New York is obviously the capital of theater.

You never know, until you put a play up for an audience, whether it's going to work. Things you think will work don't, and things you're not sure about work really well.

New York is obviously the capital of theater.

If the play works in an emotional and engaging way purely from what's on the page, then what's on the stage will be the icing on the cake. If the play didn't work as a play on its own terms, none of the magic, none of the special effects or theatricality of it all, would add up to anything.

When I started producing it was right at the beginning Channel 4 in England. Nicholas Nickelby which was my first credit as a producer was Contract 001 at Channel 4 - that was the start of independent production in England and the emergence of an independent sector.

I live in New York, so I'm used to the audiences that cheer and clap through a play. It is unusual for London audiences.

Each audience seems to have a life of its own, which is why watching the show regularly is so exciting, because it's always a different experience.