Having celebrated its 19th anniversary back in September, the Apollo Victoria theatre was that famous shade of green long before the cinema screens. Wicked, known in full as Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz has been delighting audiences for much longer than a clock click of the Time Dragon, ever since its San Francisco tryout way back in 2003, and its much more recent star studded two-part film adaptation has sent its popularity to supersonic proportions, not tha

In a time whilst some may argue that London is simply flooded with jukebox bops, screen to stage adaptations and revivals, new and original musicals are deservedly celebrated as breaths of fresh air, injecting a taste of something new on the horizon and ‘Bloody Mary and the Nine Day Queen’, having spent its recent and short London run nestled under the Southwark and Waterloo arches of the Union Theatre, may hear the bright lights of bigger venues calling its name sometime soo

‘It’s 12 noon in London, 7am in Philadelphia, and around the world it’s time for Live Aid’   That was nearly exactly 40 years ago, when Live Aid took to the airwaves around the globe, two concerts on two continents, world famous music acts and millions watching either live or via their television screens. Perhaps one of the greatest concerts ever to take place, and it was all in aid of the famine of Ethiopia, the idea the brainchild of one Bob Geldof. And it is the story of L

If I had a nickel for every time I saw a musical about a troubled artist who died too young, died before they really had the chance to see their own fame, which featured a heavy focus on the close and touching relationship of said artists with a sibling and the women who greatly influenced the lives of said artists, I would have two nickels, which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice.   I joke in attempt to fit in with some social media trend.   I don’t like to d

Six people who used to be the best of friends at University, but have subsequently grown apart, are all mysteriously invited to take part in an escape room in the Caves at the Edinburgh Fringe. They used to love solving puzzles together, but no one knows why they are suddenly here to solve one last mystery, or do they?   In ‘Escape Room: The Musical’ by Grown Up Playhouse Productions, we see the six friends, joined by Pierre, an enigmatic French man who doesn’t seem to know w

You know a show has that perfect balance of high quality goodness, catchy musical numbers, relatability, entertainment, slickness and fun when it entices you back time and time again, and as I made my third annual visit to Alexander S Bermange’s ‘I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical’ I was reminded of what exactly makes this show such a stand out in the hustle and bustle of the Edinburgh Fringe.   ‘I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical’ is a comical and witty observational explora

When pretty much any space could become a performance venue at the Edinburgh Fringe, the imagination is given the freedom to roam, after all, who says a little storage container can’t be an 80,000-seat world class concert venue? Because in the vivid, colourful and all together wonderful imagination of comedian and musical performer Katie Pritchard, that is exactly what Assembly’s Roxy Boxy becomes in her one women show ‘I Kiss The Music’.   In this production, Pritchard is an

Henry Cyril Paget, the long forgotten fifth Marquess of Anglesey, written out of history after he died aged just 29 in the 1850s having spent all of his estate’s money staging extravagant plays. His family destroyed any evidence of him, pretended he didn’t exist to bring back their good name, but this production ‘How To Win Against History’ brings Paget’s story back to life with oodles of glitz, glamour and sparkle.   Returning to the fringe after premiering back in 2016, we

Apple versus Microsoft. Jobs versus Gates. A battle for the ages. A musical crammed full of comedy, rivalry and a number of great songs.   The creation of ‘Nerds’ has been a lengthy process, but now running at the Edinburgh Fringe, I can state that the work has been worth it as this new musical shines, boasting a cast featuring west end names, a quirky and comical tale of truth mixed with a fair dose of imagination, and songs that will have you beaming from ear to ear.   Stev

Brothers, best mates and a boat load of pop hits transformed into sea shanties, a recipe for Fringe success and the premise of hit new musical ‘Shantify’, running daily at the Palais Du Variete in Assembly George Square Gardens.   It would be easy to suspect that this show may simply be a concert of song after song, but rest assured that this is a full production with a heartfelt and heartwarming story complete with wonderful songs and performances that will leave you grinnin

‘Vincent You’re my brother, You’ll never need To doubt me. Since our childhood promise, You are in my soul’   Did you know that Vincent van Gogh had a younger brother? And that they were extremely close, corresponding in letters with Theo, a successful art dealer, proving determined to both publicise Vincent’s artwork and support his brother through his mental health struggles?   Vagabond Skies, the van Gogh Musical, makes its Edinburgh Fringe debut this summer, condensed dow

After proving a massive hit for a number of years in London’s West End, and enjoying a previous UK Tour, it was well celebrated news when it was announced that ‘Kinky Boots’ would once again be strutting its way up and down the country with a new ‘Made at Curve’ production. And the excitement only grew and grew when the news that Strictly Come Dancing favourite, pro dancer Johannes Radebe, would be making their musical theatre debut in the role of Lola.   And, long story shor

It’s all just a matter of time, it’s all just a, it’s all just a matter of…’   Meet Benjamin Button, the extraordinary case of a gentleman born as an old man. He lives like no other, against the ebb and flow of the tide, in a world where tide and time wait for no man, and all he wants to do is life a little life.   Based on a short story by F Scott Fitzgerald, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button the musical is taking London by storm. Having premiered back in 2019 at the South

What is it really like to be a performer in musical theatre? What really happens backstage? What do the cast members really think of each other and think of their audience? Well, if you would like to know the answers to these important burning questions and would like them set to fun, catchy show tunes, then look no further then Alexander S. Bermanges ‘I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical’, playing at Gilded Balloon at the Museum. This production is a deep dive into the world o

On the stage at least, you would be forgiven for immediately thinking pantomime when you hear the show title ‘Aladdin’. Up and down the country, every festive season, the story of street rat Aladdin, his genie and the magical carpet is performed to eager panto goers, ready to cheer the hero and boo the villain, but let’s step away from that. Because this isn’t panto, this is a Disney Theatrical production to the highest degree. Large cast with a larger set, beautiful costumes

Kylie. Bananarama. Donna Summer. Rick Astley. It’s a throwback of mammoth proportions, hit after hit, a dance party here and a dance party there. That’s Stock, Aitken and Waterman, the song writing record producing machine that brought us such hits, and now combined with a brand-new tale from writer/director Debbie Isitt (the brains behind Christmas hit Nativity and its sequels, admit it you love them all), there’s a new jukebox musical in town, and it’s one that is a guarant

Politics. A hot topic, but perhaps not a popular one, especially at the moment but let’s take a step away from the current political situation and instead look at the past. After all, they do say that hindsight is a fine thing, and even in politics, time changes things and can even open the door for comedy, or to be more precise, satire. Penned by Harry Hill, with music by Steve Brown, Tony! The Tony Blair Rock Opera rips up the rule book, recounting the early life and politi

Please note, photos included are general Showstopper images, not show specific What does it take to construct a musical? A storyline, music, lyrics, choreography, set, costumes; all of that and you are only skimming the surface, all of that and there is possibly months and months of work to be done in order to get it all running smoothly. That is, of course, unless you are about to witness an entire musical, plot, songs and all, pieced together in just 2 hours. Madness, I hea

When it comes to stage productions, taking a classic story and giving it a twist is hardly something new, from ‘Unexpected Twist’ and ‘Bleak Expectations’, to Say It Again Sorry’s fringe hit ‘The Importance of being… Earnest’ to name but a few. And now here we are with the Olivier Award winning ‘Pride & Prejudice* (*Sort of), a show that takes the classic Jane Austen story, throws it into the mixing pot and tops it up with dashes of Six, lashes of Jukebox musical fun and even

What do you get when you mix a little bit of ‘Hamilton’ with a dash of ‘Six’, add a little drop of ‘Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World’ and throw in just a smidgeon of ‘Horrible Histories’ for good measure? Well, dear reader, I’ll tell you what you get. If you add all of those things together, you get ‘Operation Mincemeat’, the little musical that is making a big impact and taking the West End by storm. In real life, Operation Mincemeat was a little known plot th