Matthew Seadon-Young: A Life in Musical Theatre

Send us a textOver a long career in musical theatre, Matthew Seadon-Young has performed in some of the most acclaimed productions in recent history including Marianne Elliott's gender-swapped 'Company' and Jamie Lloyd's hit production of 'Urinetown'. His latest venture sees him playing con-man Gordy in the UK premiere of 'Shucked' at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. In our interview, Matthew shares with us his excitement at making his Regent's Park debut and at the start of Drew McOnie's tenure as Artistic Director. 'Shucked' was a huge success on Broadway and audiences are eagerly anticipating the transfer of Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally's joyful musical.  Jack O'Brien also makes his directorial debut at Regent's Park, and we hear Matthew talk about how the show has been adapted for the great outdoors.In this new interview with Matthew Seadon-Young, he shares his insight into the craft of carving out a career in musical theatre. Indeed since leaving Mountview, he's been seen in 'Les Miserables' and 'Billy Elliot' on the West End, 'Rockets and Blue Light' at the National Theatre and Manchester Royal Exchange as well as more recently 'The Baker's Wife' at the Menier Chocolate Factory. As an ever-evolving creative, it's been great seeing how he's continued to prove how versatile a performer he is. It will be interesting to see what productions he finds himself attached to in the future, but it seems certain that he will continue expanding his CV with new shows and revivals. As 'Shucked' prepares to open, Matthew sounds like he is in a good place and excited to keep finding new challenges.Shucked runs at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre from 10th May - 14 June.Support the show

Send us a textShortly after finishing her final show at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Imogen Elliott delivered a Stage Debut Award nominated performance as Sally Middleton in The Voice of the Turtle at Jermyn Street Theatre. She is now on tour with Belinda Lang and Honeysuckle Weeks in Anne Marie Casey's adaptation of Little Women. In the short time since she graduated, Imogen Elliott has garnered glowing reviews for her strong stage presence and continues to impress audiences with her remarkable charm and talent. Later this summer, she'll also be playing Phoebe in As You Like It at Theatre Royal,as part of Ralph Fiennes' season at Theatre Royal, Bath.In this exclusive interview with Imogen Elliott, we talked about her experience training alongside a dazzling year group of actors at Guildhall to making her professional debut last year. Indeed, many of her classmates have since made their professional debuts in acclaimed productions at the likes of the National Theatre, Shakespeare's Globe, Menier Chocolate Factory. For Imogen, she feels humbled and grateful to have been able to work with so many brilliant talents and says she still feels inspired by the people she's gotten to be surrounded by. In our interview, we hear how she's connected with characters like Amy March and Sally Middleton, and share her love for Shakespeare as she gets ready for As You Like It. There's an incredible sense of wisdom and humility in the way she talks about her experiences so far and we look forward to seeing what she does next.Support the show

Send us a textAt the age of 10, Eleanor Worthington-Cox made history as the youngest Olivier Award winner for her performance as the eponymous character in Matilda the Musical. A decade on, she has established herself as one of the most versatile young actresses on the West End, recently securing a second Olivier nomination for her role in Next to Normal. Now, she has reunited with her Next to Normal director Michael Longhurst to take on the role of Hero in his production of Much ado About Nothing with the Royal Shakespeare Company. The show marks the first time Eleanor has worked at the RSC since her time with Matilda, and we spend some time discussing why this show means so much to her.In this brand new interview, Eleanor Worthington-Cox tells us about rehearsals for Much ado About Nothing and the experience of returning to the RSC as an adult following the tremendous success she had with Matilda. Earlier in the year, she finished a run of The Little Foxes at the Young Vic Theatre, starring opposite Anne-Marie Duff. It seems amazing that after such a gritty American drama that she's now turning to one of Shakespeare's most well known comedies, but she assures us that the production will still turn to more poignant subjects. Indeed, Michael Longhurst's production reimagines the show into the world of football, WAGs and social media, and so it seems likely we'll get to see another thundering performance from Eleanor Worthington-Cox. During our conversation, she tells us about her own relationship with social media and how she's become more weary of the various platforms available now and how apparent contemporary issues are in the show when relating it to Hero's slander. Much ado About Nothing runs at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre until 24th May with tickets available now!Support the show

Send us a textIn her decades spanning career, Cassidy Janson has lit up all corners of the London theatre scene. From the Landor Theatre to the Menier Chocolate Factory to understudying Elphaba in Wicked to winning an Olivier for her role as Anne Hathaway in & Juliet, Cassidy Janson is a definitive West End leading lady. Having performed in concerts for some 10 years, she has established herself as a singer and songwriter as well as a bona fide West End star. Her most recent credits include Jerry's Girls, Florence in Chess and Carole King in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Ahead of her special concert at the Vaudeville Theatre as part of the Westway Sessions, Cassidy Janson sat down to talk about her love for gigging and how a meeting with a jive band led to her performing all around the world, introducing her to new audiences everywhere. In our conversation, Cassidy looks back at milestone moments like taking over the lead role in Beautiful and also originating parts in shows like & Juliet and Lend Me a Tenor. She looks back at her time in off-West End hits like Dessa Rose fondly and we hear her thoughts on how the industry has changed over the years as well as whether or not audience etiquette has gotten worse too. It's a fascinating exchange and we look forward to what Cassidy Janson has to offer in the next few decades of her career.Support the show

Send us a textAs Shanghai Dolls prepares to open at the Kiln Theatre, Gabby Wong sat down with us to talk about Amy Ng's new show that depicts the friendship turned rivalry between Sun Weishi and Jiang Qing, later Madame Mao. At a time where we are seeing more Asian representation on stage and screen, and with China continuing to make a strong presence in the news, we were treated to a fascinating conversation about modern Chinese history and what this period tells us about China today. The new play which opens at the Kiln Theatre presents us with an often untold history viewed through a female lens.In this brand new interview with Gabby Wong, we hear her talk about the process of discovering Jiang Qing's journey into becoming Madame Mao . Gabby also tells us about the experience working with Katie Posner on developing the character in rehearsals, and the challenges of doing a two-hander which sees her reunited with Millicent Wong who plays Sun Weishi. During the course of our conversation, we hear Gabby talk about how the industry has changed for Asian actors and how opportunities have widened in recent years. Jiang Qing / Madame Mao will also be the first time we see Gabby Wong play a historical Chinese character on stage and we hear her reflect on her career which has seen her take on Shakespeare, contemporary drama and work on screen too. It's a fascinating discussion and we look forward to seeing Shanghai Dolls when it opens at the Kiln Theatre this Spring.Shanghai Dolls runs at Kiln Theatre from 3rd April - 10th May with tickets on sale now.Support the show

Send us a textFollowing on from his 40th birthday concert at the London Palladium, Lee Mead is returning to the West End to open The Westway Sessions at the Vaudeville Theatre. The first of this series of intimate concerts will see Lee Mead perform crowd-pleasers from his illustrious career that has seen him take on key roles in some of the West End's biggest shows. His latest EP: The Best of Me has been popular with Lee's fans and follows on from a number of recordings over his career which has seen him record West End favourites, contemporary hits as well as original songs. As well as starring in shows like We Will Rock You, Sister Act and Wicked, Lee Mead has also been playing solo concerts on tour around the UK and internationally. Later this year, he will also be embarking on The Phantoms tour with Luke McCall and Aaron Pryce-Lewis.In this brand new interview, Lee Mead sits down to discuss what audiences can expect from his upcoming show as well as his relationship with Westway founder Rhydian Roberts. He tells us about his love for performing and looks back at his time on Any Dream Will Do which saw him play to audiences of millions each week as he competed and won the role of Joseph at the London Palladium. It's been a remarkable career so far as he's continued to tour regularly as well as return to the West End to star in major shows. During our conversation, he also tells us about how the industry has changed over the years and what advice he would give to aspiring young performers today.Lee Mead performs The Westway Sessions at the Vaudeville Theatre on Monday 10th March with tickets available NOW!Support the show

Send us a textIn a decades spanning career, Lia Williams has established herself as one of the most prominent actresses working today. At the start of her career, Lia was already working with the likes of David Hare, Alan Ayckbourn and Harold Pinter, with whom she would go on to share a long working relationship and friendship. On screen, some of her many highlights have included playing Wallis Simpson in The Crown and more recently Paula Vennels in Mr Bates vs The Post Office. In recent years, we've also seen her prove herself to be a terrific director, finding herself at the helm on various short films and later also directing highly acclaimed productions of Ashes to Ashes and Doubt: A Parable. Some of Lia's upcoming projects include a new TV adaptation of The Day of the Jackal and also reprising her role in the highly acclaimed BBC drama: The Capture. In this exclusive interview to mark 100 episodes of our podcast series, Lia Williams sits down to look back over her illustrious career. We hear her talk about her early career, finding her way through challenging roles like Kyra in Skylight, acting opposite Michael Gambon as well as playing Carol in Oleanna opposite David Suchet. We also get to hear her talk about her experiences of alternating roles with Juliet Stevenson and Kristin Scott-Thomas on the highly acclaimed productions of Mary Stuart and Old Times. Over the course of our conversation, Lia tells us about how the acting profession has changed during her career and talks us through her transition into becoming a well-respected director as well. In this very candid conversation, Lia reflects on the various roles that she's played and takes some time to also discuss her relationship with son and fellow actor: Joshua James, with whom she starred with in The Vortex last year. It's a fascinating insight into one of our greatest leading ladies and we look forward to seeing how her career continues to evolve in the future.Support the show

Send us a textFollowing the publication of his debut novel: Speaker, Cai Cherry has continued to advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace and in wider society. More recently, Cai also qualified as a New York Attorney in Public Law and continues to carve out an impressive career at global Law firm DLA Piper in London. This year, Cai was also shortlisted as a Top 12 Diversity Hero by the British LGBT Awards for his continued advocacy for the LGBTQI+ community and the Disabled community too. Alongside these achievements, he has also been assisting in writing a book on Freedom of Speech with Lord Neuberger and Amal Clooney. His book Speaker was written to be a "manifesto of his misery" but has become a source for inspiration for readers, who found solace in his sincere authenticity and sense of humour.In this exclusive new interview, Cai Cherry opens up about his struggles and insecurities as well as what drives him to continue to champion his peers and call out bad behaviour. He details experiences he's faced since coming out as queer and being diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease, telling us about the microaggressions and inappropriate conduct he's observed over the years. It's a fascinating conversation as he also talks to us about the hundreds of pro-bono hours he's done for Rainbow Migration, a charity supporting LGBTQI+ people seeking asylum in the UK. Moreover, profits from his book will go towards the charity with Cai reflecting on how he quickly identified himself with the individuals that Rainbow Migration try to support. It's a fascinating conversation with one of the biggest movers and shakers in the City, and we look forward to seeing where Cai ends up in the coming years.Speaker is available to buy in physical and digital editions NOW!Support the show

Send us a textAfter finishing a 5 star rated run in the Swan Theatre at Stratford-Upon-Avon, Dee Ahluwalia is returning to the role of Karim in The Buddha of Suburbia, now about to play the Barbican in London. The show is an adaptation of the bestselling novel by Hanif Kureishi, a story of a South London boy growing up with and English mother and Pakistani father discovering himself as he comes to adulthood. The Buddha of Suburbia marks only Dee's second play after a steady career on screen in shows such as A Gentleman of Moscow and Sex Education for Netflix.In this new interview, Dee Ahluwalia opens up about how he connected with Karim, and his excitement around bringing this show to London. We hear him discuss what it was like working with Emma Rice and the Royal Shakespeare Company team, finding innovative ways of bringing Hanif's story to the stage. We also hear Dee look back at his first play: Our Generation which similarly won 5 star raves from critics and audiences alike for giving voice to a generation that struggled through Brexit and the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic. It's a fascinating conversation that we have and we look forward to seeing what else Dee has lined up for the future, whether it be on stage or on screen.The Buddha of Suburbia runs at the Barbican Theatre from 22nd October - 16 November with tickets on sale now! Support the show

Send us a textAfter recently winning an Olivier for his chilling performance as Putin in 'Patriots', Will Keen is returning to the RSC in Stratford-Upon-Avon for the first time since 'Prince of Homburg' in 2002. In Tim Carroll's exciting new production of 'Othello', Will Keen will star as Iago opposite John Douglas Thompson, Juliet Rylance and Anastasia Hille. Having worked with Tim on a various productions over the years, Will is also reuniting with Anastasia Hille following their acclaimed performances as the eponymous characters in 'Macbeth' at the Barbican. In recent years, Will has established himself as one of the most distinguished actors in the theatre industry, regularly performing on some of the most prestigious stages including the Almeida Theatre, National Theatre and the Royal Court Theatre.In our new interview, Will Keen sits down with us to share his excitement around getting to play one of Shakespeare's most demanding roles. We talk about the timelessness of Shakespeare's work and why we need to keep his work at the heart of the curriculum. As he continues preparing to play Iago, we hear him discuss his process of familiarising himself with a character and immersing himself into the world of the play. He shares his praise for his fellow actors as well as his hopes for what this new production will provide audiences. Later on in our conversation, we also talk about his experience working with his daughter, Dafne Keen and how it's been watching her flourish into one of the industry's fastest rising stars. It's a fascinating conversation overall and we look forward to seeing Will Keen's Iago in the RSC's new production of the show.'Othello' runs at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon from 11 October - 23rd November.Support the show