The Hired Man is a lively and refreshing Northern musical which offers us an insight into the life of rural communities at the beginning of the 20th century.
‘The rich score is performed expertly by the cast of actor-musicians’: THE HIRED MAN – Hornchurch & Touring ★★★
A decent production of a slightly bland musical – The Hired Man’s 20-30 year span is over-ambitious for the given running time.
‘There’s something intriguing & moving here’: THE HIRED MAN – Hornchurch & Touring
The Hired Man might perhaps disappoint those looking for the bombast of a large-scale musical but in its subtle portrait of a slice of social history, there’s something more intriguing and moving here.
Album Review: Girlfriends – London Musical Theatre Orchestra ★★★★
Musically, Girlfriends is a richly diverse score that is beautifully delivered by the London Musical Theatre Orchestra and the cast performances on this album.
Twenty shows to look forward to in 2019
So many of the recommendations for shows to see next year focus on the West End. And for sure, I’m excited to catch big ticket numbers like All About Eve, Come From Away and Waitress, but I wanted to cast my eye a little further afield.
Mark Shenton rounds up news, reviews, interviews & controversies from London, New York & beyond
Mark Shenton offers reviews, news, interviews and tweets of the week from the West End, Broadway and beyond.
‘No denying the wealth of talent on offer’: GIRLFRIENDS – Bishopsgate Institute ★★★
The melodic, complex music in LMTO’s Girlfriends at the Bishopsgate Institute does provide moments of power and, if anything, this show serves as a fantastic celebration of women and the crucial roles they had in the Second World War.
‘It’s a truly important & inspiring piece’: Lucie Jones on being part of LMTO’s concert staging of Howard Goodall’s Girlfriends
Singer and actress Lucie Jones spoke to Emma Clarendon about starring in the London Musical Theatre Orchestra’s upcoming concert production of Howard Goodall’s musical Girlfriends.
The Show People Podcast: Daniel Bolton from Bolton (1990 – 2018)
We have released our latest episode of The Show People Podcast in memory of Daniel ‘Dani’ Bolton (1990 – 2018). Thank you to everyone who sent in their beautiful stories about Dani Bolton.
The Show People Podcast: Julie Atherton on becoming a director & empowering the next generation
In this episode of The Show People Podcast, host Andrew Keates is joined by Julie Atherton, shortly after completing the West End run of The Grinning Man at Trafalgar Studios.
NEWS: Camelot, Girlfriends & A Christmas Carol all feature in London Musical Theatre Orchestra’s new season
London Musical Theatre Orchestra’s 2018 season features three musicals in concert: Lerner and Loewe’s Camelot at the London Palladium; Girlfriends, composed by Howard Goodall and starring Lucie Jones and Lauren Samuels, at Bishopsgate Institute; and the return of festive favourite A Christmas Carol at the Lyceum Theatre.
The Show People podcast: Mark Shenton is a theatre addict
This first episode on MyTheatreMates of the Show People Podcast, hosted by director and producer Andrew Keates, is with Mates’ own Mark Shenton – so a great one to start with!
THE HIRED MAN – Union Theatre
Set at the turn of the previous century in the unforgiving rural landscape of Cumbria, The Hired Man himself is the hard-working John Tallentire, a man who will turn to any aspect of working the land – above in the field or below in the mines – to support his family, but in difficult times and with the Great War approaching, life is tough.
THE HIRED MAN – Union Theatre
Taken from Melvyn Bragg’s acclaimed description of England’s Lake District as the 19th century passed into the 20th, The Hired Man is a richly fruited glimpse of a way of life long since passed.
THE HIRED MAN in Concert – Cadogan Hall
It is all too rare that an established musical is performed as a stand-alone concert. Taking the rich beauty of Howard Goodall’s score and having it sung by some of the industry’s biggest names, it was no wonder that The Hired Man in Concert, for one night only, was a hot ticket.
NEWS: Melvyn Bragg narrates The Hired Man in first major concert in 20 years
Howard Goodall and Melvyn Bragg’s rousing 1984 musical The Hired Man will receive its first major concert presentation in over twenty years at London’s Cadogan Hall on 22 September 2016, narrated by Bragg himself.
TICKETS: Mark’s Top Ten recommendations + this week’s openings (15 Feb)
A Broadway comedy and two British created musicals arrive in the West End this week – one from last summer’s season at Bath’s Theatre Royal, the other after a long stage life of touring regionally and internationally for the last eight years. Will any of them make it to next week’s Top 10 list? This week’s main openings In London: …
NEWS: Bend It Like Beckham closes at West End’s Phoenix, 5 Mar
Bend It Like Beckham The Musical recently extended booking at the Phoenix Theatre to 5 March 2016 when the show will then play its final performance at the end of the cast’s year-long contract. Rehearsals began for the critically acclaimed production in March 2015 with a company led by Natalie Dew as Jess and Lauren Samuels as Jules. The Producers are currently finalising both national and international touring offers including a tour of India visiting multiple stadia.
TICKETS: Today’s #MatesChoice recommendation is… Bend It Like Beckham
A surprise hit of 2015 and also included on a number of #Theatre2015 top picks, our top recommendation in the #MatesChoice ticket series is Bend It Like Beckham. Playing to audiences at the Phoenix Theatre on Charing Cross Road in the heart of the West End and with music by Howard Goodall and lyrics by Charles Hart, this show has become a fond favourite of Mates co-founder Mark Shenton.
TICKETS: Mark’s Top Ten recommendations (21 Dec)
You’re not going to find any pantos on my top ten list this season — I’ve just not been to any at all this year, thanks to my double round of surgery for a hip replacement, then displacement.
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