Reading Time: 2 minutesExploring the angst and anxiety of first loves and the end of childhood that comes with going to Uni, The Verge of Forever depicts the journey of two young adults, Leo (Finlay McKillop– covering for Novello) and Marie (Scarlett Ayers) in the development of their relationship and their taking of those first tentative steps towards adulthood.
Reading Time: < 1 minuteLena is the brand new ‘play with music’ written by BAFTA and Olivier award-winner Tim Whitnall showing at Assembly this August. It follows the Rise and Fall of Lena Zamboni and child star who’s journey was in contrast to the glittering shine of Opportunity Knocks. The show is hosted by Hughie Green - the Simon Cowel in the story although it is also narrated throughout by the Father.
Reading Time: 3 minutesINVASION! is being put on as part of Camden Fringe and is created by the Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society (CUMTS), with the show being written and directed by Jonathan Powell and Jasper Robin, and composed by Lily Blundell. CUMTS can lay claim to being the original home of the worldwide smash hit that is SIX the Musical, however this show fails to live up to those lofty heights.
Reading Time: 3 minutesRide is a new British musical performed first in March 2020 (before the world closed down) and currently showing at the Southwark Playhouse Elephant.
Reading Time: 2 minutesThere are a handful of jukebox musicals that can make you deeply reflect upon your life, and In Dreams is one of them. After leaving the auditorium, I found myself contemplating my existence, loved ones, and relationships with the deceased. While I am not a huge fan of Roy Orbison's music (which might betray my age), I thought the craftsmanship of David West Read (Schitt’s Creek, & Juliet) in creating both funny and heart-warming situations, along with the direction by Luke Sheppard (& Juliet, In The Heights), and the talent of the cast, produced an amazing piece of theatre.
Reading Time: 3 minutesWe do not follow a protagonist from start to finish of an adventure, nor a courtroom trial that tos-and-fros before reaching a verdict, nor any other more common structure you may see at other West End theatres. In The Jungle we follow a group of men, each from different walks of life with different outlooks but who all share the same two things; they all go to their local, and at their local they are all in the same choir – the Choir of Man.
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe story and viewpoint feels important - with the media becoming more powerful than ever, the impact of that cycle of abuse is becoming more insidious and reflecting that through the medium of theatre is exactly what we should be doing.
Reading Time: 2 minutesBased on the book written by Dominique Morisseau, Ain’t So Proud- the musical captures the life journey of the famous Black American band, The Temptations, from the streets of Detroit to one of the most successful bands of their time. It recounts the struggles and victories the performers overcame throughout their careers, including interpersonal problems, the civil rights movement, and the shifting face of the music business.
Reading Time: 3 minutes"How very" of a show was Heathers at Liverpool Empire. I was welcomed with open arms to Westerberg High. Full of dry humour, savageness, pure camp and a lot of energy, the production is a worthy adaptation of the 80s high-school cult classic – be it, a more sanitised one.
Reading Time: 2 minutesCirque - The Greatest Show at O2 Indigo is currently on tour across the UK, produced by James Taylor, the director of Entertainers. Cirque is an incredibly glitzy performance, and has aimed to set itself apart by combining circus with musical theatre. Well-known hits from Broadway and the West End are sung by the cast members in between, and sometimes during, their dancing and circus acts.