White Christmas continues at the Mill at Sonning until 25 January 2025. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ White Christmas is a truly heartwarming spectacle that promises to leave audiences feeling full of holiday cheer well into the new year.
Tag Archives | Gary Lloyd
Heathers The Musical – @sohoplace and Touring
Heathers The Musical was reviewed at @sohoplace, London where it continues until 6 July 2024. The tour continues until until 23 November 2024. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★★
Rehab the Musical – Neon194
Rehab the Musical continues at Neon 194, London until 17 February 2024. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ Make the new Neon 194 venue near Piccadilly Circus your destination if you fancy an exciting night of big tunes and raunchy fun to warm up this cold, cold winter.
London debut for Cruel Intentions musical
The stage musical version of the 1999 American film Cruel Intentions will make its long-awaited London debut early next year. Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the film which took its inspiration from the 18th century French novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Cruel Intentions: The ’90s Musical will open at The Other Palace on 11 January 2024 where it will play a 14-week season.
Heathers The Musical – The Other Palace
Heathers: The Musical continues at The Other Palace, London until 19 February 2023. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Already a theatre institution in its own right, having first transferred to London from Broadway in 2018 and gained a die-hard following of fans since, Heathers The Musical has seen some West End legends […]
First casting news for Rehab The Musical
Initial casting has been announced for new British show Rehab The Musical which is due to make its debut at The Playground Theatre in September 2022. Stage and screen star Keith Allen (Celebration, Almeida Theatre, Trainspotting) will appear alongside Jonny Labey (Strictly Ballroom, Piccadilly Theatre, EastEnders), Gloria Onitiri (Cinderella, Gillian Lynne Theatre, The Bodyguard, Adelphi […]
Heathers The Musical – Theatre Royal Haymarket
Heathers The Musical continues at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, London until 11 September 2021. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Bullying, bulimia, under-age sex, suicide, toxic masculinity, murder, school shootings… it’s rarely the stuff of musical theatre, let alone jolly, bubble-gum musicals with infectious pop scores. Yet Heathers The Musical manages to combine […]
Thriller Live records ‘I’ll Be There’ to support Black Lives Matter
The global casts of Thriller Live have reunited (virtually) once again to record a special version of ‘I’ll Be There’ in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Just a few weeks after stars past and present joined forces for a farewell version of Michael Jackson’s ‘Earth Song’ marking the end of the hit show’s […]
Thriller Live team says goodbye with special music video
With COVID-19 denying the Thriller Live team the chance to take the hit show’s final bow on stage at the Lyric Theatre, stars past and present have teamed up (virtually) to say farewell with a version of Michael Jackson’s ‘Earth Song’. Sixteen lead singers including Peter Andre and the show’s first young West End MJ, […]
West End’s Thriller Live has taken its last moonwalk
The producers of Thriller Live have confirmed the hit show took its final bow at the Lyric Theatre last Sunday (15 March 2020) just three performances short of becoming the 11th longest-running West End musical of all time. Originally due to end its record-breaking 11 year run at the Lyric Theatre on 28 April, the […]
Birthday singalong planned by Thriller Live
Hit show Thriller Live will celebrate its record-breaking 11th year in the West End with its first Singalong Show on 22 January 2020. For one night only, audience members will be invited to join the cast in singing Michael Jackson and Jackson 5 classic songs. The birthday singalong comes just a few months after it […]
Book Review: My Life With Michael – Gary Lloyd
MY LIFE WITH MICHAEL: 10 Years of Thriller Live! – Gary Lloyd (The Book Guild Publishing – ISBN: 9781912881666) Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Is it really 10 years since Michael Jackson died and that Thriller Live! opened on the West End? Time just flies these days! When Thriller Live! opened it was […]
UK premiere cast for Cruel Intentions announced
Casting has been unveiled for the UK premiere of immersive jukebox-style show Cruel Intentions: The ’90s Musical at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Two of the stars of the West End’s premiere production of Heathers: The Musical, Dominic Andersen and Sophie Isaacs will star alongside Rebecca Gilhooley (UK premiere of The Last Ship), Evelyn Hoskins […]
Heathers The Musical – Theatre Royal Haymarket
Heathers the Musical continues at Theatre Royal Haymarket until 24 November 2018. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ On the face of it, cult film Heathers would not seem to be a great candidate to form an evening of uplifting musical theatre. The 1988 film is a dark, dark comedy that takes […]
Thriller Live – Lyric Theatre
Thriller Live (4,000th performance) at the Lyric Theatre, London. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ If you’re looking for a quiet night out, Thriller Live probably isn’t the place for you. However, if you’re after a show where you’re encouraged to treat it as if you were going to see the late king of pop […]
Stars line-up for Thriller Live gala show in aid of the Prince’s Trust
Singer Peter Andre, comedian Russell Kane and impressionist Jon Culshaw will join the cast of the record-breaking Thriller Live for one night only to celebrate the production’s 4,000th West End performance and launch a new partnership with The Prince’s Trust next week. The glittering Gala Charity Performance at the Lyric Theatre on Wednesday 12 September […]
Thriller Live to celebrate 4,000th West End performance with special charity show
The record-breaking Thriller Live will celebrate its 4,000th West End performance with a special gala show launching a new partnership with The Prince’s Trust in September. The glittering Gala Charity Performance on Wednesday 12 September 2018 will feature a number of high-profile special guest stars who will take to the stage alongside the cast at […]
Carrie Hope Fletcher to star in European premiere of Heathers – The Musical at The Other Palace
Following a rapturous response to its sell-out 2017 workshop, 80s cult classic Heathers – The Musical is back in class this summer with new songs, new material and new classmates – including Carrie Hope Fletcher as Veronica Sawyer. Produced by Bill Kenwright and Paul Taylor Mills, who produced the award winning Carrie together in 2015, the musical premieres at The Other […]
West End’s Thriller Live to celebrate Michael Jackson’s 60th birthday
Cast and crew on the hit Thriller Live at London’s Lyric Theatre are gearing up for a 10th anniversary year of milestone moments. Now the eighth longest-running show currently playing in the West End, Thriller Live will celebrate becoming the 14th longest-running West End musical of all time on 15 February. Further celebrations and prime-time […]
New dancers join Thriller Live cast in the West End
Eight young dancers are making their West End debuts in the record-breaking Thriller Live at London’s Lyric Theatre. The new cast members have all secured 12-month contracts with the show which will ensure they are part of the 10th anniversary celebrations planned for January 2018. Unveiling details of the new dancers, the show’s award-winning director […]
New stage show Purple Rain – celebrating the music of Prince – begins tour in 2018
Purple Rain – a new theatrical event celebrating the music of one of the world’s greatest pop artists, Prince – will tour the UK from February 2018 (kicking off from 1 to 10 February 2018 at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley). Directed by Gary Lloyd, director of hit production Thriller Live, the show is billed as […]
Thriller Live extends West End booking until October 2017 plus details of new tour
The record-breaking Thriller Live has reached another milestone moment with the announcement of a new West End booking period which will take the show up to October 2017. Inspired by the life and music of Michael Jackson, the show – which celebrated its 3,000th performance at London’s Lyric Theatre in March this year – also […]
Thoroughly Modern Millie UK tour stars Strictly’s Joanne Clifton
Thoroughly Modern Millie is set to tour the UK in 2017, opening at the New Wimbledon Theatre on Tuesday 17 January. World ballroom showdance champion and professional dancer Joanne Clifton (Strictly Come Dancing) will take on the title role of Millie Dillmount, a Kansas girl determined to make it big in New York City. Clifton’s credits […]
Thriller Live celebrates 3000 West End performances
The cast of the Michael Jackson inspired Thriller Live celebrated yet another milestone moment this week with an American-themed party to mark the show’s 3000th performance in London’s West End. Members of the current cast partied the night away at Planet Hollywood and tucked in to a custom-made giant three tier cake topped with a […]
The Life – The English Theatre, Frankfurt
The Life continues at The English Theatre, Frankfurt until 14 February. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ In an era still dominated by big German spectaculars, such as Elisabeth and the Disney imports like Aladdin which has just arrived in Hamburg, we must be grateful to the English Theatre for taking risks and presenting this […]
Thriller Live becomes 17th longest-running West End musical of all time
Last night’s 2,901th performance of the Michael Jackson inspired Thriller Live at the Lyric Theatre marked the point at which the concert spectacular becomes the 17th longest-running West End musical of all time. Just weeks after the show which is in its seventh year in London’s West End hit the milestone $150 million mark at […]
Thriller Live – Lyric Theatre and Touring
Thriller Live continues at the Lyric Theatre, London and also on tour. Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ Thriller Live has been running at the Lyric since January 2009 but this week sees the launch of a ten-month UK and European tour, along with a host of production revamps. It is testament to the enduring quality […]
Thriller Live hits $150 million mark at the global box office
The Michael Jackson inspired Thriller Live is celebrating hitting the milestone $150 million mark at the international box office. The show, which is in its seventh year in the West End (currently at the Lyric Theatre) will be cracking open the champagne again in December when it will overtake Evita to become the 17th longest-running West End […]
Thriller Live – big creative changes in the West End, while show tours from October
Major changes are about to happen to the long-running record-breaking West End concert spectacular, Thriller Live. A new opening to the show is being created and four new Michael Jackson songs – ‘Who’s Loving You’, ‘Rockin’ Robin’, ‘Remember the Time’ and ‘Human Nature’ – are being added. “This is a really, really exciting time,” said Gary Lloyd, Thriller Live’s award-winning […]
Carrie – Southwark Playhouse
Carrie continues at the Southwark Playhouse, London until 30 May. Star rating: 4 stars ★ ★ ★ ★ There are parallels between Carrie, the musical adaptation of the 1976 screen version of the Stephen King horror story, and the story of its eponymous anti-heroine, Carrie White. Both started out as ostracised, belittled and laughed at: in the world […]
Carrie: The Musical – Evelyn Hoskins and Kim Criswell cast in lead roles
Evelyn Hoskins will take on the role of Carrie White and Kim Criswell will play her mother Margaret in the London premiere of Carrie: The Musical in The Large at Southwark Playhouse from Friday 1 to Saturday 30 May 2015, with a press night on Wednesday 6 May. Preview performances are now sold out, following the best on-sale week of any show in the venue’s […]
Sister Act – Guildford School of Acting
Sister Act was performed by third-year BA Musical Theatre students from the Guildford School of Acting at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford. Star rating: 5 stars ***** Among the abundance of musicals based on iconic films that have emerged in recent years, the 2006 adaptation of 1992’s classic comedy Sister Act may be the exception that proves […]
Carrie: The Musical has London premiere at Southwark Playhouse
Carrie: The Musical will receive its long awaited London premiere in The Large at Southwark Playhouse from 1–30 May (press night is Wednesday 6 May). Twenty-seven years after first wreaking havoc, one of the world’s most talked about Broadway musicals is coming to London. Academy Award-winning Dean Pitchford and Michael Gore (Fame), and original screenplay writer […]
Thriller Live celebrates seventh year in the West End
There are celebrations on Shaftesbury Avenue today as Thriller Live starts its seventh year in the West End – by breaking yet more records. Tito Jackson, who was guest of honour at the star-studded opening night at the Lyric Theatre in 2009 and has seen it several times since with the rest of the Jackson brothers, has this […]
Thriller Live – Lyric Theatre
Thriller Live continues at the Lyric Theatre, London. Since touring the UK in 2007 and then opening at the Lyric Theatre in January 2009, Flying Music’s Thriller Live has become something of a global phenomenon (3,700 performances in 29 countries and a global audience of almost three million). It’s a demonstration that a relatively simple […]
20th Century Boy – Manchester and Touring
20th Century Boy was reviewed at the Opera House, Manchester and continues to tour until 19 July. This new production of 20th Century Boy – a biographical, jukebox musical dedicated to the life and career of glam rock star and T.Rex frontman Marc Bolan – is based on an original idea by Brian Dunham, Colin […]
20th Century Boy – Warren Sollars leads cast
West End and musical theatre performer Warren Sollars (Mamma Mia!, From Here to Eternity) will lead the cast of the musical 20th Century Boy, playing the Glam Rock legend Marc Bolan. He will be joined by TV stars Sue Jenkins (Brookside, Coronation Street) and Luke Bailey (Waterloo Road, Casualty). 20th Century Boy kicks off its tour […]
Fame the Musical tour – behind the scenes
Musical Theatre Review writer Jonathan Vickers was invited to attend rehearsals for the upcoming UK tour of the multi award-winning musical Fame the Musical. The show has enjoyed seven West End runs since premiering in the USA in 1988 and continues to be performed all over the world. Based on the Oscar-winning musical film and hugely […]
Thriller Live – West End’s first Michael Jackson returns
Kieran Alleyne was a shy 13-year-old Leicester schoolboy with no formal acting training when he was chosen in an open audition from thousands of young hopefuls for a starring role in the West End, singing the songs of the young Michael Jackson in Thriller Live. Now he is heading back to the West End tonight (Wednesday […]
Guildford School of Acting – Footloose
Performed at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford. Set in the quiet town of ‘Bomont’ in Bible-belt America, Footloose the musical was a very ambitious choice of show for a cast of third-year drama school students. However, the musical theatre graduates of the Guildford School of Acting pulled it off with all the style and professionalism […]
