The WhatsOnStage Podcast

Jack Holden had a runaway hit with Cruise back in 2021, one of the first new shows to rock the West End after the final lockdown. He's been pretty much non-stop since then – with new five-star show Kenrex opening to dazzling notices and audience acclaim in Sheffield. That show now begins a second London season, this time at The Other Palace in central London. It comes off the back of an assured stage version of The Line of Beauty, based on Alan Hollinghurst Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With 2026 fast approaching, Sarah and Alex thought they’d run through some of the names expected to make a splash over the coming 12 months – from directors, to writers, to stage stars – there are some very exciting people making very exciting theatre across the country. We touch on a trendy new production of a David Hare classic, the return of the fist-pumping musical Sylvia and the indomitable rise of playwright Ava Pickett. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you haven't heard of Kenny Wax, we are fairly certain you know some of his shows – a mastermind behind building brands from the ground up, he has steered productions like The Play That Goes Wrong and SIX to international acclaim. This Christmas, he has five shows running concurrently in the heart of the capital – on top of the previous two, Top Hat is dazzling at the Southbank Centre, Christmas Carol Goes Wrong is a sell-out seasonal sensation and Just For One Day is rockin' all over Shaftesbury Avenue. But what is the secret to his success? The man touches on a multitude of topics in a wide-ranging interview. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our final main episode before Christmas, Alex and Sarah discuss their favourite shows of 2025, from Golden Globe winners on Palladium balconies to animatronic bears reducing thousands of punters to tears. With names like Bryan Cranston, Cate Blanchett, Brendan Gleeson, Rosamund Pike and Samira Wiley leading top-tier productions, there's a whole lot to chew on. The pair also pick out their favourite new plays, revivals and names that really made a splash in 2025 – and what it might all mean for the future of theatre. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Few producers are as intrepid as Michael Harrison – steering hits like Evita, Hello, Dolly!, Starlight Express, Gypsy, Titanique and The Bodyguard. But one centrepiece of his producing portfolio is the Palladium pantomime – the crown jewel of the London panto season and renowned for its big sets, big laughs and big innuendo count (courtesy of one Julian Clary). Alex Wood heads to MHE towers to discuss ten years of panto back at the Palladium – and why Michael considers himself the worst usher to have ever worked at Edinburgh Playhouse Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.