Previews begin at the end of this week for the world premiere musical makeover of Indecent Proposal, the novel made famous by the 1993 Hollywood film. What’s been happening in rehearsals? Check out our behind-the-scenes video and photo gallery. Time to get booking!
‘I can’t help but ask: is this humour we still want or need in theatre?’ THE BOOK OF MORMON – Touring
I want to start by saying how happy I am to be back reviewing musical theatre. How happy I am the big tours are back and how overjoyed I was to be back in my home turf of the Wales Millennium reviewing a show.
‘Black, bleak & ultimately deeply moving’: THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE – Lyric Hammersmith
Martin McDonagh’s black comedy piece, co-produced by Chichester Festival Theatre and the Lyric Hammersmith, proves to be a deeper exploration of family conflict and secrets than his The Lieutenant of Inishmore.
‘A ridiculous – & ridiculously enjoyable – show that boasts the finest score in musicals’: ANYTHING GOES – Barbican Theatre
As soon as the title number’s patter chorus kicks in, there’s a smile on every face at the Barbican Centre, where Cole Porter’s Broadway classic Anything Goes runs until 6 November 2021.
‘Matthew Bourne has lost none of his choreographic innovation, verve & heart’: THE MIDNIGHT BELL – Touring
A new piece from Matthew Bourne is always a talking point and a treat to get dance fans excited. I’ve been a fan for around a decade now.
‘This is a fun, almost frothy, show’: LUCK BE A LADY – Upstairs at the Gatehouse ★★★★
In this one-woman show, writer and performer Beth Burrows fascinates her audience even as she exposes some of the flaws of her famous male subjects: Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra.
Is ‘Zoom in the flesh’ the way to wake up producers’ creativity post-pandemic?
I recently tried a technical experiment with Zoom and believe we may have found a way to harness the power of distance connection with the desire for getting back in a room.
‘This is a tale of extraordinary injustice’: TOKYO ROSE – Southwark Playhouse & touring
Based on a true story, new musical Tokyo Rose follows the life of Iva Toguri, an American woman who was wrongly convicted of treason in 1949.
‘Good intentions & a fascinating central figure’: IDA RUBINSTEIN – Playground Theatre ★★
Disparaging somebody else’s passion project is a bit like telling a doting parent that their baby is ugly. This stage tribute to Art Nouveau darling Ida Rubinstein is one such endeavour.
Why shouldn’t you hate musicals? Adam Lenson’s new book Breaking Into Song has the answer
Director Adam Lenson has something to say about musicals. In this essential text for theatre lovers, he challenges your perceptions of what a musical can, is, and might be.
REVIEW ROUND-UP: Back to the Future at the Adelphi Theatre
On LoveLondonLoveCulture, Emma Clarendon rounds up the reviews for screen-to-stage musical, now receiving its West End premiere at the Adelphi Theatre.
‘This actor-musician staging is ingenious’: THE LAST FIVE YEARS – West End
There’s a line in The Last Five Years, Jason Robert Brown’s semi-autobiographical musical two-hander about a relationship breakdown, that gets me every time: “I will not lose because you cannot win.”
VIDEO: What did the Victorians get up to in Vauxhall? The Pleasure Garden post-show Q&A
I was immediately hooked when Glenn Chandler told me he had written a new musical inspired by that history, staged at Above the Stag, which in its current home beneath the railway arches at Albert Embankment, actually borders the Gardens.
‘Entertaining, ambitious and educational ‘: TOKYO ROSE — Southwark Playhouse (UK Tour) ★★★★
Burnt Lemon Theatre’s Tokyo Rose shows that you don’t need a big budget to stage a compelling musical.
‘A dramatic end with impressive lighting effects’: THE BALLAD OF MARIA MARTEN — Theatre Royal, Winchester (UK Tour)
The Red Barn murder in 1827 took place in Polstead, Suffolk it’s the notorious tale about Maria Marten who was brutally shot dead by her partner William Corder.
‘Heartfelt and sincere’: A NEW LIFE (A MINI MUSICAL) — Traverse
A New Life (A Mini Musical) at the Traverse every lunchtime this week is certainly not ‘mini’ in its emotional scope or its ambition.
‘Didn’t I want to see it unfiltered by the opinions of others?’: Mark Shenton explores critical opinion and its influence on perception
One of the pleasures — but also the risks — of being a theatre critic is that you come first to a new production, ready to form your own opinions on what you’ve seen, before you’ve already encountered or digested the opinions of others.
‘Thunderously exciting’: & JULIET — West End ★★★★★(★!)
A musical that riffs on Shakespeare while plundering the back catalogue of one of the most successful and prolific songwriters in pop history (Max Martin, who is only not a household name because he prefers the spotlight to be on the interpreters of his work: Backstreet Boys, Britney, Celine, Katy Perry, even Pink and Bon Jovi….you’ll have heard of them) was always destined to be either a car crash or a triumph.
‘A must-see showstopper’: PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT — Mayflower, Southhampton ★★★★★
Upon the curtains opening you are immediately whisked away to the land of down under and the start of a truly wonderful tale. Immediately the show starts with a wonderful tune, you are immediately in the zone having a boogie, then you are transported to an Australian drag bar where you are welcomed to the show by none other than the queen Miss Understanding played by Kevin Yates.
‘Spine tingling’: CHICAGO – Edinburgh Playhouse (UK Tour) ★★★★
Chicago’s tale of murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery and treachery whispers back into the Edinburgh Playhouse with a thrum of double bass, a twitching off-beat on the drums and a haunting moan of muted trumpet.