2016 – Thank You!
With the new year just around the corner, today I am reflecting on the year gone by for me at westendwilma.com and all the things I am grateful for. In the run up to Christmas, I ran an online charity auction, raising money for the National Autistic Society to help stage more Relaxed Theatre Performances, […]
My 2016 Theatre Highlights
Last week I took a look back at the shows I said I was looking forward to seeing in 2016 and what I actually thought of them in the end. Now it is time for the obligatory end of year round up of my favourite shows from 2016. It will be unsurprising for you to […]
Illegal filming at the theatre – do we love or loathe it?
Who’s doesn’t enjoy a lazy afternoon on the sofa, with a cup of tea and a scroll through YouTube? For theatre fans, many of us thrive on being able to watch videos of shows that we love, or would love to see in person but for one reason or another are unable to. This is […]
Sniff sniff, cough cough, ’tis the season to be sick
It always happens doesn’t it. Just before Christmas or another special occasion, you suddenly become struck down with a bug or some other illness that pretty much ruins the occasion. At least with me that’s what happens. A cough, a sniffle, something that you know is bubbling up inside you just waiting for the worst […]
Did I enjoy the shows I was looking forward to seeing in 2016?
At the end of last year I published the ‘Top Ten Shows I’m looking forward to seeing in 2016’. Now that year is over and done with, I thought I would take a look back at what I was looking forward to seeing and see what I actually thought of the shows! Hand To […]
Coming to the West End in 2017 …
As 2016 draws to a close and with Christmas just a few days away, I’ve been thinking about the shows I’ve seen this year (over five hundred between my team I) and looking at what we have to look forward to in 2017. Here’s a look at what’s on where in 2017 … The […]
What will we moan about next? Gay actors playing it straight?
2016 seems to have been the year where we threw our toys out of the pram about diversity in theatre. Andrew Lloyd Webber recently expressed concern that there aren’t enough black actors being cast in principal roles in theatre. Sonia Freidman then contradicted this statement by saying it had taken thirty five years to get […]
When is the last time a casting director got a standing ovation?
As a nation, we love to complain. We are British after all and some would say moaning is what we do best! So in the age of social media, being able to whinge to millions of people and find others with like-minded opinions, is a brilliant thing. I blogged last week about the Stacey Soloman story. […]
Clipboard or no clipboard – don’t be a troll
I wasn’t going to chime in on the Stacey Soloman, clipboard saga but after seeing her talk about it yesterday on ITV’s Loose Women, it got me thinking about the whole situation again. For those of you who haven’t seen the news, Stacey flew back to London from Australia where she had been presenting the […]
Should understudies be reviewed?
There have been some issues this week in theatreland, as four of the principal cast members of Dreamgirls were struck down with illness, which caused some performances to be cancelled entirely. Usually, in a production of this size, understudies would assume the roles so the show can go on without disruption. However, due to Dreamgirls […]