The Evening Standard Theatre Podcast

Joining us from the launch of their new musical, Why Am I So Single?, Lucy Moss and Toby Marlow talk to our chief theatre critic Nick Curtis.Nick and Nancy Durrant line up the shows they’re really excited about this year, and the ones you should totally be booking or pinning in your diary…In news they discuss the hot topics of the week: Tickets for Jamie Lloyd’s Romeo and Juliet starring Tom Holland (who’s playing Juliet?), and Trigger Warnings from Ralph Fiennes.Get in touch with us at theatrepod@standard.co.ukRelated articles:How to get cheap theatre tickets in the West End: we reveal the secrets to bagging those seatsTom Holland's West End return sells out in two hours as over 60,000 fans scramble to get tickets

Our chief theatre critic Nick Curtis meets former Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman to discuss her role in Hir at the Park Theatre.They also discuss:-Why she chose a play at one of London’s smallest theatres-Her early career, Desperate Housewives, and studying at RADA-Living in London again, how the city has changed since Huffman’s twenties, spotting celebrities-What she hopes audiences will think after seeing Hir-Will Huffman ever play a character audiences don’t hate?Nancy and the Nicks review Jez Butterworth and Sam Mendes's production of The Hills of California at the Harold Pinter Theatre, plus Nick Curtis tells us what he made of Kafka’s Metamorphosis at the Lyric Hammersmith.In the news: John Cleese adapts Fawlty Towers for West End stage debut this spring, Tom Holland to star in Jamie Lloyd’s Romeo & Juliet, Cara Delevingne to take on the role of Sally Bowles in Cabaret, and the West End shows you shouldn’t see this Valentine’s Day.Get in touch with us at theatrepod@standard.co.uk .California Act 2-3 Transition 3 Composed by Nick Powell. (Composer, Sound Designer and co-arranger)

Packed with Nineties hit music, we review the musical take on Cruel Intentions at The Other Palace, which is based on the 1999 blockbuster movie that starred Reece Witherspoon and Buffy actress Sarah Michelle Gellar.Plus, we revisit Six the musical as the show celebrates its sixth year on stage, and is now on at the Vaudeville theatre.Hear Nancy’s interview with writer Charlie Josephine, who’s also co-directing Cowbois at the Royal Court.In news, the National Theatre's summer 2024 season, Frozen the musical lets its London run go and there’s some exciting casting news for Slow Horses fans.Get in touch with us at theatrepod@standard.co.uk.For all the latest news head to standard.co.uk or pick up a paper.Hear our interview with The Lion King here.

Anaïs Mitchell, the creator of Hadestown, joins us to chat the musical's return to London. In a very special first for our podcast, Mitchell plays two songs from the show: Way Down Hadestown and We Raise Our Cups.Saddle up as Nancy and the Nick's ride into town (well Sloane Square) to review Cowbois at the Royal Court, and The Good John Proctor at the Jermyn Street Theatre.Elsewhere in news, we discuss the RSC’s inaugural season under Tamara Harvey and Daniel Evans, as well as the casting announcement that Adrian Dunbar, star of Line of Duty, is going to be making his musical theatre debut.Get in touch with us at theatrepod@standard.co.ukFor all the latest news visit standard.co.uk or pick up a paper.

The Enfield Haunting, starring Catherine Tate and David Threlfall. Does this story of things that go bump in the night have the audiences screaming, or just the critics?The Evening Standard’s going out editor, David Ellis, pops in to tell us about the pubs you can find near West End theatres.Nick, Nick and Nancy also discuss the latest news, including Prince’s Purple Rain being adapted into a Broadway show, and Mr Bates vs The Post Office’s debt to the theatre.They also donned VR headsets to experience the mixed reality show Kagami at the Roundhouse in Camden.Matthew Xia, artistic director of Actors Touring Company, also pays tribute to the great Philip Hedley, who ran Theatre Royal Stratford East, who sadly died earlier this month.Get in touch with us at theatrepod@standard.co.ukFor all the latest news go to standard.co.uk

From the Noël Coward Theatre, we join Tuppence Middleton to chat about her role as Elizabeth Taylor in The Motive and the Cue, directed by Oscar-winner Sam Mendes. Middleton, who stars opposite Johnny Flynn and Mark Gatiss, tells us about being in a play about putting on a play (Hamlet on Broadway in the Sixties), her experiences with obsessive compulsive disorder, and her new memoir. Nancy and the Nicks review Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which is now on at the Phoenix Theatre, and Macbeth at the Donmar Warehouse, starring David Tennant and Cush Jumbo.But do we need headphones for the audience to experience 3D ‘binaural sound’ throughout the Shakespearean classic?Plus, our hosts discuss the musicals they’re looking forward to see in London throughout this year: 2024 is looking to be a corker. For the Standard’s interview with Stranger Things star Patrick Vaill click here - and to hear our chat with Mark Gatiss, who plays John Gielgud in the The Motive and the Cue, click here.We love to hear from you, so please do get in touch with comments, questions and anything else that’s theatre related at theatrepod@standard.co.uk 

Indulge us please, as we look back at a year of amazing London theatre. From Nicole Scherzinger in Sunset Boulevard to Andrew Scott in Vanya, plus Guys & Dolls and Crazy for You. And of course, Joseph Fiennes in Dear England, as well as The Motive and the Cue, A Streetcar Named Desire...just to name a few.Plus, we talk about the West End shows arriving in 2024, that we are very excited about, including Plaza Suite with Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, and Charlie Josephine’s Cowbois.Many of the stars mentioned in this episode have appeared on the podcast this year, so make sure you head to our archive to listen back.We’ll see you on January 7th! Merry Christmas, and have a happy New Year, with only the best kind of drama.Get in touch with us at theatrepod@standard.co.uk For all the latest news go to standard.co.uk 

This episode discusses themes some listeners may find distressing.Jared Harris (Mad Men, Chernobyl) and Joe Cole (Gangs of London, Peaky Blinders), join us at the Young Vic to talk about their time in Harold Panter’s The Homecoming, directed by Matthew Dunster.For our reviews this week it’s Ulster American at Riverside Studios, by David Ireland and directed by Jeremy Herrin, starring Woody Harrelson, Louisa Harland and Andy Serkis. Plus for our second review, Cold War at the Almeida theatre, adapted by Conor McPherson from Pawel Pawlikowski’s award-winning 2018 film, starring Anya Chalotra and Luke Thallon.We also discuss Indhu Rubasingham being appointed as Director of the National Theatre, the unveiling of a very special plaque honouring Operation Mincemeat's Hester, and Paddington the musical which comes to the West End in 2025.Get in touch with us at theatrepod@standard.co.ukFor all the latest news head to standard.co.uk