The Shrek franchise opts for a modern-day spin on the traditional form, undermining expectations and undercutting some of the more winsome aspects with one-liners and witty put-downs.
’An easy informality that elevates this concert to the best kind of cabaret’: TOGETHER AGAIN – Thespie
Featuring the marvellous Sophie Isaacs, Jodie Steele and T’Shan Williams, Together Again might be Thespie’s best Reunited gig yet.
‘Thought-provoking but slight’: VIOLET – Charing Cross Theatre ★★★
Violet has plenty of sincerity and perceptive lyrics to make it endearing to watch, but the book ultimately lets it down and doesn’t allow the characters to quite shine as brightly as they could. Definite potential here – but in need of some work.
‘A simple, heartwarming show’: VIOLET – Charing Cross Theatre
An ideal choice for an Off-West End season, Violet features an exceptional lead performance from Kaisa Hammarlund.
‘A remarkable portrayal of warring pain & optimism’: VIOLET – Charing Cross Theatre ★★★
By the time director Shuntaro Fujita’s slick and sun-kissed production draws to a close, it’s impossible not to root for Violet’s happiness.
‘A really clever & successful piece of musical storytelling’: VIOLET – Charing Cross Theatre
The way that the story of Violet is told elevates it to something really quite lovely, with huge emotional impact and a surprising timeliness.
‘Heartfelt & hopeful’: VIOLET – Charing Cross Theatre ★★★★
Violet is heartfelt and hopeful, the songs are infectiously good with a mix of hillbilly, honky-tonk, gospel and traditional country, and the show features powerful performances from the entire ensemble.
‘The cast is stellar’: VIOLET – Charing Cross Theatre ★★★
Based on Doris Betts’ short story The Ugliest Pilgrim, featuring music by Jeanine Tesori and libretto by Brian Crawley, Violet follows a disfigured woman as she embarks on a Greyhound Bus journey from Spruce Pine, North Carolina to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to be healed by a famous television healer.
‘An intriguing proposition all told’: VIOLET – Charing Cross Theatre
Great design work from Morgan Large and a strong lead performance from Kaisa Hammarlund make Violet an intriguing proposition at the Charing Cross Theatre.
‘Strong & enjoyable production’: VIOLET – Charing Cross Theatre
Violet is a warm, considerate musical with a lot to say about the past and some real faces of the future to look out for.
‘A fascinating mix of drama & fantasy’: CAROLINE, OR CHANGE – West End
The 2004 Broadway musical Caroline, or Change has returned to London’s West End in a slick, entertaining production anchored by a sensational lead performance by Sharon D. Clarke.
‘Powerfully moving’: CAROLINE, OR CHANGE – West End
The extraordinary Caroline or Change makes the leap into the West End at the Playhouse Theatre, with a titanic Sharon D Clarke at the helm.
‘A five-star cast deliver distinctly flawed material’: CAROLINE, OR CHANGE – West End ★★★
Caroline, or Change is a curious show that sees a five-star cast deliver distinctly flawed material. Set in an early 1960s Louisiana.
‘It’s definitely a quirkiness that sets this show apart’: CAROLINE, OR CHANGE – West End ★★★★
Following not one, but two recent acclaimed runs (first at Chichester’s Minerva Theatre in 2017, followed by a limited engagement at Hampstead Theatre earlier this year), Michael Longhurst’s production of Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori’s musical Caroline, or Change now makes its mark on London’s West End, taking up residence at the Playhouse Theatre until next spring.
‘It never quite unites as tidily & explosively as it promises to do’: CAROLINE, OR CHANGE – West End
Caroline or Change has a lot going for it and three potentially interesting plot lines that should fully engage, yet it never quite unites as tidily and explosively as it promises to do, the wackier aspects serving to alienate rather than enhance the rest of the story.
NEWS: Kaisa Hammarlund heads the cast of the UK premiere of Violet at Charing Cross Theatre
Kaisa Hammarlund will play the title role in Violet, the multi-award-winning musical with music by Jeanine Tesori and book and lyrics by Brian Crawley, which receives its UK premiere at London’s Charing Cross Theatre for a 12-week season from 14 January to 6 April 2019 (press night is 21 January) in an international co-production that will see it transfer to Tokyo.
Why should you see Caroline, or Change?
A couple of weeks ago I was one of the lucky few who was allowed into the Caroline, or Change rehearsal rooms for a sneak peek at how the show was coming along, as it prepared for its West End transfer.
NEWS: Jeanine Tesori’s award-winning musical Violet gets UK premiere in the new year
VIOLET, a multi-award-winning musical with music by Jeanine Tesori (Tony Award winner for Best Original Score with Lisa Kron for Fun Home, and Tony-nominated for Caroline, or Change and Shrek the Musical), and book & lyrics by Brian Crawley (The Little Princess), will get its UK premiere in an international co-production opening in London in January before transferring to Tokyo, Japan.
Top recommended London openings for November
Here’s Love London Love Culture’s guide to some of the best shows opening in the capital in November.
NEWS: Full casting is announced for West End transfer of Caroline, Or Change
Full casting has been announced for Caroline, Or Change, the musical written by Tony Kushner, with a score from Tony Award-winning Jeanine Tesori, which will run at the West End’s Playhouse Theatre from 20 November 2018 to 9 February 2019.
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