by Susannah Martin
Continuing from its stratospheric success earlier in the year, now-cult classic musical Eugenius! sets to stun audiences with another limited run at The Other Palace. Minor changes have occurred to revamp the fun, with some recasting and a new song replacing “Superhot Lady”. Sadly, there are no book rewrites, as this is where the show has the potential to go from global to universal.
By Amy Toledano
Magnificent Bastard Productions have had a fantastic few years with their Shitfaced shows, selling out Edinburgh regularly as well as having wonderful London and touring runs. This year’s instalment of Shitfaced Showtime is no exception to pandemonium that credits this show with it’s appeal.
by Amy Toledano
Held holy by many musical theatre enthusiasts, Spring Awakening is about the turmoil and angst of growing up. The pain of self-discovery and the frustrations at growing up rapidly, and still being treated as a child by the adults around you, are one of its primary themes. And while The British Theatre Academy did their best to relay this to their audience, unfortunately they only remained at a surface level – it never really goes to the dark and vulnerable places that this show so desperately requires to make an impact.
by Laura Kressly
If you were anything other than one of the popular kids, you probably hated school. Matthew’s in the process of coming out as nonbinary so they’re obviously having a bad time of it. Luckily, their best friend Binkie and his fairy godmother RuPaul have their back in this messy, glittery musical ode to being different.
by guest critic Amy Toledano
It is rare that a new musical has the kind of oomph that Broken Wings has in a run lasting just four days. This show has shown that a brilliant cast, outstanding musicians and phenomenal score can create true magic.
By Laura Kressly
In 1930s Key West, German x-ray technician Carl Tanzler harbours an obsession for a local woman dying of Tuberculosis. Claiming to have nine degrees and access to technology that will cure her, he lavishes her with gifts and dubious treatments though the married woman never returns his affections. When she inevitably dies, he pays for the construction a mausoleum for her. Not content with this tribute, two years after her death he steals her remains and lives with them as his wife for seven years before being discovered.
by guest critic Amy Toledano
Jennifer Marsden’s Knights of the Rose is new musical with a score that belts out so many familiar power ballads that it’s often hard to keep track of the actual storyline. With a cast that handle these numbers effortlessly and a book that often felt like it been written for the sole purpose of allowing the actors to show off their vocal skills, Knights of the Rose entertains but not for the reasons intended.
by guest critic Amy Toledano
The story of Elle Woods is one that many people are familiar with, and from the way the New Wimbledon Theatre was buzzing with excitement for it’s press night, it remains clear how many hold Legally Blonde close to their hearts. We have seen numerous productions of this show since it opened on Broadway in 2007, many of which have tried their best to be differentiate from the original. This version is no different.
by guest critic Gregory Forrest
I really wanted to love this.
A new musical about gay men under Mussolini (politically, if not physically) sounds so exciting. Silvio Berlusconi’s claim that ‘Mussolini never killed people, just sent them to holiday camps’ brushes off the dark reality of imprisonment, violence, and unrecorded deaths. Yet by clearing out the closet, government officials gave gay men in particular the freedom to live openly and form tentative relationships in their Mediterranean exile. It was a queerly liberating sea breeze.
by guest critic Amy Toledano
It is rare that a large-scale musical can be performed to its full potential in a tiny, unventilated room above a pub, but MKEC’s latest production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee does exactly that – and then some.
The Play's The Thing UK 