Marking Tyrone Huntley's directorial debut Ain't Misbehavin' celebrates the legendary sass musician Fats Waller. Audiences are taken back to the 1920s and the raunchy nightclubs of Manhattan. Featuring choreography by Strictly Come Dancing's Oti Mabuse, who also makes her theatrical choreographing debut with this show. Fun jazz music and heaploads of attitude, the … [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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Review of Sweet Charity at The Donmar Warehouse
Sweet Charity is Josie Rourke's farewell production completing her tenure as Artistic Director at The Donmar Warehouse. The piece runs at 2 hours 40 minutes (including an interval) and is a celebration of the swinging 60s. The set is designed by Robert Jones as a homage to Andy Warhol's "silver age" Factory, this works really well with the piece and triumphantly sets … [Read more...]
H.M.S. Pinafore at the King’s Head Theatre | Review
The second paragraph of the United States Declaration of Independence starts as follows: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”. Of course, this is rubbish. Men - or more importantly people - are … [Read more...]
The Marvelous Wonderettes at Upstairs at the Gatehouse
Ah, the 1950s. For every American high school senior year student of the era, only one thing really mattered and that was the end of year prom. But, after what was usually a very important rite of passage for the students, as the confetti was swept up and the last decorations were taken down, it was time to face their futures as adults. So, what happens after the … [Read more...]
Pint of Wine Theatre presents Queen of the Mist | Review
Sometimes, desperate times call for desperate measures, and for Annie Edson Taylor (1838-1921) (Trudi Camilleri), who was widowed at a fairly young age, she worked as what would probably be called a self-employed dance teacher these days. Thus, there was no pension to speak of (the Social Security Act in the United States didn’t come about until 1935), and with her … [Read more...]
Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story at Hope Theatre | Review
The biggest story in the USA in 1924 was the kidnapping and gruesome murder of 14-year-old Bobby Franks by two rich students from Chicago, Nathan Leopold Jr and Richard Loeb which became known at the time as “The Crime of Century” and made Leopold & Loeb infamous across the land. The two were lovers and Leopold’s obsession with Nietzsche’s concept of superman, led … [Read more...]
Anne Steele: Made Out of Stars at Live at Zedel Crazy Coqs
Anne Steele treats her trips to London like a lot of performers treat trips to the Edinburgh Festivals, seeing various other things that are going on whilst she’s in the capital. Her tastes are broad - taking in the musical Six as well as the stage adaptation of All About Eve, she raved about the former, telling the Crazy Coqs audience that it’s a must-see, and was … [Read more...]
Herstoric at the Drayton Arms Theatre | Review
Herstoric comprises two hour-long musicals. With regards to the first, I had to look up why 1816 was considered The Year Without A Summer, as all I learnt about it from the show was that the poor were ready to die and the rich were ready to fly (whatever that meant: the first airline wasn’t founded until 1909). In 1815, Mount Tambora erupted, having been dormant for … [Read more...]
Review of Hair The Musical at the New Wimbledon Theatre
In 1967 Hair took to the stage as a radical piece of protest theatre that shocked and liberated audiences with its blazon depiction of drug taking, racism and nudity. Since then its songs have become embedded in popular culture and its message of love and freedom have ensured it’s here to stay. Hair follows a group of hippies living in New York City during the … [Read more...]