Category: Theatre Reviews

★★★★

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.

★★★★★

Newcastle Theatre Royal 23/08/2019

Les Misérables is a timeless classic. A show seen by over 70 million people all over the world since its debut in London 34 years ago cannot be denied the legendary status it has. The Victor Hugo novel released in 1862 has been adapted by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg for the stage. This touring production is the “new production” that has split the opinion of fans with the removal of the iconic revolving stageamongst other slight changes in the show.