Category: Theatre

★★★★

Sunderland Empire, 04/12/2019

“So, did you hear the story of the Johnstone twins?” That’s right, Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers is back out on another UK tour. Studied by thousands of drama students each year and adored by audiences across the world, this classic musical is showing no signs of stopping. The story tells the lives of two twins, Mickey (Alexander Patmore) and Eddie (Joel Benedict) separated at birth after their mother (Lyn Paul) was coerced into giving away one of her newborns to her employer Mrs Lyons (Chloe Taylor). Convinced by superstitious tales that the twins should never meet again in the interest of their safety, Mrs Johnstone is left with no choice. Alas, living only a stones throw from one another, this inevitable meeting of the unassuming boys was always bound to happen…

As one of the first musicals John ever saw which began his love for theatre, this one holds a special place in his heart. We consider this show to be one that would be great to take someone to see who isn’t that into musicals as it’s not too heavy on the “bursting into song” that can put some none-musical-lovers off. Here are our five reasons to see Blood Brothers:

★★★★

The smash hit musical has officially opened in London! Written by Steven Levenson (who has won a Tony Award for this show) with a soundtrack by the legendary Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (The Greatest Showman, La La Land), this London production was set to be a resounding success after it’s accomplishments on Broadway winning six Tony Awards. The show follows Evan Hansen (Sam Tutty), whose well intended lie of telling a grieving family that he was best friends with their son spirals out of control. Filled with some fantastic songs and such raw emotion, this show is one not to miss. We loved the show and thought it was so sad! The only part we felt didn’t really land that well with a British audience was “To Break In A Glove”, perhaps with the baseball glove father/son sentiment being something almost exclusively American, but hey, it’s an American show! Regardless, we highly recommend this show. Here are our five reasons to see Dear Evan Hansen in London!

★★★★

Opera House, Manchester 12/10/2019

Max Martin’s name may not be familiar to many, but the songs he has written, co-written and produced over his career definitely are. With classics like “…Baby One More Time” (Britney Spears), “Since U Been Gone” (Kelly Clarkson) and “Can’t Feel My Face” (The Weeknd) in his writing credits, it’s no wonder he is the third most successful songwriter with 22 number one singles in the US charts (ahead of him are Paul McCartney (32) and John Lennon (26)).

Martin’s hits have now been put to a new musical, & Juliet, written by playwright David West Read. The story follows an alternative path of Juliet (Miriam-Teak Lee) had she not committed suicide at the end of Shakespeare’s tragedy.

★★★★

Entering the auditorium for an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice doesn’t always begin with seeing a disco ball hanging above the set. Jane Austen’s classic tale of true love has had quite the re-vamp, so grab your portable karaoke machine, this one might be a little different to the novel you remember. Our five reasons to see Pride and Prejudice* ( *sort of) while it’s tour stops in Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds, Oxford and Southampton are as follows:

Arts Theatre, London 28/09/2019

★★★★★

Make some room on that “hottest ticket” top-spot Hamilton, there’s a new show in town. Officially re-opening it’s open-ended residence at the Arts Theatre in January 2019 (currently extended until July 2020), Six is no stranger to heightened fandom. Sold out performances, masses of fan art and queues to meet the cast after each performance gives an indication to the level of success with it’s audiences.

★★★★★

Phoebe Waller-Bridge is going from strength to strength. Streamed live across cinemas in the UK, her one-woman show Fleabag gives its swansong as a limited sell out run at Wyndham’s Theatre in the West End. Originally created as an Edinburgh fringe performance from a successful 10 minute stand-up storytelling routine, Fleabag was a huge hit at the arts festival. Fringe success led to the creation of the BBC series starring Waller-Bridge alongside Sian Clifford and Olivia Colman which received critical acclaim, thus being renewed for a second series. After eleven Primetime Emmy Award nominations, it was announced that the show’s creator would reprise the original show and role in London’s West End, with a performance broadcast by National Theatre Live.

★★

Northern Stage 06/09/2019

One of the most talked about (and poorly reviewed) Edinburgh Fringe shows, Miranda Larson’s Friendsical has embarked on a small UK tour after the summer season in Scotland’s capital. The show is marketed as a parody musical inspired by the iconic TV show Friends, and has captured the curiosity of many dedicated fans.

★★★★★

Sunderland Empire Theatre 03/09/2019

It’s the first UK tour of Matt Stone, Robert Lopez and Trey Parker’s multi-award winning production of The Book of Mormon after 6 outstanding years in London’s West End and a stint in Manchester, it’s Sunderland’s turn to host one of the most successful comedy musicals of our time. Assumptions could be made that this show from the creators of South Park and Team America: World Police would be rude, offensive and immature. Those assumptions would be correct; but not only is this show all of those things, it has heart and morals supporting the hilarious jokes and musical numbers.