Denise Van Outen will take on the role of Velma Kelly in the hit revival of Chicago at London’s Phoenix Theatre later this month. The actress and television presenter who previously played Roxie Hart in the West End and Broadway productions of the show, will return to Cook County Jail as Kelly from 24 September […]
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Jason Donovan to launch producing career with Priscilla tour
Jason Donovan will make his debut as a theatre producer with a new touring production of hit musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert next year. One of the stars of the show’s original West End and UK touring productions, Donovan will join veteran producers Mark Goucher, Gavin Kalin and Matthew Gale to present the new […]
A Step Beyond the Rain: Karen Oberlin – The Pheasantry
A Step Beyond the Rain: Karen Oberlin at The Pheasantry, London. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ The lustrous New York cabaret star Karen Oberlin brought back to London a show that she called Over the Rainbow at the Crazy Coqs in 2013 but is now tweaked and renamed A Step Beyond the Rain. Either […]
The King and I – London Palladium
The King and I continues at the London Palladium until 29 September 2018. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ When director Bartlett Sher revived Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I at New York’s Lincoln Center, the show scooped four Tony Awards in the 2015 ceremony. Until now, the London transfer has […]
Gettin’ the Band Back Together – Belasco Theatre, New York
Gettin’ the Band Back Together continues at the Belasco Theatre, New York. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ The new Broadway musical Gettin’ the Band Back Together makes quite a fuss about being an original musical, with a brand new score and a story not taken from any other source. In fact, a greeter – […]
A Winter’s Tale – Youth Music Theatre UK – Rose Theatre, Kingston
A Winter’s Tale was performed by Youth Music Theatre UK at the Rose Theatre, Kingston. There’s a lot of valiant hard work in this show, directed by Bronagh Lagan with Greg Arrowsmith as MD, but the storytelling is far from clear (changing some actors in roles between acts doesn’t help) and in places it feels […]
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – The Scoop at More London
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz at The Scoop at More London. Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩ The most striking thing about “London’s Free Open Air Theatre” led by Phil Willmott and now in its 15th year at Scoop by City Hall is the diverse audience it attracts. I shared a Sunday afternoon […]
There is Nothin’ Like a Dame – Cadogan Hall
There is Nothin’ Like a Dame was performed at the Cadogan Hall, London. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ There is no one that There’s Nothin’ Like a Dame wasn’t for. As the audience gathered in the auditorium in the grand Cadogan Hall, it was clear that, as always, music and musical theatre, in particular, […]
Extended West End run for hit musical Six
The London run of critically-acclaimed musical Six has been extended for an extra three weeks in response to overwhelming demand in the wake of the show’s successful return visit to the Edinburgh Fringe. Opening on Thursday 30 August 2018, following on from a well-received four-date run in January, the rock-flavoured show in which the wives of […]
‘It’s an important time to celebrate ladies in theatre’: Alexia Khadime stars in There’s Nothin’ Like a Dame at Cadogan Hall
Louise Dearman, Ria Jones, Alexia Khadime and Rachel Tucker are coming together for one night only for There’s Nothin’ Like a Dame to celebrate 100 Years of Women in Musical Theatre. The concert, at London’s Cadogan Hall on 30 August 2018, will feature songs from across the decades including classics by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Andrew […]
Pericles – Olivier Theatre, London
Pericles at the Olivier Theatre, London. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (the very best possible show of its type) Pericles – complete with a Bulgarian choir, Indian percussionists, a cheerleader team and a gospel choir (among other wonders) – is one of the most joyfully celebratory shows I’ve ever seen. Part of […]
Pretty Woman the Musical – Nederlander Theatre, New York
Pretty Woman the Musical continues at the Nederlander Theatre, New York. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ Pretty Woman, the 1990 hit film, gets a sleek, shiny and all too conscientious, rather than inspired, transformation to a Broadway musical. Its story of the gorgeous and big-hearted Hollywood Boulevard prostitute who melts the heart of a […]
Around the World in 80 Days – Union Theatre
Around the World in 80 Days continues at the Union Theatre, London until 1 September 2018. Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩ Around the World in 80 Days has been adapted from Jules Verne’s eponymous novel which follows the adventures of eccentric Victorian gentleman Phileas Fogg and his valet Jean Passepartout as they […]
Sweet Charity – Watermill Theatre, Bagnor
Sweet Charity continues at the Watermill Theatre, Bagnor until 15 September 2018. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ First performed in 1966, Bob Fosse’s microcosmic study of naivety in the search for love retains its nostalgic qualities 50 years later in this production at the Watermill. Why, in the opening lines, we are told that […]
The Earth Makes No Sound – The Place
The Earth Makes No Sound was performed at The Place, London. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ While Saturday night traffic screams by, while the air is thick with data, while rush-hour feels never-ending, Filament Theatre offers us a moment to breathe, and to take stock of the natural world we’re standing upon. […]
On the Town – BBC Proms – Royal Albert Hall
On the Town at the BBC Proms was performed at the Royal Albert Hall, London. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ There was a buzz in the air at the Royal Albert Hall because the audience attending a John Wilson concert know what’s in store and they were not disappointed. It was a celebratory […]
‘The whole show is a celebration of what we can do in multicultural London’: Composer James Fortune on why the National Theatre’s Pericles is pretty special
Susan Elkin writes… Composer JAMES FORTUNE – who prefers to be known as Jim to avoid confusion with the well-known American jazz musician of the same name – and I are chatting in the National Theatre’s balcony interview room. He has slipped out of Pericles rehearsals downstairs to meet me. “This Pericles is pretty special […]
Barrack Room Ballads – Youth Music Theatre UK – National Army Museum
Barrack Room Ballads was performed by Youth Music Theatre UK at the National Army Museum, London. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ It’s an unlikely proposition – a musical version of a set of poems by (deeply unfashionable) Rudyard Kipling performed by 34 teenagers with a seven-piece live band in a tiny space not really […]
I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical – Live at Zédel
I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical at Live at Zédel, London. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ One of the summer residencies at Live at Zédel, comic songwriter Alexander S. Bermange’s 17-song musical revue I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical returns fresh from its successful run at the same […]
Sparks & The Half Moon Shania are our Best Musical Award joint winners at the Edinburgh Fringe 2018
Sparks at the Pleasance Courtyard and The Half Moon Shania at Zoo Southside have been named as joint winners of Musical Theatre Review’s Best Musical Award, given to recognise excellence in the challenging form of musical theatre and to highlight the best of the genre in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2018 programme. In considering the awards this […]
‘It’s the same story but it feels just as current’: Andrew Finnigan reprises his role in Drip at the Edinburgh Fringe and beyond
ANDREW FINNIGAN is making his Edinburgh Fringe debut in a role he knows well. In Drip, the one-man musical comedy by Tom Wells and Matthew Robins, he plays 15-year-old Liam who signs up to Hull’s first ever synchronised swimming team despite not being able to actually swim. Liam explores what it means to be a gay […]
Closets – Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester
Closets at the Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ Opening with a pre-show warning for ‘extreme campness’, time travelling new musical Closets is the perfect warm-up for the upcoming Manchester Pride; a fun, feel-good show celebrating love in all forms that also manages to be far more poignant and touching […]
‘There are some amazing writers out there creating amazing work’: Theatrical Rights Worldwide’s Drew Baker on the British Musicals Collection
Thank you, Musical Theatre Review for sending me to the airiest, coolest, calmest spot in central London on one of the hottest days of the year, writes Susan Elkin. I’m in the Theatrical Rights Worldwide office with a pigeon’s eye view of Regent’s Street five floors below, lots of white paint, theatre posters and an atmosphere […]
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow – National Youth Music Theatre – The Other Palace
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow continues at The Other Palace, London until 25 August 2018. Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩ Washington Irving’s short horror story, set in a secluded, superstitious community in post-Revolutionary New York state, has proven a fertile basis for many an adaptation, from Disney animations to Tim Burton blockbusters and […]
The Rise and Fall of Little Voice – Park Theatre
The Rise and Fall of Little Voice continues at the Park Theatre, London until 15 September 2018. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ This is a very funny show. It’s also deeply tragic. And director Tom Latter has made a remarkably good job of linking those elements so that it rarely feels disparate. Mari, […]
The Hunchback of Notre Dame – Stage Apollo Theatre, Stuttgart
The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the Stage Apollo Theatre, Stuttgart. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ At a time when production company Stage Entertainment seems to be hesitant to take risks, we can only rejoice at its decision to have revived The Hunchback of Notre Dame at Stage Theater des Westens in Berlin, 18 years […]
Waitress will arrive in the West End in February 2019
Hit Broadway show Waitress will make its eagerly-anticipated UK debut at London’s Adelphi Theatre next February. Now in its third year on Broadway, the musical tale of love friendship and perfect pies, based on the cult classic 2007 film of the same name, was expected to arrive on this side of the Atlantic last year, […]
No Man’s Land – Youth Music Theatre UK – Square Chapel Arts Centre, Halifax
No Man’s Land was performed by Youth Music Theatre UK at Square Chapel Arts Centre, Halifax. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ I think it is only honest of me to admit that I walked in the doors expecting some kind of reflection on the horrors of the First World War which would include, at […]
Shortlist revealed for Musical Theatre Review’s Best Musical Award at Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2018
As part of Edinburgh’s Festival Fringe, Musical Theatre Review will once again be making an award for the Best Musical. This is to recognise excellence in the challenging form of musical theatre and to highlight the best of the genre in the 2018 programme. This is an exceptional year for musical theatre with the themes […]
Timpson The Musical – Edinburgh Festival Fringe – C Venues
Timpson The Musical continues at C Venues until 27 August 2018. Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩ Mention Timpson to anyone in the country and it immediately conjures up the gold lettering on a maroon background. Speaking to other people waiting for the house to open, the show’s appeal for them lay in […]
Two Hearts: Edinburgh World Tour – Edinburgh Festival Fringe – Underbelly Cowgate
Two Hearts: Edinburgh World Tour continues at Underbelly Cowgate; Big Belly until 26 August 2018. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ What a blast. A late night cabaret that grabs from the word go and doesn’t let go – ever. All the way from Auckland, Laura Daniel and Joseph Moore expect a rapturous welcome […]
The Worst Little Warehouse in London – Edinburgh Festival Fringe – Assembly George Square
The Worst Little Warehouse in London continues at The Box, Assembly George Square until 26 August 2018. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ The title gives the first clue that this is a parody show. But like none you will have ever seen before. Staging shows in containers isn’t a new idea, but this is […]
Don Juan – Edinburgh Festival Fringe – Assembly George Square
Don Juan continues at Assembly George Square until 27 August 2018. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ Very fast, very “French” and very funny – this is a riot from the second you step into the bubble and expect to be flirted with till you blush. No conventional announcement before the show – in fact, […]
Valerie – Edinburgh Festival Fringe – Summerhall
Valerie continues at Summerhall until 26 August 2018. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Last Tapes Theatre Company does ‘theatre that gives a s**t’ and this piece certainly exemplifies that. It is a personal and intimate work of inter-generational cabaret theatre created by writer, composer and performer Robin Kelly, inspired by his own grandmother’s life […]
The Mould that Changed the World – Edinburgh Festival Fringe – theSpace @ Surgeons Hall
The Mould that Changed the World continues at theSpace @ Surgeons Hall until 25 August 2018. Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩ The threat of antibiotic resistance is a somewhat surprising topic for a musical, but The Mould That Changed the World finds a way to make itself personally accessible. Produced by Charades Musicals, it was […]
Henry Box Brown A Musical Journey – Edinburgh Festival Fringe – Assembly Rooms
Henry Box Brown A Musical Journey continues at the Assembly Rooms until 25 August 2018. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ As Paul Gee who plays Henry says in his curtain speech, this piece is all about love. Despite the painful subject matter, the respect for the performers – for each other and this material […]
Plans to launch UK’s first Theatre Convention – StageCon – in November 2018
Some of the West End’s biggest names are lined up to attend the UK’s first ever theatre convention in London in November. Inspired by BroadwayCon, the annual theatre convention in New York which offers theatre fans the chance to get closer than ever to the stars and shows they love, StageCon will be held over […]
New song and revised script for Heathers West End transfer run
The record-breaking Heathers – The Musical will feature a new song and a re-worked script when it arrives at the Theatre Royal Haymarket next month. Due move to the bigger stage in the heart of the West End for a strictly limited run from 3 September 2018, audiences for the final performances of the European […]
Trevor Nunn to direct Menier Chocolate Factory’s Fiddler On the Roof
Trevor Nunn will return to the Menier Chocolate Factory later this year for a major new staging of the much-loved classic Fiddler On the Roof. Running from 5 December 2018 until 9 March 2019, with previews from 23 November, the production will be the first in London in over a decade, and marks a re-kindling […]
Leicester Curve and Birmingham Hippodrome to co-produce The Color Purple
Leicester Curve and the Birmingham Hippodrome have revealed plans for a major new co-production of the Broadway musical version of Alice Walker’s best seller The Color Purple. Directed by award-winning Tinuke Craig (2014 Genesis Future Directors Award), the production which will be the first UK presentation of the award-winning show outside of London, will play Curve […]
Jordan Lee Gage is the new Strat in Bat Out of Hell at the Dominion
Jordan Lee Gage will take over from Andrew Polec in the leading role of Strat in the hit musical Bat Out of Hell – The Musical at the Dominion Theatre from 3 September 2018. Gage who made his West End debut in the role of Hoffman in the production will step into the role he […]
Grail Project – Edinburgh Festival Fringe – Bedlam
Grail Project continues at Bedlam until 26 August 2018. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ This is stylised storytelling at its most refined. Incredibly detailed, well rehearsed and precise, the physicality of the show is a joy to behold. Indeed, Meyerhold, the father of physical theatre, would find a great deal to be satisfied […]
Armour – A Herstory of The Scottish Bard – Edinburgh Festival Fringe – theSpace @ Jurys
Armour – A Herstory of The Scottish Bard continues at theSpace @ Jurys until 25 August (not 19). Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ Comprising recent graduates from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Fearless Players is a female-led collective of actors, writers and theatre makers, taking an insightful look at some of the women in […]
Modern Maori Quartet: Two Worlds – Edinburgh Festival Fringe – George Square Studio
Modern Maori Quartet: Two Worlds continues at George Square Studio 3 until 27 August 2018. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ Returning to Edinburgh from their native New Zealand, The Modern Maori Quartet has built a narrative around some of the best singing you will find in Edinburgh this August. A witty opening sees the trio become […]
The Sam Neill Experience – 2 Northdown
The Sam Neill Experience – 2 Northdown, London. Star rating: two stars ★ ★ ✩ ✩ ✩ Showcasing as part of the Camden Fringe Festival, The Sam Neill Experience is a sort of amalgam of shows like A Little Shop of Horrors, Urinetown and even hints of Stephen Sondheim’s Anyone Can Whistle. It’s a tale of Sam Neill, a famous […]
Spring Awakening – Stockwell Playhouse
Spring Awakening at Stockwell Playhouse, London. Star rating: three stars ★★★✩✩ Spring Awakening The Musical is not easy. Adapted from Frank Wedekind’s scandalous 1891 original play, it’s a coming of age story with themes charting sexual frustration to eponymous awakening, societal pressures from school to home life, the conservation of innocence by the older generation, parental abuse and teen […]
‘It’s a passion and it’s a story I have to tell’: Richard Shelton brings Sinatra Raw to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe
RICHARD SHELTON knew from a young age that he had a strong connection to Frank Sinatra and over the years it seems that the world was pushing them together. Now he has written and stars in Sinatra Raw in Edinburgh but the show will transport audiences to The Purple Room in Palm Springs in 1971 as […]
The Beautiful Game – National Youth Music Theatre – The Other Palace
The Beautiful Game continues at The Other Palace, London until 18 August 2018. Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩ When it comes to exploring the Northern Ireland Troubles of the 1960s and 1970s, neither Ben Elton nor Andrew Lloyd Webber were names that would immediately spring to mind. Perhaps unsurprisingly, their 2000 […]
The Half Moon Shania – Edinburgh Festival Fringe – Zoo Southside
The Half Moon Shania continues at Zoo Southside until 27 August 2018. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Uniquely greeted by the gift of a pre-show plectrum (and why not?) this trio of feisty young women ooze charm through their friendly banter as they literally put their audience just where they want them. As the […]
HELP! Get Me Out of This Musical – Youth Music Theatre UK – Wilde Theatre, South Hill Park Arts Centre, Bracknell
HELP! Get Me Out of This Musical was performed by Youth Music Theatre UK at the Wilde Theatre, South Hill Park Arts Centre. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ With book and lyrics by John Nicholson and music by Alexander Rudd, HELP! Get Me Out of This Musical tells the story of school bully Callum MacGregor, […]
