years since Noel Coward's death, the great Patricia Hodge, currently starring in Private Lives at the Ambassador's Theatre in in London, joins Nancy and Sarah to discuss Coward's writing and his influence - with special reference to Oliver Soden's magnificent new biography Masquerade, and a new documentary Mad About the Boy. She shares h…

Nancy and Sarah are celebrating because WhatsOnStage, where Sarah is theatre critic, is going to move the stars to the bottom of the page, to encourage people to read reviews as well as look at ratings. It's a decision that recognises that you can't sum up a play simply by giving it a mark out of five. Plus: we look at two revivals that definitely …

Sarah and Nancy went to see A Mirror at the Almeida Theatre, London, starring Jonny Lee Miller, Micheal Ward, Tanya Reynolds and Geoffrey Streatfeild. This thought-provoking new play by Sam Holcroft, directed by Jeremy Herrin, got us talking about how to write reviews, about the difficulties of star ratings - and about Nancy's teenage encounter wit…

The opening of Next to Normal at the Donmar Warehouse - a musical about bi-polar illness - prompts a conversation about the need for honesty on stage and whether there's a difference between US and British musicals. Plus Sarah reveals why she finally got Brecht and Nancy talks about her love of big songs in small spaces. Hosted on Acast. See acast.…

Nancy and Sarah are back after their summer holidays with a lot to talk about, including Sarah's visit to the Edinburgh Festival, the inspirational qualities of the late director Michael Boyd, and Nancy's unexpected trip to Downing Street Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nancy and Sarah continue their conversation with the award-winning actress Diana Quick about her career beyond Brideshead Revisited, in which she went from playing alluring women, to women with nervous breakdowns to bonking grannies. She talks about her favourite roles, the importance of children to art, and why the most interesting parts are often…

Nancy and Sarah quiz Diana Quick about her career, which began when she was a student and is still going strong. She has paved the way for so many women, but her most famous role remains that of Julia Flyte in Granada's legendary television version of Brideshead Revisited. That's where our conversation begins. It goes on to take in life as an actre…

Nancy has been curating an exhibition of art made by actors; Sarah has been watching musicals including Groundhog Day at the Old Vic and 42nd Street on tour. While on Broadway, Tom Stoppard and Patrick Marber, subject of a previous podcast, have taken prizes at the Tony Awards. All are the subject of this week's freewheeling conversation. Hosted on…

Inspired by Sarah's obsession with Succession and the way in which actors with both screen and stage backgrounds combine to make a perfect whole, Sarah and Nancy talk about screen acting and screen writing and Nancy reveals that the difference between the two is not quite what you think. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…