Tag Archives: Musical theatre

Press Review: Heathers at the Alexandra Theatre

Posted on by

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ A must-see show for 2023!

Following two smash hit West End seasons and the Whatsonstage award for Best New Musical, the record-breaking show returns to Birmingham!

Welcome to Westberg High, where Veronica Sawyers is just another nobody dreaming of a better day. But when she joins the beautiful and impossibly cruel Heathers and her dreams of popularity may finally come true, mysterious rebel JD teaches her that it might kill to be a nobody, but it is murder to be a somebody…

Heathers is a blistering black comedy musical, based on the 1989 cult classic movie of the same name, starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. Set within the corridors of Westberg High, it follows 17-year-old student Veronica Sawyer and her struggles with the social hierarchy of high school, desperate to climb the ladder and improve her popularity status. This is Mean Girls with murder!

Continue reading →

Press Review: Annie at The Alexandra Theatre

Posted on by

4

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ A sensational show!

Directed by Nikolai Foster, book by Thomas Meehan, with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin, the show tells the story of Annie (Zoe Akinyosade), who lives a life of misery at Miss Hannigan’s orphanage. While holding onto the hope that her parents will return, her luck changes when she’s chosen to spend a fairytale Christmas with famous billionaire, Oliver Warbucks (David Burrows). Spiteful Miss Hannigan (Craig Revel-Horwood) has other ideas and, together with her criminal brother, hatches a plan to spoil Annie’s search for her true family.

Continue reading →

Press Review: Rocky Horror Show at The Alexandra Theatre

Posted on by

2

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Outrageous, absurd… and completely fabulous!

The Rocky Horror Show returns to Birmingham’s Alexandra Theatre this week, celebrating its 50th anniversary – the longest continuous run of a contemporary musical anywhere in the world. 

The Rocky Horror Show tells the story of Brad and his fiancé Janet, two clean-cut college kids who find themselves stranded after their car breaks down while on their way to visit a former college professor. Seeking help at a creepy mansion nearby, they are introduced to Dr Frank’n’Furter and embark on an adventure that they’ll never forget. 

Continue reading →

Press Review: The King and I at The Alexandra Theatre

Posted on by

2

Directed by Bartlett Sher and billed as starring Helen George in the role of Anna, the critically acclaimed Lincoln Center Theatre production of the Rogers and Hammerstein musical arrived on stage at The Alexandra Theatre as part of its major 2023 UK tour. 

Set in 1860’s Bangkok, The King and I tells the story of the rather unconventional and tempestuous relationship between King Mongkut of Siam (now known as Thailand) and Anna, a strong-willed British widowed schoolteacher who is employed by the King to tutor his many children, highlighting the battle between male and female, Western ideals and Eastern traditions. The show features an instantly recognisable score with songs including Getting to Know You, Shall We Dance and Whistle a Happy Tune.

Continue reading →

Press Review: Girl From The North Country

Posted on by

4

Written and directed by Conor McPherson, with music and lyrics by Bob Dylan, Girl From The North Country is set in the 1930s in Duluth, Minnesota, opening in an American boarding house run by Nick Laine (Colin Connor). Right from the start there is a sense that all is not right, and as we are introduced to the characters it becomes apparent that everyone has a story of hardship and loss to tell.

The character portrayals are absolutely believable and many provoke an instant connection. Frances McNamee as Nick’s mentally ill wife Elizabeth Laine is multifaceted and raw to the bone as she flits from delusional outbursts to seemingly crystal-clear understandings of her place in life. Colin Connor as Nick Laine is a man who has a dark past and is haunted by it daily, but despite his big heart and desire to succeed he never seems to quite make it in anything he does, be it business or relationships. Both are standout performances and mesmerising to watch.

 

Continue reading →

Press Review: Dreamgirls at The Alexandra Theatre

Posted on by

1

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Finally arriving on stage two years after their 2020 performance was cancelled, Dreamgirls has hit the stage at the Alexandra Theatre for their Christmas run, and it was worth the wait.  

I was lucky enough to experience a press preview of some of the main cast a little while ago and expectations were high, but nothing quite prepared me for the glitz and glamour that unfolded on stage. 

Continue reading →

Christmas at the Alexandra Theatre Press Preview and Interview: Dreamgirls

Posted on by

1

A little while ago I was given the incredible opportunity to see a preview of the Christmas show at The Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham: Dreamgirls. 

Dreamgirls tells the story of Effie, Lorrell and Deena – three talented young singers in the turbulent 1960s and 1970s, a revolutionary time in American music history. We follow the journey of the three friends as they embark upon a musical rollercoaster ride through a world of fame, fortune and the ruthless realities of show business, testing their friendships to the very limit.

Continue reading →

Press Review: Saturday Night Fever at The Alexandra Theatre

Posted on by

1

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ A fantastic feel-good evening of entertainment

Based on the smash-hit 1977 film starring John Travolta, with one of the biggest movie soundtracks in history, Saturday Night Fever has arrived at The Alexandra Theatre.

Directed by Bill Kenwright, Saturday Night Fever tells the story of Tony Manero (Jack Wilcox), an Italian-American living in Brooklyn, New York with his family. Working as a paint clerk during the week, Tony lives for the weekend where he is the undisputed king of the local disco. When a dance competition is announced, he meets the beautiful and talented dancer Stephanie Mangano (Rebekah Bryant) and convinces her to become his partner. 

Continue reading →

Press Review: The Osmonds, A New Musical at The Alexandra Theatre

Posted on by

1

One Family. One Hundred Million Records.

Decades before the boy band explosion of the 90s was The Osmonds, a clean-cut, all American family of musicians who grew up on the television. From their star residency on The Andy Williams Show to the arrival of Donny and Marie, The Osmonds lived a remarkable life recording chart topping albums, selling out vast arena concerts and making record breaking TV shows – until one bad decision cost them everything. 

Directed and co-written by Shaun Kerrison, written by Jay Osmond, the story of The Osmonds is told through the eyes of Jay in a series of flashbacks from their beginnings as a group under the watchful eye of their military father, the success of Merrill (Ryan Anderson), Alan (Jamie Chatterton), Jay (Alex Lodge), Wayne (Danny Natrass) and Donny (Tristan Whincup) as a band, sister Marie (Georgia Lennon) and little brother Jimmy (Samuel Routley), their meteoric rise to fame and subsequent fall, and the trials and heartbreak that accompany being a member of one of the biggest musical names of all time. 

Continue reading →

Press Review: South Pacific at The Alexandra Theatre

Posted on by

1

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ “A visually stunning production”

Directed by Daniel Evans, with Music and Lyrics by Rodgers & Hammerstein and Book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan, South Pacific is based on James A. Michener’s Pulitzer Prize-Winning 1947 book Tales of the South Pacific and was an immediate hit following its Broadway premiere in 1949. With a now iconic score including I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair, Bali Ha’i, There Is Nothing Like a Dame, Some Enchanted Evening and Happy Talk, receiving multiple awards, spawning many successful revivals, tours and a 1958 movie. 

Continue reading →