Frances Ruffelle performed Paris Original at the Crazy Coqs, London. Almost 30 years on from creating Eponine in Les Miserables, Frances Ruffelle is back in Gallic mode for her Paris Original show in a sold-out week at the Crazy Coqs and a first-night audience not short of celebrities – Tim Rice, Trevor Nunn and fashion designer […]
Introducing Glass Half Full Productions
Launched this week, Glass Half Full Productions is a new production company aiming to produce musicals, plays and comedy both in the UK and US in partnership with Just For Laughs Theatricals. CEO of Just For Laughs, Adam Blanshay (who won a Tony Award as co-producer on the Broadway musical Kinky Boots) has teamed up […]
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – Touring
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee was reviewed at the Harlow Playhouse and continues its tour until 16 November. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (conceived by Rebecca Feldman with music and lyrics by William Finn, a book by Rachel Sheinkin and additional material by Jay Reiss) was workshopped and developed at the Barrington Stage […]
Matt Smith is lead in America Psycho at Almeida
Matt Smith will take on the role of Patrick Bateman in the world premiere production of American Psycho at London’s Almeida Theatre, directed by the venue’s artistic director Rupert Goold. The new musical thriller, based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis, has a book by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and music and lyrics by Duncan Sheik. The production […]
Jesus Christ Superstar – NIA Birmingham
Jesus Christ Superstar was performed at the National Indoor Arena, Birmingham as part of a tour which continues until 15 October. There are those, I among them, who opined that Godspell was a more sophisticated 1970s musical about Jesus than Jesus Christ Superstar. So what a pleasure to encounter the much-heralded tour of Tim Rice and Lloyd […]
The Boys From Syracuse – Union Theatre
The Boys From Syracuse continues at the Union Theatre, London until 26 October. The Comedy of Errors is Shakespeare’s shortest, and most farcical, of plays. So it’s maybe no surprise that, in 1938, it became the first of the Bard’s works to be subsumed by the behemoth of the Broadway musical theatre machine. However, despite […]
Tick,Tick… Boom! – Theater Drachengasse, Vienna
Tick, Tick… Boom! continues at the Theater Drachengasse, Vienna until 12 October. Following the success of The Last Five Years (2011) and Ordinary Days (2013), Vienna Theatre Project, Vienna’s only English-speaking theatrical company showcasing musical theatre, is back with another smash hit musical. After Jason Robert Brown and Adam Gwon, 2013 is dedicated to Jonathan Larson. While Larson […]
Lady Day – Little Shubert Theatre, New York
Lady Day opened at the Little Shubert Theatre, New York, for an open-ended run. Dee Dee Bridgewater, a major talent herself when it comes to interpreting the great jazz standards, is simply spectacular in channelling Billie Holiday in Lady Day. Bridgewater is, of course, no novice when it comes to celebrating the jazz legend. In […]
Chicago – Oldham Coliseum
Chicago continues at the Coliseum Theatre, Oldham until 12 October. “Give ’em the old razzle dazzle, razzle dazzle ’em. Give ’em an act with lots of flash in it, and the reaction will be passionate.” And that is exactly what Kevin Shaw’s new actor/musician production of Chicago does at the Oldham Coliseum. This is the […]
Steven Brinberg – Simply Barbra – Crazy Coqs
Steven Brinberg – Simply Barbra was performed at Crazy Coqs, London. On the face of it, it’s the Barbra Streisand concert any fan could want. In the intimate surroundings of the Crazy Coqs with only a pianist to accompany her, Streisand sings a selection of all her greatest hits. Only of course, it isn’t Streisand it’s […]
Liza (on an E) – Brighton and on tour
Liza (on an E) was performed at the Theatre Royal, Brighton. There was theatrical magic on stage from the moment Australian performer and drag artist Trevor Ashley strode on as his alter ego Liza Minnelli. At times she was presented as a grotesque caricature, and at others she appeared a fragile and pathetic soul. Ashley came to […]
Shrek the Musical – Harman directs the tour
Shrek the Musical will be heading out on its first ever tour of UK and Ireland from July 2014. The Drury Lane production will be directed by Nigel Harman who starred as Lord Farquaad in the West End production, a role which won him the 2012 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in […]
