The Mayor of Musical Theatre

Ian Bowkett
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Musical theatre composer/writer/photographer Ian Bowkett is not a mayor, but if there's a law against pretending to be one, he sure hasn't heard it. Each week, the (not) mayor interviews a celebrity guest who makes or loves musical theatre, finding out about them via their favourite shows. Once all the categories are complete (funniest musical, best movie musical etc.), he asks them to choose one show that as mayor, he should order run in the West End forever. Then, it may or may not. Again, he really doesn't have that sort of power. The Mayor of Musical Theatre is produced in association with Musical Theatre Review, your premier source for news, reviews, and interviews on all things onstage, backstage, and worldwide. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Laura Benanti

    08/30/2025

    Laura Benanti

    We’ve been on a bit of a break recently, but we had to come back for the incredible Laura Benanti. You’ll know Laura from… well, from being a Broadway legend and massive star of stage and screen, of course you’ll know Laura Benanti!   Laura is in the country with her new one-woman comedy show, Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares. It took the Edinburgh Fringe by storm and now she’s going to do two performances in London on September 2nd at Underbelly Boulevard. Do not miss it!   The Mayor of Musical Theatre Podcast is produced in association with musicaltheatrereview.com, your premier source for news reviews and interviews on all things onstage backstage and worldwide. For tickets to Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares (Underbelly Boulevard, London, 2/9/25), visit: https://underbellyboulevard.com/tickets/laura-benanti-nobody-cares/ Follow Laura on instagram. Produced by Ian Bowkett (twitter: @ianbowkett) in association with https://musicaltheatrereview.com (twitter: @musicaltheatrer) Follow the podcast: Twitter: @MusicalMayorPod Instagram: @MusicalMayorPod TikTok: @MusicalMayorPod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    27 min
  2. Stephen Schwartz - Wicked Special Episode

    11/22/2024

    Stephen Schwartz - Wicked Special Episode

    Happy Wicked Movie Day! Let us be glad! Let us be grateful! Bit of a special episode, this one. To celebrate the release of one of the most exciting and hotly-anticipated stage-to-screen adaptations of all time, here is a never-before-heard interview that I conducted with Wicked’s composer, Stephen Schwartz back in 2021, when we were coming out of Covid and Stephen Schwartz’s first ever musical, Pippin was about to open in Charing Cross Theatre. Some quotes from this interview appeared in a Musical Theatre Review article about Pippin, but we had a wide-ranging chat beyond that about writing, musical influences, other composers he enjoys, and – significantly – a LOT of chat about Wicked and the Wicked movie, which was still a year and a half away from commencing filming. Apologies for the worse-than-usual audio quality, my nervousness as a novice interviewer, and for the shameless plugging of my own show, Sisyphus: A Rock 'n' Roll Musical at the start there. Plenty of fascinating chat from Stephen Schwartz beyond that though. I hope you enjoy! Produced by Ian Bowkett (twitter: @ianbowkett) in association with https://musicaltheatrereview.com (twitter: @musicaltheatrer) BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/ianbowkett.bsky.social Follow the podcast: Twitter: @MusicalMayorPod Instagram: @MusicalMayorPod TikTok: @MusicalMayorPod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    27 min
  3. MMD & MTN Special: Kate McKeown and James Hadley

    10/22/2024

    MMD & MTN Special: Kate McKeown and James Hadley

    This week, I’m talking to Kate McKeown and James Hadley, two of the wonderful team behind Mercury Musical Developments and Musical Theatre Network, which are brilliant organisations dedicated to new UK musical theatre writing. They are organisations I have come across in the past thanks to their many great initiatives to support aspiring composers such as myself, and this was a very fun chat about all the work they do, and the musicals that have meant the most to them. For more info and events for Mercury Musical Developments, visit: https://www.mercurymusicals.com For more info and events for Musical Theatre Network visit: https://www.musicaltheatrenetwork.com Follow Kate McKeown on twitter and instagram. Follow James Hadley on twitter. Follow Mercury Musical Developments and Musical Theatre Network on twitter and instagram. Produced by Ian Bowkett (twitter: @ianbowkett) in association with https://musicaltheatrereview.com (twitter: @musicaltheatrer) Follow the podcast: Twitter: @MusicalMayorPod Instagram: @MusicalMayorPod TikTok: @MusicalMayorPod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    56 min
  4. Jeevan Braich

    09/18/2024

    Jeevan Braich

    Jeevan Braich is a steam train of talent, a very exciting young actor who is currently lighting up the stage as Rusty in Starlight Express. His performance has earned him a nomination for a Stage Debut Award at this year’s ceremony which takes place on Sunday 29th of September and is hosted by former podcast guest Divina de Campo! For tickets to The Stage Debut Awards 2024, visit: https://www.thestage.co.uk/awards/the-stage-debut-awards For tickets to Starlight Express starring Jeevan as Rusty, visit: http://www.starlightexpresslondon.com/ Follow Jeevan on instagram. Produced by Ian Bowkett (twitter: @ianbowkett) in association with https://musicaltheatrereview.com (twitter: @musicaltheatrer) Follow the podcast: Twitter: @MusicalMayorPod Instagram: @MusicalMayorPod TikTok: @MusicalMayorPod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    34 min
  5. Darren Clark

    09/08/2024

    Darren Clark

    This week, my guest is the wonderful Darren Clark, composer of The Wicker Husband and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – my most recent pick for Musical theatre Review’s show of the year. He’s also the founder of New UK Musicals – an online repository for sheet music and backing tracks from new shows, as well as the casting website Actor Musician UK. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which Darren wrote with Jethro Compton, is transferring to the West End’s Ambassadors Theatre from October, so do check out the link below and make sure you get tickets. As I say a hundred times throughout this episode, it is the most remarkable piece of theatre and you do not want to miss its West End debut. In this episode, we discuss his shows, his approach to composition, and some of the musicals that have inspired him.  For The Curious Case of Benjamin Button tickets, visit: https://benjaminbuttonmusical.com/ Follow Darren on twitter and instagram. Produced by Ian Bowkett (twitter: @ianbowkett) in association with https://musicaltheatrereview.com (twitter: @musicaltheatrer) Follow the podcast: Twitter: @MusicalMayorPod Instagram: @MusicalMayorPod TikTok: @MusicalMayorPod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 4m
  6. Jak Malone

    06/02/2024

    Jak Malone

    This week, our guest is the sensational Jak Malone, who recently won an Oliver Award for his role in the best reviewed musical in West End History, Operation Mincemeat. We're talking to Jak today because this coming Sunday - the 9th of June - Jak will be one of the special guest judges of the Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year competition at the Sondheim Theatre! SSSSPOTY is always special. Previous podcast guests Courtney Bowman, Alex Young, and Desmonda Cathabel all got their start at this competiton, as well as superstars like Taron Egerton and Cynthia Erivo. This is you chance to see not just the stars of tomorrow, but also new some new writing – possibly the next Operation Mincemeat – and some classic Stephen Sondheim songs, performed by the best young talent in the country on a beautiful West End stage, all for an absolute bargain price. The ticket link is below and I can’t encourage you enough to book now before it sells out! I’ll see you there on Sunday. For tickets to The Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year competition, visit: https://www.sondheimtheatre.co.uk/whats-on/sssspoty-2024 Follow Jak on twitter and instagram. Follow The Stephen Sondheim Society on twitter and instagram. Produced by Ian Bowkett (twitter: @ianbowkett) in association with https://musicaltheatrereview.com (twitter: @musicaltheatrer) Follow the podcast: Twitter: @MusicalMayorPod Instagram: @MusicalMayorPod TikTok: @MusicalMayorPod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    58 min
  7. Standing at the Sky's Edge Special - Mya Fox-Scott and Rachael Louise Miller

    05/06/2024

    Standing at the Sky's Edge Special - Mya Fox-Scott and Rachael Louise Miller

    If you’re a regular listener, you will have heard countless hours of guests talking about Standing at the Sky’s Edge when asked about their favourite musicals. The show is inspired by Sheffield, the music of Richard Hawley, and beautiful Brutalist architecture. It is an incredibly exciting piece of new musical theatre and it is currently running at the Gillian Lynne Theatre until August 3rd featuring Mya Fox-Scott and Rachael Louise Miller, both of whom are exceptional performing talents. But what musicals have inspired them in their musical theatre careers, and what show would they choose to run forever if they were the Mayor of Musical Theatre? For tickets to Standing at the Sky’s Edge, visit: https://www.skysedgemusical.com Follow Mya on instagram. Follow Rachael on twitter and instagram. Produced by Ian Bowkett (twitter: @ianbowkett) in association with https://musicaltheatrereview.com (twitter: @musicaltheatrer) Follow the podcast: Twitter: @MusicalMayorPod Instagram: @MusicalMayorPod TikTok: @MusicalMayorPod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    46 min
  8. Mamma Mia! Special - Book Writer Catherine Johnson

    04/13/2024

    Mamma Mia! Special - Book Writer Catherine Johnson

    The beloved hit musical Mamma Mia! is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary in the West End. To mark this occasion, we chat with its book writer Catherine Johnson about her journey to becoming one of the most successful stage writers of our time, her work with ABBA to create Mamma Mia!, and the other musicals she loves the most. For Mamma Mia! tickets, visit: https://mamma-mia.com/london.php Follow Mamma Mia! on twitter and instagram. Produced by Ian Bowkett (twitter: @ianbowkett) in association with https://musicaltheatrereview.com (twitter: @musicaltheatrer) Follow the podcast: Twitter: @MusicalMayorPod Instagram: @MusicalMayorPod TikTok: @MusicalMayorPod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    37 min
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About

Musical theatre composer/writer/photographer Ian Bowkett is not a mayor, but if there's a law against pretending to be one, he sure hasn't heard it. Each week, the (not) mayor interviews a celebrity guest who makes or loves musical theatre, finding out about them via their favourite shows. Once all the categories are complete (funniest musical, best movie musical etc.), he asks them to choose one show that as mayor, he should order run in the West End forever. Then, it may or may not. Again, he really doesn't have that sort of power. The Mayor of Musical Theatre is produced in association with Musical Theatre Review, your premier source for news, reviews, and interviews on all things onstage, backstage, and worldwide. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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