Review: Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour at the National Theatre

Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour 

National Theatre (Dorfman)

Reviewed on Tuesday 16th August 2016

★★★★★

Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour comes bursting in to the National Theatre after its celebrated debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2015. Based on the novel by The Sopranos by Alan Warner, it tells the story of six good Catholic school girls, whose road-trip to a choir competition proves to be more eventful than they ever imagined.

EdFringe Review: Tomorrow, Maybe at C nova

Tomorrow, Maybe

C nova

Running Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Reviewed on Saturday 13th August 2016

★★★★

Tomorrow, Maybe is the opportunity to people watch under a magnificent, musical microscope. You are invited into Miriana’s café on a normal day, and follow the normal lives of her regular customers. The charming factor of this new musical is that it is so normal – it’s real and identifiable. Each character is facing relatable problems and climbing normal everyday milestones.

EdFringe Review: Aaaand Now For Something Completely Improvised at Pleasance Dome

Aaaand Now For Something Completely Improvised
Pleasance Dome

Running Time: 1 hour

Reviewed on Friday 12th August 2016

★★★★★

Racing Minds are back at the Fringe with their sell out show, Aaaand Now For Something Completely Improvised, which does exactly what it says on the tin. The comic quintet is made up of five brilliant minds with remarkably brilliant funny bones.

EdFringe Review: Tamar Broadbent: Get Ugly at Laughing Horse @ Espionage

Tamar Broadbent: Get Ugly

Laughing Horse @ Espionage 

Running time: 1 hour

Reviewed on Thursday 11th August

★★★★★

It feels ironic that a show called Get Ugly can be so beautiful. It is beautifully honest, beautifully brutal and filled with beautiful moments of ‘it’s not just me? Oh thank god for that’.

Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Palace Theatre

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Parts 1&2)
Palace Theatre
Reviewed on Wednesday 27th July 2016
★★★★★

Fans had every right to be sceptical when it was announced that J. K. Rowling would tell the eighth Harry Potter story in a new West End play. The project could have gone either way but some wise choices have been made, making Harry Potter and the Cursed Child an unforgettable theatrical event.

Review: The Deep Blue Sea at the National Theatre

The Deep Blue Sea 

National Theatre (Lyttelton)

Reviewed on Monday 11th June 2016

★★★★★

After their critical success with Medea in 2014, director Carrie Cracknell reunites with Helen McCrory to revive Terence Rattigan's devastating masterpiece The Deep Blue Sea.

Review: Rob Houchen EP launch at Underbelly @ Hoxton Square

Rob Houchen EP Launch

Underbelly @ Hoxton Square

Reviewed on Sunday 5th June 2016

★★★★★

Fresh from completing a two and a half year stint as Marius in the West End production of Les Miserables, Rob Houchen is the latest musical theatre performer to turn his attention to music. As well as rehearsing for Titanic at the Charing Cross Theatre (which opens to press tonight), Houchen has been preparing to release his debut EP entitled RH. To celebrate the EP officially going on sale, last night Houchen played a one-off show at Underbelly @ Hoxton Square.

Review: Musicals Unsung at the St James Studio

Musicals Unsung
St James Studio
Reviewed on Tuesday 24th May 2016
★★★★

Hot off the heels of the latest West End Switched Off, earlier this week Parallel Productions returned to the St James Studio with a new concert entitled Musicals Unsung. Often at musical theatre concerts the same old favourites are whipped out again and again, but Musicals Unsung shone the spotlight on musical numbers which were cut from the shows they were written for - many songs featured have been lying in the musical theatre graveyard for years. 

Review: Emma Hatton Live at The Pheasantry

Emma Hatton Live 
The Pheasantry
Reviewed on Sunday 1st May 2016
★★★★★

On her day off from playing the most demanding female role in the West End, last night Emma Hatton showed off a whole different side to her talents at the Pheasantry. The show was constructed around singer-songwriters that have heavily influenced her over the years; she put her own spin on everything and had clearly put the set list together carefully because nothing felt out of place.

Review: The Flick at the National Theatre

The Flick

National Theatre (Dorfman)
Reviewed on Thursday 28th April 2016
★★★★★

Theatre can be a bold, bright attack of the senses. It can also be a still, reflective creation that can leave you wondering long into the night.

Review: Sheridan Smith stars in Funny Girl at the Savoy Theatre

Funny Girl 

Savoy Theatre
Reviewed on Wednesday 20th April 2016
★★★★★

Following its sold out run at the Menier Chocolate Factory, Funny Girl has transferred to the West End where it hasn't been seen since Barbra Streisand starred as Fanny Brice in 1966. Juxtaposing Fanny Brice's rise to stardom with the downfall of her marriage to Nick Arnstein, Funny Girl is a heartfelt musical about fame, love and what really goes on behind closed doors.

I thought Michael Mayer's production was sensational at the Chocolate Factory, but it's even better at the Savoy. Both the cast and set have been expanded to give the show more glitz and glamour. The performance numbers fill the stage gloriously (there's some brilliant choreography by Lynne Page) whilst the more sincere scenes still feel intimate and detailed. Jule Styne's music is more charming than ever. 

I cannot find the words to express how phenomenal Sheridan Smith is as Fanny Brice. Smith nails every scene; she comes into her own during the song and dance numbers, showcasing impeccable comic timing and leading the cast with tremendous spirit. Her portrayal of offstage Fanny is equally as masterful; Smith can play things up with a twinkle in her eye without losing the character's sincerity. She performs the heartfelt moments with genuine emotion, it really is quite moving.

Broadway Review: Rachel Tucker stars in Wicked at the Gershwin Theatre

Wicked 
Gershwin Theatre
Reviewed on Friday 25th March 2016
★★★★★

It's hard to believe Wicked is currently playing its twelfth year on Broadway. The production is in tip top shape - I can't remember the last time I saw Joe Mantello's production looking so slick. Nothing quite beats seeing Wicked in New York, the audience were buzzing before the show had even begun.

Based on Gregory Maguire’s novel of the same name, Wicked tells the untold story of the Witches of Oz. After seeing Wicked you will never be able to watch The Wizard of Oz in the same way ever again. During the first act we learn how the two witches - The Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda The Good - came to meet during their time at university, whilst in the second half we discover what happened behind the scenes when Dorothy was following the yellow brick road to the Emerald City.

The musical may feature a grand design, dazzling costumes and an epic score, but at its heart Wicked is a show about the unique friendship formed between two women. Wicked stands apart from other shows because of the way it speaks to people; everyone can relate to a character in some way. Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman's show is an absolute masterpiece.

Broadway Review: The Color Purple starring Cynthia Erivo & Jennifer Hudson

The Color Purple
Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre
Reviewed on Wednesday 30th March 2016
★★★★★

Having first played London's Menier Chocolate Factory in 2013, John Doyle's stripped back, stylistic production of The Color Purple has made it to Broadway with West End star Cynthia Erivo reprising her performance. Adapted from Alice Walker, The Color Purple tells a heartbreaking story; whilst it is gut wrenching, the piece also inspires and and is spiritually uplifting.

When I saw Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, Stephen Bray and Marsha Norman's show in London I remember writing that I'd never experienced an audience reaction like it; however, seeing The Color Purple on Broadway was a whole different ball game. From the second the lights went down and the first number began the audience went crazy - the way this show connects with people is extraordinary. 

Erivo stars as Celie who is put through the most horrific emotional turmoils; after having an awful upbringing, Celie is married off to a man who beats her. On top of that she thinks her sister is dead and has no idea about the well-being of her two children. The piece follows Celie's life between 1914 and 1945, you can't help but be moved by her story as she ventures down her path to self acceptance. 

Broadway Review: Fun Home at Circle in the Square

Fun Home
Circle in the Square
Reviewed on Thursday 24th March 2016
★★★★★

Adapted from Alison Bechdel's 2006 memoir, Fun Home is a truly exceptional piece of theatre. Three actresses play Alison at three different stages in her life, allowing us to delve into her relationship with her gay father, coming to terms with her own sexuality and how she grows up to become an inspiring woman.

Review: An Evening With Jodie Jacobs at the Chapel of St Barnabas

An Evening With Jodie Jacobs
Chapel of St Barnabas
Reviewed on Thursday 18th February 2016
★★★★★

Last night West End actress Jodie Jacobs made a rare solo concert appearance at the stunning Chapel of St Barnabas. Whilst the set list was perfection, it was Jacobs' between song speeches that brought the house down. She is an absolute dream. 

Review: Nell Gwynn at the Apollo Theatre starring Gemma Arterton

Nell Gwynn 

Apollo Theatre

Reviewed on Tuesday 16th February 2016

★★★★★

Jessica Swale’s new play Nell Gwynn, which has transferred to the West End following a short season at the Globe, is an absolute must see. I took my seat at the Apollo knowing nothing about the piece - somehow I hadn't even glanced at a review or taken notice of a star rating - and proceeded to have the most joyously incredible evening.

Review: The Mother at the Tricycle Theatre

The Mother 
Tricycle Theatre
Reviewed on Wednesday 27th January 2016
★★★★★

Following the tremendous success of The Father, Florian Zeller's play The Mother (translated by Christopher Hampton) has transferred to the Tricycle Theatre having played the Ustinov Studio in Bath last year. Whilst The Father centred around a man with dementia, The Mother is about a woman with depression who is struggling to let go of her son.

Review: Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty (UK Tour) at the Milton Keynes Theatre

Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty (UK Tour)
Milton Keynes Theatre
Reviewed on Tuesday 26th January 2016
★★★★★

Fresh from its festive season at Sadler’s Wells, the first revival of Matthew Bourne’s staging of Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty is touring the UK. Billed as "a gothic romance", Bourne's ventures into a dark world to tell a classic good vs. evil story.

Review: Lyn Paul returns to Blood Brothers at the Richmond Theatre

Blood Brothers (UK Tour)
Richmond Theatre
Reviewed on Monday 25th January 2016
★★★★★

The West End hasn't been the same since Blood Brothers closed in 2012, thankfully the show lives on with its long-running UK tour. Lyn Paul, who first starred in the show in 1997 and reprised her performance many times, has returned to Blood Brothers once again to lead the cast as Mrs Johnstone.

Review: Audra McDonald Live In Concert at the Leicester Square Theatre

Audra McDonald Live In Concert
Leicester Square Theatre
Reviewed on Sunday 17th January 2016 (evening performance)
★★★★★

Before taking to the stage at the Leicester Square Theatre yesterday for two sold out shows, it had been over fifteen years since six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald had performed a solo concert in London. It's safe to say McDonald made up for lost time, performing a plethora of music from the Great American Musical Theatre Songbook.