Hitting the highway until late 2022, after several staggering runs in Toronto, New York and London, Bat Out Of Hell returned to its proverbial Manchester home this weekend.
‘Brims with exhilarating jazz & witty comedy’: WONDERFUL TOWN – Opera Holland Park ★★★★
As the world returns to a new normal, there aren’t many better ways to spend an evening than enjoying a glorious musical in the beautiful setting of Opera Holland Park. Quick Fantastic has returned to the space to present Wonderful Town, the half-forgotten 30s musical which brims with exhilarating jazz and witty comedy.
‘There is something for absolutely everyone’: WEST END MUSICAL CELEBRATION – Palace Theatre ★★★★★
As the final chorus of The Greatest Showman’s ‘From Now On’ rang out “and we will come back home”, I was reminded that the theatre really is home and if West End Musical Celebration is what it’s like then I never want to leave.
‘Fiercely entertaining dance contest’: HERE COME THE BOYS – London Palladium ★★★★
Here comes the sun, here comes some form of normality and most importantly, Here Come The Boys. In their West End transfer, following a successful UK tour, four of Strictly’s favourite boys take to the stage to showcase their impeccable dance skills and take us on a journey of styles and music.
‘Every artist gave a powerhouse performance’: MONDAY NIGHT AT THE APOLLO – Apollo Theatre ★★★★
Created by Wild Mountain Productions and presented by Greg Barnett, a spectacular line-up was brought to the stage of the Apollo to take us through a night of vocal gymnastics, diversity, humour and just a bunch of fun in the first instalment of Monday Night at the Apollo.
‘Full to the brim with theatricality’: THE SHOW MUST GO ON – The Lost Alhambra ★★★★★
The Show Must Go On is an immersive, cabaret dining experience which packs a punch. The night is complete with a three hour show, a two course meal, a welcome cocktail and bottomless Prosecco, you couldn’t really ask for more.
‘I would like people to experience the joy of being back together’: Rachel John stars in Songs For a New World at the London Palladium
After the success of the online streamed version of Jason Robert Brown’s Songs For a New World, Lambert Jackson has brought the musical back as one of the first live, in person performances in the West End. Theatrical powerhouse Rachel John will be starring in the show and is extremely excited to get back to performing…
‘Truly sensational to experience’: PIPPIN – Garden Theatre ★★★★
The terrific cast of triple threats make the bittersweet, upbeat and consistently enjoyable musical Pippin at the Garden Theatre a must see.
The return of the movie musical: 9 upcoming ones to look forward to
During the Golden Age of Hollywood, movie musicals were abundant and arguably the most popular genre. However, with the move towards pop culture in the 1960s, their popularity dwindled and gave way to a more rebellious style and tone.
How’s your stagey lockdown? 7 ways to be theatrical during a pandemic
I hope no one minds these more chatty style posts, but with all that’s going on, I wanted to switch it up a little bit and bring some more relaxed posts about how we can keep ourselves sane, and of course stagey, in these trying times.
‘Spectacularly well performed musical’: THE PRINCE OF EGYPT – West End ★★★
For spectacle and energy, The Prince of Egypt is worth a visit. It’s not going to change your life but it’ll provide a fun few hours of superfluous theatricality that looks and sounds very pretty.
‘An uplifting piece of theatre’: ON YOUR FEET! – Touring ★★★★
For a celebration of music, life and heritage, get On Your Feet! and conga your way to see this tour.
‘The performances are outstanding’: THE PIRATE QUEEN – West End ★★★★
While audiences may find The Pirate Queen too repetitive to work as a fully realised production, it provides an evening of outstanding vocal talent and swashbuckling storytelling.
Rewrite This Story presents five reasons why you should see Once the Musical on its current tour
A beautiful, heartfelt story of an unlikely friendship between a Dublin busker and a Czech musician, we present five reasons why you should see Once on its current UK tour.
‘It almost feels more relevant now than it was when it first was first conceived’: Rachel Tucker stars in The Pirate Queen
Rachel Tucker is taking on the role of Grace O’Malley in the one night only London premiere of the musical Pirate Queen. Rachel told us all about the show, her favourite moments and what it’s like to bring real life characters to life on stage.
What life is like on tour by Once The Musical’s Emma Lucia
‘Once isn’t hugely romanticised and I think that’s what people love about it’: What life is like on tour by Once The Musical’s Emma Lucia.
‘Loud, fast, energetic & spirited journey’: POET IN DA CORNER – Royal Court Theatre & Touring ★★★★
The entire seventy minute show feels like a pan on the boil, continuously moving and flowing and engaging. Poet in da Corner is funny, truthful, inventive and really worth seeing.
‘Beautifully enchanting’: Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes – Touring ★★★★
The entire New Adventures company prove once again in The Red Shoes why they’re so revered in this glorious looking and exceptionally assured production.
‘Delights & inspires in equal measure’: EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE – West End ★★★★
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is a show which delights and inspires in equal measure and is sure to retain its spot in theatre lovers’ hearts for the foreseeable future.
Best of the Blogs: Les Misérables, Rags, Lullabies for the Lost & more
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.