I have no hesitation in saying that the 1952 movie “Singin’ in the Rain” and its 1985 stage version is one of the greatest musicals of all time, winning many awards over the years. It is one of the few musicals that not only has many first-rate songs (Nacio Herb Brown / Arthur Freed) but an intelligent, very witty, book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Also, because it is set in the late 1920s, at the time of the first “talkies” and just before the Great Depression, it has a timeless … [Read more...]
London Musical Reviews for West End and Off West End
If you are planning to visit London to see a musical on stage at one of the West End theatres, or a musical in one of the many Off West End or Fringe venues, then maybe our London musical reviews section can be of help? Read one of the latest reviews or use the search button to find and view one of our previous reviews. We use a star rating system on our site.
Six: ‘something about the feistiness, the sassiness, the riotousness of it all’
There’s a good mix of musical styles amongst the ten musical numbers, though most of the melodies are firmly in the style of what I call ‘minicab music’ – the sort of chart music tunes I would only listen to if I were being driven home and the driver just so happened to have the radio on. But there’s something about the feistiness, the sassiness, the riotousness of it all. I liked the music so much I bought the cast recording on the way out. It only leaves me to wish Six a long and glorious reign.
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Legally Blonde at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
The background stays largely the same throughout the performance, and appears to resemble the hairstyle of Elle Woods (Courtney Bowman). Regardless, the unchanging backdrop makes Woods’ bedroom looks much the same as a lecture theatre, a hairdressing salon and a courthouse (amongst other places). It is only when the action shifts to a bathroom (minus any pants down demonstrations of what would reasonably be expected to occur in a bathroom) that there is a significant change of colour scheme. … [Read more...]
My Fair Lady at London Coliseum
It’s a show of its time. Well, it isn’t really – it’s a show first produced in the 1950s, with this production placing the action in 1913. The set changes seem more colossal than they are, perhaps because of the pedestrian pace in which they occur, and the lush orchestrations, ably supplied by the English National Opera Orchestra – conducted by Alex Parker at the performance I attended (the programme lists the musical director/conductor as Gareth Valentine) – play their part in ensuring the … [Read more...]
Chicago The Musical at New Wimbledon Theatre | Review
In June 1988, Bob Dylan set off on what has become known as “The Never-Ending Tour” and apart from a break due to the pandemic, it’s still going 34 years later. Well, that title could also be applied to the Kander & Ebb musical Chicago which seems to have been on tour in the UK forever and now post-covid, it’s off on its travels again taking in something like 11 theatres between now and July and it all started last night at the New Theatre Wimbledon. Based on a 1926 play by Maureen … [Read more...]
Zorro the Musical at Charing Cross Theatre | Review
The problem with this production of Zorro the Musical isn’t that it’s largely very silly and won’t appeal to everyone’s sense of humour. The problem is that some of the performances aren’t as hammy as they ought to be to maximise the extravagant flair with which certain scenes are almost crying out to be performed. Some of the lyrics weren’t wholly decipherable either, which didn’t help. Set as it is in Spain and Los Angeles in 1805, the cast adopt Spanish accents, some of which are more … [Read more...]
The Rocky Horror Show at Churchill Theatre, Bromley
From an audience perspective, the performance of The Rocky Horror Show I attended was a fairly sedate affair: there were no evangelical fanatics protesting outside the theatre, and patrons who had dressed for the occasion were very much in the minority. Every venue on this ‘World Tour 2022’ (as the front cover of the show’s programme puts it), I suppose, is different, and every performance is in front of a different crowd. It was reassuring, as someone who hadn’t ever seen the show before, and … [Read more...]
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie at New Wimbledon Theatre
Recently, I was talking to a graduate about their life. At 18, they had decided they wanted to be a midwife. They took out all the requisite student loans, went to University, studied for three years and two years after passing the course and graduating as a midwife, they are a chartered accountant. It just goes to show that your mid-teens is not necessarily the time to decide where you want your future career to lie. Unless you are someone with a definite sense of where you want to go and where … [Read more...]