London Musicals - Over The Footlights

2015
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THE GRAND TOUR
Photo by Tristram Kenton
London run: Finborough, Jan 1st – Feb 21st
Music & Lyrics: Jerry Herman
Book: Michael Stewart & Mark Bramble
Director: Thom Sutherland
Choreographer: Cressida Carre
Musical Director: Joanna Cichonska
Nick Kyle, Zoe Doano, & Alastair Brookshaw
Cast: Alastair Brookshaw (Jacobowsky),
Nick Kyle (Colonel Stjerbinsky),
Zoe Doano (Marianne),
Michael Cotton, Laurel Dougall,
Elizabeth Graham, Natasha Karp,
Vincent Pirillo, Blair Robertson,
Samuel J. Weir, Lizzie Wofford.
Songs: I’ll Be Here Tomorrow, For Poland, I Belong Here, Marianne, We’re Almost There, More and More Less and
Less
Story: Jacobowsky, a Polish Jewish intellectual, has been one step ahead of the Nazis for years. Stjerbinsky, an
aristocratic, anti-Semitic Polish colonel, is desperately trying to get to England. Jacobowsky has purchased a car, but
he doesn’t know how to drive. The Colonel knows how to drive, but has no car. The two men start their “grand tour”
through Europe, ultimately aiming for free England, but as part of their attempts to avoid capture, Jacbowsky is
forced to disguise himself as a circus high-wire performer, and a practising rabbi at a Jewish wedding before making it
to France, where they are joined by Marianne, the Colonel’s French girl-friend. When they finally get to St Nazaire
and the boat to England, there is only room for two of them. Even though Jacobowsky has fallen in love with
Marianne, he insists that she leaves with the Colonel. His own flight will continue, but this time with a difference; if
he has found a place in the heart of a Marianne, then what can stop him from finding his place in the world? His Grand
Tour is just beginning.
Notes: The New York premiere in January 1979 was eagerly anticipated, representing Jerry Herman’s long-awaited
return to Broadway after almost a decade away. The musical was based on Franz Werfel’s 1944 play “Jacobowsky
and the Colonel” and starred Joel Grey and Florence Lacey. It survived just 17 previews and 61 regular performances,
becoming the third of Herman’s “flops” (the others were “Dear World” and “Mack and Mabel”). Although the show
was intended as a tribute to the strength of the Jewish survival instinct during the Nazi years, the combination of high
comedy and anti-Semitism was an uncomfortable mix for most critics. (Many pointed out that it took the wilder
excesses of the later musical “The Producers” to carry out this unlikely juxtaposition.). This was its British premiere.
BAT BOY (1st Revival)
Cast: Rob Compton (Bat Boy),
Lauren Ward (Meredith Parker),
Matthew White (Dr Parker),
Georgina Hagen (Shelley Parker), Russell
Wilcox (Sheriff), Nolan Frederick (Bud),
Simon Bailey (Rev. Hightower),
Andy Rees (Rick), Pepper Harrison (Ruthie),
Lindsay Scigliano (Maggie)
Photo by Tristram Kenton
London run: Southwark Playhouse,
January 9th – 31st
Music & Lyrics: Laurence O’Keefe
Book: Keythe Farley & Brian Flemming
Director: Luke Fredericks
Choreographer: Joey McKneely
Musical Director: Mark Crossland
Lauren Ward & Rob Compton
Notes: This first revival received a very mixed critical reception, with the production itself criticised for poor staging
and an inadequate sound system. However, later reviewers were more complimentary, suggesting that technical
problems had affected the earlier performances.
Original London production: Shaftesbury Theatre, September 2004
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MOLLY WOBBLY
London run: Leicester Square Theatre, January 27th – March 14th
Music & Lyrics: Paul Boyd
Book: Paul Boyd
Director: Paul Boyd
Choreographer: Sarah Johnston
Musical Director: Matthew Reeve
Cast: Russell Morton (Ithanku), Cassie Compton (Jemma),
Stephanie Fearon (Ruth), Jane Milligan (Margaret), Conleth Kane (Jake),
Christopher Finn (Robbie) Ashley Knight (Malcolm), Alan Richardson (Kitten)
Songs: Catholic Girl, Little Happening High, Designed by Margaret Brown.
One Night Stand, The Prebyterian Minister’s Wife.
Story: Ithanku, a Romanian-born stranger, and Kitten, his drag-queen
assistant, arrive in the village of Little Happening, and completely change the
lives of three married couples living in Mammary Lane: the demure Irish
Catholic Jemma and her “sexually confused” hairdresser husband, Jake;
sexy Ruth and her undersexed clockmaker husband, Robbie; and dressmaker Margaret and her husband , the
ex-Mayor, Malcolm. All the women are frustrated, and by means of hallucination in a teacup and flashbacks,
Ithanku helps the ladies get their problems off their chests—literally!
Notes: This show premiered in Belfast in 2011 under its original title “Molly Wobbly’s Tit Factory” and was a
hit at the 2012 Edinburgh Festival. However, its first London outing at the Hackney Empire (September 2013)
failed to happen when it was withdrawn at the very last minute due to funding difficulties. At least one critic
declared the latest version to be the funniest and most outrageous evening he had ever spent in a theatre, and
several recommended it for a “Rocky Horror” type audience. However, the general reaction admired the effort
and the performances, but felt the show fell apart in the second half and its sexual innuendo became tedious due
to constant repetition.
OH WHAT A LOVELY WAR (Return visit)
London run: Theatre Royal, Stratford East, January 29th - Feb 7th
Music:& Lyrics: Various
Book: Charles Chilton & Company
Director: TerryJohnson
Choreographer: Lynne Page
Musical Director: Peter White
Cast: Ian Reddington, Wendi Peters, Christopher Villiers, Alice Bailey-Johnson, Marcus Ellard,
Alex Gianini, Riuchard Glaves, Lauren Hood, Matthew Malthouse, Williaqm Oxborrow, Mark Prendergast,
Dan Reilly, Neil Stewart, Bleu Woodward.
Notes: This was a return visit of the production which had been staged at Stratford East in February 1914 to
mark the centenary of the First World War.
Original London production:
Theatre Royal Stratford/
Wyndham’s Theatre,
June 1963
1st revival: South Bank/
Roundhouse
April/August 1998
2nd Revival: Open Air,
Regent’s Park, July 2002
3rd Revival: Theatre Royal
Stratford, Feb 2014
Wendi Peters
2015
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Photo by Darren Bell
A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC
(40th Anniversary Concert)
London run: Palace Theatre, January 26th - one night only
Music & Lyrics:
Stephen Sondheim
Book: Hugh Wheeler
Director: Alastair Knights
Choreographer: Andrew Wright
Musical Director: Alex Parker
Cast: Janie Dee (Desiree),
Anne Reid (Madame Armfeldt),
Bibi Jay (Frederika),
David Birrell (Fredrik Egerman)
Fra Fee (Henrik),
Anna O’Byrne (Anne), Jamie Parker (Count Carl-Magnus),
Joanna Riding (Countess Charlotte), Laura Pitt Pulford (Petra), Joe Vetch (Frid),
Nadim Naaman, Michael Colbourne, Laura Tebbutt, Emma Harrold, Jenna Boyd
Notes: A one night semi-staged concert to mark the 40th anniversary of the show’s West
End debut – with a 28 piece orchestra.
THE GOODBYE GIRL (1st revival)
London run: Upstairs at the Gatehouse, February 4th – 28th
Music: Marvin Hamlisch
Lyrics: David Zippel
Book: Neil Simon
Director: Adam Lenson
Choreographer: Claira Vaughan
Musical Director: Richard Bates
Cast: Rebecca Bainbridge (Paula), Paul Keating (Elliot Garfield), Shannon Beach / Olivia Hallett (Lucy),
Emily Dunn, Rebecca Gilliland, Alex Green, Tim Phelps, Denise Pitter, Emma Kayte Saunders, Mark Turnbull,
James Wolstenholme
Songs: (New, with lyrics by Don Black): I’ll Take the Sky, Body Talk, Get a Life, Am I Who You Think I Am?,
If You Break Their Hearts, Do You Want to be in my Movie?, The Future isn’t what it used to be. (From the
original, with lyrics by David Zippel): Elliot Garfield Grant, Good News Bad News
Notes: The original New York version was a flop
in 1993, described as “old-fashioned and lacking
in plot”.
The 1997 London version was
completely re-written with many of the original
songs thrown out, and seven new songs added
with a different lyricist – this time Don Black.
(The original lyricist was David Zippel.) The
“new” London version ran for just ten weeks.
This was its first revival, and it was received
even more coolly than its showing eighteen years
earlier, although there was praise for Rebecca
Bainbridge and Paul Keating.
Original London run: Albery Theatre, April 1997
Paul Keating & Rebecca Bainbridge
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London run: Landor, Feb 4th – March 7th
Music: Jerry Bock
Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick
Book: Joe Masteroff
Director: Robert McWhir
Choreographer: Robbie O’Reilly
Musical Director: Iain Vince-Gatt
Cast: Charlotte Janonelli (Amalia Balash),
John Sandberg (Georg Nowack),
Emily Lynne (Ilona Ritter),
Joshua LeClair & Ian Dring
Matthew Wellman (Steven Kodaly),
Ian Dring (Zoltan Maraczek),
Joshua LeClair (Arpad), David Herzog (Ladislaw Sipos), George Mulryan, Luke Kelly, Tom Whalley,
Rosie Ladkin, Olivia Holland Rose, Annie Horn, Susie Chaytow
Notes: This was a well received revival, though the passing of years since its premiere emphasised, for some
critics, a rather clichéd story-line.
See Original London run: Lyric Theatre, April 1964
First revival: Savoy Theatre, July 1994;
Second revival: Gatehouse, July 2006
BEAUTIFUL- The Carole King Musical
London run: Aldwych, February 10th
Music & Lyrics: Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil
Book: Douglas McGrath
Director: Marc Bruni
Choreographer: Josh Prince
Musical Director: Matt Spencer-Smith
Cast: Katie Brayben (Carole King), Alan Morrissey, (Gerry Goffin), Ian McIntosh (Barry Mann),
Lorna Want (Cynthia Weil), Glynis Barber (Genie Klein), Gary Trainor (Don Kirschner) , Vivien Carter,
Ed Currie, Oliver Lidert, Fela Lurfadeju, Tanya Nicole-Edwards, Terel Nugent, Jay Perry, Tanisha L. Spring,
Lucy St Louis, Danielle Steers, Dylan Turner, Joanna Woodwood.
Songs: So Far Away, Will You Love Me Tomorrow, A Natural Woman
Photo by Brinkhoff-Moegenburg
Story: This was a conventional bio-musical, telling the story of singer Carole King, and her former husband
and writing partner, Gerry Goffen, with the linked story of her fellow writing couple, Barry Mann and Cynthia
Weil. The scenes of offstage struggles, musical competitiveness and marital betrayal were portrayed with the
use of the Carole King songbook.
Notes:
The original production
opened in San Francisco in October
2013 with Jessie Mueller and Jake
Epstein as Carole King and Gerry
Goffin.
A month later it began
previews in New York, with its
official opening on January 12, 2014.
Jessie Mueller won the Tony Award
for the Best Performance in a Musical,
and played the role until March 2015,
when Chilina Kennedy took over. The
London production had a friendly
reception from the critics, and was
described as a “three star musical”
elevated to something special by the
“five-star performance” of Katie
Brayben.
Photo by Darren Bell
SHE LOVES ME (3rd Revival)
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YARICO
Cast: Alex Spinney (Thomas Inkle),
Liberty Buckland (Yarico),
Tori Allen-Martin (Nono),
Jean-Luke Worrell (Cicero),
Michael Mahoney,
Keisha Amponsa Banson,
Melanie Marshall,
Songs: Give Me My Name, Spirit Eternal,
The Things We Carry With Us,
Story: Thomas Inkle, a British merchant
Liberty Buckland & Alex Spinney
sailor, has been thrown overboard for
gambling debts and washed ashore on an
unknown island. Facing death from the islanders, his only hope lies with the Amerindian Yarico, whose love of
Shakespeare means she's the only islander who understands the language of the 'ghostpeople'. She intervenes
and saves him, marking the start of an extraordinary love story, and their plans to return to London. But Inkle's
gambling changes their course forever, when she is sold into slavery because of his debts.
Notes: The story of Yarico was first recorded by Richard Ligon in his book “True and Exact History of the
Island of Barbados” published in 1657. It had been turned into an opera in the 18th Century, and a musical
version was commissioned in 1998 by John Kidd for performance at his Barbados plantation. Since then the
work has undergone several revisions, and this latest version, receiving its premiere, is still advertised as a
work in progress. There was much praise for an extremely talented young cast ,and for the physicality of the
production. The heavily percussive music, ranging from sea shanty to calypso, was admired. It was regarded
as a project worthy of further development.
LOSERVILLE (1st Revival)
London run: Union, February 25th- March 21st
Book, Music & Lyrics: Elliot Davis & James Bourne
Director: Michael Burgen
Choreographer: Matt Krzan
Musical Director: Bryan Hodgson
Cast: Luke Newton (Michael Dork), Sandy Grigelis (Marvin Camden),
Jordan Fox (Lucas), Holly-Anne Hull (Holly), Lewis Bradley (Eddie),
Sarah Covey (Leah), Matthew Harvey, Ryan Ridley, Charlie Kendall,
Isobel Hathaway, Jennifer Jolly Jamieson, James Lee Harris
Notes: This “easy-going, family-friendly musical” (Time Out) flopped in the
West End in 2012, but several reviewers pointed out that this cut-down fringe
revival indicated the work could have a bright future in school drama clubs and
youth theatre groups.
Original London run: Garrick Theatre, October 2012
Photo by Honeybun
London run: London Theatre Workshop,
February 17th – March 28th
Music: James McConnell
Book & Lyrics: Paul Leigh & Carl Miller
Director: Emily Gray
Choreographer: Jeanefer Jean-Charles
Musical Director: Zara Nunn
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LET IT BE (2nd Revival)
London run : Garrick Theatre, February 28th – September 27th
Music: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Book: Rain
Director: John Maher
Cast: Paul Canning(John Lennon), Emmanuele Angeletti (Paul McCartney), Luke Roberts (Ringo Starr),
John Brosnan (George Harrison), Michael Bramwell, Ryan Coath, Ben Cullingham, Ryan Alex Farmery,
Emmanuelle Angeletti, Peter John Jackson, Paul Mannion, Paul Canning
The original production ran from September 24th 2012 at the Prince of Wales Theatre, and transferred to the Savoy
in February 2013. It ran until February 8th 2014 and then went on a UK tour, returning to London from July10th –
September 20th for a limited season run at the Garrick. This was its second revival, again at the Garrick.
SWEENEY TODD (Transfer)
London run: Harrington’s Pie & Mash Shop, Shaftesbury Ave.
March 13th - May 30th
Music & Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim
Book: Hugh Wheeler
Director: Bill Buckhurst
Choreographer: Georgina Lamb
Musical Director: Benjamin Cox
Cast: Jeremy Secomb (Sweeney Todd),
Siobhan McCarthy (Mrs Lovett), Nadim Naaman (Anthony),
Duncan Smith (Judge Turpin), Zoe Doano (Johanna),
Joseph Taylor (Tobias), Kiara Jay (Pirelli/ Beggar Woman),
Ian Mowat (Beadle).
Notes: Following the enormous praise for this “venue-specific” production staged last October in a genuine pieshop in Tooting, Cameron Mackintosh offered a temporary home for a “pop-up theatre production”. Harrington’s
pie-shop was re-created in café-bar premises between the Gielgud and Queen’s Theatres on Shaftesbury Avenue –
premises which were undergoing reconstruction and were available for a short period.
See Original London production: Drury Lane Theatre, July 1980
1st revival: Half Moon Theatre, May 1985; 2nd revival: Cottesloe June /Lyttleton Dec 1993
3rd revival: Holland Park, June 1996; 4th revival: Sadler’s Wells, June 2002
5th revival: Royal Opera House, Dec 2003; 6th revival: Trafalgar Studios July 2004
7th revival: Royal Festival Hall, July 2007; 8th revival: Union, November, 2008
9th revival: Adelphi, March 2012; 10th revival Twickenham New Theatre September 2014
London run: St James Studio, March 3rd – March 15th
Transfer: Jermyn Street , May 12th—31st
Music & Lyrics: Jerry Herman
Devised by: Jerry Herman & Larry Alford
Director: Kate Golledge
Choreographer: Matthew Cole
Musical Director: Edward Court
Cast: Ria Jones, Sarah-Louise Young, Anna-Jane Casey
Emma Barton (replaced Anna-Jane Casey at Jermyn Street)
(Musicians: Edward Court & Sophie Byrne)
Notes: This musical revue was originally created in 1981 by Jerry Herman and Larry Alford as a one-off nightclub
entertainment in Manhattan. In February 1984 it was expanded into a star-name revue in Florida, with Carol
Channing Andrea McArdle and Leslie Uggams, and it was this revision that opened on Broadway in December
1985 (except the cast was now Dorothy Loudon, Chita Rivera and Leslie Uggams with an all-girl chorus). It ran for
141 performances. This UK premiere reverted to the original three-woman cast, and received critical acclaim for
excellent performances.
Photo by Darren Bell
JERRY’S GIRLS
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NORMA JEANE – THE MUSICAL
London run: Ye Olde Rose & Crown, E17, March 2nd -22nd
Music & Lyrics : Several credited
Book: Belvedere Pashun
Director: Christopher Swann
Choreographer:
Musical Director: Anton Mullan
Cast: Melissa Suffield (Marilyn Monroe),
Chris Edgerley (Dr McCarthy), Roberta Mair (Young Norma),
Rebecca Cole (Norma Jeane), Randy Smartnick (Stanley ),
Amanda Swift (Grace McKee),
Maggie Robson (Gladys Monroe),
Jordan Struel-White (Jim Dougerty), Rosy Fordham (Ida)
Songs: I Am Miss Marilyn Monroe, What Have they Done to You?, in My Mind, A Pocket Full of Diamond,
Crazy Like My Mama, Look in the Mirror, Come Clean About Norma Jeane, The Curse of Beauty
Story: Norma Jeane The Musical’ occupies the period between Marilyn Monroe’s separation from Arthur Miller
and the failure of her last film “The Misfits”. It is inspired by real life events which took place in February 1961.
The circumstances of her death less than 18 months later on August 5th 1962, from an overdose of barbiturates,
have been the subject of conjecture : officially it was a "probable suicide", though an accidental overdose or even
murder have not been ruled out
Notes: The songs were provided by Anton Mullan, David Martin, Verity Smith, Graham Noon, Orna Klement,
Geoff Cotton and Mike Daniels. For some critics this lack of a unified musical style was a disadvantage; for
others it complemented the schizophrenic nature of the characterisation. However, there was an almost
unanimous view that the show lacked a sense of unity and suffered from an under-financed production.
THESE TREES ARE MADE OF BLOOD
London run: Southwark Playhouse, March 18th – April 11th
Music & Lyrics: Darren Clarke
Book: Paul Jenkins & Amy Draper
Director: Amy Draper
Musical Director: Darren Clarke
Songs: My Little Bird, The Ghosts of Buenos Aires, I’d Do It All
Again
Story: “And for our next act, the Magical Military Junta will make
30,000 people disappear before your very eyes.” The Coup-Coup
Cabaret Club in Buenos Aires is a metaphor for Argentina’s Dirty War
(1976 to 1983) and the fate of the “Disappeared”, who were taken by
the authorities and never heard from again. General Videla is the MC,
telling dirty jokes and introducing tawdry tricks from his sidekicks,
Alexander Luttley
Lieutenant Campos and the Naval Commander, when Gloria comes to
the Club. She is looking for her daughter, Ana, who never returned
from a political protest. Gloria is a member of the Madres de Plaza de Mayo, who demand information,
commemoration and reparation from the government of the right-wing junta.
Notes: The similarities to the Kit-Kat Club in Kander & Ebb’s “Cabaret” were emphasised with the Coup Coup
Club providing a provocative allegory for an evil regime. For some critics, the change of mood from the savage
satire on the military junta to the gripping and moving story of those who suffered under the regime, made it a
show of two halves: its impact was weakened by the construction. However, it was universally accepted as a
challenging work of very high musical, production and performance values.
Photo by Darren Bell
Cast: Greg Barnett (General Videla), Alexander Luttley (Lt. Campos),
Neil Kelso (Naval Commander), Val Jones (Gloria),
Charlotte Worthing (Ana), Anne-Marie Piazza, Eilon Morris,
Rachel Dawson.
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GYPSY (1st Revival)
London run: Savoy, March 28th - November 28th
Music: Jule Styne
Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim
Book: Arthur Laurents
Director: Jonathan Kent
Choreographer: Stephen Mear
Musical Director: Nicholas Skilbeck
Cast: Imelda Staunton (Rose), Peter Davison (Herbie), Lara Pulver (Louise),
Gemma Sutton (June), Dan Burton (Tulsa), Julie LeGrand ( Electra),
Louise Gold (Mazeppa), Anita Louise Combe (Tessie Tura), Natalie Woods (Agnes),
Kieran Jae, Roger Dipper, Luke Street
Songs: Let Me Entertain You, Some People, Small World, You’ll Never Get away From Me, If Momma Was
Married, All I Need is the Girl, Everything’s Coming Up Roses. Together Wherever We Go, You Gotta Get a
Gimmick, Rose’s Turn.
Story: Mama Rose is determined to escape the humdrum life by pushing the vaudeville career of her younger
daughter, Baby June. When theatre proprietors show no interest, she forms her own vaudeville troupe, aided by
long-suffering admirer, Herbie. But Baby June grows up and elopes with Tulsa, one of the boys in the company.
Rose, undeterred, focuses all her attention on Louise, her elder, less talented and reluctant daughter, even forcing
her to step into the suddenly vacant role of a burlesque stripper. As time goes by, Louise becomes highly
successful as Gypsy Rose Lee, the highest paid strip-tease performer of the time. Rose suffers a breakdown
(expressed through the shattering “Rose’s Turn”) when she realises that she is no longer needed in her daughter’s
career.
This was only the second time the
show had been seen in the West End
and had originated at the Chichester
Festival Theatre. The critics were
unanimous in their praise, awarding
the show a five-star rating and
acclaiming Imelda Staunton for an
outstanding performance in an
outstanding production. Because of
Imelda Staunton’s commitments, it
was always scheduled for a limited
run.
Photos by Donald Maxwell
Notes: The 1959 Broadway production saw the greatest performance of Ethel Merman’s career, and the show itself
is regarded by many as one of the most-perfect musicals ever written. Music, songs and lyrics are superbly
integrated by two of the greatest craftsmen – Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim. The London production did not
happen until 1973, when Angela
Lansbury gave the most powerful
performance and received the highest
praise. Due to other commitments
she left the show after six months,
and the role was taken over by
Dolores Gray. In spite of a decent
performance, it seems the magic of
Lansbury was missing, and the show
closed a few months afterwards.
“Gypsy” was revived on Broadway
in 1989 with Tyne Daley (477
performances), and in 2003 with
Bernadette Peters (451
performances), and again in 2008
with Patti Lupone (332
performances).
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SPEND, SPEND, SPEND (1st Revival)
London run: Union, March 28th – April 18th
Music: Steve Brown
Book & Lyrics: Steven Brown & Justin Greene
Director: Christian Durham
Choreographer: Heather Douglas
Musical Director: Inga Davis-Rutter
Cast: Julie Armstrong (Viv Nicholson), Katy Dean (Young Viv),
Tom Brandon (Matt), James Lyne (Keith), David Haydn (George),
Kerry Whiteside (Liz), Jayne Ashley (Mrs Waterman), Xandy Champken (Pools Man),
Adam Colbeck-Dunn (The Taxman), Sally Firth (The Air Stewardess),
Oliver Jacobson (The Vicar), Charlie Johnson (Florrie), April Sullivan (Sue),
Christina Meehan (Keith’s Mum), Stuart Simons (Bank manager).
Photo by Darren Bell
Notes: The musical had its first performance in
1998 at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, followed
by a nine month West End run from October
1999, winning Best Musical awards and Best
Actress for Barbara Dickson. This fringe revival
came in for a lot of praise, especially for Julie
Armstrong and Katy Dean, and added to the
Union’s growing reputation for excellent staging
of forgotten musicals in spite of a shoestring
budget.
Original run: Piccadilly Theatre, Oct 1999
Katy Dean & James Lyne
THE SOUND OF MUSIC (6th Revival)
London run: New Wimbledon Theatre, March 30th - April 11th
Music: Richard Rodgers
Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II
Book: Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse
Director: Martin Connor
Choreographer: Bill Deamer
Musical Director: David Steadmnan
Producer: Bill Kenwright
Cast: Danielle Hope (Maria), Steven Houghton (Captain von Trapp),
Jan Hartley (Mother Abbess), Sarah Soetart (Elsa),
Howard Samuels (Max), Luke George (Rolf), Grace Chapman (Liesl),
Jessica Sherman (Sister Berthe), Zoe Ann Brown (Sister Margaretta),
Philip Day, Kate Milner Evans, Lynden Edwards,
Grace Gardner, Martin Dickinson,
Photo by Pamela Raith
Notes: 2015 being the 50th anniversary year of the release of the film, this
touring production opened at Wimbledon and was planned for a UK tour
through to January 2016. It was heavily praised for its casting and for its
staging.
See Original London production, Palace Theatre, 1961;
1st revival: Apollo Victoria, Aug 1981;
2nd revival: Sadlers Wells, June 1992; 3rd revival: BAC, Dec 1997;
4th revival: London Palladium, Nov , 2006
5th revival: Open Air Theatre, Aug 2013
Danielle Hope
SWEENEY TODD (12th Revival)
2015
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Cast: Bryn Terfel (Sweeney Todd),
Emma Thompson (Mrs Lovett),
Matthew Seadon-Young (Anthony),
Philip Quast (Judge Turpin),
Katie Hall (Johanna), Jack North (Tobias),
John Owen-Jones (Pirelli),
Alex Gaumond (Beadle),
Rosalie Craig (Beggar Woman),
John Barr, Alastair Brookshaw, Anna O’Byrne,
Vicki Lee Taylor
Photo by Alastair Muir
London run: Coliseum, March 31st,- April 12th
(13 performances only).
Music & Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim
Book: Hugh Wheeler
Director: Lonny Price
Choreographer: Josh Rhodes & Lisa Shriver
Musical Director: David Charles Abell
Emma Thompson & Bryn Terfel
Notes: This was a “semi-staged” performance that began as a concert, with the cast neatly arranged at music
stand, scores in hand, but rapidly turned into mayhem as a grand piano was upturned, blood was splashed around,
and scores thrown to the ground. With a 58 piece orchestra, the magnificent voice of Bryn Terfel and a much
praised performance from Emma Thompson, this was regarded as a large-scale and magnificent “bookend” to the
simultaneous “boutique” staging at the “Pie Shop” in Shaftesbury Avenue.
See Original London production: Drury Lane Theatre, July 1980
1st revival: Half Moon, May 1985; 2nd: Cottesloe June /Lyttleton Dec 1993; 3rd: Holland Park, June 1996;
4th: Sadler’s Wells, June 2002; 5th: Royal Opera House, Dec 2003; 6th: Trafalgar Studios July 2004;
7th: Royal Festival Hall, July 2007; 8th: Union, November, 2008; 9th : Adelphi, March 2012;
10th Twickenham New Sept 2014; 11th revival: Harrington’s Pie & Mash Shop, October 2014
GODSPELL – In Concert (5th revival)
London run: Hackney Empire, April 5th - 8th
Music & Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz
Book: John-Michael Tebelak
Director: Kenneth Avery-Clark
Choreographer: Richard Marcel
Musical Director: Russell Scott
Cast: Tom Senior (Jesus), Leanne Jarvis, Mitch Miller, Andy Abraham , Jennifer Potts, Jason Broderick,
Robert Hannouch, Dominique Planter, Maeve Byrne, Rachel Bingham
Photo by Darren Bell
Notes: This was a “staged” concert version, opening at Hackney at the start of a planned UK tour. For some critics
the “staging” was the drawback: the music and the vocal performances were strong and moving, but the “staging”
of the parables now seemed desperately oldfashioned and twee, “like a bad Sunday School
passion play” (The Stage) and “the ridiculous play
acting” threatened to “kill the show dead”. The
tour was planned for 28 venues and scheduled to
run until July 3rd. However, it was withdrawn after
five weeks, closing in Torquay on May 6th.
See Original London Production:
Wyndham’s, Nov 1974;
First revival: Her Majesty’s Theatre, May 1977;
Second Revival: Shaftesbury Theatre, July 1978;
Third revival: Barbican, August, 1993;
Fourth revival: Union, April 2011
2015
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THRILL ME- The Leopold & Loeb
Story(1st Revival)
London run: Greenwich Theatre, April 8th - 18th
Book, Music & Lyrics: Stephen Dolginoff
Director: Guy Retallack
Choreographer: Paul Harris
Musical Director: Tom Turner
Cast: Ben Woods (Richard Loeb),
Jo Parsons (Nathan Leopold),
Photo by Nick Rutter
Notes: This revival was directed by Guy Retallack, who
had been responsible for its UK premiere in 2011. Four
years earlier it was described as a claustrophobic
chamber-opera piece, “intelligent, atmospheric and
haunting”. This revival was aimed at bigger stages than
its original “fringe” outing, and was felt to have lost
none of its intensity, with particular praise for the two
performers.
Original London run: Tristan Bates (trans. Charing Cross Theatre) May 2011
BUGSY MALONE (1st Revival)
London run: Lyric, Hammersmith , April 11th – Sept 5th
Music & Lyrics: Paul Williams
Book: Alan Parker / Micky Dolenz
Director: Sean Holmes
Choreographer: Drew McOnie
Musical Director: Phil Bateman
Cast: Three different casts. : Press night: Daniel Purves (Bugsy), Hammed Animashaun (Leroy Smith),
Max Gill (Fat Sam), Samantha Allison (Tallulah), Thea Lamb (Blousey Brown), Ashton Henry-Reid , with
35 performers aged between 9 and 19.
Notes: This was the show’s first revival in more than thirty years and was chosen to re-open the Lyric
Hammersmith after a two
year
£20
million
redevelopment. The original
production which ran for 300
performances
at
Her
Majesty’s in 1983 was
regarded as a theatrical
curiosity which might have
had some value in youth
companies and schools, but
the general view was that it
had no business whatsoever to
occupy a major West End
theatre. This revival gained
much better notices, and was
felt to be a crowd-pleasing,
joyous piece of entertainment.
Original Production:
Her Majesty’s, May 1983
Photo by Manuel Harlan
Songs: Fat Sam’s Grand Slam, That’s Why They Call Him Dandy, Show Business, Bad Guys’ Song, My Name
is Talullah, So You Wanna Be a Boxer?, Ordinary Fool, Down and Out
2015
12
SHOCK TREATMENT
Cast: Ben Kerr (Brad), Julie Atherton (Janet),
Mark Little (Farley Flavors),
Mateo Oxley (Ralph Hapschatt),
Rosanna Hyland (Betty Hapschatt),
Adam Rhys-Davies (Cosmo McKinley),
Nic Lamont (Nation McKinley)
Songs: Denton USA, Bitchin’ in the Kitchen, Little
Black Dress, In My Own Way, Thank God I’m a
Man, Me of Me, Carte Blacnhe, Looking for Fame, Look What I Did to My Id, Breaking Out
Story: Brad and Janet Majors, last seen in “The Rocky Horror Show”, are now married, but their relationship is in
crisis. This makes perfect material for producer Farley Flavors’ reality TV show, presented by Ralph and Betty
Hapschatt from Denton’s own TV studio. They promise a happy solution, via a televised lobotomy operation on
Brad to be performed live by TV surgeons Cosmo and Nation McKinley
Notes: “Shock Treatment” was originally a 1981 film intended as a follow-on to the cult success of “The Rocky
Horror Picture Show”. It was a box office flop. The stage musical version, more than thirty years later, reduced the
number of characters and made slight plot alterations, but retained the songs from the film. The critical reaction was
exactly as expected for a “cult” show: those in favour loved it, thought the songs better than “Rocky Horror”, and
were delighted; those who disapproved regarded it as sub-standard, and a seriously-failed piece of satire. However,
all agreed Julie Atherton gave an outstanding performances and the musical standards of the show were impressive.
CLOSER TO HEAVEN (1st Revival)
London run: Union Theatre, April 22nd - May 23rd
Return visit: October 21st—November 28th
Music & Lyrics: Neil Tennant & Chris Lowe
Book: Jonathan Harvey
Director: Gene David Kirk
Choreographer: Philip Joel
Musical Director: Patrick Stockbridge
Cast: Jared Thompson (Straight Dave),
Amy Matthews (Shell Christian),
Craig Berry (Vic Christian), Katie Meller (Billie Tricks),
Ken Christiansen (Bob Saunders),
Connor Brabyn (Mile End Lee), Ben Kavanagh (Flynn),
Ellie Mitchell, Tamsyn Blake, Grace Reynolds,
Jamie Firth, Martin Harding, Ben Somerside, Alex Tranter
Story: Straight Dave, escaping the troubles of Ireland, gets
a job as a dancer at a gay club and falls in love with Shell
Jared Thompson & Connor Brabyn
Christian, the daughter of Vic, the debauched owner of the
club. The club’s disco diva is the raunchy Billie Tricks,
and a regular is the sleaze-bag record producer, Bob Saunders. But Straight Dave is about to find his true sexual
preference when he meets another club regular, Mile End Lee, a cockney rent-boy drug-dealer, and poor Dave is
doomed to lose his true love when Lee dies of an accidental overdose.
Notes: The message that a life of drug abuse, nightclubbing and promiscuous sex will leave you ravaged and lonely
came over more as a warning than a sermon, and the Pet Shop Boys’ songs received much praise. However, this
was very much aimed at a niche market, and received very mixed notices: “clichéd script” (Telegraph), “dreary,
implausible and tedious” (Times), “Feisty and up-beat” (Time Out).
Original London run: Arts Theatre, May 2001
Photo by Darren Bell
Photo by Peter Langdown
London run: King’s Head, April 17th – June 6th
Music: Richard Hartley
Lyrics: Richard O’Brien
Book: Jim Sharman, Tom Crowley & Benji Sperring
Director: Benji Sperring
Choreographer: Lucie Pankhurst
Musical Director: Alex Beetschen
2015
REDHEAD
London run: Bridewell, April 28th – May 2nd
Music: Albert Hague
Lyrics: Dorothy Fields
Book: Herbert & Dorothy Fields with Sidney Sheldon & David Shaw
Director: Hannah Chissick
Choreographer: Mark Hedges
Musical Director: Sarah Travis
Cast: Bethan Fflint (Maude Simpson),
Stephanie Hedger (Sarah Simpson),
Katie Ann Dolling (Essie Whimple),
Robson Ternouth (Tom),
Steven Dalziel (George),
Kenny Mitchell (Howard),
Matthew Frener (Sir Charles),
Amy Day (May),
Laurie Evans (Tillie)
Songs:The Simpson Sisters, The Right Finger of my Left Hand, Merely Marvelous, Uncle Sam Rag, Erbie
Fitch’s Twitch, She’s Not Enough Woman For Me, Pick-Pocket Tango, Look Who’s in Love
Story: The Simpson Sisters own a waxworks in London in the early 1900s, where their model maker, Essie
Whimple, has just completed a life-like display of a recently murdered young woman and her assailant.
This woman’s brother, Tom, wants the exhibition removed, but agrees to join in a scheme whereby Essie
will claim to have witnessed the murder and to have modelled the murderer from life. This will cause the
murderer to seek out Essie and try to kill her – thus enabling Tom and his friend George to capture him. In
the course of the story Tom and Essie inevitably fall in love before the surprise ending.
Notes: “Redhead” was a notable Broadway show from the 1959 season – notable for marking Bob Fosse’s
initial effort as director as well as choreographer on Broadway, and for starring Gwen Verdon. Although
originally conceived as a vehicle for Beatrice Lillie, it was re-written for the special talents of Gwen
Verdon, and ended up winning five
Tony Awards and running for 452
performances. However, this was its
first London production – over 55 years
later – and was staged by the London
School of Musical Theatre.
The reasons the UK waited so long
were clear:
its American view of
London was ridiculously comic-book,
its plotting ludicrous, and its songs
lacklustre. It was clearly created as a
showcase for the multi-talented Gwen
Verdon, who almost never left the stage
and was called upon to “perform the full
works flat-out” in the original.
The London production was a
fascinating piece of musical theatre
history, extremely well performed and
staged, and a delight for historians,
though leaving modern audiences a bit
short-changed.
Steven Dalziel & Katie Ann Dolling
13
2015
14
FOLLIES (Concert)
Royal Albert Hall , April 28th
Music & Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim
Book: James Goldman
Director: Craig Revel Horwood
Choreographer: Andrew Wright
Musical Director: Gareth Valentine
Cast: Ruthie Henshall (Sally), Christine Baranski (Phyllis),
Peter Polycarpou (Buddy), Alexander Hanson (Ben),
Alistair McGowan (Weisman), Betty Buckley (Carlotta), Anita Dobson (Stella),
Charlotte Page (Heidi), Stefanie Powers (Solange), Lorna Luft (Hattie),
Anita Harris (Emilie Whitman), Roy Hudd (Theodore Whitman),
Russell Watson (Roscoe), Laura Pitt Pulford, Alistair Brammer,
Amy Ellen Richardson, Jos Slovick.
Notes: With just two performances (matinee and evening) this was a semi-staged gala concert to mark
Sondheim’s 85th birthday. With a host of “names” it was a glittering affair, removing a lot of dialogue and
concentrating on the numbers themselves – although the four principals were praised for excellent acting as well
as singing performances. The rest of the concert tended to be a glorious “who’s best” succession of wildly
applauded star turns – and a show-stopping “Who’s That Woman” from Anita Dobson.
Original London run: Shaftesbury Theatre, July 1987; First revival: Kenneth More Theatre, June 1996 ;
Second revival: Royal Festival Hall, August 2002; Third revival : Landor, September 2006
HIGH SOCIETY (4th Revival)
London run: Old Vic, April 30th – August 22nd
Music & Lyrics: Cole Porter
Book: Arthur Kopit
Additional lyrics: Susan Birkenhead
Director: Maria Friedman
Choreographer: Nathan M. Wright
Musical Director: Theo Jamieson
Cast: Rupert Young (Dexter), Jamie Parker (Mike), Annabel Scholey (Liz), Kate Fleetwood (Tracie Lord),
Jeff Rawle (Uncle Willie), Barbara Flynn (Mother Lord), Ellie Bamber (Dinah) , John Brannoch, Ricky Butt,
Omari Douglas, Claire Doyle, Chris Ellis-Stanton, Richard Grieve, Leon Kay
Photo by Tristram Kenton
Notes: Staged in the round, and with some singing described as “patchy”, most of the critics commented on a
none-too-exciting first half. Then, almost unanimously, their reviews turned into raves for the second half of the
show. As the last show at the Old Vic under Kevin Spacey’s management, this ended up as a glorious romp, and
a great party with praise for the
energy and staging, showing “how
much can be done with a
little” (Observer).
Notes: Original London production:
Victoria Palace, Feb 1987
First revival:
Open Air Theatre, July 2003
Second revival:
Shaftesbury Theatre, Oct 2005
Third revival:
Upstairs at the Gatehouse,
December 2009
2015
15
CARRIE: THE MUSICAL
London run: Southwark Playhouse, May 1st – 30th
Music: Michael Gore
Lyrics: Dean Pitchford
Book: Lawrence D. Cohan
Director-Choreographer: Gary Lloyd
Musical Director: Mark Crossland / Gary Hickeson
Photo by Alastair Muir
Cast: Evelyn Hoskins (Carrie), Kim Criswell (Margaret), Sarah McNicholas (Sue),
Greg Miller Burns (Tommy), Gabriella Williams, Dex Lee, Jodie Jacobs, David Habbin,
Molly McGuire, Bobbie Little, Emily McGougan, Patrick Sullivan, Olly Dobson,
Eddie Myles
Story: Carrie is the story of a teenage girl, bullied
by her classmates and fanatically religious mother,
who develops telekinetic powers. The narrative
framework is provided by police interviews with
Sue, the only nice girl at Carrie’s school, and
Tommy, Sue’s nice-guy boyfriend, and relates how
Carrie transforms from cowering young teenager to
delicate young woman, blossoming briefly at the
school prom, before turning into deranged killer
when her classmates humiliate her.
Notes: Based on Stephen King’s novel and the
1976 film, this is a revised version of the
legendary 1988 musical which was first performed
at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford on
Avon and then famously flopped on Broadway,
playing just 21 performances and losing $8 million.
The (aptly named?) composer, Michael Gore, re-wrote the work in 2012, and this heavily revised and pared-down
version was now receiving its London premiere.
The reviews were divided: it was certainly not a repeat of the original disaster, though some found the “lyrics
packed with trite rhymes. . . and the music a hotchpotch of Eighties pop” (Evening Standard). Several critics found
the piece gripping in an over-the-top melodramatic way, extremely well staged with some clever levitation tricks,
and magnificent performances from Evelyn Hoskins and Kim Criswell. “Put all thoughts of flops out of your mind –
Carrie has been reborn in style” (Telegraph). “This schlock-horror show is still a weird night out – and still not a
great musical – but it is delivered in style (Financial Times)
BEYOND BOLLYWOOD
London run: London Palladium, May 8th – June 27th
Music: Salim-Sulaiman
Lyrics: Irfan Siddiqui
Book: Rajeev Goswami
Director-Choreographer: Rajeev Goswami
Musical Director: Salim Merchant / Suleiman Merchant
Cast: Ana Ilmi (Shaily), Mohit Mathur (Raghav),
Sudeep Modak (Father/Ballu), Pooja Pant (Mother),
Anson Matthew, Kumar Sharma, and a chorus of 21 dancers.
Story: Shaily, who lives in Munich, is constantly urged by the ghost of
her Mother, to revive her mother’s former Indian Dance Theatre. Sahily goes to Mumbai and meets the
choreographer, Raghev, who is trying to fuse eastern and western styles. Accompanied by a comic sidekick, Ballu,
they tour India and discover the joys of authentic folk dance, and plan to bring this to the wider world.
Notes: The story was described as “witless” and “ham-fisted”, the acting as “embarrassingly broad”, the scenery
“dreary projections in lieu of a set”, and the lip-synching to a pre-recorded track was “toe-curling”. However, when
the creaky, clichéd and pointless script was ignored, the dancing was felt to be exciting, camp, and great fun. It was
a potentially exciting dance “stymied by the paltriest of stories” – more beyond belief than beyond Bollywood.
2015
16
BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM
London run: Phoenix, May 15th - March 5th 2016
Music: Howard Goodall
Lyrics: Charles Hart
Book: Gurinder Chadha & Paul Mayeda Berges
Director: Gurinder Chadha
Choreographer: Aletta Collins
Musical Director: Nigel Lilley
Producer: Sonia Friedman Productions
Cast: Natalie Dew (Jess), Jamie Campbell Bower (Joe),
Lauren Samuels (Jules), Jamal Andreas (Tony),
Tony Jayawardena (Mr Bhambra), Preeya Kalidas (Pinky),
Natasha Jayetileke (Mrs Bhambra), Sophie-Louise Dann (Paula)
Songs: UB2, Glorious, Girl Perfect, Look At Us Now, Tough Lovem First Touch, Just a Game, Result!,
There She Goes, Bend It, Mehndi/Heer, Sadaa Charhdi Kalaa, Fly.
Story: Jesminder Bhambra, (Jess) an 18 year old Sikh girl from Southall, dreams of playing football and
getting a scholarship to a US university to further this career. She is encouraged by Joe, the non-Asian young
football coach, by Jules, her footballing friend, and by Tony, her gay Indian friend (still in the closet). But
what are the chances of such things happening for a young Asian girl, surrounded by Indian aunties, and
parents focussed on the forthcoming wedding of her sister, Pinky? The story includes a love triangle, a plea
for LGBT solidarity told through a series of misunderstandings, and a melee of Anglo-Punjabi culture
clashes . Jules’s mother, Paula, is the one who recognises the need to let grown-up children leave home and
follow their dreams.
Photo by Ellie Kurtz
Notes: This was based on the original 2002 film, with the same director and writer, but with a new original
score, and with some exciting choreography which managed simultaneously to stage a football match and an
Indian wedding, this earned a number of excellent reviews, hailing an exciting new British musical. However,
one or two critics found its “feelgood” factor a little overdone, and its crusading appeal for the empowerment
of Asian women was lost in a world of breakdancing boys, and wedding bling. (“Shades of Billy Elliott but
prettified” ). It appeared to have a limited appeal, and was withdrawn in March 2016 after a ten month run.
There was talk of a UK tour and productions in India and Dubai.
2015
17
HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS (Concert)
London run: Royal Festival Hall, May 19th
Music & Lyrics: Frank Loesser
Book: Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstein & Willie Gilbert
Director: Jonathan Butterell
Musical Director: Mike Dixon
Cast: Jonathan Groff (Finch), Clarke Peters (J.B.Biggeley), Ashley Robinson (Bud Frump),
Cynthia Erivo (Rosemary), Hannah Waddingham (Hedy la Rue), Amy Ellen Richardson (Smitty),
Clive Rowe (Wally Womper) , Nicholas Colicos (Mr Bratt), Anna Jane Casey (Miss Jones),
Jack Weinstock, Willie Gilbert
Photo by Darren Bell
Notes:
This one-off concert
performance suffered a little from
lack of rehearsal and had a few
tentative moments and some initial
sound problems. The great interest
was in the performance of Jonathan
Groff , who started carefully but
gradually rose to the occasion,
though for most reviewers the show
was stolen by Hannah Waddingham
as Hedy la Rue.
Original London Production:
Shaftesbury Theatre, March 1963
1st revival: Landor Theatre,
February 1999;
2nd revival: Rose and Crown,
May 2014
Hannah Waddingham & Jonathan Groff
HOT STUFF (1st Revival)
London run: Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch, May 22nd – June 13th
Music & Lyrics: Various
Book: Maggie Norris & Paul Kerryson
Director: Matt Devitt
Choreographer: Valentina Dolci
Musical Director: Julian Littman
Cast: Cameron Jones (Boss Narrator),
Matthew Quinn (Joe Soap),
Sarah Mahony (Julie),
Lady Felicia (Lucy Fur),
Hollie Cassar, Wade Lewin
Original production: Cambridge Theatre,
August 1993
Photo by Mark Sepple
Notes: The story of Joe Soap who sells
his soul to the Devil to become the
biggest rock star in the world, had
managed a six month run in the West
End in 1993 despite very mixed notices.
This revival in Hornchurch was its first
in London, though in its early days it has
played several seasons at Leicester
Haymarket and gone on a UK tour.
Lady Felicia, Matthew Quinn, Sarah Mahony, Cameron Jones
2015
18
DUSTY
London run: Charing Cross Theatre, May 25th – Nov 21st
Music & Lyrics: Various
First Book: Kim Weild, Duncan Sibbald, Jack Bradley
Later credited to : Chris Cowey
Director: Chris Cowey
Later assistant: Christian Durham
Choreographer: Lyndon Lloyd
Replacement choreographer: Joey McKneely
Musical Director: Dean Austin / Noam Galperin
Cast: Ellie Ann-Lowe / Alison Arnopp (Mary O’Brien),
Stewart McCheyne / Harvey Robinson (Dave Dean),
Ben Tolley / Matt Blaker (Johnny Franz),
Joan Walker / Ellen Verenieks (Kay O’Brien),
Tristan Pate / Oliver Lynes (Vic Billings),
Allyson Ava Brown /Witney White (Martha Reeves),
Arabella Rodrigo / Sienna Sebeck (Norma),
Danielle Kassarata / Gemma Geanaus (Maddie),
Joe Vetch/ Luke Thornton (Douggie Reece),
Francesca Jackson (Nancy), Leo Elso (Tom Springfield), Graham Kent (Gerard O’Brien),
Original Ensemble: Bex Leung, Cleo Jaeger, Marianna Neofitou
Replacement Ensemble: Nikkola Burnhope, Amanda Digon Mata, Megan Makin, Jonathan de Mallet Morgan
Photo by Alastair Muir
Photo by Johann Persson
Notes: This was promoted as a “multimedia”
show celebrating the music of Dusty Springfield,
combining live performance, music and dance
with digital media and 3D technology. It began
previewing in May and was originally announced
to run until August 22nd. This was extended to
November even before the press night, which did
not happen until September 7th.
By the end of August nine cast members had left
the show, some had allegedly been sacked, and
some had “walked”. Equity was involved in a
dispute over a number of complaints. Ellie-Ann
Lowe was amongst those leaving, and she was
replaced with Alison Arnopp. Christian Durham’s
name was added to the director credit.
When it finally opened it was universally damned:
“ a stinker” (Daily Mail); “clumsily handled,
inundated with clichés” (Eve. Standard);
“horribly
incongruous
dance
routines” (Telegraph); “ doubtful that all the time
in the world could have saved this show from
being the car-crash that it is” (Time Out); “a truly
dire evening ... jaw-droppingly bad wigs... the
costumes don’t fit” (Guardian); “...truly terrible,
weighed down with cliché, the dialogue dire, the
pace plonking” (Mail on Sunday).
Top: Ellie-Ann-Lowe
Lower: Alison Arnott
2015
19
THE THEORY OF
RELATIVITY
Photo by Poppy Carter
London run: Drayton Arms,
May 28th – June 13th
Music & Lyrics: Neil Bartram
Book: Brian Hill
Director: Christopher Lane
Musical Director: Barney Ashworth
Cast: Simon Bailey, Jodie Steele,
Rebekah Lowings, Andrew Gallo,
Joshua LeClair, Natasha Karp,
Ina Marie Smith, Curtis Brown
Songs: Pi 1 2 2 5 and 3, Nothing
Without You
Story: The show explores the idea that all people are intricately interconnected and their personal journeys
can have profound effects on those with whom they come into contact , from intimate partners to complete
strangers. In a series of songs and monologues we meet several people including a Pi-obsessed maths geek
who is dating an art historian; a man allergic to cats who falls in love with a cat-loving girl; an OCD sufferer
who dreads eating a cake because her boyfriend has touched all the ingredients with his hands; a student
reflecting on the footprints he has left in the shifting sands of time; and a girl who has just become engaged
and pretends to her friends that nothing will change. They are some of several young people making
discoveries and coping with life’s problems.
Notes: Originally developed at the Canadian Music Theatre Project, this is an 80 minutes show presented
without an interval, and featuring eight performers, sitting on high stools, with a keyboard accompaniment. It
was based on Albert Einstein’s belief that "only a life lived for others is worth living" .
DUNCTON WOOD
Photo by Darren Bell
London run: Union,
May 29th – June 20th
2015
20
DUNCTON WOOD
London run: Union,
May 29th – June 20th
Music & Lyrics: Mark Carroll
Book: James Peries
Director: Michael Strassen
Musical Director: Josh Sood
Cast: Trevor Jones (Hulver), Anthony Cable (Mandrake),
Josh Little (Bracken), Amelia-Rose Morgan (Rebecca),
Oli Reynolds (Cairn), James Sinclair (Stonecrop),
Anna Stolli (Rose), Nadia Eide, Sinead O’Callaghan,
Thomas Thoroe, Robert Dalton, Rachel Flynn, Rosie Ladkin, Myles Hart, Hugo Joss Carlton, Kristian Morse.
Songs: I Wonder, Moonshine, We Don’t Need Another Hero, Too Much Time, Maybe I’m Wrong
Story: In the underground world of moles, Hulver hankers after the happiness of the past and the old “Stone”
religion, now threatened by the malevolent Mandrake. Young mole, Bracken, gradually takes the lead in the
fight for salvation, alongside Mandrake’s daughter, Rebecca and the troublesome brothers Cairn and Stonecrop.
The struggle results in the murder of Rebecca’s first litter, and leads to love, tragedy and revenge, as families are
disobeyed, broken and reunited, thanks to the maternal healing of Rose.
Notes: With a cast of 16 this was a challenging and different musical, based on William Horwood’s novel. The
complexities of the novel and the intricacies of the conflicts and relationships gave the production a “stiffly,
portentous, overwrought tone” for one reviewer (Time Out), but others praised the creation of a “completely
believable, magical and slightly terrifying world”. There was agreement on the worthiness of the show, and the
feeling that with development it could have a future, and great praise for the staging and the performances.
THE BAKER’S WIFE (2nd Revival)
London run: Drayton Arms Theatre, June 18th – July 4th
Music & Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz
Book: Joseph Stein
Director: Marc Kelly
Musical Director: Kieran Stallard
Cast: Gary Bland (Aimable Castagnet), Hollie Paige Farr (Genevieve), Adam Redford (Dominic),
Blair Robertson (Le Marquis), Elizabeth Chadwick (Denise), Angus McIntyre (Claude),
Oliver Jacobson ( Butcher Barnaby), Amy Cooke-Hodgson ( Hortense), Matthew Whitby ( The Teacher),
Aron Trausti (The Priest), Blair Robertson, Amy Lawton, Danielle Bond, Lauren Harvey
Photo by Claire Bilyard
The original West End production ran for just 56 performances, and never made it to Broadway. Now, once
again, it was the majority critical
opinion that a small-scale fringe
production was the best way to stage
this gentle, witty show boasting “a
wonderfully lush score” but a rather
flimsy plot. There was praise for
the leading performers and the all
round excellence of the supporting
players.
Original London production:
Phoenix, November 1989
First revival:
Union, September 2011
2015
21
RENTBOY – the Musical
London run: Above the Stag, June 24th – July 26th
Music: Andrew Sargent
Book & Lyrics: David Leddick
Director: Robert McWhir
Choreographer: Carole Todd
Musical Director: Michael Webborn
Cast: Frank Loman (Host & MC), Aaron Jenson (Edge),
Samuel Clifford (Client), Phil McCloskey (The Master),
Conleth Kane (Devon Williams), Marcus Grimaldi (B/C),
Lucas Meredith (Danny Cruise), Henry Collie (Don K. Dick)
Songs: Rentboy, The Boyfriend Thing, Gay for Pay, All My Dreams in a Row, Tops and Bottoms, That’ll Be a
Little Bit More, Waiting for the Dark
Man, Inner Me, Who Invented the
Jockstrap?
Story: It is the night of the famous
Hookies Awards, the Oscars of Male
Escorts, where gigolos receive awards
for their erotic talents. In the course
of the award ceremony we learn the
personal stories of men-for-sale, and
the wild and weird stories of their
working lives. There’s also some
romance as genuine love grows
between one of the boys and a client.
Notes: The musical premiered in
Miami in 2008 under the title
“Escorts”, and later played New
York , where it developed a cult
following.
THE DREAMERS
London run: St James Theatre, June 30th – July 11th
Music & Lyrics: James Beeny & Gina Georgio
Director: Mark Piper
Musical Director: Gina Georgio
Cast: Nick Pavely (Reggie Salomons) plus 21 supporting cast
Photo by Pamela Raith
Story:: The story of the unsung First World War
hero, Reggie Salomons, who, on a stricken boat at
Gallipoli in 1915, drowned after giving his life
jacket to another man.
Notes: This was billed as a musical, but was more
of a semi-staged concert with costumes, a six
piece band, and on-screen narration from such
people as Amanda Redman, Tim Rice, Martin
Bell, Michael Buerk and Christopher Beeny. In
spite of its good intentions, it did not go down
well with the critics: “the lyrics are trite and full of
facile rhymes. . . horribly faux-earnest” (Times);
“. . . a thrumming if samey score “ (Mail on
Sunday).
2015
22
I LOVE YOU, YOU’RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE (3rd Revival)
London run: Above the Arts, July 1st – 18th
Music: Jimmy Roberts
Book & Lyrics: Joe Dipietro
Director: Kirk Jameson
Choreographer: Sam Spencer-Lane
Musical Director: Scott Morgan
Notes: Although the original New York
production ran from 1996 to 2008 , reached
5,003 performances and became the second
longest off-Broadway running musical of
all time (beaten only by “The
Fantasticks”), this show has never caught
on in London. This current revival was
praised for its cast and its pace, but
remained too “American” to win over the
London critics.
Original London production:
Comedy Theatre, July 1999
1st Revival: Jermyn Street, March 2005
2nd Revival: Battersea Barge, July 2014
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT? Bacharach Re-imagined (Re-titled) CLOSE TO YOU
London run: Menier Chocolate Factory, July 3rd – September 5th
Transfer: Criterion, October 3rd – February 14th (New title)
Music: Burt Bacharach
Lyrics: Hal David & others
Concept: Kyle Riabko & David Lane Seltzer
Director : Steven Hoggett
Cast: Kyle Riabko, Daniel Bailen, Greg Coulson, Anastacia McCleskey, Stephanie McKeon, Renato Paris,
James Williams.
Notes: This show was originally premiered by the New York Theater Workshop, previewing off-Broadway from
November 19th 2013 and to February 2014. Conceived by Kyle Riabko, it was a 90 minute non-stop journey through
the back catalogue of Burt Bacharach, but was much more than another jukebox musical. The numbers had been
“interwoven into a sophisticated tapestry of varying human emotions” and the thirty or so Bacharach classics given a
fresh spin in Riabko’s updated
arrangements. Of the seven strong
cast, Riabko, Daniel Bailen and
James Williams were from the
original New York production. The
English production was highly
praised for its musicianship, its
performers and its reminder of the
extraordinary genius of the
composer.
Following excellent reviews, it
transferred from the fringe to the
West End. Curiously the West End
reviews were a lot less enthusiastic,
the arrangements described as
“excruciatingly bland” and the show
as a “dull, worshipful
homage” (Time Out).
Photo by Nobby Clarke
Photo by Piers Foley
Cast: Julie Atherton, Simon Lipkin,
Gina Beck, Samuel Holmes
2015
23
HOUSE OF MIRRORS AND HEARTS
London run: Arcola Studio 1, July 7th – August 1st
Music: Eamonn O’Dwyer
Lyrics: Eamonn O’Dwyer & Robert Gilbert
Book: Robert Gilbert
Director: Ryan McBryde
Musical Director: David Randall
Cast: Graham Bickley (Father), Grace Rowe (Laura),
Gillian Kirkpatrick (Anna), Molly McGuire (Lily),
Jamie Muscato (Nathan)
Story: The story begins when a mirror-making fatherhusband figure dies in mysterious circumstances in his
workshop, a death observed by his young daughter, Laura.
Then, seven years later, all is dysfunctional in the household:
the mother, Anna, knocks back vodkas for breakfast, Laura is
locked into her own silent world, and the other daughter, Lily,
is clearly a raging nymphomaniac. Into this world of grief,
lies and repression, comes Nathan, a young student of Persian
poetry. There’s another lodger, too. . . or is he a ghost?
Photo by Darren Bell
Songs: Beauty in the Breaking
Graham Bickley & Gillian Kirkpatrick
Notes: The show started small, on the Edinburgh fringe, and had now been work-shopped into a two-act
chamber musical. It gained a very mixed reception: “the story is high-falutin’ hokum and the show …
glaringly under-developed” (Independent); “a haunting and intriguing quality as long as one can wade through
the utter nonsense that is the plot . . stubbornly bereft of anything resembling a tune or even melody” (Michael
Coveney) . However there was praise for the cast, especially the performances of Jamie Muscato and Gillian
Kirkpatrick.
AMERICAN IDIOT (1st Revival)
Photo by Tristram Kenton
London run: Arts Theatre, July 17th – November 22nd
Music & Lyrics: Billie Joe Armstrong
Book: Michael Mayer & Billie Joe Armstrong
Director-Choreographer: Racky Plews
Musical Director: Mark Crossland
Cast: Alexis Gerred (Tunny), Steve Rushton (Will),
Aaron Sidwell (Johnny), Lucas Rush (St. Jimmy),
Amelia Lily (Whatsername), Luke Baker (Theo),
Raquel Jones (Extraordinary Girl), Natasha Karp (Alysha),
Natasha Barnes (Heather), Llandyll Gove (Gerard),
Robyn Mellor (Libby), Ross William Wild (Joshua)
Notes: This 2010 Broadway staging of songs from Green
Day’s punk-rock album and back catalogue had received a
two-week staging in London in 2012 at the end of a long tour
Aaron Sidwell
by the American company .This was its first “British”
production. This story of young Americans searching for
meaning, sex and drugs was originally praised for its “edgy, thrilling and heartbreaking” delineation of story
and character. However, this new production was felt to have lost its edge, and to be more concerned with its
“rock-concert” flashy production than the troubled heart of its story. There was praise for the cast and the
musical performance, but overall the critics thought it was a bit tame. However, the public responded with
enthusiasm, and the run was extended from a planned early September closure to late November.
Original run: Hammersmith Apollo, December 2012
2015
24
SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD (1st Revival)
London run: St James, July 22nd – August 8th
Music & Lyrics: Jason Robert Brown
Director: Adam Lenson
Musical Director: Daniel A. Weiss
Photo by Darren Bell
Cast: Cynthia Erivo, Jenna Russell,
Damian Humbley, Dean-John Wilson.
Notes: This was a 20th Anniversary revival –
the original off-Broadway production had
opened in 1995. Its British premiere had been
at the Bridewell in 2001. This revival was
highly praised for its outstanding cast.
Original London run: Bridewell, August 2001
Cynthia Erivo, Damian Humbley, Jenna Russell, Dean-John Wilson
SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS (5th Revival)
London run: Open Air Theatre, July 23rd – August 29th
Music: Gene de Paul
Lyrics: Johnny Mercer
Book: Lawrence Kasha & David Landay
New songs: Al Kasha & Joel Hirschhorn
Director: Rachel Kavanaugh
Choreographer: Alistair David
Musical Director: Stephen Ridley
Cast: Alex Gaumond (Adam), Laura Pitt-Pulford (Milly), Adam Rhys -Charles (Frank), Rosanna Bates,
David Burrows, Angela Caesar, , Leon Cooke, Eamonn Cox, Jacob Fisher, Charlene Ford, Steve Fortune,
Trevor Michael Georges, Bob Harms, Bethany Huckle, Frankie Jenna, James Leece, Philip Marriot,
Dylan Mason, Natasha Mould, Peter Nash, Sam O’Rourke, Ryan Pidgen., Karlie Vale, Annie Wensack,
Ed White, Matthew Whennell-Clark, Emma Woods
Notes: This revival was universally praised for its energy and “bonkers” entertainment value. The direction
made no attempt to find any “truth” in the tale, and played it as a joyful piece of silliness and with a “Looney
Tunes sensibility” (Time Out). Alistair David’s choreography and the superb dancing “rivals anything on the
London stage” (Guardian).
Original London run:
Old Vic
July1985
1st revival:
Prince of Wales,
May 1986
Photo by Helen Maybanks
2nd revival:
BAC Main,
Dec 1999
3rd revival:
Theatre Royal,
Haymarket
Aug 2006
4th revival:
New Wimbledon &
Tour , Oct 2013
2015
25
THE SPITFIRE GRILL
London run: Union, Southwark, July 23rd – August 15th
Music : James Valcq
Book & Lyrics: Fred Alley
Director: Alastair Knights
Choreographer: Lee Crowley
Musical Director: Simon Holt
Cast: Belinda Wollaston (Percy Talbott),
Hilary Harwood (Hannah Ferguson), Natalie Law (Shelby),
Katie Brennan (Postmistress), Hans Rye (Caleb), Chris Kiely (Sheriff Joe),
Andrew Borthwick (Shady Visitor)
Songs: A Ring Around the Moon, Out of the Frying Pan, Shoot the Moon,
Shine, Wild Bird, Way Back Home
Story: Percy Talbott, a woman newly released from a five-year jail sentence, gets a job in the small town of
Gilead, working at the Spitfire Grill, a failing business owned by Hannah Ferguson. The new woman in town
invites a lot of interest from the residents: romantic interest from the sheriff, suspicion from Hannah’s nephew,
Caleb, and curiosity from the nosey postmistress, Effy Frayneck.
Notes: Based on the low-budget 1966 film by Lee David Zlotoff, this musical version opened off-Broadway in
September 2001 for a scheduled six-week run. With a cast of just seven performers, it earned much praise and
won several awards. This British premiere was equally praised, with several critics wondering why this
extremely good score had waited so long for a professional UK hearing. There was much praise for the
performances and, once again, the Union in Southwark was acclaimed for finding yet another worthwhile new
show.
TOMMY (2nd Revival)
London run: Greenwich Theatre, July 29th – August 23rd
Music: Pete Townshend & The Who
Book: Pete Townshend & Des McAnuff (revised)
Director: Michael Strassen
Choreographer: Mark Smith
Musical Director: Kevin Oliver Jones
Notes: This was a new production of the revised version which
closed after an eleven-month run at the Shaftesbury in 1996. As
before, the diehard “Who” fans complained this revision had robbed
the show of its original 1979 fire, passion and anger, and had
“softened” its power. It collected a mixed set of reviews: some felt
the four-piece band, the cast of just ten, and the “skimpy” set proved
that a cut-down version of the show did not work; others felt the
pared down production values helped concentrate on the strength of
the work itself. However, all agreed that Ashley Birchall and John
Barr gave magnificent performances, and Giovanni Spano as the evil
cousin came close to stealing the show.
Original London run: Queen’s Theatre, February 1979
First revival: Shaftesbury Theatre, March 1996
Giovanni Spano & Ashley Birchall
Photo by Claire Bilyard
Cast: Ashley Birchall (Tommy), Miranda Wilford (Mrs Walker),
James Sinclair (Captain Walker) ,
Carly Burns (Acid Queen),
Giovanni Spano (Cousin Kevin),
John Barr (Uncle Ernie), Carrie Sutton,
Danny Becker, Scott Sutcliffe,
Alice Mogg.
2015
26
OF THEE I SING (Concert)
London run: Royal Festival Hall, July 31st
Music: George Gershwin
Lyrics: Ira Gershwin
Book: George S. Kaufman & Morrie Ryskind
Director: Shaun Kerrison
Musical Director: Michael England
Cast: Hadley Fraser (John P. Wintergreen), Louise Dearman. (Mary Turner),
Tom Edden (Alexander Throttlebottom), Hannah Waddingham (Diana Devereaux),
Peter Polycarpou (French Ambassador), Tony Timberlake, Gavin Alex,
James Barron, Gareth Snook, Daisy Maywood, Gemma Wardles, John Barr,
Nicholas Colicos, Christopher Doyle.
Notes: The Gershwin satire opened in December 1931 and ran for 441 performances – one of the biggest
Broadway hits of the 1930s – and won a Pulitzer Prize. In 1998 (the Gershwin Centenary Year) Opera North
staged the British premiere in a touring production, and it received its first London production at the Bridewell
the following year. This was the second in a series of three Musicals in Concert (the first had been “How to
Succeed in Business”) Several critics complained of the over-loud and unbalanced sound system which “ruined
the first half and wasn’t much better after the interval”, and there were suggestions that the concert appeared to be
somewhat under-rehearsed. However, there was considerable praise for Hadley Fraser and Hannah
Waddingham, whose performances alone were enough to make the evening a worthwhile experience.
Original London production: Bridewell, August 1999
GRAND HOTEL (2nd Revival)
London run: Southwark Playhouse, July 31st – September 5th
Music & Lyrics: George Forrest & Robert Wright
Additional music & lyrics: Maury Yeston
Book: Luther Davis
Director: Thom Southerland
Choreographer: Lee Proud
Musical Director: Michael Bradley
Cast: Scott Garnham (Baron von Gaigern),
Christine Grimandi (Ballerina Grushinskaya), Valerie Cutko (Raffaela) ,
Jacob Chapman (Director Preysing), George Rae (Otto Kringelein),
Victoria Serra (Flämmchen), Jonathan Stewart (Erik Front Desk),
James Gant, Charles Hagerty, Rhiannon Howys, Paul Iveson, Jammy Kasongo, Ceili O’Connor,
Philip Rham, Durone Stokes. Samuel J. Weir, Leah West
Notes: This revival, played without
an interval, was universally praised
for the clarity of its characterisations,
the strength of the performances, and
the new orchestrations from the seven
piece band. It gained several five-star
reviews and was described as
“absolutely unmissable”.
Original London production:
Dominion Theatre,
July 1992
First revival: Donmar.
November 2004
Scott Garnham & Christine Grimandi
2015
27
PERSONALS (2nd Revival)
London run: Landor Theatre, August 4th – 9th
Music: Various
Book & Lyrics: David Crane, Seth Friedman, Marta Kaufman
Director: Robert McWhir
Choreographer: Cameron Hall
Musical Director: Katy Richardson
Cast: Matthew Chase (Louis), Robert Bannon (Typesetter),
Patrick Barrett (Sam), Rebecca Westberry (Louise), Rebecca Gilliland (Kim),
Lauren Nevin (Claire)
Once again the general reaction of UK
critics to this very “American” view of
relationships was somewhat lukewarm,
judging the show itself as a pleasant, lightweight comic antidote to Sondheim’s
“Company” that sometimes strayed into
unlikely byways (especially the threesome
with the dwarf!). However, there was
universal praise for an extremely talented
and versatile cast, and the excellent
musical, staging and choreographic skills
of the creative time.
Notes: Original London run:
New End, September 1998
First revival: Apollo, June 2000
THREE LITTLE PIGS
London run: Palace Theatre
August 5th – September 6th daytimes
Music: George Stiles
Book & Lyrics: Anthony Drewe
Director: Anthony Drewe
Choreographer: Ewan Jones
Musical Director:
Cast: Alison Jiear (Mother Pig) , Simon Webbe (Big Bad Wolf),
Taofique Folarin (Bar), Leanne Jones (Bee), Daniel Buckley (Q).
Notes: This was a one-hour long daytime
show for the Summer holidays running at
the Palace Theatre in front of the
“Commitments” set. It was praised for its
tuneful and clever score, appealing to both
children and adults alike.
Simon Webbe
Photo by Mike Marsland
Story: Mother Pig, a single parent thanks to the Big Bad Wolf, is saying goodbye to
her three children, now old enough to
leave the sty. They are Bar, a fitness
freak, Bee, environmentally concerned,
and Q, a studious bookworm. Once out in
the wide world, the three little pigs learn
that life is best when families stick
together.
2015
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BYE BYE BIRDIE
(2nd Revival)
Photo by David Ovenden
London run: Ye Olde Rose & Crown, E17,
August 14th – September 4th
Music: Charles Strouse
Lyrics: Lee Adams
Book: Michael Stewart
Director: James Hume
Choreographer: Anthony Whitman
Musical Director: Aaron Clingham
Zac Hamilton
Cast: Zac Hamilton (Conrad Birdie),
Ryan Forde Iosco (Albert Peterson),
Liberty Buckland (Rose Alvarez),
Jayne Ashley (Mae Patterson),
Benedikt De La Bedoyere (Hugo Peabody),
Abigail Matthews (Kim MacAfee),
Harry Hart (Mr MacAfee),
Stephanie Lysé (Mrs MacAfee),
Lewis Asquith, Lucas James, Beth Bradley,
Emily Noke, Stephen Loriot, Flora Charlton, Stephanie Palmer.
Notes: With a four-piece band, led by Aaron Clingham at the keyboard, and Liberty Buckland in the Chita Rivera
role giving a tour-de-force performance, this was a much praised fringe revival of a rarely performed show.
Everyone agreed it was a dated, period piece, but thanks to the polish and enthusiasm of the cast, most critics felt it
made for a delightful evening’s entertainment. However, a few complained it was simply too big a show and too
crowded a company to fit into a small finge venue
Original London production: Her Majesty’s, June 1961
First revival: Landor, September 2003
THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE (1st Revival)
London run: Landor, August 18th – September 13th
New music: Jeanine Tesori
New lyrics: Dick Scanlan
Book: Richard Morris & Dick Scanlan
Director: Matthew Iliffe
Choreographer: Sam Spencer Lane
Musical Director: Chris Guard
Cast: Steph Parry (Mrs Meers), Francesca Lara Gordon (Millie),
Sarah Marie Maxwell (Miss Dorothy),
Chipo Kureya (Muzzy Von Hossmere), Ben Stacey (Jimmy Smith),
Christina Meehan (Miss Flannery), Samuel Harris (Trevor Graydon),
Alex Codd (Ching Ho), Anthony Starr (Bun Foo).
Original London production: Shaftesbury, October 2003
Photo by Richard Davenport
Notes Originally announced for October 2014 with Russell Grant as Mrs
Meers, the production was postponed “due to family illness of the
Director, Drew Baker” and was re-scheduled for the Teatro Technis in
April 2015. However, it seems these plans fell through, and a different
production was staged at the Landor Theatre. Generally the reviews were
mixed, suggesting the libretto felt tired and the score unremarkable, and
these defects were emphasised by the scaled-down staging. However,
there was praise for the show’s production values and outstanding
choreography.
Francesca Lara Gordon &
Samuel Harris
2015
29
SWEET CHARITY (Concert)
London run: Cadogan Hall, August 19th – 22nd
Music: Cy Coleman
Lyrics: Dorothy Fields
Book: Neil Simon
Director: Paul Foster
Choreographer: Matt Flint
Musical Director: Richard Balcombe
Photo by Alex MacNaughten
Cast: Denise van Outen (Charity),
Michael Xavier (Oscar/Vittorio/Charlie) ,
Kimberley Walsh (Nickie), Kerry Ellis (Helene),
Rodney Earl Clarke (Big Daddy),
Michael Simkins (Herman), Amy Perry (Ursula)
Denise van Outen
Notes: This was a semi-staged concert, with the 23
piece Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. It was
something of a mish-mash, with students of Arts Ed
drama school performing highly praised dance
numbers choreographed by Matt Flint, most of the cast
“off the book”, but Denise van Outen occasionally
working from the score and a music stand. Michael
Xavier stole the show with his range of roles – but
ultimately it was felt this was “neither fish nor fowl”.
Original London production: Prince of Wales, October 1968
First revival: Man in the Moon/BAC November 1993 ; Second revival: Victoria Palace, May 1998
Third revival: Menier Chocolate Factory, December 2009 (trans. Haymarket)
OUR HOUSE (1st Revival)
London run: Union , August 19th – September 12th
Music: Madness
Book: Tim Firth
Director: Michael Burgen
Choreographer: William Whelton
Musical Director: Richard Baker
Notes: The original production was doing
very poor business and at risk of premature
closing when it unexpectedly won the 2003
Olivier Award for Best Musical of the Year,
and, as a result, survived a ten month run.
This first revival tended to confirm the
original critical reviews: the songs lacked
variety, much of the music is heavily
raucous, the moral rather laboured, and the
role of Joe unsympathetic. It was described
as boisterous and energetic but little more.
Original London production:
Cambridge Theatre, October 2002
Photo by Darren Bell
Cast: Steven France (Joe Casey), Alisa Davidson (Sarah), Sally Samad (Joe’s Mum),
Dominic Brewer (Joe’s Dad), Joseph Giacone (Emmo), Joe Ashman (Lewis) , Claire Learie (Billie),
Chanice Alexander-Burnett (Angie), Rhys Owen (Mr Pressman), Jay Osborne (Reecey), Joanna Bird,
Alice Baker, Rachel Capp, Lauren Dinse, Reece Kerridge, Paul Flannigan, Zachary Worrall
2015
30
KINKY BOOTS
London run: Adelphi, August 21st
Music & Lyrics: Cyndi Lauper
Book: Harvey Fierstein
Director-Choreographer: Jerry Mitchell
Musical Director: Peter White
Cast: Killian Donnelly (Charlie Price), Matt Henry (Lola), Amy Lennox
(Lauren), Jamie Baughan (Don), Amy Ross (Nicola), Michael Hobbs (George),
Jeremy Batt, Arun Blair-Mangat, Marcus Collins, Luke Jackson, Adam Lake,
Javier Santos (The Angels) , Gemma Atkins, Paul Ayres, Emma Crossley,
Jordan Fox, Callum Francis, Robert Grose, Gillian Hardie, Chloe Hart,
Sophie Isaacs, Robert Jones, Catherine Millsom, Sean Needham,
Tim Prottey-Jones, Verity Quade, Dominic Tribuzio, Alan Vicary,
Michael Vinson, Bleu Woodward.
Songs: Price & Son Theme, The Most Beautiful Thing, Take What You Got, The Land of Lola, Step One,
Sex is in the Heel, The History of Wrong Guys, I’m Not My Father’s Son, What a Woman Wants, In This
Corner, the Soul of a Man, Hold Me in Your Heart, Raise You Up/Just Be
Story: Charlie Price inherits the family’s struggling shoe business in Northampton and is facing bankruptcy.
By sheer chance he saves Lola, a drag queen, from a mugging, and discovers there is a gap in the shoe market
for thigh-high, stiletto-heeled footwear for drag shows. The factory workers do not immediately take to an
invasion of the “Angels” – Lola’s company of drag queens. The homophobic Don is especially opposed, but
for shopfloor girl, Lauren, secretly in love with her boss, Charlie can do nothing wrong. Charlie has to chose
between a life in London with his fiancée Nicola, or an attempt to save the Northampton business and break
into the international market with a glamour drag show in Milan.
Photo by Matthew Murphy
Notes: This show started life as a BBC TV documentary about a real family-run shoe factory which saved its
business by introducing a line of “Divine Footwear”. The documentary was used as the basis of a 2005
British film, which then inspired the Americans Cyndi Lauper and Harvey Fierstein – both long-time
advocates for LGBT rights - to create a musical version. The musical opened on Broadway in April 2013 and
won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Reviews for the London production were mostly favourable,
and all praised the leading performers, though a few critics found the show somewhat plodding and slow to get
off the ground. However public reaction was much more favourable and the booking period was quickly
extended.
2015
31
SAUCY JACK & THE SPACE VICTIMS
(3rd Revival)
London run: Upstairs at the Gatehouse, August 21st – 23rd
Music & Lyrics: Robin Forrest & Jonathan Croose
Book & Additional lyrics: Charlotte Mann & Michael Fidler
Director: Jessica Ramsey
Choreographer: Aimee-Marie Bow
Musical Director: Tim Stuart
Cast: Tim Stuart (Saucy Jack), Jo-Anne Stevens (Jubilee),
Thea Jo Wolfe (Anna), Robyn Barr (Bunny), Jonny Weston (Booby),
Fraser Stainton (Dr Whackoff), Joe Douglass (Sammy),
Dean Bray (Mitch), Jessica Ramsey (Chesty/Shirley)
Notes: Originally from the 1997 Edinburgh Fringe, a touring
production played the Hackney Empire in November 1997 and was
re-worked for a West End run in March 1998. It came off after ten
weeks and generally damning notices. The
2005 revival at the Venue was a “clubbier”
production, with some of the audience at
Fraser Stainton
tables in a cabaret style, and this cabaret
idea was repeated for the Leicester Square
production in 2013, acquiring the show some “middling” reviews. This current revival,
staged as part of the Camden Fringe Festival, reverted to the standard seating set-up
and this was generally felt to emphasise the thinness of the plot and its character. There
was praise for the energetic and talented cast, but the feeling they deserved a better
show.
Original London Production: Queen’s Theatre, March 1998
First revival: The Venue, December 2005
Second revival: Leicester Square Theatre, August 2013
PARADE (2nd Revival)
London run: Theatre Workshop, New Kings Road, September 2nd – 13th
Music & Lyrics: Jason Robert Brown
Book: Alfred Uhry
Director : Jody Tranter
Choreographer: Adam Scown
Musical Director: Erika Gundesen
Cast: Ross Barnes (Leo Frank),
Kerry Loosemore (Mary Phagan),
Lily de la Haye (Lucille),
Michael Moulton (Jim Conley, etc),
Daniel Holley (Frankie Epps ) , Brandon Force,
Norton James, Dudley Rogers, Jennifer Webster,
Jon Parry, Nazerene Williams, Samuel Clifford,
Victoria Hope.
Photo by Cameron Slater
Notes: With a cast of 13 in multiple roles and a five
piece ensemble, this production met with a somewhat
mixed reception. Some found the doubling-up of roles
occasionally confusing, and some of the smaller roles
vocally lacking. However, the leading performers were
universally praised and several critics found the scaleddown production extremely powerful, adding a
concentrated punch to the message of the show. “Like
Sondheim, the works of Jason Robert Brown are not
your run-of-the-mill musicals, but in a special category
of their own” (Theatreworld).
Lily de la Haye & Ross Barnes
2015
32
SEE WHAT I WANNA SEE
London run: Jermyn Street, September 8th – October 3rd
Music, Book & Lyrics: Michael John Le Chiusa
Director: Adam lenson
Musical Director: Richard Bates
Cast: Jonathan Butterell, Marc Elliott, Cassie Compton,
Mark Goldthorp, Sarah Ingram
Songs: She Looked At Me, Big Money, You’ll Go Away with Me, Louie, No
More, Simple as This, Light in the East, The Greatest Practical Joke, Gloryday,
Feed the Lions, There Will Be a Miracle.
Notes: Based on three short stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa (“Kesa and Morito”, “In a Grove” and “The
Dragon” ) , the musical was work-shopped in July 2004, and premiered off-Broadway in October 2005 with
Idina Menzel in her first role following Elphaba in “Wicked”. It was nominated for several awards and went on
to further productions in the USA. It had a major fringe revival in New York in 2013. Although it has been
staged in some UK
venues, this was its
London premiere.
The
score incorporates a range
of musical influences from
jazz and salsa to classical
and pop, and the show
was praised as a fiercely
intelligent, heartfelt and
original piece of theatre.
With five in the cast and a
four-piece band, this was
felt to be a chambermusical for a specialised
audience – and a very
worthy one at that.
Marc Elliott & Cassie Compton
SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM (5th Revival)
London run: Brockley Jack, September 8th – 26th
Music: Stephen Sondheim & others
Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim
Director: Elliott Clay
Choreographer: Anthony Whiteman
Musical Director: Stuart Pedlar
Cast: Sarah Redmond, Marianne Benedict, Grant McConvey,
Notes: Sarah Redmond was a last minute replacement for Su Pollard who
dropped out of the show because of a sudden illness, Stuart Pedlar and
Dan Glover provided the two-piano accompaniment.
Original London run: Mermaid Theatre, May 1976
First revival: Greenwich Theatre, July 1997 ;
Second revival: Upstairs at the Gatehouse, May 2005
Photo by Jamie Scott-Smith
Story: The narrative consists of two interlocking stories, each preceded by a prologue involving the medieval
Japanese lovers/killers Kesa and Morito. The first follows a murder in Central Park in 1951 seen from the
various perspectives of several different characters. The second story concerns a priest, wavering in his faith,
who creates a fake miracle which backfires with unexpected results. The characters claim “I only told you the
truth”, but the show examines the difference between what we think happened, and what actually did.
2015
33
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW (8th Revival)
London run: Playhouse, September 11th – 19th
Music & Lyrics: Richard O’Brien
Director: Christopher Luscombe
Choreographer: Nathan M. Wright
Musical Director: Tony Castro
Cast: Richard O’Brien (Narrator), David Bedella (Frank-n-Furter),
Dominic Andersen (Rocky ), Ben Forster (Brad),
Haley Flaherty(Janet), Kristian Lavercombe (Riff-Raff),
Jayde Westerby (Magenta), Sophie Linder-Lee (Columbia),
Richard Meek (Eddie/Dr Scott)
Notes: Back in the West End, for the eighth time, this was a limited-run
revival specifically staged to enable a first and one-off live broadcast to cinemas. It was billed as “the world’s
biggest Time-Warp”. It also featured Richard O’Brien, now 73 years old, playing the role of Narrator for the first
time in more than 20 years. The charity gala cinema broadcast on September 17th, in aid of Amnesty International,
included additional guest performers, including Anthony Head, Stephen Fry, Mel Giedroyc and Emma Bunton.
Although staged in London a limited run, there were plans to revive the production for another UK tour, opening at
Brighton for Christmas, and running through to the end of the summer, 2016.
See original production: Theatre Upstairs Royal Court), June 1973;
Transferred to the Comedy Theatre, April 1979;
1st revival: Piccadilly Theatre, July 1990; 2nd revival: Duke of York’s, June 1994;
3rd revival: Duke of York’s May 1995; 4th revival: Victoria Palace, April 1999
5th Revival: Queen’s Theatre, June 2003; 6th Revival: Comedy Theatre, July 2006
7th Revival: Comedy Theatre, January 2007
THE WHITE FEATHER
London run: Union, September 16th – October 17th
Music & Lyrics: Ross Clark & Matthew Strachan
Additional music: Martin Costlett & Dustin Conrad
Book: Ross Clark & Andrew Keates
Director: Andrew Keates
Choreographer: Anthony Wiseman
Musical Director: Dustin Conrad
Cast: Abigail Matthews (Georgina Briggs),
Adam Pettigrew (Harry Briggs), David Flynn (Adam Davey),
Zac Hamilton (Edward), Christopher Blades, Katie Brennan,
Cameron Leigh, Kathryn Rutherford, Lee Dillon Stuart
Story: Harry’s sister, Georgina, is seeking retrospective justice for
her late brother, who, suffering from shell-shock in the First World
War trenches, was executed by firing squad for refusing to leave the
trenches and continue fighting. She is horrified when she learns that
local landowner Adam Davey, was the commanding officer who
gave the order for his execution, especially when it is hinted that
Adam harboured “German passions” for Harry. There is a secondary
story-line where the upper class Adam Davey enables the young
homosexual Edward Brown to escape active service by procuring
faked medical documents for him.
Photo by Scott Rylander
Songs: True Suffolk Man, In Paris We’ll learn to Dance, Set Them
in Stone, Shadows Will Come, My Little Boy, We Buried a Good
Man Today
Adam Pettigrew & Abigail Matthews
Notes: The musical had a gentle, elegiac quality and the story was told with an earnest sincerity, but for most
reviewers, it was felt to be a bit predictable and plodding in its composition. The show was uncertain in its focus,
was it about Harry, or the relationship between Georgina and Adam, or, indeed, the internal struggles within
Adam himself? And then, at the end of the show, in a stand-out section for Edward, it seemed the focus changed
once again. It was generally felt that there was the possibility of a worthwhile achievement inside this musical –
but it was not there yet.
2015
34
PURE IMAGINATION - The Songs of Leslie Bricusse
London run: St James Theatre, September 24th – October 17th
Music & Lyrics: Leslie Bricusse
Devised by: Christopher Renshawe & Danielle Tarento
Director: Christopher Renshaw
Choreographer: Matthew Cole
Musical Director: Michael England
Photo by Annabel Vere
Cast: Julie Atherton, Siobhan McCarthy, Dave Willetts, Niall Sheehy, Giles Terera
Siobhan McCarthy, Dave Willetts, Niall Sheehy & Julie Atherton
Notes: This compilation of Leslie
Bricusse songs mixed film musicals
like “Scrooge”, “Willy Wonka”, “Dr
Dolittle” and the Bond films with stage
shows like the Anthony Newley hits of
the 60s and 70s, and “Jekyll and
Hyde”. It then added pop hits like “My
Old Man’s a Dustman” and somehow
linked them together in a boy meets
girl story without any dialogue. The
general critical reaction was delight at
this celebration of a master craftsman,
“immaculately arranged and delivered
with talent and invention” (The Stage).
However, one or two dissenting voices
disagreed, feeling the show
“shoehorned so much lesser fare into
the mix that even the hits began to sound
humdrum” (Times)
SHOWSTOPPER – The Improvised Musical
London run: Apollo, September 24th – November 29th
Creators: Adam Meggido, Dylan Emery
Musical Director: Duncan Walsh Atkins
Cast: Ruth Bratt, Justin Brett, Dylan Emery, Pippa Evans, Susan Harrison, Sean McCann, Adam Meggido,
Philip Pellew, Andrew Pugsley, Oliver Senton, Lucy Trodd, Sarah-Louise Young
Notes: Dylan Emery and Adam Meggido began experimenting
with the “impro” musical some seven years earlier, playing fringe
venues like the Hen & Chicken in Islington. With the backing of
an online crowd-funding campaign the show opened for a threemonth limited run in the West End. To prove the show was truly
improvised, the critics were invited to several separate
performances – and there were reports on “The Lying King” set in
the offices of the Daily Mail; “Puck Off” in an Irish fairy grotto;
“That’s All, Volks” where the Volkswagen work-force are
struggling to keep their jobs; and “I Want to Break Free”, an
Australian prison-break musical – and several more. It was
universally praised: “inspirationally daft. . . if you want a really
good laugh and you love musical parody you absolutely have to
go” (Mail on Sunday); “Brilliant!” (Financial Times); “Absolutely
magical” (Time Out).
Photo by Idil Sukan
Story: The framing device has the avuncular Dylan Emery announce the company is under pressure to come up
with a new musical for Cameron Mackintosh and invite the audience to come up with suggestions of plot-lines,
musical styles and titles. With a wide range of different
suggestions each night, the audience can then vote on the one to
pursue, after which the cast and the three-piece band proceed to
improvise a whole new show to order.
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IN THE HEIGHTS (1st Revival)
London run: King’s Cross,
October 3rd – April 10th , 2016
Music/Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Book: Quiara Alegria Hudes
Director: Luke Sheppard
Choreographer:Drew McOnie
Musical Director: Tom Deering
Cast: David Bedella (Kevin),
Lily Frazer (Nina),
Sam Mackay (Usnavi),
Eve Polycarpou (Abuela),
Victoria Hamilton-Barritt (Daniela),
Josie Benson (Camilla),
Jade Ewen (Vanessa),
Joe Aaron Reid (Benny),
Antoine Murray-Straughan,
Cleve September, Sarah Naudi
Photo by Johan Persson
Notes: The 2014 production at the
Southwark Playhouse has been recreated by the same production team
(with only a change of musical
director) to play the month of
October at the Kings Cross Theatre,
and then to run in repertoire with
“The Railway Children”. Following
excellent notices, the run was
extended to April 10th , 2016.
ROMANCE, ROMANCE (2nd Revival)
London run: Landor , October 8th – 31st
Music: Keith Hermann
Lyrics & Book: Barry Harman
Director: Robert McWhir
Choreographer: M
Musical Director: Inga Davis-Rutter
Notes: These two separate one-act musicals, the first, “The Little Comedy” set in 19th Century Vienna, and the
second “Summer Share” set in 29th Century Manhattan, originally opened off-Broadway in 1987, transferred to
the Helen Hayes Theater and ran for 297 performances. Its London premiere at the Bridewell in 1996 was very
well received, and six months later a
re-worked re-cast version opened in
the West End. However, what had
been delightful in a “fringe”
production, was described as “a
balding musical on a low budget”,
and it came off after just six weeks.
This new production was back on
the fringe and gained excellent
notices for the two main performers,
although there were still a few doubts
expressed about the “sub-Sondheim
nature of the work”.
Original London run:
Bridewell, September 1996
Photo by Sofi Berenger
Cast: Lewis Asquith (Alfred/Sam), Emily Lynne (Josefine/Monica), Sinead Wall, Tom Elliot Reade
2015
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A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (4th Revival)
London run: Ye Olde Rose & Crown, October 6th – 31st
Music & Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim
Book: Hugh Wheeler
Director: Tim McArthur
Choreographer: Simon Fielding
Musical Director: Aaron Clingham
Cast: Sarah Waddell (Desirée), Alexander McMorran (Frederik) ,
Lindsey Murray (Mme Armfeldt), Joshua Considine (Henrik),
Jodie Beth Meyer (Petra), Samuel Baker (Count Malcolm), Jamie Birkett (Charlotte),
Maria Coyne (Anne), Kerry Loosemore (Fredrika), Tom Whalley, Sarah Yeomans ,
Stewart Briggs, Lily de-la-Haye, Tim Southgate, Sarah Dearlove, Kim Bergkvist
Notes: Described as “a lively but respectful” production, with a “boutique” orchestra
See original London run: Adelphi, April 1975
First revival: Piccadilly Theatre, 1989;
Second revival: Olivier Theatre, September 1995
Third revival : Menier Chocolate Factory, December 2009 (transfer Garrick, April 2010)
XANADU
Photo by Paul Coltas
London run: Southwark Playhouse,
October 16th – November 21st
Music & Lyrics: Jeff Lynne, John Farrar
Book: Douglas Carter Beane
Director: Paul Warwick Griffin
Choreographer: Nathan M. Wright
Musical Director: Andrew Bevis
Cast: Carly Anderson (Clio/Kira),
Samuel Edwards (Sonny)
Alison Jiear (Melpomene),
Lizzy Connolly (Calliope),
Micha Richardson (Erato),
Joel Burman (Terpsichore),
Nigel Barber (Danny/Zeus),
Nicholas Duncan (Thalia),
Emily McGougan (Euterpe)
Songs: I’m Alive, Magic, Evil Woman, Whenever You’re Away From Me, Dancin’, Don’t Walk Away, Fool,
Suspended in Time, The Fall, Have You Never Been Mellow
Story: The Greek muse Clio has descended from Mount Olympus, disguised as Kira, a singer. Her intention is
to inspire Sonny, a struggling artist, to achieve his dream – opening a roller disco in an abandoned theatre called
Xanadu. Complications ensure when the goddess ends up falling in love with the mortal Sonny.
Notes: This musical was based on the 1980 film starring Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly (which itself took
the story from a 1947 non-musical Rita Hayworth film, “Down to Earth”) but had added other elements ,
especially from the “Clash of the Titans” film. The 1980 film inspired the notorious “Razzie” Awards, naming
and shaming the worst movies of the year, and turning it into a musical more than a quarter of a century later was
considered to be a foolhardy undertaking. However, it opened on Broadway in July 2007 to excellent reviews
and ran for 512 performances. This London premiere split the critics into two camps: one camp-side adored the
“deliberately trashy reinvention” (Times) and called it “a wonderfully tongue-in-cheek stage adaptation. . . a
roller-skating hula-hooping extravaganza of sheer bliss” (Eve Standard); whilst the non-camp side decried it as
dreadfully trashy, stating “an ironic awareness of naffness doesn’t after all take that naffness away!” (Time Out)
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HELLO AGAIN (1st Revival)
Cast: Isabella Messarra (The Nurse/ The Actress),
Joshua LeClair (The College Boy/The Young Thing),
Thea Jo Wolfe (The Young Wife/ The Whore),
Adam Colbeck-Dunn (The Writer/ The Soldier),
Miles Western (The Senator/ The Husband)
Songs: Got A Little Time, Tom, Safe, The One I Love, Silent
Movie, Mistress of the Senator, The Bed Was Not My Own.
Notes: This was the first revival of this show based on Arthur
Schnitzler’s play “La Ronde” updated with each scene set in a
different decade of the 20th Century. Its London premiere in
Adam Colbeck-Dunn & Joshua LeClair
2001 received widely mixed notices: most of the critics at that
time thought it a brilliant, bitter-sweet and superb show; but for
several others it was a sordid, vulgar, smutty piece of trash. This revival in the tiny fringe theatre above the Anchor
& Hope pub in Islington, accompanied by a single piano, used just five performers each one playing two separate
roles. For some critics the sheer intimacy of the venue made the sexual content uncomfortably overwhelming.
However, all were full of praise for the performers and production.
Original London production: Bridewell, March 2001
I PLAY FOR ME / KATHY KIRBY – ICON
London run: White Bear Theatre, October 20th – November 8th
Music: Various
Director: Tim Heath
Choreographer: Karen Halliday
Musical Director: Lloyd Morris
Cast: Jeremy Gagan (Bert Ambrose), Tina Jones (Older Kathy),
Maggie Lynne (Young Kathy), Eddie Mann (Elliot Figueroa),
Harry McLeod (Billy Boy/ Bruce Forsyth), Lloyd Morris (Manager),
Abbi O’Keiffe, Michael Scott Wiseman.
Story: A double-bill of two separate (but linked) one-acters: “I Play For
Me” by David Cantor is the story of Elliot Figueroa, a (fictional) wouldbe rock singer, auditioning at the Ilford Palais for Bert Ambrose, the
bandleader/manager/lover of the headline act, Kathy Kirby. Elliot is
signed up by Ambrose, but his career rises and falls due to a combination
of mis-management and his heroin addiction. He forms a friendship with
Tina Jones
Billy Boy, a teenager with special needs, and this friendship helps both of
them find a kind of peace of mind.
The second play: “Kathy Kirby – Icon” is mainly narrated by the older star to her new manager, and tells in
flashback how she was discovered by Ambrose, rose to the heights, became his lover, had an affair on the side with
Bruce Forsyth, witnessed the death of Ambrose in the wings before a show, and, being a trooper, went on to “Do it
for Him”. In a scene over his coffin it is revealed that Ambrose gambled away £5million of her money, and her
story ends in a shabby bedsitter and an alcoholic daze.
Notes: Various songs from the period were incorporated into this show, which moved backwards and forwards in
time, and at one point had the dead Ambrose rise from his coffin and dance with Kathy as in the olden days, with
two undertakers acting as dancing chorus boys. It was generally decried as a confusing disaster, “a theatre of the
unbelievably absurd” , with garbled dialogue, poor staging ,cliché ridden dialogue and camp dance routines.
Photo by Oliver Kratz
Photo by Kristina Pirotta
London run: Hope Theatre, October 20th – November 7th
Music & Lyrics: Michael John LaChiusa
Director: Tania Azevedo
Choreographer: Chloe Aliyanni
Musical Director: Daniel Jarvis
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London run: London Palladium,
October 23rd – January 2nd 2016
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics: T.S. Eliot
Extra lyrics: Richard Stilgoe & Trevor Nunn
Director- Choreographer: Gillian Lynne
Musical Director: Anthony Gabrielle
Cast: Beverley Knight / Madalena Alberto (Grizabella),
Marcquelle Ward (Rum Tum Tugger),
Paul F. Monaghan (Asparagus),
Mark John Richardson (Mister Mistoffoles),
Adam Linstead (Deuteronomy),
Evan James (Skimbleshanks),
Georgie Leatherland (Rumpleteazer), Harry Francis
(Mungo Jerrie), Matt Krzan (Munkustrap),
Jane Quinn (Jennyandots) , Taryn Gee (Jemima), Hannah Kenna Thomas (White Cat), Jack Butterworth,
Danielle Cato, Javier Cid, Luke Cinque-White, Emma Lee Clark, Jon-Scott Clark, Gabrielle Cocca,
Clare Rickard, Jordan Shaw, James Titchener, Anna Woodside, Megan Armstrong, Lindsay Atherton,
Lucy Brushett, Oliver Ramsdale, Alex Pinder, Barry Haywood.
Photo by Matt Crockett
CATS (Return visit)
Notes: This revival was a touring production with a few international dates booked in Portugal and Monaco. It
returned to London for a limited 12 week engagement at the Palladium at the end of 2014, and then played a
summer season in Blackpool after which it returned for this, its second, Palladium season. (An earlier UK tour
in 2008 had played at the Wimbledon Theatre).
The main interest in this revival was the appearance of Beverley Knight as Grizabella – making her third West
musical on the trot (“Bodyguard” and “Memphis”). Her performance was highly praised.
Original London run: New London, May 1981, and ran for 21 years and 8949 performances.
1st Revival: London Palladium, December 2014
Return visit: October 2016
ELF
Photo by Alastair Muir
London run: Dominion, October 24th – January 2nd 2016
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ELF
London run: Dominion, October 24th – January 2nd 2016
Music: Matthew Sklar
Lyrics: Chad Beguelin
Book: Thomas Meehan & Bob Martin
Director-Choreographer: Morgan Young
Musical Director: Stuart Morley
Cast: Ben Forster (Buddy), Mark McKerracher (Santa),
Kimberley Walsh (Jovie), Joe McGann (Walter Hobbs),
Jessica Martin (Emily Hobbs), Jennie Dale, Graham Lappin,
Katie Bradley, Charlie Bull, Nicola Coates, Alex Fobbester,
Anton Fosh, Charlotte Gale, Francis Haugen, Matt Holland, Tash Holway, Paul Hutton, Mark Iles,
Ceili O’Connor, Debbie Paul, Joanna Rennie, Barnaby Thompson, Ed White.
Songs: Christmas Town, World’s Greatest Dad, In the Way, Sparklejollytwinklejingley, I’ll Believe in You,
Nobody Cares About Santa, Never Fall in Love with an Elf, There is a Santa Claus, A Christmas Song
Story: Buddy, a 30 year old man brought up as one of Santa’s elves, suddenly discovers he is not an elf at all,
and sets off from the North Pole to find his human father, Walter Hobbs – who is a publisher of children’s books
with an office in the Empire State Building. As well as his father, and his perky stepmother, he also experiences
his first falling in love – with Jovie, a girl working at Macy’s Christmas store. As well as the love interest, there
is drama when Santa’s sleigh crash-lands in Manhattan, and the only way it can become airborne again, is if
people truly believe in Father Christmas.
Notes: The British premiere was staged at the Theatre Royal Plymouth and at Dublin’s Bord Gais Energy
Theatre in 2014, and its London debut gained notoriety for setting a new record for a top West End price of £240
a ticket. The show was based on the 2003 film of the same name, and had been staged as a musical on
Broadway over the 2010-11 and 2012-13 Christmas seasons. The general critical reaction was positive, praising
the production values and performances and judging it to be an ideal family Christmas extravaganza. It broke
the record for a single week’s box office takings at the Dominion Theatre (no doubt helped by its inflated ticket
prices!)
PETER PAN – A Musical Adventure (Concert Version)
London run: Adelphi, October 25th
Music: George Stiles
Lyrics: Anthony Drewe
Book: Willis Hall
Director: Jonathan Butterell
Cast: Sheila Hancock (Narrator), Bradley Walsh (Captain Hook) ,
Jenna Russell (Mrs Darling), Ray Quinn (Peter Pan), Jack North (Nibbs),
Evelyn Hoskins (Wendy), Steve Elias (Starkey), Cameron Blakely (Smee)
Songs: There’s Something in the Air, Just Beyond the Stars, Never Land,
The Cleverness of Me, Look Back Through a Rose-Tinted Eye-Patch, One
Big Adventure, When I Kill Peter Pan, There’s Always Tomorrow.
Notes : This was a concert version, playing a matinee and evening as part of the “Musicals in Concert” series
which this year has staged “How to Succeed in Business” and “Of Thee I Sing”. “Peter Pan – A Musical
Adventure” premiered in Copenhagen in 1999, in a lavish Danish language stage production. Its British debut
was in 2001 as a concert-version at the Royal Festival Hall, with John Thaw, Sheila Hancock, Joe McFadden
and Jenna Russell, directed by Julia McKenzie and Jonathan Buttrell. Following the concert’s success, a fuller
semi-staged version ran for 6 weeks at the Royal Festival Hall over Christmas 2002 with Richard Wilson, James
Gillan, Susannah York and Lottie Meyer. A revised version was given its first fully-staged British production at
the Birmingham Rep in December 2007, and was repeated the following year at the West Yorkshire Playhouse.
Original London production: Royal Festival Hall, April 2001
First Revival: Royal Festival Hall, Dec 2002
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THE STATIONMASTER
Cast: Nigel Richards (Thomas),
Jessica Sherman (Catherine), Emily Bull (Anna),
Annie Wensak (Mrs Deakin), Jon Osbaldeston,
David Francis.
Story: Set in the Lake District, in the town of
Kirby in 1958, railway stationmaster Thomas
Price is the pillar of the local community. Anna,
Emily Bull & Nigel Richards
a young woman, arrives on the platform and
distracts him from his duties, causing him to fail to set a crucial signal, and leading to a disastrous train crash.
The guilty pair decide to cover up their involvement, but later discover that Thomas’s dysfunctional wife,
Catherine, witnessed everything. Added to this, the local busybody Mrs Deakin gets involved, and then ghosts
of dead passengers start to manifest themselves as things begin to fall apart.
Notes: This production was part of a “Page to Stage” season, promoting showcases for new composers and
writers. The story was inspired by “Der jüngste Tag”, the 1937 play by the Austro-Hungarian writer, Odon von
Horvath (translated as “Judgement Day” by Christopher Hampton). The action was moved from 1930s
Germany. There was praise for the “haunting score” and the powerful performances, though a few critics felt
the book should have dealt in more depth with the moral issues rather than moving too quickly into melodrama.
VAMPIRE HOSPITAL WAITING ROOM
London run: Above the Arts, November 10th - 21st
Music, Book & Lyrics: Theo McCabe
Director–Musical Director: Theo McCabe
Cast: Joe McArdle (Dr Bloom), Abby Jackson (Nurse), Craig Methven (Arty Baldwin), Imogen Brabant (Liz),
Roz Ford (Mrs Baldwin), John Rushton (The Priest), Martin MacLennan (The Drunk)
Songs: Love is Like a Car Crash, Let’s Put the Fun in Funeral
Photo by Beach Comet
Story: The billionaire Arty Baldwin lies comatose following a car crash. Dr. Bloom, treating him, believes his
patient to be the Vampire Lord, and if only he can be revived, then the doctor himself might achieve immortal
life. But the doctor has to contend with an over-sexed Nurse, not to mention Liz, Arty’s long-time mistress,
and Arty’s scheming wife – both of whom wish Arty dead for their own purposes. The doctor’s scheme is not
helped by the presence of a priest and an incoherent drunk who just happen to be in the hospital waiting room.
Notes:
This 75 minute long
musical, billed as a “comedy BMovie”, originally ran at the
Edinburgh Fringe in 2013 and was
revived in 2015, receiving excellent
notices. It was given its London
premiere as a late night show at the
Arts. A typical online reaction said
“It’s certainly not polished; at times
it feels a bit like watching some
mates messing around, but that is
also a large part of its appeal” and
generally it was regarded as
enormous fun and very well
performed, even if the show itself
needed some work on the musical
content.
Photo by Kim Sheard
London run: Tristan Bates, November 3rd – 15th
Music & Lyrics: Tim Connor
Book: Susanna Pearse
Director: Bronagh Lagan
Choreographer: Iona Holland
Musical Director: Caroline Humphris
2015
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BADDIES, the Musical
London run: Unicorn Theatre,
November 10th – December 24th
Music & Lyrics: Marc Teitler
Book & Lyrics: Nancy Harris
Director: Purni Morell
Choreographer: Wilkie Branson
Musical Director: Sam Sommerfield
Cast: Dean Nolan (Big Bad Wolf),
Christian Roe (Peter Pan),
David McKay (Rumpelstiltskin),
Kelly Agbowu (Ugly Sister May),
Claire Sundin (Ugly Sister Fay),
Miles Yekinni (Captain Hook),
Kathy Rose O’Brien (Cinderella/Red Riding Hood) , Lila Clements, Jack Benjamin
Story: The Bedtime Story Council have ordered the arrest and imprisonment of the Big Bad Wolf, Captain
Hook, the Ugly Sisters and Rumpelstiltskin on charges of being way too bad for children’s good. The time for
badness is over. Except, of course, the badness continues in the prison cell, where poor Rumpelstilskin (an irate
Scottish punk with nothing scary about him) is continuously bullied because no one knows why he is supposed
to be bad anyway. Some goody-goody prison visitors include the excessively smug Cinderella and the even
smugger lifestyle guru, Peter Pan. However, it turns out that the Big Bad Wolf has been having an affair with
Cinderella, and maybe not all baddies are all bad, nor all goodies all good.
Notes: Working equally as a delightful children’s show and a tongue-in-cheek philosophical piece for adults,
this was praised for its catchy and witty numbers and its ingenious plotting. “If there’s a better family show this
Christmas season, I’ll be astonished” (Eve Standard); “Genuinely entertaining and original” (Guardian)
FUNNY GIRL (2nd Revival)
Photo by Marc Brenner
London run: Menier Chocolate Factory, November 20th – March 5, 2016
Transfer: Savoy Theatre, April 9th – July 12th
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FUNNY GIRL (2nd Revival)
London run: Menier Chocolate Factory, November 20th – March 5, 2016
Transfer: Savoy Theatre, April 9th – October 8th
Music: Jule Styne
Lyrics: Bob Merrill
Book: Isobel Lennart, revised Harvey Fierstein
Director: Michael Mayer
Choreographer: Lynne Page
Musical Director: Chris Walker
Cast: Sheridan Smith (Fanny Brice), Darius Campbell (Nick Arnstein),
Marilyn Cutts (Mrs Brice), Gay Soper (Mrs Strakosh), Valda Avicks (Mrs O’Malley),
Bruce Montague (Florenz Ziegfeld), Natasha J. Barnes (Emma/Mrs Meeker),
Joel Montague (Eddie), Maurice Lane (Mr Keeney), Emma Caffrey, Matthew Croke,
Joelle Dyson, Rebecca Fennelly, Luker Featherston, Leah Harris, Kelly Homewood, Sammy Kelly,
Stuart Ramsay
Songs: I'm the Greatest Star, People, Don't Rain on My Parade, Sadie Sadie Married Lady, The Music That
Makes Me Dance, Temporary Arrangement (dropped from the 1964 out-of-town try-outs)
Story: The life-story of American singer-comedienne, Fanny Brice, the show covers her pushing her way into
early auditions, then being discovered by Florenz Ziegfeld, her marriage to the gambler Nick Arnstein, her
career-dip when he is jailed for fraud, and the break-up of their marriage after he is released from prison.
Notes: The Broadway production, March 1964, featured Barbra Streisand in her first major role, and quickly
established her as a star. “Funny Girl” ran for 1,348 performances on Broadway, followed by the London run
in April 1966. The UK production was withdrawn after 112 performances - just a few months into its run because Streisand became pregnant, and it was felt no one could replace her in the role. Apart from a fringe
production in Ilford in 1999, the show had not been revived in London since.
Tickets for this current revival went on sale at midnight on August 17th, and by 10.30am the entire season was
sold out – approximately 16,000 tickets. A transfer to the Savoy Theatre was announced even before the
opening night at the Menier – and there was even a rumour of a planned transfer to Broadway. “Funny Girl”,
always considered a Barbra Streisand vehicle, was clearly a special challenge for Sheridan Smith, and almost
all the reviews were lavishly complimentary regarding her achievement : a show-stopping, hilarious, comedic
tour-de-force, a performance to be treasured. (However, there were a few reservations: “she is never less than
wonderful, but this time she’s not quite the right kind of wonderful” (Financial Times); “she has given ‘funny’
a different meaning. American kookiness becomes English comedy” (Observer); “she is so intent on not being
Barbra Streisand that she forgets to be anyone else” (Sunday Express). The show had always been noted for its
weak second act and rather sketchy characterisation of Nick Arnstein, and it was generally felt that Harvey
Fierstein’s revised
version
had not
improved on the
original
failings.
However, the overall
reaction was one of
great
enthusiasm,
thanks to Sheridan
Smith.
First revival:
Kenneth More
Theatre,
September 1999
Sheridan Smith &
Darius Campbell
Photo by Marc Brenner
Original London
production:
Prince of Wales
Theatre, 1966
2015
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London run: Olivier Theatre,
Nov 23rd – April 30th 2016
Music: Damon Albarn
Book & Lyrics: Moira Buffini
Director: Rufus Norris
Choreographer: Javier de Frutos
Musical Director: Tom Deering
Cast: Lois Chimimba (Aly),
Carly Bawden (Alice),
Golda Roshueval (Mother),
Paul Hilton (Father),
Anna Francolini (Headmistress),
Hal Fowler (MC/Cheshire Cat),
Sam Archer (Tweedle Dum),
Leon Cooke (Tweedle Dee),
Ivan de Freitas (Dodo),
Daisy Maywood (Humpty), Joshua Lacey (White Rabbit), Simon Anthony, Nadine Cox, Adrian Grove,
Dylan Mason, Enyi Okoronkwo, Lisa Ritchie, Stephanie Rojas, Abigail Rose, Cydney Uffindell-Phillips, Ed
Wade, Witney White
Story: Blending digital technology with live performance, the production re-imagines Lewis Carroll’s Alice as
Aly, a teenager who flees her dysfunctional family and her schoolyard bullies and enters the cyber world, where
her avatar Alice introduces her to a host of unusual characters.
Notes: The show originated earlier in July at the Manchester Festival. It was praised for its visual flair, and
creations like its brilliant psychedelic caterpillar made out of a chain of human "baubles", but heavily criticized for
allowing these special effects to over-ride any cohesive narrative. It was described as “ upstaged by its own
visuals. . .dressed up with nowhere to go” (Stage). Several critics hit at the musical score - “Though it flirts with
Cockney knees-up anthems, plaintive ballads and jarring bleeps, it’s mostly just bland.” (E. Standard) – though
there was some praise for the lyrics. The general reaction was very negative: “The whole thing is pervaded by a
puerile coarseness” (D.Mail). Following its National Theatre run it is due to be staged at the Théâtre du Châtelet
in Paris.
THREE GUYS NAKED FROM THE WAIST DOWN (1st Revival)
London run: Finborough, November 23rd
(Sundays to Tuesdays)
Music: Michael Rupert
Book and lyrics: Jerry Colker.
Director: Joshua Stamp-Simon
Choreographer: Lindsay McAllister
Musical Director: Josh Stood
Cast: Simon Haines (Ted),
Guy Woolf (Kenny),
Benedict Hastings (Phil)
Songs: Angry Guy/Lovely Day, Don't
Wanna Be No Superstar, Screaming
Clocks, The History of Stand-Up
Comedy, Kamikaze Kabaret, The "Hello
Fellas" TV Special World Tour, I Don't
Believe in Heroes
Story: Not nearly as provocative as the title would have you believe, this is the story of three guys whose dream is
to make something of themselves in the world of stand-up comedy. They end up as successful drag artistes, but this
success has destroyed any hope of their original dreams.
Notes: The show was originally staged off-Broadway in 1985, and was premiered in London at the Donmar,
where it ran for 45 scheduled performances. This first revival played three days each week in repertoire.
Original London run: Donmar, January 1989
Photo by Brinkhoff & Mögenburg
wonder.land
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LICENSED TO ILL
Cast: Adam El Hagar (MCA),
Daniel Foxsmith (AdRock),
Simon Maeder (Mike D),
Tope Mikun
Story: This is the “unofficial” story of
Michael Diamond (“Mike D”), Adam
Yauch (“MCD”) and Adam Horovitz
(“AdRock”) – who collectively were the
Beastie Boys, who started out as a
Tope Mikun, Adam El Hagar, Simon Maeder & Daniel Foxsmith
shambolic punk outfit and rose to
become hip-hop superstars through a
combination of talent, accident and arrogance. Underlining their meteoric rise is their uncomfortable use of
misogynistic lyrics, accusations of plagiarism, clashes with record companies and their eventual end after the
death from cancer of Adam Yauch in 2012.
Notes: “Licensed to Ill” was the name of the 1986 Beastie Boys album which brought the group to prominence,
and the chaotic, hyperactive energy of their music-video “Fight for your Right” is re-created as part of this show
- a kind of “lo-tech jukebox musical”. It was regarded as “more celebration than critique. . . scrappy, colourful
and bursting with unapologetic enthusiasm” (Guardian)
JEST END ( 1st Revival)
London run: Waterloo East, November 24th – December 6th
Music & Lyrics: Parodies
Writer & Director: Garry Lake
Choreographer: Rebecca Howell
Musical Director: James Doughty
Cast: Scott Garnham, Simon Bailey,
Lizzy Connelly, Jodie Jacobs
Notes: This new edition of London’s
answer to “Forbidden Broadway”
contained some updated material,
including a chorus of elves lamenting
they get “Get Paid A Pound” (to the
tune of “Money Makes the World Go
Round” from “Cabaret”) while the
producers get the highest ticket prices
ever recorded in the West End. Once
again it was regarded as a show for the
true cognoscenti of West End musicals
rather than the ordinary theatregoer.
Original London run:
Jermyn Street Theatre, April 2009
Lizzt Connelly & Jodie Jacobs
Photo by Joe Twigg
London run: Camden People’s Theatre,
November 23rd – December 12th
Music: The Beastie Boys
Book & concept: Adam El Hagar &
Simon Maeder
Director: Adam El Hagar &
Simon Maeder
2015
45
DESPERATE MEASURES
Cast: Charlie Merriman (Simon di Angelo),
Jojo Macari (Milo Feather),
Alice Jay (Julia),
ames Wilson (Charlie Lucre),
Ellie Nunn (Isobel Feather),
Ed Boylan (Terry Pompey),
Harry Al-Adwani (Sir Peregrine Peach),
Angharad George-Carey (Lady Escalus),
Emily-Rose Hurdiss, Callum MacDonald,
Sam Elwin, Jonathan Lewis,
Timothy Patten, Tosin Thompson.
Photo by Alastair Muir
London run: Jermyn Street Theatre,
November 24th – December 20th
Music & Lyrics: Chris Barton
Book & Lyrics: Robin Kingsland
Director: Chris Barton
Musical Director: Jordan Li-Smith
Charlie Merriman & Ellie Nunn
Story: Set in the 1960s era of the Profumo/Keeler sex scandals, the hypocritical MP Simon di
Angelo wants to bring in a Parliamentary Bill making sex before marriage punishable by death.
As a result, the threat of a noose is hanging over Milo Feather and the pregnant Julia. This
prompts Charlie Lucre, a sleazy journalist, to lure Milo’s sister, Isobel, a novice nun, out of her
cloister , hoping to persuade her to use her virtue as a bargaining chip to save her brother’s life.
Other characters involved include Terry Pompey, a gangster who runs a political salon, and Lady
Escalus, a supercilious politician.
Notes: Based on Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure”, this was a small scale production
generally felt to be an interesting idea but in need of development. It was felt to be unevenly
cast (though there was much praise for Ellie Nunn - daughter of Sir Trevor) and to suffer from a
patchy score and lyrics, but to contain “a real sensitivity to the imagery of Shakespeare’s
original” (Times
GUYS AND DOLLS (6th Revival)
Photo by Paul Coltas
London run: Savoy, December 10th – March 12th 2016
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GUYS AND DOLLS (6th Revival)
London run: Savoy, December 10th – March 12th 2016
Transfer: Phoenix Theatre, March 19th – October 30th, 2016
Music and lyrics: Frank Loesser
Book: Jo Swerling & Abe Burrows
Director: Gordon Greenberg
Choreographer: Andrew Wright & Carlos Acosta
Musical Director: Gareth Valentine
Cast: Jamie Parker (Sky Masterton), Sophie Thompson (Miss Adelaide),
David Haig (Nathan Detroit), Siubhan Harrison (Sarah Browne),
Gavin Spokes (Nicely-Nicely), Ian Hughes (Benny), Nic Greenshields (Big Jule),
Cornelius Clarke (Harry the Horse), Neil McCaul, William Oxborrow, Carl Patrick, Lorna Gale
Notes: This production has been critically acclaimed at the Chichester Festival Theatre in the summer of 2014,
and plans of bringing it into the West End failed to materialise due to the availability of a suitable venue.
However, following the run of Chichester’s “Gypsy” at the Savoy, “Guys & Dolls” was revived for a limited
season run. The West End reviews were even more enthusiastic than the original, so it was announced that the
show would transfer to the Phoenix Theatre from March 19th and bookings were being accepted until October
30th. At the same time a further production would be staged and would undertake a UK tour.
See original London run: Coliseum, May 1953;
1st revival: Olivier Theatre, March 1982;
2nd revival: Prince of Wales, June 1985;
3rd revival: Olivier Theatre, December 1996;
4th revival: Piccadilly, June 2005
5th Revival: Upstairs at Gatehouse, December 2011
LEGALLY BLONDE (1st Revival)
London run: Upstairs at the Gatehouse, December 16th - January 31st, 2016
Music & Lyrics: Laurence O’Keefe & Nell Benjamin
Book: Heather Hach
Director: John Plews
Choreographer: Anthony Whiteman
Musical Director: Matt Abrams
Notes: This was the first revival since the
original London run in 2010, and used a cast
of twelve with considerable staging and
double-casting adjustments to meet the
restrictions of a fringe venue.
Original London run: Savoy, January 2010
Abbie Chambers & Jodie Jacobs
Photo by Darren Bell
Cast: Abbie Chambers (Elle Woods),
Robert Colvin (Warner Huntingdon),
Hugh Osborne (Professor Callahan),
Jodie Jacobs (Paulette),
Ross Barnes (Emmett Forest),
Emma Ingram (Kate/Vivienne),
Aimee Barrett (Serena/Brooke),
Suzie Aries (Margot/Whitney/Judge),
Lily De-La-Hayes (Pilar/Enid),
Chris Durtnal (Delivery Boy)