REVIEW: With One Look (Union Theatre) ★★★★
Making our way from the cosy, cave-like bar at the Union Theatre and into the auditorium, we step through the threshold and find ourselves the welcome guests of an exclusive soirée hosted by the illustrious Vivienne de Vil, self-proclaimed confidante to the musical theatre elite. A chaise longue, bare brick walls, a white piano and […]
REVIEW: West End Brunch ★★★
The folks at West End late night venue Studio 88 now cater to those for whom the party never stops in the form of their new West End Brunch. Offering Eggs Benedict, Bottomless Bloody Marys and a bevvy of West End talent to help wash it all down. Hosted by the engaging Topsie Redfern (who […]
REVIEW: Side Show (The Bromley Players) ★★
It’s always a challenge to stage a show, which has not been commercially successful. But to take on the task of an infamous Broadway flop is a real gamble in a non-professional setting. And despite the fact that Side Show features some of the most acclaimed musical theatre female duets of all time, it’s never […]
REVIEW: EVITA (Wycombe Swan Theatre) ★★
As a reviewer, I cover regional theatre as well as shows in the West End and Off-West End. It raises the question, should the same standards be applied to all shows, irrespective of location, size and budget? I can fully appreciate the challenges of regional theatre where a production is moving to a new venue […]
REVIEW: THE BAND (New Wimbledon Theatre) ★★★
Following on from the incredible Calendar Girls musical, Tim Firth and Gary Barlow’s Take That musical The Band is a touring production I have been dying to see since the television show Let It Shine selected five winners to form the boyband that would go on to star in the musical. Playing in Wimbledon this […]
REVIEW: COMPANY (Gielgud Theatre) ★★★★★
It’s a relief to know that the buzz around Marianne Elliott’s sex-switched production of Company is fully justified – it makes you feel better about London theatre-hype in general. Our great Lord Stephen of Sondheim himself has described Company as possessing ‘more of a condition’ than a narrative. That’s beautifully astute. Not a huge amount […]
REVIEW: STAGES FLOATING FESTIVAL ★★★★
What a week me and my mum has last week onboard the first ever Stages Floating Festival cruise – Glastonbury for musical theatre lovers, on board the huge Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas. With more musical theatre than you could possibly dream of, over four days the ship sailed to Amsterdam and back, providing concerts […]
REVIEW: GUYS AND DOLLS (Royal Albert Hall) ★★★★
Having premiered on Broadway in 1950, Guys and Dolls has been hailed variously as ‘the perfect musical comedy’ and ‘a work of art’. A debate rages about whether the show has aged well (even the title is enough for it to be assigned retrospectively ‘problematic’ in some quarters), but even if you tire of the […]
REVIEW: One Night With… Carrie Hope Fletcher and Jodie Steele (Studio 88) ★★★★
Tucked away behind the Prince of Wales Theatre, the plush Studio 88, raucously celebrates the joy of live music every night of the week. As the teen-girl-heavy audience wait patiently, Carrie Hope Fletcher and Jodie Steele rush past the queues of fans encompassing the Heathers stage door and scramble onto the studio stage at 11pm. […]
REVIEW: Jersey Boys (New Victoria Theatre) ★★★★
Oh what a night indeed….. While this musical has been doing the rounds for some time now, I’d never seen it nor realised that over 25 million theatre fans across the world have enjoyed “Jersey Boys” since it first opened In London and went on to enjoy a successful 9 Year Run, When interviewed Frankie […]