REVIEW – Cluedo: A barmy night of murder mystery high jinks
Cluedo Production Image – 2022 UK Tour Credit Craig Sugden Venue: The Alexandra, Birmingham Performance Date: 03 May 2022 Reviewer: Alex Birch Star Rating: ★★★★ Debuting last month at Bath’s Theatre Royal, Cluedo is a new offering from Mark Bell, the director of The Play That Goes Wrong. This week, it’s playing at Birmingham’s beloved Alexandra Theatre until Saturday. […]
REVIEW: Footloose – it’s got the motor but still needs the key…
Oonagh Cox (Rusty), Jake Quickenden (Willard) and Lucy Munden (Ariel) in Footloose (Image: Mark Senior) Venue: The Alexandra Birmingham Performance Date: 19 April 2022 Reviewer: Ely King Star Rating: ★★★1/2 Everybody knows the iconic song Footloose, the title track of the 1984 film of the same name starring Lori Singer and a youthful Kevin Bacon. There […]
REVIEW: Dreamboats and Petticoats: Bringing on Back the Good Times!
Venue: The Alexandra, Birmingham Performance Date: 21 March 2022 Reviewer: Alex Birch Star Rating: ★★★ Jukebox musical Dreamboats and Petticoats is set in mid-sixties Essex and is unapologetic about being targeted at the baby boomer demographic. Featuring beehive hairdos, live singing, and energetic dance numbers aplenty, it’s a trip down nostalgia road for mature audiences. The production is the […]
REVIEW: Fatal Attraction – the iconic movie is given a new lease of life
Oliver Farnworth as Dan and Kim Marsh as Alex in Fatal Attraction Tour Credit: Tristram Kenton Venue: The Alexandra, Birmingham Performance Date: 01 March 2022 Reviewer: Alex Birch Star Rating: ★★★★ Whatever your views on the 1987 erotic thriller Fatal Attraction, it certainly made a lasting impact on our culture. Starring Michael Douglas as Dan, a […]
REVIEW: School of Rock – a commitment to excellence that shines throughout
The cast of School of Rock UK Tour – Photo Paul Coltas Venue: The Alexandra, Birmingham Performance Date: 31 January 2022 Reviewer: Alex Birch Star Rating: ★★★★★ Remember School of Rock? In 2003, almost twenty years ago, the Hollywood comedy film helmed by a youthful Jack Black was an international box office hit. Family-friendly without being […]
REVIEW: Chicago – sexy, stylish, and delivered by a roster of multi-talented and hard-working performers
CHICAGO: Djalenga Scott as Velma Kelly and The Company. Photo: Tristram Kenton Venue: The Alexandra, Birmingham Performance Date: 24 January 2022 Reviewer: Alex Birch Star Rating: ★★★★ Based on real-life events in the city of the same name, Chicago made its musical debut on Broadway in 1975 and has since become a successful franchise. As well […]
REVIEW: Jersey Boys – a timeless classic & a must-see for all
LtoR Blair Gibson, Dalton Wood, Michael Pickering, Lewis Griffiths in Jersey Boys UK & Ireland Tour, credit Birgit & Ralf Brinkhoff Venue: The Alexandra, Birmingham Performance date: 09 December 2021 Reviewer: Ely King Star rating: ★★★★1/2 There are very few people who haven’t heard of the Jersey Boys or Frankie Valli, but how many people […]
REVIEW : Heathers The Musical – High School high jinks of the highest quality, and an extravaganza of exceptional vocals to boot
The cast of Heathers The Musical UK Tour 2021 – Photos by Pamela Raith Venue: Milton Keynes Theatre Performance Date: 16 November 2021 Reviewer: Sam Dunning Star Rating: ★★★★ 1980s American High School – the setting for countless films, TV shows, books, magazines, and, as in this case, musicals. The themes and styling are almost always […]
REVIEW: Bedknobs and Broomsticks – a musical with infinite potential
Dianne Pilkington in Bedknobs and Broomsticks – Photo Credit Johan Persson Venue: The Alexandra, Birmingham Performance Date: 11 November 2021 Reviewer: Ely King Star Rating: ★★★ Bedknobs and Broomsticks, the classic Disney film, was released 50 years ago this year and starred Angela Lansbury as the eclectic would-be witch, Eglantine Price. For many, Bedknobs holds a special […]
REVIEW: Grease the Musical – Not a life-changing night of theatre
Grease UK Tour: Photo credit – Sean Ebsworth Barnes Venue: The Alexandra, Birmingham Performance Date: 01 November 2021 Reviewer: Sophie Mills Star Rating: ★★1/2 Very few movie musicals stand the test of time, but you’d be hard pushed to find a member of any generation who doesn’t know a number or two from Grease. The megamix […]