The National Youth Music Theatre have been training and inspiring young people in that discipline for over forty years. Their alumni include Idris Elba, Kerry Ellis, Michael Jibson and Jasper Britton. These are big boots to fill but the class of 2019 are doing them proud as they showcase their talents in Parade at The Other Palace. First performed on Broadway in … [Read more...]
God Save the Tea – Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival
It’s been said that sometimes it’s better to journey than arrive and that was the case when I went to see God Save The Tea. It all augured well as we were met in the lobby of the new, very shiny Camden Council offices in St Pancras Square where a number of enthusiastic people in blue t-shirts from Tête Á Téte, the company putting on the local opera festival, made sure … [Read more...]
My Son Pinocchio Jr. at Southwark Playhouse | Review
In My Son Pinocchio Jr, the classic tale of toymaker Geppetto’s little wooden puppet is given new life. The musical, which retells the classic story from Geppetto’s perspective, features the beloved immortal songs “When You Wish Upon a Star” and “I’ve Got No Strings” from the 1940 Disney animated classic Pinocchio, alongside a number of new songs by Oscar and Grammy … [Read more...]
Review of Hive City Legacy at the Roundhouse
Hive City Legacy returns to the Sackler Space in Chalk Farm with enough energy to power the steam train engine turntable that used to run in the big roundhouse above this basement room. The nine “femmes of colour” fill the small space with song, mime, spoken word, burlesque, poetry, beat-boxing, hip-hop, rap, ropework and twerking - lots and lots of twerking! The … [Read more...]
Guildhall School presents Merrily We Roll Along at Silk Street Theatre
When Merrily We Roll Along opened on Broadway in 1981 it was a resounding flop, closing after just sixteen performances. One of the reasons put forward for its demise was that producer Hal Prince had chosen to cast young performers for a show that started with the characters in their forties and went backwards in time ending with the characters in their early … [Read more...]
Review of Amélie The Musical at New Wimbledon Theatre
Amélie The Musical to give it its full title, is based on the 2001 French film that won a number of awards around the world and was nominated for five Oscars. The musical started its life in small theatres but transferred to Broadway in 2017 where after just 56 regular performances, it closed. This production was originally produced at The Watermill Theatre in … [Read more...]
Happy Jack by John Godber at the Jack Studio Theatre
One of writer John Godber’s early works was an adaptation of A Clockwork Orange, his best-known play is Bouncers and his latest production is called Scary Bikers - none of which could be thought of as quiet and gentle. However, his 1982 play Happy Jack is exactly that. Based on the lives of the writer’s own grandparents who lived for their whole lives in a small … [Read more...]
Wandsworth Arts Fringe turns 10! #WAF10
Last night the Wandsworth Arts Fringe launched their 2019 season. Unfortunately, they chose one of the coldest and wettest May nights for the launch and unlike last year when the event was held in a circus tent, this year it was held outside in a very cold and damp Shillington Park SW11. However, it didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the organisers and their … [Read more...]
Small Island adapted by Helen Edmundson at the Olivier Theatre | Review
After the recent Windrush Generation government scandal, this National Theatre production of Small Island couldn’t have come at a better time. Based on Andrea Levy’s 2004 novel and adapted for the stage by Helen Edmundson, it tells the stories of two families, one white and one black leading up to the arrival of immigrant workers from the Caribbean on the Empire … [Read more...]