In our continuing series, our editor Lisa Martland picks out some of her Top Picks from the last week of theatre (to 19 January 2020), including Aleks Sierz’s view that the new production of Les Misérables at the Sondheim Theatre is marching on to victory.
‘The music is the heart & soul of this show’: ONCE – Touring ★★★★
A welcome return for Once, a gorgeous show with music truly at its heart and soul.
MISSED THE BOAT: Stephen Ward
Posted on January 7, 2020 by Debbie
Stephen Ward Photo credit: Nobby Clark
I very nearly did see this one, but it opened and closed so swiftly that I didn’t really have the chance – I wasn’t living in London at that point, so a bit …
Mind The Blog’s top five musical choices for 2020
If you’re struggling with all the choice, Mind The Blog has come up with her top five musicals you do not want to miss in 2020.
‘Wonderfully conceived & immaculately performed’: FAME THE MUSICAL – Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre ★★★★
An energetic production of Fame that serves as a good reminder that you can’t anywhere without hard work – the choreography is superb.
Mind the Blog reflects on a theatre wish list for 2020
Mind the Blog has a fairly wide-ranging wish list of things I hope to see, including major shows such as Sunday in the Park with George, Evita, Magic Goes Wrong, Uncle Vanya and the Jamie Lloyd Company residency at the Playhouse Theatre.
Mind the Blog’s Favourite female performances of 2019
As with last year, there were too many brilliant performances to restrict this to one combined list – so once again I’ve split them up into male and female performances.
‘A barnstorming show with laughs by the bucketload’: CURTAINS – West End ★★★★
Curtains is a toe-tapping, giggle-inducing spectacular that stays just as true to the whodunnit – Samuel Holmes absolutely steals the show.
‘An absolute treat’: THE RED SHOES – Sadler’s Wells ★★★★★
The Red Shoes is an absolute tour-de-force, and the perfect example of how to make dance (and ballet, in particular) accessible and engaging to a wider audience. It’s an absolute treat.
‘An all-singing, all-dancing festive treat’: WHITE CHRISTMAS – West End ★★★★
White Christmas is an all-singing, all-dancing festive treat, full of showbiz razzmatazz and a little bit of romance thrown in for good measure – though with the memories of war lurking in the background, there is a dark edge that offsets the Technicolor world of the 1950s.
‘Revels in its ridiculousness’: WE WILL ROCK YOU – Touring ★★★★
What can really elevate a show of this nature is the cast, and a remarkably talented set of performers have been assembled for this tour of We Will Rock You.
‘You’re guaranteed to have a good time’: & JULIET – West End ★★★
& Juliet is a camp classic that’s perfect nostalgia hit for the children of the 90s, and a guaranteed hit for fans of the music – this isn’t the Shakespeare you’ll recognise from your schooldays…
‘Sams’ adaptation is excellent’: WHAT’S IN A NAME – Touring ★★★★
What’s In A Name is a comedy-drama that’s packed full of great one-liners while maintaining a dark edge – the cast is uniformly excellent.
‘The cast of five excel themselves’: THE HOUSE OF YES – Hope Theatre ★★★★
Excellent direction combines with all design elements to create a truly atmospheric piece in The House Of Yes at the Hope Theatre, a bold choice of play that serves as a fitting end to Matthew Parker’s tenure.
‘A brilliant way to introduce audiences to (more) opera’: THE ELIXIR OF LOVE – King’s Head Theatre ★★★★★
This rom-com opera, The Elixir of Love is great fun and incredibly engaging – a ray of sunshine on a cold autumn evening.
’True testament to the power of music & storytelling’: WHAT GIRLS ARE MADE OF – Soho Theatre ★★★★★
Loud, bold & full of heart, What Girls Are Made Of is full of dynamic performances – a true testament to the power of music & storytelling.
‘Definitely good for a giggle’: FRIENDSICAL – Edinburgh Fringe & Touring ★★★★
Friendsical is a light-hearted musical take on one of the most popular TV comedies of recent times – good for a laugh for Friends fans.
‘Genre-defining’: ELECTROLYTE – Edinburgh Fringe ★★★★
Electrolyte is a special piece of theatre that fuses spoken word with all the key components of a gig – a great way to keep the mental health conversation going.
‘Watch out, because the rhythm will get you!’: ON YOUR FEET! – London Coliseum ★★★★
One test of biography jukebox musicals is how much an uninitiated audience member ends up learning about the artist through the course of the show.
‘Writing a play is cheaper than therapy’: Tom Hartwell’s play Before 30 has a stint at the Edinburgh Fringe
Tom Hartwell’s play Before 30 is now making its way up to Edinburgh for a stint at the Festival Fringe prior to a one-off performance at the United Solo Theatre Festival in New York this November