Andrew Lloyd Webber has paid an emotional tribute to Ben Lewis, the West End and Australian star who has died aged 46 two years after he was diagnosed with incurable bowel cancer.
Tag Archives | Company
V&A celebrates musicals with new display
Paul O’Grady’s Miss Hannigan costume from the 1998 West End revival of Annie is among the new acquisitions to feature in a major new display celebrating musicals at the V&A museum. The popular entertainer’s gift is one of over 100 objects in the Re:Imagining Musicals exhibition in the V&A’s Theatre and Performance galleries.
Company scoops five Tony Awards but there are big wins for Six, MJ and A Strange Loop too
While Marianne Elliott’s production of Company received five prizes at the 75th Annual Tony Awards, it was quite a democratic night for the nominated musicals with Six: The Musical, A Strange Loop, MJ, Paradise Square and Girl From the North Country all having something to celebrate. The gender-swapped staging of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Company repeated a large […]
Company and Six are big winners at the Drama Desk Awards 2022
Both Company and Six each won in four categories at the Drama Desk Awards 2022, held this week at Sardi’s Restaurant in New York. Kimberly Akimbo was named the Outstanding Musical. The newly created Ensemble Award went to SIX: The Musical’s Adrianna Hicks, Andrea Macasaet, Brittney Mack, Abby Mueller, Samantha Pauly and Anna Uzele. Founded in 1955, the Drama Desk Awards […]
Triple award glory for Six at Outer Critics Circle Awards
Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’ hit British musical Six The Musical continues to make waves on the other side of the Atlantic with three wins at the 71st annual Outer Critics Circle Awards. Currently playing to packed houses at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in New York, the musical which was puts the spotlight on the […]
A Strange Loop leads 2022 Tony Awards nominations but the Queens of Six The Musical are close behind
The 2022 Tony Awards nominations, recognising the best and brightest of the 2021-22 Broadway theatre season, have been announced by Adrienne Warren and Joshua Henry and British talents are celebrating. American shows A Strange Loop (11 nominations), MJ (10) and Paradise Square (10) may lead the pack but they are closely followed by Marianne Elliott’s production of Company […]
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 […]
CD Review: Sondheim Unplugged – Various Artists
SONDHEIM UNPLUGGED – Various Artists (Yellow Sound – YSL567353) Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ [This review was written before the death of Stephen Sondheim on 26 November 2021] With masterly musical direction and piano accompaniment by Joseph Goodrich we have a cornucopia of Sondheim. Not only the recognisable songs from the […]
‘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 […]
Tony Awards to go online
The exact date and format are still uncertain, but it’s been decided that this year’s long-delayed Tony Awards will be presented online in the fall. Originally scheduled for 7 June 2020 with its customary presentation on network television, The Tonys, like everything in the realm of Broadway, were knocked askew by the Coronavirus pandemic. Government […]
A Crossword of Sondheimian Rhyme
Stephen Sondheim is probably theatre’s greatest living lyricist. This is a compliment he may or may not be sick of reading, especially after last month’s deluge of well-deserved 90th birthday encomiums. Either way, as a (somewhat less-acclaimed) musical theatre maker myself I know there is something every proud lyricist could never tire of: people noticing […]
The Top 12 Olivier Awards Performances of the Last Ten Years
In lieu of an Olivier Awards ceremony this Sunday evening, ITV is broadcasting a compilation of their greatest performances instead. Just in case the choices don’t match yours, here are our top 12 favourite Olivier Awards performances of the last decade, in no particular order. With thanks to Ian Bowkett. 2019 – Jason Manford, Janie […]
Sondheim at 90: A YouTube career retrospective
Ian Bowkett writes: It is deeply unfortunate that on the 90th birthday of legendary composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim we are in the midst of a period without access to live musical theatre. However, that does make this the perfect time to scour YouTube for our favourite renditions of his songs to take us away to happier […]
The Great White Way goes dark
Coronavirus has caught up with Broadway. Following a New York State ban on gatherings of more than 500 in the wake of the spreading epidemic, the Broadway League, the national trade association for the Broadway theatre industry, announced on Thursday (12 March 2020) an immediate month-long shutdown of all Main Stem shows. Charlotte St. Martin, […]
A tribute to Harold Prince – King of Broadway
The American theatre director and producer Harold Prince, celebrated for some of the most successful musical productions on Broadway and in the West End, recently died at the age of 91. For over 60 years he produced or directed many of the most original musicals in theatre history. Michael Darvell looks back at the life […]
Broadway marks the passing of the legendary Hal Prince
The lights on Broadway were dimmed last night in memory of Harold Prince, the multi award-winning director and producer who died at the age of 91 yesterday (31 July 2019) A true Broadway legend, Harold Prince wove his magic on the Great White Way for decades, working with many of the greats and winning 21 […]
It’s a double whammy win for West End’s Company at the Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards
Marianne Elliott’s ground-breaking production of Company, Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s legendary 1970 musical comedy about life, love and marriage, with a hotly anticipated gender-swapped story line, took home two awards at the 2018 Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards held today (29 January 2019) at London’s Prince of Wales Theatre – The Peter Hepple Award for Best […]
Musical Theatre Review 2018 – Five-Star Show Round-Up
Musical Theatre Review reflects on another stunning and diverse year of theatre. Here is a round-up of five-star reviews from 2018 productions in the West End, on the London Fringe, in the regions and on tour (plus a sprinkling of Broadway openings too). With thanks to all our awesome contributors. JANUARY Six – Arts Theatre, London […]
Company leads individual production nominations for Evening Standard Awards
Marianne Elliott’s critically-acclaimed gender-swapped version of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Company leads the individual production nominations for the 64th Evening Standard Theatre Awards. Just three weeks after the show’s opening night, Company has been nominated for the award for best musical alongside Caroline, or Change, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Fun Home and Hamilton. The […]
New look Company’s West End season extended
Just hours after a star-studded opening night, the producers of Marianne Elliott’s critically-acclaimed gender-swapped version of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Company have released 100,000 extra tickets for the hit show with booking now extended until 30 March 2019. Andrew Garfield, Graham Norton and Emma Thompson were among the stars in the audience at the […]
Company – Gielgud Theatre
Company continues at the Gielgud Theatre, London until 22 December 2018. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Fuddy-duddy traditionalists who don’t normally like great works being tweaked or updated will be approaching this gender-bending revival of Stephen Sondheim’s 1970 musical Company with trepidation but they needn’t worry – it’s wonderful. This most […]
Amy becomes Jamie as Jonathan Bailey and Alex Gaumond join cast of re-gendered Company
Jonathan Bailey, Alex Gaumond and Daisy Maywood will complete the cast for Marianne Elliott’s eagerly-anticipated gender-swapped version of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Company. Bailey (American Psycho, Almeida, Othello, National Theatre) will play the re-gender-switched role of Jamie (originally Amy) opposite Gaumond (Matilda, We Will Rock You, West End) who will play his devoted fiancée Paul. […]
More gender-blind casting for the West End cast of Company
Richard Fleesham, George Blagden and Matthew Seadon-Young will take on key roles in Marianne Elliott’s eagerly anticipated gender-swapped version of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Company. The trio will play the re-gendered and re-named by Sondheim roles of the three boyfriends of central character Bobbie (Rosalie Craig) in the production which will begin previewing at […]
Interview: Gus Gowland on sharing his new musical Pieces of String with audiences at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester
Pieces of String is a new musical set simultaneously in the 1940s and the present day: following her father’s death, Jane is clearing out his house, but while she is going through his possessions she unearths a secret that she is unprepared for. GUS GOWLAND has written the book, music and lyrics for the show […]
Company – Aberdeen Arts Centre
Company continues at the Aberdeen Arts Centre until 10 February 2018. Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩ It’s Bobby’s 35th birthday and all of his married friends are wondering why he is avoiding that matrimonial state. Yes, he has lady-friends galore and yes, everyone adores the man; but why won’t he cross that […]
Mel Giedroyc joins cast of Company at the Gielgud alongside Rosalie Craig and Patti LuPone
Mel Giedroyc will join the cast of Elliott & Harper’s highly-anticipated new production of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Tony Award-winning musical Company, directed by Marianne Elliott. It will run at the Gielgud Theatre from 26 September 2018 for a limited run. Giedroyc will play Sarah and joins Rosalie Craig as Bobbi, a role re-imagined […]
Musical Theatre 2018 Preview – all you need to know
You can’t get more comprehensive than this, here’s a preview of all the 2018 musical theatre openings we know about so far in the West End, on the London Fringe and across the UK. JANUARY Girl From the North Country – Noel Coward Theatre, London The Old Vic’s critically-acclaimed world premiere production of Girl From […]
Aberdeen Arts Centre to stage Sondheim’s Company
Aberdeen Arts Centre will follow up last year’s hit version of Cabaret with a new production of Stephen Sondheim’s Company. With a cast of West End stars, the show – featuring the music and lyrics of Sondheim and a book by George Furth – the multi award-winning show will play Aberdeen from 1-10 February 2018. […]
Patti LuPone and Rosalie Craig cast in gender-bending production of Company
Actresses Rosalie Craig and Patti LuPone will lead the cast in Marianne Elliott’s forthcoming production of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Company at the Gielgud Theatre (beginning for a limited season on 26 September 2018), presented by Elliott & Harper Productions (the company she recently founded with producer Chris Harper). It is the first time the […]
Dean Jones – original star of Company (1931 to 2015)
Dean Jones, original star of Company (1931-2015). Although he must have appeared in some musicals before his film career took off, DEAN JONES is remembered for one particular role in music theatre, for he created the role of Robert in Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Company. Michael Darvell pays tribute to the actor-singer who died from […]
Austria – a musical start to 2015
The first stages of 2015 have been quite a joy for musical theatre fans in Austria, writes Ludovico Lucchesi Palli. Aside from a real Austrian classic in Salzburg and a little bit of Sondheim in Linz, a crime musical also opened in Kottingbrunn, just outside Vienna. Im Weissen Rössl – Salzburger Landestheater Star rating: 4 stars ★ […]
Our Time – KT Sullivan and Jeff Harnar Sing Sondheim – Crazy Coqs
Our Time: KT Sullivan and Jeff Harnar Sing Sondheim at the Crazy Coqs, London continues until 14 February. Star rating: 4 stars **** Put two of New York’s finest, most enduring cabaret performers in the best room in town, give them 20 of Stephen Sondheim’s cleverest songs to interpret, many with a new, gender-bending twist, and the result, as you might […]
Tim Flavin – Reflections of a Song and Dance Man – Crazy Coqs
Tim Flavin’s cabaret Reflections of a Song and Dance Man continues at the Crazy Coqs, London until 17 January. 4 stars **** Tim Flavin returns to the Crazy Coqs with a cabaret act developed in collaboration, with his musical director and accompanist Colin Billing, at a Caribbean hotel where it played for two seasons. The programme is […]
Sondheim Only …Slightly Rearranged – The Pheasantry
Sondheim Only …Slightly Rearranged was performed at The Pheasantry, London. Twenty-seven of Stephen Sondheim’s finest sung by six names that were new to most of us and therefore eager to show what they could do – and with the fun idea of getting the three gals perform the composer/lyricist’s ‘fella’ material and vice versa. Yes, Sondheim […]
