REVIEW: WISE CHILDREN (Richmond Theatre) ★★★★
Emma Rice is taking to the stage for the first time, as ‘Nora’ in her own stunning production of Wise Children. The show is coming to the end of its nationwide tour, following a successful run at the Old Vic in London. Joined-at-the-hip twins Nora and Dora are preparing to celebrate their 75th birthday, after […]
REVIEW: THE MAGIC FLUTE (Milton Keynes Theatre) ★★★
Having only ever seen The Magic Flute – or die Zauberflöte – in German, I was excited to see it English, to see how it translates. Unfortunately, the Welsh National Opera (WNO) production wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for. Tamino (Ben Johnson) is confronted by a monster; he passes out but is saved by […]
REVIEW: Tina – The Tina Turner Musical (Original London Cast Recording)
I’ve not gotten around to seeing Tina – The Tina Turner Musical in London’s West End yet, mainly because it seems to be selling very well and reasonably priced tickets are hard to come by but after hearing the Original Cast Recording (out digitally today and on CD this spring), I’m going to sell my […]
REVIEW: GUYS AND DOLLS (Theatre Marigny, Paris) ★★★★★
The 1950, Tony Award winning Musical, GUYS AND DOLLS, is making is French premiere in Paris right now with a stunning West End cast including Ria Jones (Evita, Chess, Cats, Joseph And His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Sunset Boulavard, Les Miserables), Clare Halse (42nd Street, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Singin’ In The Rain, Gypsy, Charlie And The […]
REVIEW: FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (Playhouse Theatre) ★★★★★
Musical theatre masterpiece Fiddler On The Roof first premiered on Broadway in 1964 and was the first musical theatre production in history to reach 3,000 performances. The original production was highly acclaimed and won nine Tony Awards including Best Musical, Score, Book, Direction and Choreography and is currently the seventeenth longest-running show in Broadway history. […]
REVIEW: Calendar Girls – The Musical (New Victoria Theatre) ★★★★★
Calendar Girls – The Musical, currently playing at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking, is based on the true story of a group of Yorkshire women from the close knit village of Knapely, who decided to create a nude calendar to raise money for Leukaemia (which subsequently went on to raise millions of pounds for charity, Spinoffs […]
REVIEW: EMILIA (Vaudeville Theatre) ★★★
Emilia was premiered at Shakespeare’s Globe in August last year. And with all the grandioseness you’d expect from a Globe production – immaculate multi-layered costumes, an atmospheric string-plucking score and acting which savours every word and rhythm – this show certainly delivers. However, the Globe’s unique ability to feel like you’re addressing the whole of […]
REVIEW: WHITNEY – QUEEN OF THE NIGHT (Savoy Theatre) ★★★★
Clock strikes upon the hour and the sun begins to fade as the audience descends into the glitzy cavern of the Savoy Theatre. Bathed in a soft fuchsia light, the auditorium sparkles with anticipation. As we find our seats, a selection of 80’s pop hits plays gently in the background before the five-piece band and […]
REVIEW: MICHAEL – the Michael Jackson tribute (Southampton Guildhall) ★★★
It is a very long time since I saw a show at the cavernous Guildhall, Southampton with its high ceiling and brick walls and not much has changed at the venue over the last forty-five years, even the carpet looked like it had been down that long! The only thing that noticeably had changed was […]
REVIEW: TOM GATES (Richmond Theatre) ★★★★
Neal Foster of the Birmingham Stage Company, the specialists in bringing children’s books to the stage, has taken on the challenge of adapting Liz Pichon’s Tom Gates stories and yet again hits his target audience’s humour with unerring accuracy. The Tom Gates books have been delighting children since 2011, with their cheeky humour and colourful […]