Musicals

Scherzinger is superb but why’s the set so dark and ugly? Sunset Boulevard, at the Savoy Theatre, reviewed

21 October 2023 9:00 am

Sunset Boulevard is a re-telling of the Oedipus story set in the cut-throat world of Hollywood. Pick a side in…

Was Vera Brittain really this insufferable? Buxton Festival’s The Land of Might-Have-Been reviewed

15 July 2023 9:00 am

‘Ring out your bells for me, ivory keys! Weave out your spell for me, orchestra please!’ It’s lush stuff, the…

Like attending a joyous religious service: We Will Rock You, at the Coliseum, reviewed

17 June 2023 9:00 am

One of the earliest jukebox musicals has returned to the West End. When the show opened in 2002 the author,…

Much better than the film: Mrs Doubtfire, at Shaftesbury Theatre, reviewed

3 June 2023 9:00 am

Mrs Doubtfire is a social comedy about divorce. We meet Miranda, a talentless, bitter mother, who tires of her caring…

A tremendous show that will attract serious attention from the West End: Rehab – The Musical reviewed

17 September 2022 9:00 am

Rehab: The Musical opens with a boyband star, Kid Pop, getting busted for possession of cocaine. The judge sentences him…

The show works a treat: Globe's The Tempest reviewed

27 August 2022 9:00 am

Southwark Playhouse has a reputation for small musicals with big ambitions. Tasting Notes is set in a wine bar run…

An electrifying, immersive thrill: Scottish Opera's Candide reviewed

20 August 2022 9:00 am

The first part of the adventure was getting there. Out of the subway, past the tower blocks and under the…

I can't recommend this Cole Porter musical highly enough: Anything Goes, at the Barbican, reviewed

6 August 2022 9:00 am

The Barbican’s big summer show is billed on the website as ‘the sold-out musical sensation, Anything Goes’. The term ‘sold-out’…

Hard to believe this rambling apprentice-piece ever made it to the stage: Almeida's The House of Shades reviewed

28 May 2022 9:00 am

The House of Shades is a state-of-the nation play that covers the past six decades of grinding poverty in Nottingham.…

A beautiful, frustrating bore: Florian Zeller's The Forest, at Hampstead Theatre, reviewed

26 February 2022 9:00 am

The Forest is the latest thriller from the French dramatist Florian Zeller, translated by Oscar winner Christopher Hampton. It’s a…

Borderline soft porn but thrilling: Moulin Rouge! The Musical at Piccadilly Theatre reviewed

29 January 2022 9:00 am

Moulin Rouge wins no marks for its storyline. A struggling Parisian theatre is bought out by an evil financier who…

A story of reflection and self-discovery: Anaïs Mitchell's new album reviewed

22 January 2022 9:00 am

Any artist who has habitually written or performed in character — from David Bowie to Lady Gaga — eventually arrives…

Why? Spielberg's remake of West Side Story reviewed

11 December 2021 9:00 am

When you first hear that a remake of West Side Story is on the cards, it’s: God, why? Why would…

The forgotten story of the pioneering surgeon who healed disfigured airmen

27 November 2021 9:00 am

Lloyd Evans on a musical that tells the story of the pioneering maverick whose methods for treating disfigured second world war airmen revolutionised plastic surgery

Every MP must see this play: Value Engineering – Scenes from the Grenfell Inquiry reviewed

30 October 2021 9:00 am

Scenes from the Grenfell Inquiry is a gripping, horrifying drama. Nicolas Kent and Richard Norton-Taylor have sifted through the public…

If it were any better, it would actually be a terrible pity: Diana – The Musical reviewed

9 October 2021 9:00 am

This week, an excellent film (Moving On) and a film that isn’t at all, but is entirely worth it as…

How the British musical conquered the world

25 September 2021 9:00 am

A new musical history is being written for Britain, says Nicola Christie

Sexist, classist and pro-global warming: Frozen, at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, reviewed

18 September 2021 9:00 am

Frozen the musical declares war on woke politics. The 2013 Disney movie has been turned into a song-and-dance show that…

The history of the Theatre Royal Drury Lane is the theatrical history of England

7 August 2021 9:00 am

The newly renovated Theatre Royal Drury Lane has seen it all and staged it all, says Robert Gore-Langton

The best theatre podcasts

24 July 2021 9:00 am

All the world’s on stage again so where to go to for insight into what to see and why? Podcasts,…

Zips along with enormous vim: Malcolm Arnold's The Dancing Master reviewed

24 July 2021 9:00 am

Malcolm Arnold composed his opera The Dancing Master in 1952 for BBC television. It never appeared, the problem being the…

There's the kernel of a good show in this copycat Hamilton: Treason the Musical reviewed

20 March 2021 9:00 am

Copycat Hamiltons are everywhere. Lin-Manuel Miranda led the way by turning an unexamined corner of history into a smash-hit show.…

Even Adrian Lester's sweetness, grace and nobility can't rescue Almeida's Hymn

27 February 2021 9:00 am

The Almeida is fighting back against lockdown with a sprawling family drama about two long-lost siblings. Adrian Lester plays Gilbert…

Finally a lockdown drama that will endure: James Graham's Bubble reviewed

31 October 2020 9:00 am

Theatres can open if they want to. That’s the current position. The only factor keeping a playhouse dark is a…

The jackboot zealotry of ushers is ruining theatre

17 October 2020 9:00 am

Southwark Playhouse has revived an American show, The Last Five Years, whose run was cancelled in March. In advance, I…