How will audiences remember Olivia Newton-John, who has died from breast cancer at age 73? Michael Darvell looks back at an artist who was very much more than just a pop singer with an astonishing musical career… Will they remember her as a singer of 11 chart-topping singles and 15 albums, with over 100 million […]
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Darius Campbell Danesh (1980-2022) – A short but successful musical career
It is sad that the life of the Scots singer and actor Darius Campbell Danesh has suddenly come to an end. From success on the television talent competitions Popstars and Pop Idol to a career writing his own hit songs and subsequently starring in West End musicals, he showed immense promise for his future career […]
Five Questions With: Paulus
Throughout August 2022 writer and performer PAULUS is presenting his show Looking For Me Friend: The Music of Victoria Wood at the Assembly Rooms as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Audiences are invited along to celebrate Wood’s unforgettable characters, songs and sketches with this funny and touching tribute to the much-loved national treasure. Directed […]
Five Questions With: Richard Katz
RICHARD KATZ has joined the multi-award-winning and critically acclaimed production of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club in London’s West End, playing the role of Herr Schultz. Richard is an associate artist with Shakespeare’s Globe Ensemble and an associate at Complicitè. His many theatre credits include Love and Other Acts of Violence at the Donmar […]
Edinburgh Festival Fringe Musical Theatre Preview – Ten To See!
Edinburgh Editor Fee Orr writes… Oh, it’s so good to be ‘back to normal’ – in fact, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is hosting more pieces of musical theatre in this single year than I can ever recall before! Here at Musical Theatre Review, we will once again set our team the challenge of finding the […]
BYMT’s musical version of Educating Yorkshire is set to be a must-see show
A must-see new show inspired by the BAFTA-winning iconic documentary series Educating Yorkshire is heading to the Square Chapel Arts Centre in Halifax from 5-7 August 2022. British Youth Music Theatre (BYMT) is bringing to life a musical theatre version of the famous documentary series in their exhilarating and must-see new show Educating Yorkshire – […]
Five Questions With: Gina Beck
GINA BECK is reprising the role of Nellie Forbush in the highly-anticipated Sadler’s Wells season and UK and Ireland tour of Chichester Festival Theatre’s crowd-pleasing production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic South Pacific. Presented by Jamie Wilson, Jonathan Church Theatre Productions and Gavin Kalin, and directed by Chichester’s artistic director Daniel Evans, the touring production […]
‘I walked out singing “doo de doo doo”, the entire audience erupted in a huge cheer’: Sam Lips chats about the Singin’ in the Rain tour
Playing the iconic Gene Kelly part of Don Lockwood in the UK tour of Singin’ in the Rain (which runs to the end of August) is the American triple threat SAM LIPS who first came over to star in the UK premiere of Strictly Ballroom The Musical at the West Yorkshire Playhouse. Now he likes […]
Dreaming about kick-starting your career and making great friends? BYMT Musical Theatre Summer Camps could be perfect for you
“A BYMT Summer Camp is first and foremost a great way to meet new friends while doing something you love” – Pete Gallagher British Youth Music Theatre (BYMT), the UK’s leading musical theatre organisation for young people, is running seven fun-filled open-access musical theatre summer camps designed to give young people aged 11-17 a taster […]
Remembering Donald Pippin (1926-2022) – Broadway’s favourite musical director, conductor and arranger
In many ways Donald Pippin, who has died at the age of 95, was the American musical theatre’s greatest maestro as a musical director and conductor. And from 1955 until 2018 he was also responsible for the vocal arrangements of some of Broadway’s most successful shows. Michael Darvell looks back on a great musical career… […]
Five Questions With: Bob Harms
BOB HARMS plays Happy Man/Mr Thompson in the smash hit feel-good Pretty Woman The Musical at London’s Savoy Theatre and has done so since the West End production opened at the Piccadilly Theatre in February 2020. Musical Theatre Review said of Bob’s performance: “Bob Harms shamelessly steals the show in a variety of roles, from the […]
Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year 2022 – Meet the Finalists
From 350 video auditions down to the final 12 (plus three reserves)… Here, in alphabetical order by surname, we introduce you to the 2022 Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year (SSSSPOTY) selection. This group represents the cream of the UK’s musical theatre students, so you are guaranteed a wonderful evening of entertainment. To book tickets […]
Remembering Robert Morse (1931-2022)
The American actor Robert Morse may only be remembered for the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and playing Bertram Cooper in Mad Men on TV from 2007 to 2015. However, he had a very busy career on stage, in films and on television, as Michael Darvell reports. Robert Alan Morse, who […]
Meet the fearless young performers of roller derby in British Youth Music Theatre’s new musical Hot Wheels
Hot Wheels, a new, bold and empowering musical celebrating dashing roller derby culture, is being performed by British Youth Music Theatre at the Square Chapel Arts Centre, Halifax from 23-24 April 2022. British Youth Music Theatre’s young, exceptionally talented and fearless cast is fully ready to storm the stage of the Square Chapel Arts Centre […]
Five Questions With: Dean Johnson
DEAN JOHNSON will direct a new production of the London Underground-set musical LIFT at London’s Southwark Playhouse from 13 May until 25 June 2022. Developed by new musical theatre specialists Perfect Pitch and now presented by Gartland Productions, the musical which debuted at Soho Theatre in 2013 starring Cynthia Erivo, Julie Atherton and George Maguire, has […]
Watch Musical Theatre Review’s exclusive video from the Olivier Awards Green Carpet
In this exciting video Musical Theatre Review’s Green Carpet host Andy Oliver chats to nominees and guests at the Olivier Awards on Sunday 10 April 2022 at London’s Royal Albert Hall (with huge thanks to Marc Jason Ali from The Fan Carpet). This was the first time the Olivier Awards had been held as a […]
Come and meet those dancing feet: The first complete recording of 42nd Street is released
Good things come to those who wait and JAY Records’ release of the First Complete Recording of 42nd Street on 8 April 2022 is a perfect example of that. This is an opportunity for musical theatre fans to enjoy the sensational and sparkling orchestrations of Philip J. Lang and ALL the dance sequences complete and […]
From Cy Coleman to Barry Manilow to bossa nova – Enjoy An Evening With Billy Stritch
BILLY STRITCH is an award-winning pianist and singer who is known to audiences worldwide for his many solo concert performances and as accompanist and musical director for Liza Minnelli, Tony Bennett and Marilyn Maye to name but a few. During the pandemic, Billy created his own weekly Facebook livestream music show called Billy’s Place. For […]
Broadway star Lillias White takes centre stage at London’s Crazy Coqs
Multi-award-winning Broadway star LILLIAS WHITE will bring two of her most popular shows to London’s Crazy Coqs this April. The star whose Broadway credits include Cats, Fela!, Chicago, Barnum and How to Success in Business Without Really Trying will take centre stage from 14-23 April 2022 for alternate performances of Lillias White Sings Broadway and […]
From Showgirl to District Nurse – Remembering Lynda Baron (1939-2022)
The actress, singer and dancer Lynda Baron, star of stage, cinema and television, died recently at the age of 82. She was a brilliant actress who brought to any part she played a definite quality all her own. As someone who has followed her career for over 60 years, Michael Darvell pays tribute to a […]
Five Questions With: George Maguire
Olivier Award winner GEORGE MAGUIRE is playing the title role in Rhys Jennings and Darren Clark’s The Wicker Husband at the Watermill Theatre, Bagnor (and will reprise the part of as Buck Barrow in the West End premiere of the cult-favourite Bonnie and Clyde The Musical at the Arts Theatre from 9 April 2022). George won the […]
Five Questions With: Molly-Grace Cutler
MOLLY-GRACE CUTLER (The Worst Witch, Girls Don’t Play Guitars, We’ll Live and Die in these Towns) plays singer/songwriter Carole King in the major new touring production of Beautiful – The Carole King Musical in 2022, opening this week at Leicester Curve. Based on the early life and career of legendary singer/songwriter Carole King, Beautiful – The Carole […]
‘It was my dream role’: After two extraordinary decades Sean Jones prepares to bid farewell to Blood Brothers
Welsh actor SEAN JONES has been running around in short trousers playing young Mickey in Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers in the West End and on national tours for more than two decades. He has announced that the current nine-month, 15-venue marathon which started at Windsor in January and runs through to Salford in late October […]
You could play a part in British Youth Music Theatre’s wonderfully creative summer season 2022
After two years of isolation and cancellations during the pandemic, theatres are finally coming back to life and start planning for the future. In this context youth theatres are also working as proactively as ever to provide young performers with the kind of social, educational and creative activities they have been lacking for many months. […]
Five Questions With: Soophia Foroughi
Actress SOOPHIA FOROUGHI plays Mother in the first full production of new musical Broken Wings at the Charing Cross Theatre. Previously seen in concert form in the UK and in the Middle East, the musical created by the West End star Nadim Naaman and Qatar-based composer Dana Al Fardan, based on Lebanese-born writer Kahlil Gibran’s autobiographical […]
‘It is quite extraordinary’: Tracy Collier directs new touring musical Vengeance: The Demise of Oscar Wilde
Director/choreographer TRACY COLLIER (also a stage and television actress since 1979) has staged new touring musical Vengeance: The Demise of Oscar Wilde, opening this week at the new Esher Theatre in Surrey. The musical, based on the Marquess of Queensberry’s relentless, vindictive pursuit of Oscar Wilde which eventually destroyed both men, has been created by […]
Dogged by good luck all his life – A tribute to Barry Cryer (1935-2022)
The comedy writer and performer Barry Cryer was a ubiquitous presence in the lives of most British (and some American) comedians for as long as anyone can remember. Michael Darvell recalls the great comic talent that was Barry Cryer… In his day, if not appearing in person, Barry Cryer was there as a tenacious writer, […]
‘We wanted to tell the story from a new perspective’: Director and writer John Merrigan on new musical Vengeance: The Demise of Oscar Wilde
A new touring musical based on the Marquess of Queensberry’s relentless, vindictive pursuit of Oscar Wilde which eventually destroyed both men is a real family affair with JOHN MERRIGAN writing the book and producing the show and wife Danielle Morgan composing songs and music. Vengeance: The Demise of Oscar Wilde, the result of this collaboration, […]
Where it all starts: Follow the likes of Ed Sheeran, Christopher Tendai and Grace Mouat by auditioning for BYMT
UK’s Number One Artist of the Decade Ed Sheeran recently released his fourth studio album and it has become immensely popular all over the world. Way before he gained such recognition and rose to the top of his industry, Ed started looking for ways to express his creativity. One of Ed’s attempts to gain knowledge […]
‘The best that there is’: Remembering Marilyn Bergman (1928-2022)
Marilyn Bergman and her husband Alan were responsible for an untold number of classic songs for films, theatre and television. Michael Darvell takes a glimpse at their back catalogue. Where do you begin with the Bergmans? Well, they started life in the same New York hospital in Brooklyn where they were both born, Alan in […]
Remembering Sally Ann Howes (1930-2021) – A Truly Scrumptious Performer
The British actress and singer Sally Ann Howes may well be remembered for playing Truly Scrumptious, but she also had a long career before that in films, on stage and on television. She had a beautiful voice and a lovely personality to match. Michael Darvell looks back at her fascinating career of over 60 years. […]
Musical Theatre 2022 Preview – all you need to know
With Covid-related delays and cancellations still plaguing theatre productions, we know it is impossible to predict whether all the shows listed below will go ahead, but we will continue to keep the faith and support all the incredible creatives bringing us these wonderful musical theatre openings in 2022 – in the West End, on the London […]
Musical Theatre Review contributors pick their top shows of 2021
At the end of each year Musical Theatre Review news editor Angela Thomas normally puts together a round-up of all the shows that have received four and five star reviews during the last 12 months, but this year we thought a different approach might be more appropriate. For a start, MTR wants to congratulate all […]
Remembering Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021), The Ultimate Musical Man of Broadway
Stephen Sondheim rewrote the history of the Broadway musical in a career lasting over 60 years. Michael Darvell looks back, show by show, at the genius that was Stephen Sondheim. It is an unquestionable fact that Stephen Sondheim was responsible for taking the rather moribund genre of the Broadway musical and breathing new life into […]
Get a real taste of what it’s like to be a musical theatre performer: BYMT’s National Auditions go on tour in 2022
Great news for young people dreaming of being on stage, preparations are now well under way for the British Youth Music Theatre’s National Audition Tour, taking place in January and February 2022 and visiting 15 different cities across the UK and Ireland. Every year BYMT, the leading youth musical theatre organisation for young people, auditions […]
Five Questions With: Adam Cooper
Award-winning performer ADAM COOPER plays the intimidating director/choreographer Zach in Curve Leicester’s production of the groundbreaking musical A Chorus Line, directed by Nikolai Foster and choreographed by Ellen Kane (running until 31 December 2021). Having gained acclaim for creating the lead role of the Swan/Stranger in Matthew Bourne’s production of Swan Lake – a role […]
‘All you have to do is be you’: British Youth Music Theatre’s National Auditions return in early 2022
“I would tell anyone I know to audition for British Youth Music Theatre (BYMT). I know it can be scary but trust me, you will have the time of your life. Everyone is so supportive and uplifting and it is brilliant to do a production with everyone who wants to be there just as much […]
‘There are giants in the sky’: The theatre community pays tribute to Stephen Sondheim
It feels pretty impossible to find the words to sum up the kind of influence composer Stephen Sondheim had on the world of musical theatre. There was of course the way he turned the genre on its head and made changes to form and content that had never been contemplated before. Then there was the […]
Five Questions With: Amara Okereke
AMARA OKEREKE plays Wendla in the Almeida Theatre’s revival of award-winning musical Spring Awakening, running from 7 December 2021 to 22 January 2022. Amara won The Stage Debut Award for Best Actress in a Musical for playing Cosette in Les Misérables. Her other theatre credits include The Boy Friend (Menier Chocolate Factory); Oklahoma! (Chichester Festival […]
Remembering Lionel Blair, a much-celebrated personality in the world of entertainment
Michael Darvell pays tribute to Lionel Blair (1928-2021), the actor, dancer and choreographer who became a popular television performer for over 70 years. I suppose I was first aware of Lionel Blair when he appeared in and choreographed some of Val Parnell’s Saturday Spectaculars on ITV in the late 1950s. He was, in effect, created […]
Five Questions With: Natasha Granger
The UK tour of Swipe Right Theatre’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2019 musical hit Scream Phone continues at the Komedia in Brighton (26 November 2021) before arriving at London’s Soho Theatre for performances on 17 and 18 December. Swipe Right Theatre was founded by NATASHA GRANGER and Kerrie Thomason to produce engaging theatre that champions womxn’s […]
West End actor and award-winning singer Tom Solomon releases new album
Lockdown was a challenging time for a host of performers, but that didn’t stop West End actor and ‘BBC Voice of Musical Theatre’ Tom Solomon being creative. In fact, during those quiet months Tom recorded brand new album Musicals, Vol. 1, due for release on 10 December 2021 but available now for preorder on iTunes. […]
Bring It On The Musical – a sneak peek in the rehearsal studio
Amber Davies and the cast of Bring It On The Musical offered up a sneak preview of two numbers at an open rehearsal a few weeks ahead of their opening on 8 December 2021 at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall. In a church hall in Pimlico, choreographer Fabian Aloise and director Guy Unsworth put the young […]
‘We can all join from anywhere in the world & work together’: Chris Grady explains how his Diploma in Creative Producing was born during lockdown
CHRIS GRADY is a facilitator, workshop leader and trainer specialising in the support of the next generation of aspirational creative producers and creative practitioners. He is a qualified life support coach working with sole traders and small businesses, across the creative arts and the wellness industry, nationally and internationally. Alongside this he works with associates in […]
‘I became struck by the resonances between these women’s stories’: Different Theatre’s Sam Chittenden discusses Clean The Musical’s London debut
Different Theatre is bringing its award-winning, five-star musical Clean! – a rousing celebration of women’s resilience and sisterhood – to London’s Cockpit Theatre on 23 and 24 November 2021. Exploring the lives of seven women living in the historic Roundhill (or Laundry Hill) area of Brighton through different eras, Sam Chittenden and Simon Scardanelli’s Clean! […]
Remembering Leslie Bricusse (1931-2021) – A great man of the musical theatre
Michael Darvell looks back at the life of the talented composer, lyricist and playwright who has died at the age of 90. It is difficult to know where to begin with the life of Leslie Bricusse. He contributed so much to the theatre as a composer, lyricist and playwright, creating many musical shows and songs […]
Don’t miss the live cinema screenings of legendary musical The Rocky Horror Show across the UK and Europe on 28 October
Ready to thrill you with fun and naughty moments, Richard O’Brien’s legendary rock ‘n’ roll musical The Rocky Horror Show is coming to a big screen near you on 28 October 2021. This special Halloween performance will be broadcast live from the Sadler’s Wells Peacock Theatre in London’s West End to over 500 hundred cinemas […]
Singer-songwriter and actress Ann Hampton Callaway chats about life during lockdown & returning to the joy of live music and theatre
Chicago-born singer, pianist, composer, lyricist, arranger, actress, educator, TV host and producer ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY was recently in London performing her show The Judy Garland Songbook at The Pheasantry and Cinematic Serenade at Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho. In high school, Ann performed in musicals and after graduation studied acting at the University of Illinois […]
The Herculean task of making a musical from scratch: A Q&A with the writer and cast of Sisyphus: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Musical
Sisyphus: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Musical, running at London’s Canal Café Theatre from 6-9 October 2021, marks the solo directorial and authorial debut of Musical Theatre Review contributor and composer Ian Bowkett. Ian has spent the last 14 months of lockdown refining the script and songs for the show and is beyond excited to finally share this […]
Everybody’s talking about movie musicals
Prime Video has just released Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, the film adaptation of Sheffield Theatres’ much-lauded musical about a teenage drag queen. The stage show has been a beloved West End fixture and is currently enjoying success with a UK tour. If all had gone to plan, we’d all have experienced the movie last year […]
