Tag Archives: Bristol Hippodrome

Composer: Jeanine Tesori Book and Lyrics: David Lindsay-Abaire Director: Nigel Harman  Choreographer: Josh Prince Designer: Tim Hatley Lighting Designer: Hugh Vanstone Reviewer: Leah TozerAn offbeat fairytale about being a believer in happily-ever-afters for the beautiful and ogreish alike, Shrek the Musical is a hefty, hearty, gorgeously green show that lets its Freak Flag Fly but its originality fall victim to fart gags and the far-greater film.  The original film won ...

Writer: Tim Firth Music: Take That Lyrics: Take That/David Pugh Director: Kim Gavin & Jack Ryder Reviewer: Francesca Parker Could it be magic? Well, judging by the audience’s reactions, the standing ovation, and the fact that it has become the fastest selling UK musical tour, it absolutely is! In association with Tim Firth and David Pugh, Take That have created ...

Writer: Book by Douglas McGrath Words and music by Gerry Goffin & Carole King, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil Director: Marc Bruni Choreographer: Josh Prince Reviewer: Julia Beasley Anyone old enough to remember Carole King in 1971 probably has a soft spot for Tapestry, the classic album that confirmed her as one of the best singer-songwriters ever. Intimate and articulate ...

Book & Lyrics: Don Black & Christopher Hampton Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Director: Nikolai Foster Reviewer: Holly Spanner Even though the original Broadway production scooped seven of the 11 nominated Tony Awards, Sunset Boulevard somehow always seems underrated, overshadowed by other musicals. Given the scale and grandeur of this musical, it is fully deserving of attention in its own right. ...

Writer: Alan McHugh Director and Choreographer: Johnny Bates Reviewer: Kris Hallett In January, news rocked panto-land that QDOS had won the war over its competitor and First Family Entertainment (FFE) was no more. This year, they return to Bristol Hippodrome victorious. In doing so, they have produced the best pantomime Bristol has seen in years. It may have been blowing ...

Composer: Sergei Prokofiev Choreographer: Rudolf Nureyev Conductor: Gavin Sutherland Artistic Director: Tamara Rojo Reviewer: Claire Hayes English National Ballet (ENB)’s Renaissance-set Romeo and Juliet revives the original choreography created by Rudolf Nureyev in 1997 for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. This new restaging under artistic director Tamara Rojo, first seen at the Royal Festival Hall in 2016, is a visual spectacle of intricate ...

Music & Libretto: Leoš Janáček (libretto from Dostoyevsky’s novel, English translation by David Pountney) Director: David Pountney Designer: Maria Bjornson Lighting: Chris Ellis Conductor: Tomáš Hanus Reviewer: Leah Tozer The curtain rises on an intricate, ramshackle construction of bricks, boards, and broken men cascading across a remarkable, multi-levelled recreation of a communal prison cell. We see in, through a literal ...

Writer: Nick Stafford (from Michael Morpurgo’s novel) Director: Marianna Elliott & Tom Morris Designer: Rae Smith Puppet Design and Direction: Basil Jones & Adrian Kohler Choreographer: Toby Sedgwick  Music: Adrian Sutton Reviewer: Leah Tozer  War Horse may be a show about horses, but it has the most heart, the most heroism, and the most humanity of any show you’ll ever see. The tale of Joey the horse and ...