Alison Steadman and Hermione Norris in Blithe Spirit

Available for over a year

Alison Steadman plays Noel Coward's eccentric medium Madam Arcati in a new production of Blithe Spirit, which also stars Hermione Norris. Thea Sharrock, best known for her production of Equus starring Daniel Radcliffe, directs. Peter Kemp has the first-night verdict. American author Allegra Goodman talks to Kirsty about her best-selling new novel The Cookbook Collector, set in 1999 just before the dot com bubble burst, and featuring two sisters whose differing characters are inspired by Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. Japanese author Haruki Murakami's acclaimed novel Norwegian Wood has been transformed into a film by Vietnamese director Anh Hung Tran (The Scent of Green Papaya, Cyclo). The story follows Toru Watanabe through his student days in the 1960s and explores loss, love and sexuality. Matt Thorne, author of Cherry and Eight Minutes Idle, reviews. As two new operas based on classic children's literature receive their British premieres, Kirsty talks to the creative teams behind Fantastic Mr Fox and Cautionary Tales about making opera for children. Producer Philippa Ritchie.