Oh Lord! The second Biblical Andrew Lloyd Webber opening of the week (taking his current London production total up to a whopping five from next month) is his early collaboration with Tim Rice, celebrating 50 years since its original concept album, and back home at the Palladium. But a joyfully fresh staging makes this a Joseph for 2019 – and a family-friendly summer hit.
Read my full BroadwayWorld review here
From brasserie grandeur to Chinatown and spectacular South Bank views – all with handy set menus and late openings to suit the post-theatre diner.
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s 1970 musical had a heavenly resurrection at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre three years ago, with an encore run the following summer. It’s soon heading off on a US tour, but first there’s another chance for British audiences to catch this miraculous stripped-down revival at the Barbican.
The choreographer discusses her work on Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Adam Kay, doctor-turned-comedian and bestselling author, brings his irresistible combination of gross-out hospital tales, humorous songs and passionate advocacy back to the West End, delighting an audience of both medical professionals and keen fans.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child‘s creative dream team are reunited for another new venture – although this drama’s family doesn’t come with an in-built, wand-waving fanbase. Instead, this is a personal work from writer Jack Thorne, who based the play’s ideologically committed Sal and David on his own parents.
Do not anger the theatre gods, for their vengeance is swift and mighty. On press night of Michael Frayn’s peerless portrait of backstage disasters, the Lyric suffered its own “technical difficulties”, adding a distinctly meta frisson to this already gloriously layered comedy.
Tony Award-winning actress Laura Benanti took a quick hiatus from starring in My Fair Lady on Broadway to make her London debut – and those missing out on the former needn’t have worried, as she opened with a bravura 15-minute precis of the production, complete with musical highlights. Juxtaposing wry comments on mansplaining, quick changes and visiting the real Covent Garden with soaring vocals, Benanti set the tone for a beguiling show: part concert, part stand-up set.
From Shakespeare’s Globe to Lloyd Webber, comedy and cabaret.
This well-meaning biographical jukebox musical about icons Gloria and Emilio Estefan, which did two years on Broadway and a US tour, is good summer scheduling, what with its Latin-pop bangers, infectious dance routines and “Dreams come true” messaging. Yet its awkward housing at the austere Coliseum exacerbates this 2015 work’s major flaw: reaching for profundity in a skin-deep, conflict-lite tale, instead of enjoying the party.
