Nancy’s back! Former co-host of the WhatsOnStage Podcast’s predecessor As An Actress Said to the Critic returns to talk adapting and starring in the critically acclaimed new staging of The Cabinet Minister at the Menier Chocolate Factory, and a plethora of exciting upcoming projects - including a very exciting Hamlet at the RSC… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Sarah and Alex turn their attention to the Great White Way – something that a whole raft of West End productions seem to be doing at the moment. With Operation Mincemeat, Stranger Things: The First Shadow and Tammy Faye set to join Sunset Boulevard and The Hills of California over in New York this Tony Awards season, all the signs are there… Closer to home, The Lion King’s 25th anniversary provided a poignant moment of reflection. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Robert Icke tackles Oedipus and Alexander Zeldin reinterprets Antigone as The Other Place, Alex and Sarah talk about the ways Greek tragedies speak to our modern age - and why great actors such as Mark Strong, Lesley Manville, Emma D’Arcy and Tobias Menzies are signing up to star. Plus: And what does it all have to do with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis’ new musical? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Theatres at the moment are working like time machines, whisking audiences back to the 1950s as a new generation of directors explore the work of the past. Sarah and Alex explore the revivals from Look Back in Anger and Roots at the Almeida to Waiting for Godot starring Ben Whishaw and Lucian Msamati Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

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, the West End and beyond. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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, Moody spills the beans on why she’s so keen to stage work at the festival every year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.com/privacy for more information.

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 variables of theatre outside. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

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

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

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 productions and what it shows us about Shakespeare - and about the new generation of actors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Nelson and Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins - and how they find ways into examining friendship, illness, death and the human condition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 cut funding for creative arts courses at universities? Plus more praise for Andrew Scott in All of Us Strangers, and tributes to Adrian Schiller and Trevor Griffiths. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.com/privacy for more information.

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 Keir Starmer has set out Labour's vision for culture - and it feels unusually heartfelt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 matter of pulling together. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 happens at an R & D workshop on Shakespeare. Is there a case for cutting to make Shakespeare speak more clearly to the modern age? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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? Is it possible to disagree agreeably or does honest debate end up as a shouting match? And what did the Greeks know about it all? Sarah has been watching a new version of Aristophanes's The Frogs which is also food for thought - and the first example of theatre criticism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 (perhaps the original romcom) at the RSC while Sarah has been to King Lear (definitely not a romcom) at the Almeida. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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-Armah is right when he warns that without government intervention, there's a danger of losing a generation of talent. But why are we so bad at valuing something that is not only an economic boon, but that also adds value to life? It's time to speak out. Plus, much praise for Beth Steele's brilliant new play Till the Stars Come Down. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 yes we do talk about the spitting! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Foster - who is also on TV in True Detective. She is brilliant in both, which prompts a conversation about growing up with child stars. We've been watching Foster since she was nominated as best supporting actress for Taxi Driver 1976 - how does that knowledge of her on screen affect how we view her? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 about to open at the Almeida Theatre. In this fascinating interview she reveals the tricks of her trade, and how she began her career. And she explains how she staged one of the most famous fights on the London stage. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 long-running series, how she views the character of Lady Felicia and how it feels to return to her TV family Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 but what is it that makes these movies into seasonal classics. Why do we watch them again and again? This episode was filmed on Zoom and will also be available on YouTube. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

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 podcast pick in Radio Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/privacy for more information.

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 her insights into performing Coward and explains why Harold Pinter revered him. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 can't be summed up in that way - a thoughtful new production of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion at the Old Vic and Andrew Scott's revelatory one-man Vanya. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 with Jonny Lee Miller. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.