Fun Home continues at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester until 1 August 2026. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ The UK regional premiere production of Fun Home has opened at Manchester’s Royal Exchange, and it is hard to imagine a better place (or time) for it to receive this much anticipated revival.
Tag Archives | Alex Young
Cast for regional premiere of Fun Home
The Royal Exchange Theatre has announced the full cast for the regional premiere of multi-award-winning Fun Home.
Operation Mincemeat – Fortune Theatre
Operation Mincemeat continues at the Fortune Theatre, London until 28 February 2026. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Uplifting, clever, emboldening – it’s no surprise that audience members can be seen grinning from start to finish.
Full cast for world premiere of Austenland
The full cast has been confirmed for the world premiere of a new musical based on Shannon Hale’s 2007 best-selling novel Austenland later this month.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels – London Palladium
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels in Concert was performed at the London Palladium. Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩
Music Review: The Stationmaster – Original Cast Album
The Stationmaster: A Musical Drama (Auburn Jam Records). Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Any live production of The Stationmaster will have to match the standards of this album, which has set the bar high.
Exclusive: Listen to a track from the much-anticipated release of The Stationmaster musical concept album
The concept album recording of new British musical The Stationmaster will be released on all major digital platforms on 26 July and we are delighted to share with you the first exclusive play of the epic anthem ‘Anna’ (sung by Nigel Richards).
Cold War – Almeida Theatre
Cold War continues at the Almeida Theatre, London until 30 January 2024. Star rating: two stars ★ ★ ✩ ✩ ✩ For a venue’s big Christmas show, it’s traditional for a venue to go for something crowd-pleasing, optimistic, something to add sparkle to the drab winter evenings. So it’s a bold choice by the Almeida to go against the flow and instead bring a drab, overlong dirge of a half-musical instead.
Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year – Sondheim Theatre
There was no arguing with the judges’ choice for Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year (SSSSPOTY for short) after a knock-’em-dead performance of ‘The Worst Pies in London’ by star of the future Milly Willows.
Finalists for 2023 Stephen Sondheim Student Performer of the Year
Meet the 12 finalists in the running for the 15th annual Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year (SSSSPOTY).
Standing at the Sky’s Edge – National Theatre
Standing at the Sky’s Edge continues at the National Theatre (Olivier) until 25 March 2023. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
Standing at the Sky’s Edge – Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
Standing at the Sky’s Edge continues at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield until 21 January 2023. The production transfers to the Olivier, National Theatre from 9 February to 25 March 2022. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Into the Woods – Theatre Royal Bath
Into the Woods continues at Theatre Royal Bath until 10 September 2022. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ The eagerly anticipated – and long-delayed – production of Sondheim and Lapine’s Into the Woods co-directed by Terry Gilliam and Leah Hausman finally opened this August, not at its originally intended home of the Old Vic […]
West End stars feature in cast of Into The Woods at Theatre Royal Bath
A high-powered cast has been assembled for director Terry Gilliam and choreographer Leah Hausman’s highly-anticipated production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s magical musical Into The Woods at the Theatre Royal Bath this summer. The co-creator of the Olivier Award winning Shockhead Peter, Julian Bleach (The Grinning Man) will play Mysterious Man with Olivier nominees […]
Anyone Can Whistle – Southwark Playhouse
Anyone Can Whistle continues at Southwark Playhouse, London until 7 May 2022. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ Musicals are by their nature absurd – or at least certainly a step or two away from reality – but some musicals are just way more absurd than others. King of the Fools – the one […]
Alex Young to star in new London production of Anyone Can Whistle at Southwark Playhouse
Alex Young (Amalia Balash in She Loves Me at Sheffield Crucible and Young Sally in Follies at the National Theatre) will star in a new London production of Arthur Laurents and Stephen Sondheim’s 1964 musical Anyone Can Whistle, directed by Matthew Rankcom in The Large at Southwark Playhouse from 1 April to 7 May 2022 […]
She Loves Me – Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
She Loves Me continues at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield until 15 January 2022. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ Based upon Miklós László’s play Parfumerie, Joe Masteroff, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick’s musical adaptation She Loves Me is an uplifting Christmas gift to us all this year. Ben Stones’ cleverly designed set […]
Cast of West End stars announced for Michael Xavier’s eighth Christmas charity concert
Thirteen major musical theatre stars will take to the stage at St Paul’s (The Actors) Church in Covent Garden for this year’s edition of Michael D. Xavier’s festive fundraiser Christmas With the Stars on 19 December 2021. Organised by Michael Xavier’s MX Masterclass and featuring MXM students, West End and Broadway leading man Xavier will […]
Cast announced for Sheffield Theatres’ She Loves Me
Sheffield Theatres has confirmed casting for artistic director Robert Hastie’s Christmas production of the 1960s romantic musical comedy She Loves Me at the Crucible. Hastie’s festive follow-up to his Christmas 2019 revival of another classic Broadway musical Guys and Dolls will feature that production’s leading lady Alex Young. Young, who returned to Sheffield in 2019 to […]
Bluff – Online
Bluff is available at bluffmusical.com. Star rating: two stars ★ ★ ✩ ✩ ✩ Nearly everybody lies in Bluff, a new audio musical with music and lyrics by Ed Zanders, so I may as well join in and say how pleasant a listen it is. That’s only a partial lie, really. Zanders’ songs are lushly […]
Gina Beck and Alex Young to share starring role in Chichester’s South Pacific
Alex Young will take over as Nellie Forbush part way through the Chichester Festival Theatre’s eagerly-anticipated production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic South Pacific when original leading lady Gina Beck leaves to await the birth of her second child. The special job share arrangement will mean Beck will rehearse and open in the role as […]
WhatsOnStage Awards – Turbine Theatre – Stream.Theatre
WhatsOnStage Awards, streamed by Stream.Theatre from the Turbine Theatre, London. The 21st WOS Awards can surely claim to be unique as the first awards show to have no awards! They have been rolled over to next year because of you-know-what. No awards is not strictly true because 21 Angels who went beyond the call of […]
Lockdown Angels honoured at the 21st Annual WhatsOnStage Awards
During the 21st Annual WhatsOnStage Awards, live streamed from London’s Turbine Theatre, a select group were honoured as Angels, following nominations from the public. As a thank you for all their love and support during lockdown, the 21 Angels will receive a complimentary night at the theatre when live performances are able to resume. From […]
Masterclass for Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year candidates
The team behind the Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year (SSSSPOTY) has organised a special masterclass and Q&A to help fill the void left by the shelving of this year’s contest due to the Covid-19 crisis. The 70 students who had been due to travel to London for the selection process to find […]
Stephen Sondheim Society sponsors Lockdown Sondheim Quiz Night
The Stephen Sondheim Society (SSS) will join forces on Sunday 17 May 2020 with Jordan Li-Smith (currently assistant MD for City of Angels) for the latest Lockdown Sondheim Quiz Night, raising much-needed funds for Acting for Others. Since lockdown, Li-Smith has been running his very successful #LockdownMTQuizNight on Sundays. This week, the SSS is sponsoring […]
h Club London to launch bi-weekly virtual chat show hosted by Oscar Conlon-Morrey
A host of West End stars will join actor Oscar Conlon-Morrey for the first in a series of virtual musical theatre hours on 24 May 2020. Launched by new free digital membership club, h Club London (formerly The Hospital Club) and produced by Danielle Tarento, Sunday in the Club with Oscar will feature the Only […]
Star-studded online concert Kings Of Broadway 2020 will celebrate the work of Jule Styne, Jerry Herman & Stephen Sondheim
Kings Of Broadway 2020, an online concert celebrating the music of the legendary Broadway composers Jule Styne, Jerry Herman and Stephen Sondheim (the latter two whose lyrics will also be celebrated), will premiere at 7pm on Sunday 31 May 2020 via the ‘Quick Fantastic’ channel on YouTube. The evening will feature a cross section of […]
Piece by Piece Podcast – Carousel
Carousel is the third free talkshow Piece by Piece podcast from the Pint of Wine stable taking an in-depth look at classic musicals. It follows its Rodgers and Hammerstein stablemate Oklahoma! and Guys and Dolls. Coming two years after Oklahoma! the show was never going to match the popularity of that first collaboration which ran […]
Iconic musical Carousel is discussed in latest Piece By Piece theatre podcast
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic Carousel is the subject of the latest musical theatre podcast hosted by award-winning musical director Joe Bunker. Produced by Pint of Wine theatre, the third offering in the Piece By Piece series of free musical theatre-themed talk shows is a two part, two-hour episode featuring guests, director Jo Davies (Carousel, Opera […]
Guys and Dolls – Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
Guys and Dolls continues at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield until 18 January 2020. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ Could the fedora make a comeback? It’s not impossible. After all, who would have predicted the ubiquity of the beard three years ago? If it does come to pass, Robert Hastie’s production of […]
Cast for Sheffield Theatres’ Guys and Dolls
Sheffield Theatres’ artistic director Robert Hastie has announced full casting details for his festive season revival of Guys and Dolls. Kadiff Kirwan (Sweet Charity, City of Angels, Donmar Warehouse) will take on the role of Sky Masterson opposite Alex Young (Follies, National Theatre, Me and My Girl, Chichester Festival Theatre) who will return to Sheffield […]
CD Review: Follies – National Theatre 2018 Cast
FOLLIES – National Theatre 2018 Cast (Warner Classics – 093624900955) Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Sondheim’s Follies is one of those musicals that started its rocky road to becoming an iconic piece of theatre in 1971. I remember being in London at the time and there was a record shop in Dean […]
What ever happened to Taron Egerton? It’s the Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year roll of honour
From little acorns do mighty oaks grow and from 2007 when an entry of just ten students meant they ALL qualified for the final, the Stephen Sondheim Society’s Student Performer of the Year competition has become a very special date on the musical theatre calendar, writes Jeremy Chapman. This year’s 13th edition, for the first […]
Stephen Sondheim Society presents… Alex Young and Friends – Phoenix Garden
Stephen Sondheim Society presents… Alex Young and Friends at the Phoenix Garden, London Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Cram 75 Sondheim fans into a glorified garden shed in the shadow of the Phoenix Theatre on a freezing December night, put the delicious Alex Young on London’s tiniest stage and somehow you […]
Me and My Girl – Chichester Festival Theatre
Me and My Girl continues at the Chichester Festival Theatre until 25 August 2018. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ When I reviewed this show on press night, the leading role of Bill Snibson was taken on by understudy Ryan Pidgin due to the indisposition of Matt Lucas. The actor, having seen a throat specialist, […]
Me and My Girl – Chichester Festival Theatre
Me and My Girl continues at the Chichester Festival Theatre until 25 August 2018. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ This season’s productions at Chichester have not met with the usual acclaim from other critics, although they have been well received by audiences and by this reviewer. Not surprisingly there has been speculation over […]
Chichester’s Me and My Girl full cast confirmed
The full company has been confirmed for the Chichester Festival Theatre’s much-anticipated production of the classic Me And My Girl this summer. As previously announced the principal cast will be led Little Britain star Matt Lucas who will make his Chichester Festival Theatre debut as Bill Snibson, the Cockney barrow boy who discovers he’s an […]
Clive Rowe joins cast of Chichester’s Me and My Girl
Clive Rowe is the latest addition to the principal cast of Chichester Festival Theatre’s much-anticipated production of the classic Me And My Girl this summer. Olivier Award winner Rowe (Guys and Dolls, Carousel) will join the previously announced Matt Lucas, Caroline Quentin and Alex Young in the new version of the music hall flavoured musical […]
BEAM 2018 – shining a light on talent with 58 new British musicals in development
Musical Theatre Review’s Tina Foote previews BEAM 2018, the Biennial Industry Showcase for New British Musical Theatre Writing, running from 1-2 March at London’s Theatre Royal Stratford East. This weekend Everybody’s Talking About Jamie won Best New Musical in the WhatsOnStage Awards after a successful transfer from the Sheffield Crucible to the West End, now happily […]
Women’s Musical Theatre Initiative: Celebrating Female Songwriters – The Pheasantry
London’s Playwrights’ Workshop launches Women’s Musical Theatre Initiative: Celebrating Female Songwriters at The Pheasantry, London. Pairing up with musical theatre writing duo Barlow and Smith, London Playwrights’ Workshop has launched the Women’s Musical Theatre Initiative, a new development programme for female musical theatre writers. Following on from a report in The Stage that male writers […]
Follies’ Alex Young to join Edward Seckerson for next Comparing Notes show
Former Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year and West End rising star Alex Young will be Edward Seckerson’s next guest in his Comparing Notes series at Pizza Express Live Holborn on 18 February. Launched last September at the newly opened London entertainment venue, the format of the musical theatre-themed shows features writer and […]
Stephen Sondheim Society Presents… Alex Young and Friends – Phoenix Artist Club
Stephen Sondheim Society Presents… Alex Young and Friends at the Phoenix Artist Club, London. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ There wasn’t room to swing a cat at the Phoenix for the appearance of Alex Young, fresh from her triumph as Young Sally, Imelda Staunton’s ghost, in Follies. This first of the Stephen […]
Women’s Musical Theatre Initiative launched to encourage female writers
London Playwrights’ Workshop and songwriting partners Barlow & Smith have joined forces to launch a search for new musical theatre projects from female writers. Launching next month with a fundraising cabaret show, Celebrating Female Songwriters, the Women’s Musical Theatre Initiative (WMTI) will seek to re-dress the imbalance between male and female writers in the field. […]
Carousel – London Coliseum
Carousel continues at the London Coliseum until 13 May. Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩ When the Michaels Linnit and Grade collaborated with the ENO and brought Sweeney Todd (starring Emma Thompson and Bryn Terfel) to the London Coliseum in 2015, they appeared to have come up with a pretty successful formula: pick […]
The S&S Award and new musical Here – latest news
After having a week’s development at Curve Leicester in September 2016, the 2015 S&S Award-winning musical Here was presented at an industry showcase this week. Here is a folk-classical musical, inspired by writers Kate Marlais and Alex Young’s fascination with the German Dadaist artist Kurt Schwitters. The piece is set in a remote town in […]
Nick Barstow and Friends – The Pheasantry, London
Nick Barstow and Friends performed at The Pheasantry, London. Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩ Nick Barstow is an engaging personality with a winning manner who is adept at handling his cues from one introduction to another with a sure touch. His skills as pianist and arranger were manifest in the two dozen […]
Best of British fundraiser at the Union Theatre
Home-grown musical talent will be celebrated at a special one-off fundraiser later this month at London’s Union Theatre. Devised by Alastair Knights (director of the award-winning production of The Spitfire Grill), Best of British will play for one night only at the Union Theatre on 20 March. The cabaret, which is in aid of the Union […]
The S&S Award Gala 2015 – St James Theatre
The S&S Award Gala was held at the St James Theatre, London. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ Where is the home of new musical theatre writing in the UK? The West End houses 33 musicals currently – putting aside adaptations, jukebox musicals and classic works, only two of these could be considered new standalone original works. The National Theatre allows […]
Bette Midler… and Me – Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Bette Midler… and Me continues at the Gilded Balloon until 31 August. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ This must be one of the most packed hour shows at Fringe 2015 – studded with an impressive catalogue of Bette Midler songs, this is a super cabaret style evening with three impressive ladies. The stage evokes what Giles […]
An Afternoon with the Sondheim Society – Alex Parker & Friends
An Afternoon with the Sondheim Society and… Alex Parker & Friends at the Leicester Square Theatre, London. For a young man of 23, multi-talented Alex Parker has packed plenty into his burgeoning career. But you ain’t heard nothing yet. This fiercely ambitious musical director-pianist-composer’s credits already include a concert version of A Little Night Music, […]
