Since premiering at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017, The Choir of Man has gone from strength to strength, gaining success and accolades across the globe. With an all-male cast of vocalists and musicians, and a roughly 90 minute no interval running time, The Choir of Man opens its arms and brings the audience into The Jungle, their local pub where they are each a member of the pub choir.   In this ensemble piece that balances, music, song, comedy and poetry, we are guided through

Back in London for the first time since 2015, Patrick Barlow’s hit comedy The 39 Steps has recently taken up residence at the Trafalgar Theatre where it continues to delight with its small cast, low budget tale of espionage.   This adaptation of John Buchan’s spy novel along with Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 film adaptation tells the tale of Richard Hannay (played by Tom Byrne), a civilian left bored at home who finds himself drawn into the world of spies after meeting a beautiful

Oh look, just when you thought that she may have finally moved on and found something else to obsess over, she’s back and she’s talking about ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ again. Okay, I’ll admit, you may be starting to wonder why on earth I keep going back, or how on earth I still laugh at a comedy that I have now seen 21 times, and I hope you’ll be satisfied with my answer to those questions. One – I keep going back because it makes me happy, pure and simple. I feel a sense of

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

Oh look, what a shock. She’s writing about a mischief show again. But let’s be honest here, is that really a surprise? Mischief Theatre has something that just keeps on dragging me back, and the most addictive of the lot for me, ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’. People may, and do, ask me why I keep seeing it, how on Earth I am not bored of it yet and I give the same answer every time. How can I get bored of something that is different every single time. Different cast combinations

It’s a Disney classic and a family favourite, delighting all ages for many years and consistently raising the bar for the type of special effects that can be achieved in a live stage production. ‘Mary Poppins’, the world’s most magical nanny, with her technicolour adventures, fantastic stories, and mystical ways, has been a stage hit since 2004, enjoying London and New York success and popular tours. It swooped back into the West End, back into the Prince Edward Theatre in 20

The show must go on. It’s an age old saying in the world of theatre, and it’s one that celebrates the hard-working individuals who do just that; ensure that the show can indeed go on. Understudies and swings are perhaps among the most needed members of a theatrical company, for they can cover multiple roles and are able to step in at the drop of a hat. That being said, the understudies (for reasons that I will never understand) are sometimes underappreciated, and some people

Most people have a favourite movie, favourite tv show, something to watch that they never tire of, and most theatre fans have their favourite show that just keeps tempting them back over and over again. And with whatever it is that you watch repeatedly, be a tv show, a film or a theatrical production, there always seems to be the same sort of questions asked. ‘How can you watch it over and over without getting bored?’, ‘How can you still find it funny or entertaining when you

They say that three is the magic number, and for Disney, three is the number spreading magic all over the glittering West End with The Lion King, Mary Poppins, and now Frozen delighting audiences of all ages. Over the years, Disney theatrical have pushed the boundaries of what can be done on stage when it comes to special effects, with The Lion King leading the way in terms of puppetry and Mary Poppins proving to be a shining example of special effects, but when it comes to F

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

Danny Kaan is a photographer, making a name for himself photographing events all over the West End and beyond, both on and off stage. I was lucky enough to talk to Danny about how he started out and how he has grown his platform, as well as about his love for all things theatre. How did you get into photography? Has it always been a hobby of yours? No, it wasn’t always a hobby. I was on a summer holiday with my mum and my two little brothers, and we had these advertisement pa

In today’s theatrical world, screen to stage adaptations are two to a penny but that doesn’t stop a stage musical adaptation from being a big box office draw. After opening in Manchester in early 2020, ‘Back to the Future the musical’ came roaring into the West End last Autumn, transforming the Adelphi Theatre into Hill Valley. Based on the 1985 film of the same name, Back to the future tells the story of Marty Mcfly (played here by Olly Dobson), who accidently finds himself

When it comes to creating magic both on screen and on stage, Disney certainly know what they are doing. From ‘The Lion King’ to ‘Frozen’, Disney theatrical productions have been thrilling audiences for many years, and their stage adaptation of ‘Mary Poppins’ might just be one of the most magical. The world’s most famous nanny fills the Prince Edward Theatre with magic with its lovable characters and some of the best dance numbers you can currently see on the West End. With th

Mischief Theatre have well and truly made a name for themselves in the world of comedy, with worldwide theatrical success and multiple BBC credits under their belts as they have laughed their ways into the hearts of countless theatre fans. Their first smash hit ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ has been running at the Duchess Theatre in the heart of the West End for seven years to critical acclaim and it is still as fresh, as slick, and as brilliantly funny as the day it first opene

They say that laughter is the best medicine, and when it comes to finding something to give you just the dose that you need, you can do wrong by picking Mischief Theatre to be your doctor. The team behind hit shows ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’, ‘Peter Pan Goes Wrong’ and BBC’s ‘The Goes Wrong Show’ blessed the West End with not one but two new productions during their 2019 residency at the Vaudeville Theatre with ‘Magic Goes Wrong’ proving to be one of their most ambitious and

After opening on Broadway in 2019, Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge was one of the most hotly anticipated West End transfers around and after a number of delays due to the coronavirus pandemic, it finally opened late last year at London’s Piccadilly Theatre. It would appear that the delays only fuelled the excitement further as the show became the hottest ticket in town before it even opened. After being affected by a number of Omicron enforced cancellations, I was lucky enough to

It’s hard to believe that we are only a few months away from having to mark the anniversary of two years since theatres were forced to close their doors due to the coronavirus pandemic. I guess that we can talk about it in hindsight now, how naïve we were back then to think that it would only be a few weeks before life went back to normal. Here we are, in the final days of 2021, with life still far from normal. As we stand, theatres are currently allowed to be open again at f

After everything that we have been through over the last couple of years, and by the looks of it, will continue to go through for some time to come, you would be forgiven for thinking that laughter is in short supply, but hilarity is still out there to be had and Mischief Theatre are providing it by the bucketload with their new West End production of ‘Magic Goes Wrong’. Having originally opened at the Vaudeville in December 2019, and with this original version of the show du

Let me take you back to a different time, long before the age of social media and iPhones, long before Covid made such a massive impact on our lives. It’s 1952, Winston Churchill is prime minister, Stalin is the head of Russia, television shuts off at 10.20pm every day and most essential food is rationed. 5 years on from premiering as a short radio play entitled ‘Three Blind Mice’, Agatha Christie’s ‘The Mousetrap’ opened on 25th November at London’s Ambassadors Theatre follo