CD & DVD Reviews

Reviewer: Mark Clegg Producing some of the most recognisable and catchy songs of the 20th Century, Robert B. and Richard M. Sherman will forever remain legends, particularly for their work for Disney writing tunes for (among many others) Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book. Following in his father and uncle’s footsteps, Robert J. Sherman has emerged as a writer of ...

Reviewer: Ruth Jepson Starting as a John Waters film in 1988, turned into a stage show in 2002, and a musical film in 2007 Hairspray is the latest show turned into a television event by NBC in America. No matter what stage of its history you were first introduced to the franchise, you cannot deny that it’s a story which ...

Reviewer: Emily Garside Recorded live at New York’s Feinstein’s/54 Below, Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp reunite for an acoustic mix of Broadway and Rock-pop. Ranging across classic 80s pop – as Rapp quips he’s ‘very much a child of the 80s’ across contemporary and classic Broadway songs with a twist, there’s a variety brought out by their different musical styles, ...

Reviewer: Mark Clegg Despite being upstaged by his dog, Charlie Brown was always the central character of Charles M. Schultz’s comic strip Peanuts. Snoopy may adorn more t-shirts and cuddly toys but the ‘blockhead’ Charlie Brown (he is always addressed in full) was pivotal from the strip’s creation in 1950 through to it becoming a worldwide phenomenon.  Snoopy-fever hit its ...

Reviewer: Holly Spanner Girls, Girls, Girls is considerably deeper than the title suggests. Perhaps this is the point, but there’s no denying it gets straight to the heart of the material. Originally conceived for a concert in 2013, the subject matter is reflective of Butz’s quest to better understand the women in his life, and with three daughters, a wife, ...

Reviewer: Holly Spanner Prodigy is a new musical by Jake Brunger and Pippa Clay. It was commissioned and developed by the National Youth Music Theatre, premiering in August 2015 at the St. James Theatre in London. The narrative follows the nervous excitement of five young finalists in a reality television show, each competing to become Britain’s top new classical music ...

Reviewer: Mark Clegg Jukebox musicals (new shows featuring pre-existing songs) often employ parody and deliberate cheesiness in their plot and libretto. Obvious examples would be We Will Rock You and Rock of Ages, and arguably Mama Mia contains more than a faint whiff of gorgonzola. Disaster! takes things several steps further by wildly parodying a film genre ripe for lampooning: ...

Reviewer: Mark Clegg It’s probably fair to say that Ziegfeld Follies star Fanny Brice would be no more than a footnote in history if it weren’t for the musical Funny Girl. Premiering on Broadway in 1964 thirteen years after her death, the show charts both the professional and personal highs and lows of the unconventional comic performer. It’s probably also ...