The indispensable National Youth Music Theatre (established in 1976) provides a pathway from Bradford to Broadway for our most talented young people. It works. Jude Law and Sheridan Smith to name but two are both NYMT people. After open nationwide auditions, the most promising are brought together to put on live shows hosted by Andrew Lloyd Webber at The Other Palace … [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 Queen of the Mist at Charing Cross Theatre
Queen of the Mist is a new musical by the five-time Tony Award nominee Michael John La Chiusa, currently receiving its London premiere at Charing Cross Theatre. The true story of the first person to negotiate Niagara Falls in a barrel may not seem the most obvious for musical treatment, but, as the copious programme notes say, La Chiusa ‘isn’t a dramatist who shies … [Read more...]
Evita at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre | Review
If the rain held off at the Open Air Theatre performance of Evita that I attended until the very second the bows ended, it was otherwise raining anyway with confetti as the production felt it necessary to give Eva Perón (1919-1952) (Samantha Pauly) ticker tape parades galore. One of those fully sung-through musicals, the show’s title is (as I learned from a fellow … [Read more...]
Shrek The Musical – A Creative Learning Summer Youth Production
I’m a believer in the power of theatre to inspire youth and a quick trip to the Churchill Theatre in Bromley reinforced my thoughts as the curtain was raised on the Summer Youth Production of Jeanine Tesori & David Lindsay-Abaire’s Shrek the Musical. In a swamp in a forest lives an ogre by the name of Shrek (Daniel Pratten, Benedict King and Ben Salter). He … [Read more...]
Parade by The National Youth Music Theatre at The Other Palace
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...]
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 Blues in the Night at the Kiln Theatre
Mark Dickman at the piano leads a five-piece band, called ‘Oscar and The Strollers’, through twenty-seven musical numbers in Blues in the Night, more of a revue than a musical. There is some dialogue, but not a huge amount, and if you’re after those things called ‘plot’ and ‘character development’, then frankly your evening (or indeed matinee) is best spent elsewhere. … [Read more...]
Review of The View UpStairs at Soho Theatre
Inspired by the true story of the 1973 arson attack which was the largest single attack against the LGBTQ+ community until the Pulse Nightclub shootings in Florida in 2016, The View UpStairs is a musical about 'friendship, community, how far we’ve come and how far we still have yet to go'. Following Wes, a millennial fashion designer who has just brought an … [Read more...]
The Bridges of Madison County at the Menier Chocolate Factory
“When you’re falling in a forest and there’s nobody around / Do you ever really crash, or even make a sound?” So asks the title character in Dear Evan Hansen in the musical number ‘Waving Through A Window’. In The Bridges of Madison County, a broadly similar scenario is presented to Francesca Johnson (Jenna Russell), an Italian who started a new life in the United … [Read more...]