In The Frame: Theatre Interviews from West End Frame

Natey Jones is starring as Ivan in The Harder They Come at Theatre Royal Stratford East.Following acclaimed runs in New York and London, Natey has returned to the role for the production's second season at Stratford East. His performance as Ivan was named West End Frame's Top Performance of 2025.Natey's theatre credits include Richard Bullock and Raymond Hill in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical (Aldwych Theatre), Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical (Lyric Theatre), Death of a Salesman (Piccadilly Theatre), Small Island (National Theatre), Rockets and Blue Lights (Royal Exchange Theatre), Doctor Faustus, Don Quixote and The Alchemist (Royal Shakespeare Company), Romeo and Juliet (International Tour) and Tomorrow (White Bear Theatre). His screen credits include Casualty, Doctors, Father Brown, Waffle the Wonder Dog and Shakespeare Live! From the RSC.In this episode, Natey discusses returning to The Harder They Come and how his portrayal of Ivan has evolved across the show's different productions. He also reflects on the demands of the role, his journey into theatre via law school, why he doesn't consider himself a singer despite starring in major musicals, and lots more along the way.The Harder They Come runs at Theatre Royal Stratford East until 4th July. Visit www.stratfordeast.com for info and tickets. This podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins @AndrewTomlins32 Thanks for listening! Email: andrew@westendframe.co.uk Visit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Laura Harrison is playing Mrs Lyons in the touring production of Blood Brothers.Laura is also the alternate Mrs Johnstone and has history with the show, having previously played Donna Marie and Miss Jones whilst understudying Mrs Lyons. Written by Willy Russell, Blood Brothers surpassed 10,000 performances in the West End and has toured extensively.Laura was Standby Elphaba in the West End production of Wicked, having previously been in the show’s ensemble whilst understudying Elphaba. Laura was in Jamie Lloyd's West End revival of Sunset Boulevard, understudying for Norma Desmond. Her theatre credits also include: Magenta in Rocky Horror, Vivienne in Legally Blonde, Lucille in Parade and Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors. In this episode Laura discusses her return to Blood Brothers and what it’s like to be covering one of her dream roles, Mrs Johnstone. She also takes a deep dive into her Elphaba journey and some of the remarkable moments from her time in Oz. Laura also reflects on Sunset Boulevard and how she's navigating her the industry after some major career highs... and lots more pops up along the way.Blood Brothers tours the UK. Visit www.kenwright.com for info and tickets.This podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins @AndrewTomlins32 Thanks for listening! Email: andrew@westendframe.co.uk Visit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is Jon Robyns who is starring as Miss Trunchbull in the West End production of Matilda.Having premiered in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2010, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s musical has been seen by 11 million people across 100 cities worldwide. Written by Dennis Kelly, Matilda has music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and direction by Matthew Warchus. Jon took over as Miss Trunchbull last year, immediately after his run as Tom Buchanan in The Great Gatsby at the London Coliseum.Jon's West End credits include The Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera, Jean Valjean in Les Misérables (having previously played Enjolras and Marius), King George in Hamilton, alternate Huey in Memphis, Scrooge & others in Dickens Abridged, Galahad in Spamalot and Princeton & Rod in Avenue Q.Jon’s other theatre credits include: Adam Nehemiah in Dessa Rose (Trafalgar Studios 2), Robbie in The Wedding Singer (UK & Ireland Tour), Emmet in Legally Blonde (Leicester Curve), Eddie in Sister Act (UK & Ireland Tour), Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Jamie in The Last Five Years (Greenwich Theatre), Hollis in Road Show (Menier Chocolate Factory), Mark in Rent (Frankfurt) and alternate Chris in Miss Saigon (UK & Ireland Tour). Jon performs in concerts all around the world and, alongside his performing work, is also a writer. Jon and his writing partner Christopher J Orton’s musical Then, Now & Next premiered at the Southwark Playhouse in the summer of 2023, and they continue to collaborate on new writing projects.In this episode Jon discusses his time in The Great Gatsby, the process of taking over as Miss Trunchbull and his next writing project, plus lots more.Matilda runs at the Cambridge Theatre. Visit www.uk.matildathemusical.com for info and tickets.This podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins @AndrewTomlins32 Thanks for listening! Email: andrew@westendframe.co.uk Visit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

KoKo Alexandra is starring as Katherine Jackson and Kate in the West End production of MJ The Musical. KoKo is from Alabama and has been on an incredible journey so far in her career. After spending many years performing at sea on cruise ships and appearing on The Voice US, KoKo moved to London. She received huge acclaim for her performance as Lady Liv in Play On on tour and at the Lyric Hammersmith and later played Spirit of the Ring in Aladdin at the Palace Theatre in Newark. For the last year KoKo has been making her West End debut as Katherine Jackson and Kate in MJ and the show is now coming to the end of its London run. Since moving to the UK, KoKo has performed at The UK Theatre Awards, The Black British Theatre Awards, West End Live and Magic at the Musicals at the Royal Albert Hall.In this episode KoKo discusses why she moved to the UK and how she established herself on the theatre scene over here. She talks about her performance in Play On, her first experience of British pantomime and delves into all-things MJ.Follow KoKo on Instagram: @forever_kori You can see KoKo as Katherine Jackson in MJ The Musical at the Prince Edward Theatre until 28th February 2026. Visit www.london.mjthemusical.com for info and tickets.This podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins @AndrewTomlins32 Thanks for listening! Email: andrew@westendframe.co.uk Visit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sam Glen recently completed his run in The Book of Mormon. Sam's theatre credits include: Flute in Midsummer Mechanicals (Shakespeare’s Globe), Nigel in Ticket Time: 100 Word Plays (Oldham Coliseum Theatre), Billy in The Kitchen Sink (Oldham Coliseum Theatre), Charlie in The Visitors Book (Hope Mill Theatre), Billy Jenkins in A Letter to Boddah (Hope Mill Theatre), Curan in King Lear (Manchester Royal Exchange/Talawa Theatre Company), Curan in King Lear (Birmingham Rep/Talawa Theatre Company) and Marc (Mercutio) in Star Cross’d (Oldham Coliseum Theatre).He has worked extensively on screen, with his credits including Brassic, Doc Martin, Coronation Street, World’s End, Doctors, Greater Love Hath No Man, Shameless, The Street, Three Day Millionaire, King Lear: The Film and Two Wrongs.Sam was a contestant on the BBC1 reality show Let It Shine which was a casting search for the Take That musical. Sam made his musical theatre debut in the West End production of The Book of Mormon as the Standby for Elder Cunningham. He went on to take over the role full-time for the musical’s most recent UK & International tour.In this episode Sam discusses his musical theatre era and his journey with The Book of Mormon. He also delves into his path into the industry and how he’s navigated his career so far. Follow Sam on Instagram: @samglenuk This podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins @AndrewTomlins32 Thanks for listening! Email: andrew@westendframe.co.uk Visit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.