New UK Musicals: Live in Concert at The Other Palace, London. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ In the UK, new musical theatre writing, and particularly new British writing, is something of a Cinderella – it tends to get overlooked. With the West End filled with established long-runners and an endless cycle of […]
Tag Archives | Gemma Sutton
New UK Musicals concert announced
West End stars Tyrone Huntley (Jesus Christ Superstar, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Anoushka Lucas (Oklahoma, Young Vic), Michael Rouse (A Christmas Carol, Old Vic) and Gemma Sutton (Follies, National Theatre) will appear alongside a new generation of performers in a special concert celebrating new UK musicals early next month. Produced by Darren Clark for […]
The Wicker Husband – Watermill Theatre, Bagnor
The Wicker Husband continues at the Watermill Theatre, Bagnor until 26 March 2022. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ One can only assume that fate has played a manipulative role in The Wicker Husband, finally having its long-awaited run at the Watermill Theatre this month. From the first reading of writers Rhys Jennings and […]
Full cast for Watermill’s The Wicker Husband
Full casting has been unveiled for the highly-anticipated return of folk-flavoured musical The Wicker Husband to Newbury’s Watermill Theatre next month. Joseph Alessi (The Lorax, Old Vic and Toronto) will take on the role of Cobbler with Gemma Sutton (Sweet Charity, The Watermill) as Ugly Girl, Olivier Award winner George Maguire (Sunny Afternoon, West End) […]
First West End artists announced for Stiles and Drewe Best New Song Prize concert
George Stiles, Anthony Drewe and Mercury Musical Developments (MMD) have announced the first group of West End stars lined up to perform the songs in the running for this year’s Stiles + Drewe Best New Song Prize at London’s Hackney Empire on 10 September 2021. With more star performers to be announced, the concert will […]
Outdoor revival of Annie Get Your Gun
Waitress and School of Rock’s Joel Montague will direct and co-star in a special outdoor version of Annie Get Your Gun within the grounds of Betley Court Farm in Staffordshire. Running from 20-25 July 2021, the latest event from the team behind last year’s open air Songs Under The Stars’ musical-themed shows, will once again […]
Gemma Sutton & Bronté Barbé to feature in London performances of new musical Ride
West End stars Gemma Sutton and Bronté Barbé will take the lead in two special semi-staged workshop performances of award-winning new musical RIDE. With music and lyrics by Jack Williams and a book and lyrics by Freya Catrin Smith who will co-direct with Adam Lenson, the musical will play two performances at the Garrick Theatre […]
‘In theatre, anything can happen’: Clive Rowe chats Blues in the Night, being a grande Dame & the infinite possibilities of theatre
CLIVE ROWE – MBE and Olivier Award winner – is one of the UK’s most recognisable and best-loved performers. A graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, he won critical acclaim early in his career for playing Enoch Snow in Nicholas Hytner’s sold-out revival of Carousel at the National Theatre, for which he received […]
Blues in the Night – Kiln Theatre
Blues in the Night continues at the Kiln Theatre, London – until 7 September 2019. Star rating: five stars ★★★★★ There is much about Blues in the Night to remind one of Ain’t Misbehavin’, the Fats Waller musical revue that recently ran at the Southwark Playhouse. Both revolve around songs of Depression-era America, a time when the blues music […]
The Stephen Sondheim Society presents… – Phoenix Artist Club
The Stephen Sondheim Society presents… at Phoenix Artist Club, London. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★★ ✩ The Sondheim Society’s first show after the summer break got this monthly series of Monday cabarets off to a flying start with the delightful Gemma Sutton topping the bill, superbly supported by two exciting new talents, Rebecca […]
Sweet Charity – Watermill Theatre, Bagnor
Sweet Charity continues at the Watermill Theatre, Bagnor until 15 September 2018. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ First performed in 1966, Bob Fosse’s microcosmic study of naivety in the search for love retains its nostalgic qualities 50 years later in this production at the Watermill. Why, in the opening lines, we are told that […]
Mark Petty’s first four Crazy Coqs Presents shows announced
Lyricist Mark Petty has released details of the Crazy Coqs Presents series of shows which will launch this month at Live At Zédel. Announced earlier this year as part of the packed summer season line-up at London entertainment hub, the themed shows will be co-produced and hosted by Petty, the UK half of transatlantic songwriting […]
The Rink – Southwark Playhouse
The Rink continues at the Southwark Playhouse, London until 23 June 2018. Star rating: five stars ★★★★★ In an age where some of the biggest musicals are either faithful movie re-creations or give up on the form completely by being mere dance spectacles, it is good to welcome back the masterclass in musical theatre that is The […]
Interview: Gemma Sutton – star of The Rink at the Southwark Playhouse – finds the best things come in small packages
GEMMA SUTTON joins Caroline O’Connor in the first London revival of Kander and Ebb’s The Rink in 20 years, opening at London’s Southwark Playhouse this week. The Rink, running from 25 May until 23 June 2018, is the story of Italian housewife Anna (O’Connor), who runs a failing roller-skating business on the East Coast of the US, […]
Full cast for The Rink at Southwark Playhouse
Full casting has been announced for the first London revival of Kander and Ebb’s The Rink in 20 years which is due to open at the Southwark Playhouse next month. Stewart Clarke, Ross Dawes, Michael Lin, Elander Moore, Ben Redfern and Jason Winter will play the roles Dino, Lino, Lucky, Benny, Lenny and Tony respectively. […]
A Christmas Carol – Lyceum Theatre
A Christmas Carol at the Lyceum Theatre, London (the show will also be performed on 18 December). Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ At the front of the stage are lined up the cream of musical theatre and enough talent to fill several theatres. At the back is a 16-strong chorus, many […]
LMTO’s A Christmas Carol – Michael Xavier, Gemma Sutton and Hugh Maynard join cast
London Musical Theatre Orchestra has announced further casting for its 2017 concert production of A Christmas Carol which returns to the Lyceum Theatre in London with two performances on 11 and 18 December. Multi award-winning stage and screen actor Robert Lindsay (Citizen Smith, My Family, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) returns to the role of Ebenezer Scrooge. […]
Stars line up to record composer Alexander S Bermange’s comic catalogue
Musical comedy composer Alexander S. Bermange has assembled a star-studded line-up of stage and screen favourites to record a double album of his songs. Whit & Whimsy features special performances of some of Bermange’s most popular comic creations by stars including Miriam Margolyes, Nigel Planer, Tracie Bennett and Ian Bartholomew. Produced by Mike Dixon, the […]
Strictly Ballroom the Musical – West Yorkshire Playhouse
Strictly Ballroom the Musical at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds until 21 January 2017. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Baz Luhrmann’s original vision for Strictly Ballroom was a student musical presenting a primary myth (one generation renewing life by breaking with entrenched ritual and tradition) in the unlikely context of ballroom […]
Feathers fly as Strictly Ballroom the Musical prepares for UK stage
The West Yorkshire Playhouse has revealed production details of its much-anticipated UK premiere of Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom the Musical two months ahead of its opening on 30 November. Co-produced by West Yorkshire Playhouse and international producers Global Creatures, the romantic comedy set within the sequin-studded world of competitive ballroom dancing is due to play […]
Strictly Ballroom the Musical at West Yorkshire Playhouse – full casting
The full cast has been announced for Strictly Ballroom the Musical, with an international company coming together ahead of the first UK staging of the show, which is to premiere on Wednesday 30 November at West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds (press night is Tuesday 6 December). Gemma Sutton, who starred in the hugely-acclaimed production of Gypsy and is currently in […]
The Go-Between – Apollo Theatre
The Go-Between at the Apollo Theatre, London until 15 October. Rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ This is a haunting musical evocation of ‘the past is a foreign country’ novel by LP Hartley that became a memorable Julie Christie movie in the 1970s, but whether it has a future in the jukebox-saturated West End will […]
Gypsy at the Savoy Theatre – more casting revealed
Joining Imelda Staunton, who stars as the indomitable Momma Rose in the West End transfer of Jonathan Kent’s production of Gypsy, are Lara Pulver and Gemma Sutton who reprise the roles of Louise and June respectively in the five star Chichester Festival Theatre production, while Peter Davison joins the cast to play Herbie. The cast also features Dan Burton as Tulsa, Billy Hartman as Uncle Jocko, Jack Chissick as Mr Goldstone, Anita Louise Combe as Tessie Tura, Harry […]
Morphic Graffiti – A new kind of Carousel
Theatre company Morphic Graffiti, founded by Stewart Charlesworth and Luke Fredericks, is behind a bold new interpretation of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel, which officially opens tonight at the London fringe Arcola Theatre. Cameron Smith catches up with Stewart Charlesworth… It started with a typo. In 2011 Stewart Charlesworth, along with co-founder Luke Fredericks, created a new production company […]
Drunk – Bridewell Theatre
Drunk continues at the Bridewell Theatre, London until 1 March, then tours. Director/choreographer Drew McOnie’s first foray into a bold new world where dance elements are as strong as the music in musical theatre is a real success. Structuring movement, scenes and songs around a conceptual plot, this revue style show – a world premiere […]
Chicago – Leicester Curve
Chicago continues at the Curve, Leicester until 18 January 2014. Back in 1991, John Kander and Fred Ebb’s Chicago was Paul Kerryson’s choice for his first production as artistic director of the Leicester Haymarket. Now it’s the centrepiece of Curve’s fifth birthday celebrations, a work of genius, with brand new choreography by Drew McOnie, and a […]
