Well-Strung (The Singing String Quartet) and Varla Jean Merman in The Book of Merman at the Leicester Square Theatre, London. There won’t be many places in London where you can spend a more entertaining hour – with your clothes on, anyway – than with Well-Strung, a cute name for four good-looking young Americans who between them play two […]
Wicked – Palace Manchester and touring
Wicked runs at the Palace Theatre, Manchester until 16 November before continuing its national tour. Stephen Schwartz’s spellbinding Oz-based musical Wicked opens in Manchester (the first leg of an extensive UK and Irish tour) and firmly casts its magic over the region, leaving a sold-out audience completely transfixed. While the show may have been scaled […]
New musical Water Babies at the Curve
Curve Leicester will play host to the world premiere of a brand new musical inspired by Charles Kingsley’s classic novel, The Water Babies. Directed by Ed Curtis, with music by Chris Egan, and book and lyrics by Curtis and Guy Jones, this new musical, with sophisticated special effects, will open on 6 May 2014, with previews from the 24 April, and run until […]
Workshop – The Five Labours of Harvey Fish
A new musical, The Five Labours of Harvey Fish, had workshops at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 17 and 18 September, reports Michael Darvell. A work-in-progress, The Five Labours of Harvey Fish has a book and lyrics by actor turned writer and presenter Brian Jordan, and music by Carlton Edwards, musical director of many […]
Celia Imrie – Crazy Coqs
Celia Imrie performed Laughing Matters at the Crazy Coqs, London. Celia Imrie is a much-loved, very talented actress and comedienne whose work I greatly admire, so I looked forward with huge anticipation to seeing her in a new role – cabaret artist. Sadly, expectations are not fully realised. Cabaret, in my book, is an intimate thing […]
The Lightning Child – Globe’s first musical
Shakespeare’s Globe’s first ever musical, The Lightning Child (14 September– 12 October), is a musical remix of Euripdes’ The Bacchae, hurtling from the ‘ecstatic, primal, musical roots of Ancient Greek tragedy to the squats and shooting galleries of contemporary London’. Alongside Ché Walker’s book, Arthur Darvill’s music is influenced by jazz, reggae, hip-hop and soul, […]
Jackie the Musical debuts in Dundee
Mike James’ Jackie the Musical, running at the Gardyne Theatre, Dundee, from 19 September–5 October, revisits those heady days of 40 years ago, when there were no mobile phones, apps, texting, e-mails and Twitter and one of the only ways angst-ridden teenage girls had an outlet was through the pages of Jackie Magazine, which every Thursday […]
Urinetown the Musical – St James Theatre 2014
Tony Award-winning Urinetown the Musical will open at the St James Theatre, London in February 2014, reports Michael Darvell. A huge hit on Broadway, the musical Urinetown the Musical has taken more than 12 years to surface this side of the Atlantic. The UK premiere of the show by Mark Holmann (music and lyrics) and Greg […]
The Singers Soiree – St Giles-in-the-Fields
The Singers Soiree is a series of charity concerts founded by enterprising and compassionate young director Jamie Chapman Dixon. The events raise funds for Shooting Star CHASE, a charity that supports families with terminally ill children and helps them to enjoy and be looked after in the last few months/years of their lives. The Soirée […]
New £12,000 award for musical theatre writing
Perfect Pitch and Royal & Derngate, Northampton, are offering British writers and composers the chance to create a brand new musical. The winning team of writers will be awarded a commission of £12,000 to complete a full draft of a new musical over a 12-month period, supported and mentored throughout by Perfect Pitch and Royal […]
Singular Sensations – Kerry Ellis
Singular Sensations – Kerry Ellis was at the Charing Cross Theatre, London. Subtitled ‘Up Close and Personal with the Stars of Musical Theatre’, Singular Sensations is a series of intimate Sunday afternoon sessions at the Charing Cross Theatre aimed at musical theatre enthusiasts. These sessions are hosted by Edward Seckerson, erstwhile presenter of BBC’s Stage […]
When Midnight Strikes – Upstairs at the Gatehouse
When Midnight Strikes continues at Upstairs at the Gatehouse, London until 29 September. A man cheats on his long-suffering wife and panic arises. This is a theme played out regularly across television, film and theatre. However, author and lyricist Kevin Hammonds and composer Charles Miller’s When Midnight Strikes adds a new twist to this formula […]
