End of the Rainbow continues at Soho Theatre Walthamstow until 21 June 2026. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ This is the role that Jinkx Monsoon was born to play.
Tag Archives | Judy Garland
Jinkx Monsoon to star in Peter Quilter’s End of the Rainbow
RuPaul’s Drag Race double-champion Jinkx Monsoon will star as Judy Garland in a strictly limited run of Peter Quilter’s End of the Rainbow in London in 2026.
Ingenue – Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Ingenue: Deanna Durbin, Judy Garland and the Golden Age of Hollywood continues at theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, Edinburgh until 27 August 2022. Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩ Melanie Gall knows all there is to know about Deanna Durbin. She’s just published the only biography of the one-time child star and MGM […]
Lorna Luft – Crazy Coqs
Lorna Luft performed at Crazy Coqs, London. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Lorna Luft’s love affair with London goes back to the 1960s when her mother Judy Garland decided to move to the British capital, ultimately bringing her kids along. Aside from a few theatrical appearances at other venues, notably in Babes […]
Singer-songwriter and actress Ann Hampton Callaway chats about life during lockdown & returning to the joy of live music and theatre
Chicago-born singer, pianist, composer, lyricist, arranger, actress, educator, TV host and producer ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY was recently in London performing her show The Judy Garland Songbook at The Pheasantry and Cinematic Serenade at Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho. In high school, Ann performed in musicals and after graduation studied acting at the University of Illinois […]
Chasing Rainbows, Finding Judy: Sophie Evans and Lauren Samuels – Album launch at Proud Cabaret
The album launch/showcase for Sophie Evans and Lauren Samuels’ album Chasing Rainbows, Finding Judy took place at Proud Cabaret, London. Not so much a jewel on the Nile, more a treasure on the Thames, the Proud Cabaret venue is a wonderful oasis of kitsch cabaret and calm that, instantly you enter, transports you a million […]
Book Review: Nelson Riddle: Music with a Heartbeat – Geoffrey Littlefield with Christopher Riddle
NELSON RIDDLE: MUSIC WITH A HEARTBEAT – Geoffrey Littlefield with Christopher Riddle (Grosvenor House Publishing – ISBN: 978-1—83975-440-2) Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Those of us of a certain age will instantly know the name Nelson Riddle. Most will associate him with Frank Sinatra as he was Sinatra’s main arranger through the […]
Tenth anniversary tour of Judy & Liza – first dates announced
The tenth anniversary tour of Judy & Liza is set to be one of first shows to visit UK regional theatres as the country emerges from lockdown. Written by and starring Emma Dears (Les Misérables, UK tour and West End, Miss Saigon, West End) opposite stage and screen actress Helen Sheals (Judy! Arts Theatre, The Rise […]
Film Review: Renée Zellweger in Judy
Renée Zellweger plays Judy Garland in Rupert Goold’s film about the final months of the American singer-actress’s life. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ In talking about Judy Garland it is not hard to resort to superlatives when describing the legendary entertainer – singer, actress, dancer and, yes, the showbusiness genius that was Judy […]
CD Review: Lost Broadway 1961 – Various Artists
LOST BROADWAY 1961 – Various Artists (Stage Door Records – STAGE 9063) Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ I have a selection of CDs and vinyl that are catalogued under ‘Great to Be Alive’. They consist of shows that lift your spirits, singers who bring joy to the ear and compilations that hit the […]
‘Expect to be immersed in a gorgeous story’: Bernadette Robinson brings Songs For Nobodies to the West End
Written specifically to showcase the extraordinary talents of BERNADETTE ROBINSON, Songs For Nobodies is a 90-minute play featuring songs from five iconic divas: Judy Garland, Patsy Cline, Billie Holiday, Edith Piaf and Maria Callas, as each of them come into the lives of five ‘nobodies’. Bernadette takes on the divas in her one-woman show as she performs […]
Lorna Luft – The Pheasantry
Lorna Luft performed at The Pheasantry, London [this performance took place shortly before Lorna Luft was taken ill, everyone at Musical Theatre Review sends their very best wishes]. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Following her engagement in the musical Holiday Inn at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, Lorna Luft has been back in […]
Judy & Liza – Winchester and Touring
Judy & Liza was reviewed at the Theatre Royal Winchester. The show continues touring until 16 June 2018. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Clearly a labour of love from West End veteran Emma Dears (the youngest actress to have played the title role in Annie at the age of nine before […]
Seth Sikes – Judy Garland’s 95th Birthday – Live At Zédel
Seth Sikes performed his show Judy Garland’s 95th Birthday at Live At Zédel, London. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ Saturday 10 June this year would have been the 95th birthday of the legend that is Judy Garland. How fitting that a small gathering of fans should assemble at Live At Zédel to raise a glass in […]
Judy! – Arts Theatre
Judy! continues at the Arts Theatre, London until 17 June. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ Last year, Southwark Playhouse played host to Through the Mill, a loving warts-and-all tribute to the life of Judy Garland told through re-creations of her life at three crucial points. There are few Fringe productions for […]
Judy! to play West End season
Judy!, Ray Rackham’s play about the tempestuous life of the legendary Judy Garland, will play a five-week season at the London’s Arts Theatre from 16 May. Following on from its world premiere at the London Theatre Workshop in December 2015 and a successful run at the Southwark Playhouse last summer, the show which was previously titled Through […]
Judy Garland special event at the London Palladium
The 50th Anniversary of Judy Garland’s iconic London Palladium performance will be celebrated with a special event at the venue on 15 October. The distinctive voice of one of the Golden Age of Hollywood’s biggest stars will be heard once again at the Palladium in a show featuring big screen footage of Garland performing her […]
Through the Mill – Southwark Playhouse
Through the Mill continues at the Southwark Playhouse, London until 30 July. Rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ It is 1963. Legendary performer Judy Garland has signed with TV station CBS to host a weekly variety series, a contract which will help pay off the debts she already faces, but which are growing […]
Interview – meet the talented actor-musicians of Through the Mill at the Southwark Playhouse
Through the Mill, the backstage dreamscape featuring pivotal moments in the life of legendary actress and singer Judy Garland, transfers from London Theatre Workshop to the Southwark Playhouse this July. Transferring with the production are the actor-musicians who originated their roles in the acclaimed premiere production last December. Between them, they play more than 20 separate […]
Through the Mill at Southwark Playhouse – full casting details
The full cast has been announced for the Southwark Playhouse transfer of Through the Mill, Ray Rackham’s play about the tempestuous life of the legendary Judy Garland. The show, which was given its world premiere at the London Theatre Workshop in December last year, will play the Southwark Playhouse from 6 to 30 July. […]
Through the Mill transfers to Southwark Playhouse
Through the Mill, Ray Rackham’s play about the tempestuous life of the legendary Judy Garland, is to transfer to the Southwark Playhouse this summer. The show, which was given its world premiere at the London Theatre Workshop in December last year, will play the Southwark Playhouse from 6 to 30 July. Written by Rackham, the […]
End of the Rainbow – Belgrade Theatre, Coventry and Touring
End of the Rainbow continues at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry until 27 February and tours until 9 July. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ Following the undisputed triumph of its predecessor at Trafalgar Studios, Peter Quilter’s searing comedy-drama-musical End of the Rainbow, based on the harrowing six weeks Judy Garland spent during her umpteenth ‘comeback […]
End of the Rainbow UK tour – first look and exclusive interviews
There’s an unassuming little rehearsal space in East London – wood floor, parish notices, stacked chairs. A table at the back buzzes with laptops, low chatter and paperwork. A keyboard sits in anticipation on its stand, and a makeshift set has been constructed from an old sofa and the resident grand piano. You’d be forgiven for not […]
End of the Rainbow – Lisa Maxwell leads new touring production
Actress and television presenter Lisa Maxwell will take on the central role of Judy Garland in a new touring production of Peter Quilter’s End of the Rainbow next year. The former ‘Loose Woman’, best known for her long-running role in ITV’s The Bill, will hit the road – along with Gary Wilmot and Sam Attwater […]
Through the Mill – London Theatre Workshop
Through the Mill continues at London Theatre Workshop, Fulham until 19 December. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ Three different actresses play showbiz legend Judy Garland at three stages of her turbulent, drink-and-drug-fuelled, suicide-inclined career in Ray Rackham’s new play which has its world premiere this month at the bijou pub theatre he […]
Babes in Arms will be staged in concert at the Royal Festival Hall in March 2016
Rodgers and Hart’s classic Broadway musical Babes in Arms will be heading to London’s Royal Festival Hall in March next year. Babes In Arms – The Musical in Concert, a new version of the 1930s show that features American songbook standards like ‘My Funny Valentine’, ‘The Lady is a Tramp’ and ‘Where Or When’, will play the Royal Festival […]
Interview – Kerry Ellis and Louise Dearman prepare for their one-off London concert in September
If this interview is anything to go by, KERRY ELLIS and LOUISE DEARMAN’s one-off concert on 27 September is bound to be a fun-filled evening of great songs, fantastic anecdotes and a lot of laughs. Both actresses have an association with the musical Wicked, Dearman being the first person ever to play both Elphaba and Glinda in the […]
Judy – The Songbook of Judy Garland – New Wimbledon Theatre and Touring
Judy – The Songbook of Judy Garland continues at the New Wimbledon Theatre until 20 June, and then tours until 1 August. Star rating: 5 stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ It was an emotional night at Wimbledon Theatre, there were moments of joy and tears to be cherished. Just like that marvellous Sinatra show Stephen Mear […]
Liza Minnelli interviewed at London Palladium show in September
Currently in her sixth decade of performing, Liza Minnelli, winner of four Tony Awards, an Oscar, a Grammy, two Golden Globe Awards, an Emmy and a BAFTA, is to follow in the footsteps of Hollywood movie greats Sylvester Stallone, Al Pacino, John Travolta and Arnold Schwarzenegger by getting up-close and personal with her British fans […]
Judy Garland and Edith Piaf celebrated in two new shows from Linder Productions
Linder Productions is bringing its two critically acclaimed international touring productions to London this spring, celebrating the lives and music of the legendary performer Judy Garland and the iconic French chanteuse Edith Piaf. Not typical tribute shows, these productions are a blend of compelling stories, fascinating facts, charming humour and passionately performed Garland and Piaf classics. “The […]
Lorna Luft – Accentuate the Positive – Crazy Coqs
Accentuate the Positive – Lorna Luft continues at the Crazy Coqs, London until 13 December. The festive season gets under way at this popular venue as Lorna Luft returns for a third visit with a brand new Christmas show. A sweeping entrance is made through the audience as she sings ‘It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the […]
Billy Stritch – My Musical Heroes – The Pheasantry
Billy Stritch: My Musical Heroes continues at The Pheasantry, London, until 4 October. Award-winning composer, arranger, vocalist and jazz pianist Billy Stritch is back in town and deserving of a far bigger audience than the meagre 20 who saw him open mid-week at The Pheasantry. In the full-house Ronnie Scott’s audience the night before to hear […]
Puttin’ On the Ritz – Congress Theatre, Eastbourne
Puttin’ On the Ritz was performed at the Congress Theatre, Eastbourne, before continuing its tour. As a new musical Golden Age tribute Puttin’ On the Ritz certainly has things to offer, but Act I needs major overhauling because as of now it looks and feels more ‘Holiday On Ice’ than Hollywood. For a start, the show […]
Meet Me in St Louis – Landor Theatre
Meet Me in St Louis continues at the Landor Theatre, London until 18 January. A perennial favourite 1944 MGM movie starring a young Judy Garland, Meet Me in St Louis is filled with memorable musical numbers, whimsical family comedy and features the artistic direction of Vincente Minnelli, then making his mark in Hollywood. It is […]
Karen Oberlin – Over the Rainbow – Crazy Coqs
Karen Oberlin performs Over the Rainbow: The Songs of Arlen and Harburg at the Crazy Coqs, London. The husky, smoky, smooth, sophisticated, classical voice of glamorous New Yorker Karen Oberlin is one of the glories of the world of cabaret and on her second visit to the Crazy Coqs she took us through the distinguished […]
Liza is back, courtesy of Trevor Ashley
Following his week at London’s Vaudeville Theatre in May this year, Trevor Ashley is back in the West End for one night only, after a brief UK tour. Michael Darvell spoke to the man behind Liza (on an E), his show about the great Minnelli. In fact Trevor Ashley is Liza, or at least he […]
Liza On An E returns for UK tour
Following a successful West End debut earlier on this year, Australian performer Trevor Ashley is taking his show Liza On An E out on its first ever UK tour. Channelling the talents of the iconic Liza Minnelli, Ashley will appear at the Theatre Royal, Brighton (30 September), the Dancehouse, Manchester (1 and 2 October), The Auditorium Liverpool […]
