Writer: Henry Filloux-Bennett Director: Jonnie Riordan Reviewer: Richard Maguire While not quite based on a recipe book, Toast is, instead, an adaptation of celebrity chef Nigel Slater’s autobiography of 2004. Of course, food and cooking are major themes of this play that has travelled from Salford via the Edinburgh Fringe, but Toast is more a nostalgic reflection of a 60s/70s childhood. ...
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Writer and director: Patrick Barlow Reviewer: Stephen Bates A recording of Ernest Gold’s theme from the film Exodus features prominently before the lights dim for the beginning of Patrick Barlow’s production of his own play The Messiah. Perhaps this should be taken as a subliminal cue to audiences to heed the music’s title and make their ways out before discovering ...
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Book, Music and Lyrics: Ben Adams and Chris Wilkins Director: Ian Talbort Reviewer: Maryam Philpott Every superhero has an alter-ego, overlooked, geeky and far too human, someone who must hide their true self under capes and luminous tights. Yet we love the dichotomy that superheroes represent, how one individual can have two different sides - the ordinary versus the extraordinary, ...
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Book: Helen Watts Music and Lyrics: Eamonn O’Dwyer Director: Alex Sutton Reviewer: Maryam Philpott Imagine being 16 or 17 and the lead in the world premiere of a brand-new musical at a respected off-West End venue - it’s the stuff of dreams. But thanks to the National Youth Music Theatre (NYMT), 16-year old Hayley Canham and 17-year old George Renshaw ...
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Book and Lyrics: Ben Elton Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Director: Hannah Chissick Reviewer: Richard Maguire The second show in The National Youth Musical Theatre’s takeover of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new venue, The Other Palace, is none other than his 2000 musical The Beautiful Game, and these young actors do him proud. Their production is only on for four days, but ...
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Writer: Frances Hodgson Burnett Adapted Book and lyrics: Carl Miller Music and lyrics: Marc Folan Additional lyrics: Adey Grummet Director: Emily Gray Reviewer: David Guest There is something of a welcome and exciting renaissance in the world of youth theatre, with young people not only being given a chance to perform but also to appear in productions at well-regarded London ...
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Book, music and lyrics: Ben Adams and Chris Wilkins Director: Ian Talbot Reviewer: David Guest The brassy strapline for Eugenius! asserts that you already want to see the new show again before you’ve even entered the theatre. It’s a bold claim for a homegrown musical about which there has been a buzz since a one-off concert version at the Palladium ...
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Book: John August, based on the novel by Daniel Wallace Music and Lyrics: Andrew Lippa Director: Nigel Harman Reviewer: Scott Matthewman For many musicals, going a full fifteen minutes without any songs can seem like a drag; at the top of the show, it can seem like the kiss of death. Yet for Big Fish, The Other Palace’s latest premiere, its ...
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