Adam Lenson directs this revival of John Kander and Fred Ebb’s musical, currently playing at the Southwark Playhouse. Here’s what critics have so far made of it…
Musical Manda: ★★★★★ “This production really is a must-see. It is heartfelt and has the ability to draw the audience in and take them on a journey.”
Broadway World: ★★★★ “Director Adam Lenson more than justifies the decision to revive the show and stages it with the brio and intimacy a space like this one can promote.”
Sincerely Amy: ★★★★★ “This exquisite production is a masterclass in musical theatre that will make you laugh, cry and everything in-between as Caroline O’Connor and Gemma Sutton give an unforgettable performance.”
The Stage: ★★★★ “A big, bursting powerhouse of a revival.”
Rewrite This Story: ★★★★★ “For a technically brilliant show with performances that will leave you wanting to return to the Coloured Lights again and again, go see The Rink. This is musical theatre at its best –let’s just hope that the rink keeps rolling in London.”
London Theatre.co.uk: ★★★★ “Musical theatre aficionados will not want to miss this rare opportunity to catch up with this show, but it’s also a musical for anyone with regrets about the past and trying to forge a new future. Which is just about all of us.”
A Younger Theatre: “The Rink is beautiful, bathing its audience in multi-coloured nostalgia whilst tugging at their heartstrings.”
Time Out: ★★★ “Caroline O’Connor is excellent as the wise-cracking tough-cookie Anna, also suggesting the vivacity of her younger self. Gemma Sutton doesn’t convince as a hippy, but she has a gorgeous, bell-clear voice, and switches to playing Angel as a small child or teenager with sweetness and control.”
The Upcoming: ★★★★ “Overall, the cast’s rendition of The Rink does justice to a rarely seen musical that fans will be overjoyed to experience.”
Theatre Weekly: ★★★★★ “Director Adam Lenson has taken a decades-old musical and made it feel timeless and engaging.”
West End Wilma: ★★★★★ “A masterclass in acting, directing and design, The Rink at The Southwark Playhouse is dazzling.”
London Theatre Reviews: ★★★★★ “The Rink is the best production seen at Southwark Playhouse in the last year, and possibly one of the best musicals at the moment in London.”
The Reviews Hub: ★★★★ 1/2 “It’s a blast of a musical. Mixing perfect performances from the backing cast with super vocals and snappy dance moves alongside a story that genuinely has meaning and depth.”
Musical Theatre Review: ★★★★★ “Clearly a not-to-be-missed, brilliant production of an underrated masterpiece deserving a transfer after its run at the Southwark Playhouse, although for now it is the ideal venue for the delicacy of The Rink, enhancing the emotions by its intimacy.”
Upper Circle: ★★★★ “Ultimately a fun and fabulous belter of a show. You’ll wanna go round this rink, I think.”
There Ought to be Clowns: “Fabian Aloise’s choreography is as good at hinting what’s going to happen before a single roller-boot has been laced up as it is when the company are wheeling around and (mostly) seeming to be having the time of their life. And Kander and Ebb’s score is full of big, brassy moments and gorgeous sostenuto notes that MD Joe Bunker marshals with real skill.”
The Spy in the Stalls: ★★★★ “Like the abandoned rink of the title, it has been neglected for too long and this return to the stage is a welcome reminder of Kander and Ebb’s magic.”
Jonathan Baz Reviews: ★★★★★ “Yet again, Southwark Playhouse is delivering an outstanding musical for a fraction of the price of a West End ticket. If you love the genre, it’s unmissable.”
Pocket Sized Theatre: ★★★★★ “If you miss this, you’re missing one of the best shows of 2018.”
