MusicalTalk - The UK's Musical Theatre Podcast

16/04/2024

Here is Nick Hutson’s interview with Alan Menken. They discuss Hercules, adapting and translating musicals and Alan’s creative process.

08/04/2024

Love going through theatre programmes. Here are some we found at random and talked about them; look out for the episode soon!

10/01/2024

MusicalTalk - The UK's Independent Musical Theatre Podcast : Episode 823: A Girl MissRed

10/01/2024

MusicalTalk - The UK's Independent Musical Theatre Podcast : Episode 822: Experiencing The Witches

10/01/2024

MusicalTalk - The UK's Independent Musical Theatre Podcast : Episode 825: Happy New...sies Year! (2023 in Review - Part One)

20/12/2023

As we wave the year goodbye, it’s time for our traditional MusicalTalk festive quiz. So leave your turkey in the fridge, turn off the irritating round of Christmas songs and leave a “go away” sign for any carol singers, and then enjoy this merry mix of quirky questions and superb songs compiled for your diversionary pleasure by that ridiculous old idiot Thos. By the time you’ve finished, you’ll need a doctor (and this may be a clue!)

As we wave the year goodbye, it’s time for our traditional MusicalTalk festive quiz.  So leave your turkey in the fridge, turn off the irritating round of Christmas songs and leave a “go away” sign for any carol singers, and then enjoy this merry mix of quirky questions and superb songs c...

22/11/2023

It’s time for part two of Thos’ chat with the talented Sam Cochrane and Alex Prescot, the people behind Runesical, the 2022 EdFringe hit about its ingenious new online “make your own adventure” Youtube musical version that you can watch now.

07/11/2023

Join Nick and Andrew as they check out The Time Traveller's Wife - now playing at the Apollo Theatre.

24/10/2023

Episode 816: The Extras Strike Back – In Conversation with Glenn & Gehm (Part 2): It’s time for more songs and the second part of the in-depth conversation with talented songwriting team, Glenn Clarke and George Gehm, about their career and their show, The Extras Strike Back: A Musical Tribute to the Forgotten Heroes of Star Wars. You’ll have a good feeling about this…

17/10/2023

Episode 815: The Extras Strike Back – In Conversation with Glenn & Gehm (Part 1): Thos talks to the amazingly talented songwriting team of Glenn Clarke and George Gehm about their five star musical r***e, The Extras Strike Back: A Musical Tribute to the Forgotten Heroes of Star Wars. With songs from the show, and insights into their working methods, this is a conversation that is out of this world…

10/10/2023

Episode 814: Sue Casson and Two Tigers: Thos chats to super-talented performer and songwriter, Sue Casson, about Two Tigers – a Modernist Musical, which illustrates the life of modernist author, Katherine Mansfield, in the centenary year of her untimely death. Hear how to write and then rewrite a musical as well as craft songs that capture the ephemeral nature of written observations in this wonderful conversation.

03/10/2023

Episode 813: Stage Icon – Gertrude Lawrence: Thos talks to the talented writer and performer, Lucy Stevents, about her latest show – Gertrude Lawrence: A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening - which uses primary sources and songs to tell the story of one of the twentieth century’s most successful musical theatre stars. Find out why Cole Porter, the Gershwins, Kurt Weill, Noel Coward and Rogers and Hammerstein were queuing to write musicals for her, and why Julie Andrews played her in the aptly name musical film, Star!

26/09/2023

Episode 812: EdFringe 2023 in Review 3: MusicalTalk looks at more EdFringe Gold with On Your Bike, Jingle Street, The Grand Old Opera House, After the Act, Tony! The Tony Blair Rock Opera and many more…

20/09/2023

Episode 811: EdFringe 2023 in Review (part 2): MusicalTalk continues its in-depth look at some of the best musicals at this year’s EdFringe, so it’s time to join Colm and Thos to discuss Dead Man’s Suitcase, Tickle, Actually, Love and Potty the Plant, which was our Pick of the Fringe 2023 – all this and more in the best of the fest!

05/09/2023

Episode 810: EdFringe 2023 in Review (part 1): It’s time to look at two of the big name shows at this year’s EdFringe in detail, so join Thos and Josh (and another Josh to add to the fun) to discuss returning classic, Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder, and also new show, Hello Kitty Must Die!

29/08/2023

Episode 809: EdFringe Musicals in Microcosm: The 2023 EdFringe has just closed but Thos, Colm & Josh were there to catch as many musicals as they could! With songs, sounds and extracts of interviews with writers, composers, lyricists, performers, directors, choreographers and so many more creatives who brought musicals old and new to the largest arts festival in the world, here’s a digest of the best of the Fringe for lovers of musical theatre.

01/08/2023

Episode 807: War of the Worlds (On A Budget): Thos sits down with Becky Owen-Fisher and Tom Fox, the creative minds behind Lamphouse Theatre, to discuss their “brilliantly bonkers” comic show, War of the Worlds (On a Budget) – an entirely new musical version of the HG Wells science fiction classic. Ulla! (note: episode may not be suitable for martians!).

25/07/2023

Episode 806: There’s No Mystery in Murder!: Thos chats to William Lambert and Alexis Rose, two of the people behind last year’s EdFringe success, There’s No Mystery in Murder!, about their show and the structural difficulty of writing a musical which is also a whodunit. And Thos briefly discusses the 1934 musical r***e, Life Begins at 8.40 by Harold Arlen, Ira Gershwin and Yip Harberg – it’s a real builder-upper!

18/07/2023

Episode 805: Vote Macbeth!: Thos chats to John Paul Liddle about his amazing new musical take on the famous Shakespearian Scottish Play, called Vote Macbeth! which reimagines the story as a contemporary political thriller. Fifteen years in the making, hear how this interactive show invites you to decide who should rule – the strong but murderous Macbeth or his arch rival, the flamboyant Fleancé. And there’s a chance to hear about Crochan Disney, the new welsh language podcast about all things Disney.

04/07/2023

Loved Mrs Doubtfire last night!

04/07/2023

Episode 804: Celebrating 50 years of Rocky Horror with Rob Bagnall

Andrew Edwards sits down with Rob Bagnall - who's one of the biggest fans and experts on the Rocky Horror Show (and author of Still The Beast is Feeding) to discuss the show.

03/07/2023

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory UK Tour Review

Nick shares his thoughts on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - that's currently touring around the UK and Ireland!

27/06/2023

Episode 803: Welcome to Schmicago

Nick and Dom share their thoughts on every episode of Apple TV+'s wonderful musical series "Schmicago" - the second series of Schmigadoon!

25/06/2023

Very sad to hear of the death of Sheldon Harnick, yesterday. At Ninety-nine, he had a great innings and was working still, even a few years ago.
Certainly he was my, (Dom), favourite lyricist of all time.
The ease of his words, great rhymes and saying what needed to be said without being convoluted or trying to prove cleverness surpasses many, many others. (obviously my (Dom's) own opinion, other opinions may be available but are wrong!)
Along with his most well known shows, Fiddler, She Loves Me, if you don't know his other work I highly suggest, Tenderloin, Smiling The Boy Fell Dead, The Apple Tree, Rex, Fiorello and if you can find it, the brilliant 'An Evening with Sheldon Harnick'.

One of the last greats from Musical Theatre's 'Golden Age'.

The award-winning lyricist, known for his longtime partnership with composer Jerry Bock, died of natural causes

20/06/2023

Episode 802: Deliberate Musical Catastrophes.

Thos chats to Sam Woof and Màth Roberts of Goya Theatre about their wonderful - but very different musicals – the (deliberate) musical catastrophe “Don’t Say Macbeth” and the Generation Z musical, “Sex With Friends (And Other Tiny Catastrophes)”.

13/06/2023

Episode 801: Deanna Durbin – Film Musical Icon: Thos chats to Melanie Gall, biographer of Deanna Durbin, about her one woman show “Ingenue: Deanna Durbin, Judy Garland and the Golden Age of Hollywood” to learn how “Winnipeg’s Sweetheart”, Deanna Durbin, became the biggest star of musical films in the 1930s, surpassing even her occasional co-star, Judy Garland, but also how she deliberately disappeared completely from view – and from memory.

23/05/2023

Episode 800: An Obscure Artificial Intelligence Content Generated Episode.

Nick, Thos, Dom, Jonathan and Harrison are presented with a musical from each decade by AI and are expected to talk about it... so expect a lot of chat about a lot of shows, a lot of arguments about a lot of shows, a lot of questionable facts about a lot of shows and, most importantly, a lot of fun talk about a lot of shows!

16/05/2023

Episode 799: Living With Sin: Join Thos as he talks to Ilona Sell, the director of the wonderful new show, Living With Sin – a thoroughly modern story with a contemporary take on the fabled Seven Deadly Sins. There’s a chance to hear songs from the score and to hear a wonderful conversation about the sins being less deadly than you might think…

09/05/2023

Episode 798: Good Company: Thos chats to the directors, producer and star of the rather brilliant 2022 EdFringe production of Sondheim’s Company and in particular about how they approached this versatile and ever changing show. With an in-depth discussion about the different ways that the main role can be characterised and made to escape from their 1970s origins to be relevant to 21st Century attitudes, Bobby, we've been thinking of you!

03/05/2023

Episode 797: Broadway Round-Up: MusicalTalk heads for the centre of the musical theatre universe this week as Thos chats to Colm about his recent trip to Broadway – and the many shows he saw there. You’ll get a lot of “hi-de-hi and boopah-doo” in this lively discussion on the Great White Way.