Sondheim on Sondheim (Royal Festival Hall) JohnnyFox March 18, 2018 Musicals, Reviews, Theatre A thousand years ago – oh dear, I went for my 25th birthday – there was Side by Side by Sondheim, a revue made from thirty songs extracted from the then impressive canon of Stephen Sondheim including eight...
Pippin (Southwark Playhouse) JohnnyFox March 1, 2018 Musicals, Reviews, Theatre There are a few things you just can’t say about musical theatre without inviting the opprobrium of a fan base – ‘Elaine Paige isn’t a very versatile singer’ might be one, ‘not many Prince...
Rothschild and Sons (Park Theatre) JohnnyFox January 30, 2018 Musicals, Reviews, Theatre It’s a good idea to make a play about the origin of the house of Mayer Rothschild confined in the Judengasse quarter of Frankfurt before the Napoleonic Wars, and their bravery and cunning in raising a global...
Dick Whittington (London Palladium) JohnnyFox December 26, 2017 Comedy, Musicals, Reviews, Theatre Following critical and commercial success with last year’s Cinderella, QDOS Entertainment have again invested millions to make Dick Whittington the biggest, boldest and glitziest pantomime on the London...
Hamilton (Victoria Palace) JohnnyFox December 23, 2017 Musicals, Reviews, Theatre Well, first of all Cameron, I love what you've done with the place. The seats are comfortable and the decor is a delicious Viennese sweep through Frank Matcham's gilt and plush retaining tradition but with a...
A Christmas Carol (Musical, Lyceum Theatre) JohnnyFox December 12, 2017 Musicals, Reviews When I lived in New York it was a decade-long tradition to stage Alan Menken and Lynn Ahrens' musical version of A Christmas Carol in the 5500-seat boxing arena that is Madison Square Garden. Every night for...
The Woman in White (Charing Cross Theatre) JohnnyFox December 6, 2017 Musicals, Reviews The trouble with The Woman in White is that if you dissect the elements Andrew Lloyd Webber fused into the show, they’re all perfectly fine. You could also add that Thom Southerland’s production flatters...
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (Apollo Theatre) JohnnyFox November 29, 2017 Musicals, Reviews After ‘Hamilton’ this may be the most-anticipated arrival in the West End, certainly if you believe the advance publicity. Lauded in Sheffield with 5* reviews, Everybody's Talking About Jamie tells of...
King Tut – A Pyramid Panto (King’s Head) JohnnyFox November 29, 2017 Musicals, Reviews, Theatre 2017 may not be London's best year for pantomime. Rumours abound that even the ever-fresh and inventive Hackney Empire has produced an early Christmas turkey, and for up to £125 a seat at the London...
Wicked (2017, Apollo Victoria) JohnnyFox November 23, 2017 Musicals, Reviews Review/Revisited: How Wicked is ‘Wicked’ @ Apollo Victoria Telling the tale of how opposite personalities Elphaba (who might become the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz) and Glinda (The Good...