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

First things first, I would like to apologise if I get any cast names wrong in this review. At the performance I attended, the matinee on Wednesday 29th March, the electronic cast board in the theatre foyer was not working. We all know the story of The Wizard of Oz, the tale of Dorothy being transported to the magical land of Oz where she becomes friends with a scarecrow, a tin man and a cowardly Lion on an adventure to find the wizard, escape the wicked witch and ultimately

Okay, I’ll admit. Upon being invited to the press night of the UK Tour of Heathers at Theatre Royal Plymouth, I didn’t know masses about it. I knew it was an American high school drama, based on an 80’s cult classic, that took some dark turns and had a massive following of passionate fans, but that was about it. And if I’m being honest, sometimes I really enjoy going into productions mostly blind, ready to be both surprised and entertained, but when it came to this production

Mischief Movie Night, Fleabag and Six. What do they all have in common? Well, these three massive hit shows all come from humble beginnings, getting their start in the world at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and now another success story has come barrelling out of its Fringe starting block to global popularity: The Choir of Man, which premiered at the festival in 2017. Featuring an all-male cast of talented vocalists, musicians and wordsmiths, The Choir of Man invites the audi

It’s perhaps one of the most popular Christmas movies around, with merchandise flooding the shelves every year and a family rewatch becoming a tradition for many, and since it’s stage debut in 2010, Elf has proven just as loved on stage as it is on screen. With success across North America and beyond, 2022 saw the festive musical return to the London stage for its second run since 2015, returning once more to the vast Dominion Theatre. It is maybe safe to assume that most peo

It’s the biggest public vote theatre awards in the UK, and the build-up has well and truly kicked off for the 2023 WhatsOnStage Awards, with nominations announced in full. Winners will be revealed at a star-studded ceremony on Sunday 12 February at the Prince of Wales Theatre in the heart of London’s West end. The ‘Best performer in a musical’ nominees are Courtney Bowman for ‘Legally Blonde’, Katie Brayben for ‘Tammy Faye’, Divina De Campo for ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’, Jo

These days jukebox musicals, seen as guaranteed crowd pleasers, are commonplace up and down the country, entertaining those visiting the glittering west end and sending audiences flocking to their regional theatres in their droves. These popular shows often rely heavily on a singer/group’s most well-known hits, the types of songs that have theatregoers proclaiming, ‘hey I know this one’ and sending them home with a tune stuck in their heads, but sometimes a show can deep dive

Catchy songs, custard pies and peddle cars, ‘Bugsy Malone’ is a classic. Seen as a gangster movie for kids, it takes us back to 1920’s New York, when Speakeasy’s were all the rage and gang warfare was rife. The popular 1976 film saw the entire cast consist of children, playing adult roles with their singing voices dubbed by adults, so how exactly does that transfer to the stage. Directed by Sean Holmes and choreographed by Drew McOnie, this Lyric Hammersmith production of ‘Bu

Please note that the photographs included in this review are of the 2021 cast After setting sail in its world premiere at The Hall For Cornwall last year, the musical adaptation of hit film Fisherman’s Friends (based on the film of the same name which is in turn based on the real-life story of Port Isaac’s famous shanty band) has returned to the stage, launching its hotly anticipated UK Tour at The Theatre Royal Plymouth. Men of the sea, devoted to their work, their families,

Years on from the success and popularity of shows such as Horrible Histories (still pleasing audiences to this day), the idea of using shows with plenty of music to make education fun, celebrated dramatist Chris Bush and songwriter Miranda Cooper have adapted Kate Pankhurst’s picture book celebrating incredible women for the stage, creating a new girl power musical that both entertains and inspires. Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World (recently seen at the Edinbur

Tasting notes are strings of adjectives, increasingly precise and sometimes obscure, meant as a sensory examination and evaluation of a drink. More informal, recreational tasting may usually involve a much less analytical process for a more general, personal appreciation (the gill girl, pribblebabble.wordpress.com, 2013). Although usually applying to a drink, in this case wine, the idea of a tasting note can allow be directly applied to day-to-day life and way in which we s

After proving a hit and a star making machine on Broadway, Dreamgirls opened in London’s West End in late 2016, running through to early 2019 and now, after what felt like a long delay due to Covid, the show has hit the road on a UK Tour, bringing the glitz, glamour, and grit of showbusiness in the hard-hitting music industry. Loosely, shall we say inspired, by the story of musical legend Diana Ross and her experiences of the challenging industry, Dreamgirls tells the story o

When it comes to musicals, some are just more well known than others and if you were to ask someone who perhaps isn’t as knowledgable on the subject as you and me, they would still probably be able to name a few and one of those would most probably be Les Miserables. This famous show has celebrated many a birthday, and is only a few years away from the landmark age of 40. It’s been seen by millions all over the world and it is still has loved as it was when it first opened. T

With the West End open again (thank goodness) and many a theatre fan more than ready to return to auditoriums, jukebox musicals are proving to be as popular as ever and if you fancy going to see a show full of songs that you know then London has plenty to offer. Mamma Mia is still going strong having just celebrated its 23rd birthday, with Tina: The Tina Turner Musical and &Juliet also pulling in the crowds. And now another joins the West End jukebox line up, lighting up the

Just as in life, ‘What If’ is a big and powerful question in storytelling and when it comes to theatre, the simple question of ‘What If?’ can take a story and completely flip it upside down. What if Donna had known whether Sam, Bill or Harry were Sophie’s father? What if the members of The Four Seasons had been able to get along better? What if Evan had simply told the truth? The possibilities are endless but let me take you away from all of that for a moment and apply the qu