Tag Archives: theatre

Press Review: Here & Now – The Steps Musical at The Alexandra Theatre

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⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ A jubilant and nostalgic homage to one of Britain’s most beloved pop groups. Sensational!

Back in February I had the privilege of speaking with award-winning director Rachel Kavanaugh and writer Shaun Kitcherner about their new project: Here & Now, a brand new musical based on the songs of British pop band Steps. 

At the time, the casting process hadn’t yet started, but right from the beginning they were both passionate about roles being made available for “all types of ordinary people of all ages, young people, older people of all shapes and sizes, all heritages, all gender identities.”

And almost nine months later, after seeing snippets of cast rehearsals and interviews, ticket sales that were so poplar that extra nights were added and glowing initial reviews of early performances, I was eager to see whether it would deliver.

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Press Review: Dear Evan Hansen at The Alexandra Theatre

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⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ A Heartfelt Masterpiece!

Today is going to be a good day. And here’s why…

The Olivier, Tony, and Grammy award-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen has arrived on stage at The Alexandra Theatre.

With the Book by Steven Levenson, and Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul (The Greatest Showman), I have seen the rave reviews and heard the songs a thousand times, and to say I was excited is an understatement.

The story follows Evan Hansen, a socially anxious teenager whose life takes a drastic turn after a misunderstanding leads him to become an unexpected beacon of hope for a grieving family. The musical’s exploration of loneliness, the pressures of social media, and the search for belonging feels achingly relevant in today’s world.

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Press Review: The 39 Steps at The Alexandra Theatre

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Alfred Hitchcock’s classic spy thriller, The 39 Steps, hilariously recreated for the stage as the smash-hit Olivier and Tony Award-Winning Comedy, is back out on a UK tour after nearly 10 years in London’s West End, taking Broadway by storm, playing in 39 different countries across the globe, and delighting over 3 million people worldwide with its plucky spirit and dashing sense of fun.

Quintessential Englishman Richard Hannay (Understudy Jacob Daniels) lives a boring life, until he finds himself wrongly accused of murder and on the run after the death of the mysterious Annabelle Schmidt (Safeena Ladha). In an adventure that takes him all the way up to the Scottish Highlands, he must stop an organisation known as ‘The 39 Steps’ from stealing military secrets, much of which while being handcuffed to a woman named Pamela (also Safeena Ladha).

What follows is 100 minutes of chaos as just four actors take on 139 characters, some of them at the same time. 

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Press Review: BYMT Presents Animal Farm at The Hippodrome, Birmingham

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As part of its 20th anniversary season, British Youth Music Theatre (BYMT) in partnership with Birmingham Hippodrome presents: Animal Farm.

This classic George Orwell novella is far from the obvious choice of texts to be adapted into a musical. Animal Farm, first published in 1945, is a satirical take on the Bolshevik revolution of Russia and the politics of Joseph Stalin – examining themes of power, corruption and equality, posing important questions about how we view certain socio-political ideals, all shown through a group of anthropomorphic farmyard animals. 

Animal Farm – British Youth Music Theatre. Birmingham. 5 April 2024. Picture by Simon Hadley/ http://www.simonhadley.co.uk

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Press Review: I Should Be So Lucky at The Alexandra Theatre

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The wedding is off, but the honeymoon is on as the Stock, Aitkin and Waterman musical I Should Be So Lucky comes to the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham.

After Ella (Lucie-Mae Sumner) is left at the alter by fiancé Nathan (Billy Roberts), she decides to still go on her honeymoon to Turkey, accompanied by her family and friends. With guidance from video projections of THE Kylie Minogue in a large mirror, her broken heart starts to heal when she meets the handsome waiter Nadeem (Matthew Croke). Nathan realises his mistake and follows Ella to Turkey to win her back, but will she give him a second chance?

Stock, Aitken and Waterman are considered to be one of the most successful songwriting and producing partnerships of all time, with more than 100 UK top-40 hits, over 150 millions records sold, and have worked with some of the biggest selling artists in history. 

When the announcement was made that a Stock, Aitkin and Waterman musical was in production, I was beside myself with excitement. Their music was the soundtrack to my youth and represents my earliest and favourite musical memories – Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan’s debut albums were the first I ever received on vinyl, I waited in line for over two hours at a music store in Blackpool to get an autographed single from Sonia, I had a poster of Big Fun on my wall… Even now, at 42 years old, I still remember every word from every song of that era.

Let’s just say I’m a fan. A huge fan. 

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Press Review: Peter Pan Goes Wrong at The Alexandra Theatre

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Directed by Adam Meggio and written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, the members of the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society are back on stage, battling technical hitches, flying mishaps and cast disputes as they attempt to present J.M Barrie’s much-loved tale of Peter Pan. But will they ever make it to Neverland? 

Peter Pan Goes Wrong, part of the ever growing Mischief Theatre (which includes the hugely successful The Play That Goes Wrong), has remained one of my favourite productions since I was lucky enough to watch it in February 2020. Would it be just as funny the second time round?

Yes. Yes it was. 

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Press Review: An Officer and a Gentleman – The Musical

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Based on the award-winning 1982 classic starring Richard Gere and Deborah Winger, we follow the story of Zack Mayo and his fellow recruits as they embark on their gruelling training to become Navy Jet Pilots. 

Zack (Luke Baker) – a military brat who was forced to live with his alcoholic US Navy Petty Office father in the Philippines following his mother’s suicide – has a bad attitude and immediately clashes with their drill sergeant Emil Foley (Jamal Crawford). With an unexpected romance with young factory workers Paula Pokrifki (Georgia Lennon), Zach and his fellow candidates learn some tough lessons about love and life. 

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HERE & NOW – The Steps Musical

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FINALLY, we have the musical that all Steps fans (myself included) have been waiting for. 

HERE & NOW is the hilarious and heart-warming brand new musical based on the songs of British pop band Steps, and I was lucky enough to bag an invite to the press launch at The Alexandra Theatre.

Welcome to seaside superstore Better Best Bargains, where it’s Friday night, the vibe is right, and everyone’s dancing in the aisles. But when Caz discovers the shelves are stocked with lies and betrayal, the summer of love she and her friends dreamed of suddenly feels like a tragedy. Have they all lost their chance of a ‘happy ever after?’ Or does love have other plans in store…?

Formed in 1997, Steps has sold over 22 million records worldwide, and HERE & NOW is produced by the band themselves, along with ROYO and pop legend Pete Waterman. With an enormous (and loyal) fan base, the production has already broken the Alexandra Theatre box office records, selling TEN THOUSAND tickets within the first 24 hours of release ahead of their November shows. 

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Press Review: The Full Monty at The Alexandra Theatre

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Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the smash-hit movie, Simon Beaufoy’s The Full Monty has arrived on stage at The Alexandra Theatre. 

The Full Monty tells the story of a group of men from Sheffield who are down on their luck and dealing with their own personal daily struggles. Gaz (Danny Hatchard) and Dave (Neil Hurst), unemployed former  steel workers, accompanied by Gaz’s young son Nathan (Rowan Poulton), are caught stealing beams from the former factory by depressed and lonely security guard Lomper (Nicholas Prasad). Gerald (Bill Ward), their former boss, is hiding the fact he has been out of work for six months from his wife, Linda. After seeing the success of a local performance of the Chippendales and in desperate need of money for his child support arrears, Gaz hatches a plan to make some money by convincing the men to form their own troupe of male strippers. After advertising for more members, they meet Horse (Ben Onwukwe) and Guy (Jake Quickenden).

The Full Monty Production photos taken on 15th September 2023 in Cheltenham at the Everyman Theatre

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Press Review: The Bodyguard, The Musical at The Alexandra Theatre

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⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ – “An incredible evening of pure nostalgia.”

Based on Lawrence Kasdan’s 1992 Oscar nominated Warner Bros. movie starring Whitney Houstonand Kevin Costner, The Bodyguard tells the story of the complicated relationship between former Secret Service agent turned bodyguard, Frank Farmer and superstar Rachel Marron, when Farmer is hired to protect her from an unknown stalker. 

‘Each expects to be in charge; what they don’t expect is to fall in love.’

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