Priscilla Queen Of The Desert started out as The Adventures of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert, a 1994 Australian film that became a cult classic and starred Terence Stamp as a transgender woman and even won an Oscar for Best Costume Design. The musical version of the film with a book by Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott debuted at the Lyric Theatre in Sydney in 2006 before hitting the West End and Broadway where it won an Olivier and a Tony respectively, once again for Best Costume … [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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Top Hat at The Mill at Sonning | Review
Some sprightly choreography sprinkles this production of Top Hat, and I have yet to work out whether it is because of or despite the relatively limited stage space. There’s always a third option: both. Either way, the stage version of the 1935 film premiered in 2011 (although, yes, it comes across as something that’s been around for decades), and the contemporary twist to the show comes in the form of dance numbers that do well to advance the storyline, as opposed to the narrative coming to an … [Read more...]
Amélie The Musical at the Criterion Theatre | Review
They do better in Amélie the Musical at French accents than they do over at Les Misérables - inasmuch as they do them in the first place. It’s been a while since I’ve seen actor-musicianship on this scale in the West End: I’d have to go back at least as far as the 2013-15 West End run of the Irish musical Once - indeed, I recognised Jez Unwin from the cast of that production. It’s a slight pity the Amélie programme doesn’t tell the audience who plays which instruments, suffice to say I felt a … [Read more...]
The Phantom of the Opera at The Royal Albert Hall – Review
It was a highly memorable experience and this video recording of the event is an excellent way to relive it. I recall how unusually warm it was in London back in early October 2011: our ‘VIP Experience’ envelopes became makeshift fans (‘phans’, even?) - the Royal Albert Hall did not install an air cooling system until 2016 - and it was one of those pre-show receptions where my glass of wine was topped up repeatedly, and without me asking. There were nibbles galore, too, including tiny buns … [Read more...]
Review of Catfish the Musical
At a macro level, Catfish The Musical is a story about someone who didn’t seek to correct an error immediately, even if there was no malicious intent in the said error, only to try to ride it out. This results in consequences that would have never occurred if they had just tried to speak up in the first place. But there is, at least, a sense of perspective here, and the last couple of musical numbers in this original concept album, in particular, seek to make clear that while people may have … [Read more...]