Moulin Rouge! The Musical

 

Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Piccadilly Theatre, 2025.

Cast: Natalie Kassanga, Dom Simpson, Craig Ryder, Dex Lee, Ben Richards, Ivan de Freitas, Charlotte Gooch, Hannah Jay-Allan, Helen K Wint, Matteo Johnson, Bernadette Bangura, Angela Marie Hurst, Athena Collins, Dean Read, Gavin Ryan, Oliver Adam-Reynolds, Kaiyah Bailey, Erin Bell, Emily Bolland, Ross Chisari, James Davies-Williams, Katie Dracon, Serenar Douch, Rola Elliott, Myles Hart, Grace Hawksworth, Maiya Hikasa, Melvin Leblanc, Tom Mather, Kira McPherson, Paul Mukembo, Ben Rutter, Mark Samaras, Jamie Shields, Catrin Thomas, Lindsay Tierney, Alex Tranter, Matt Trevorrow, Kevin Tristan, Ben Whitnall, Sasha Woodward.

Book: John Logan

Director: Alex Timbers

I probably wouldn't have gone to see this if the boyfriend hadn't wanted to go, and that would have been a shame as it was really entertaining. I liked the film when it came out but Baz Luhrmann has made increasingly vacuous films since then. But this really works as it does a similar sort of "immersive" thing to the current run of Cabaret, although not to the same extent. It did feel like our decent seats in the stalls were in the thick of it. Really entertaining and good fun.

Into the Woods

 

Into the Woods, Bridge Theatre, 2025.

Cast: Valda Aviks, Geoffrey Aymer, Katie Brayben, Bella Brown, Chumisa Dornford-May, Kate Fleetwood, Jo Foster, Michael Gould, Jennifer Hepburn, Hana Ichijo, Julie Jupp, Gabrielle Lewis-Dobson, Gracie McGonigal, Hughie O'Donnell, Jamie Parker, Oliver Savile, Rhys Whitfield.

Music & lyrics: Stephen Sondheim

Book: James Lapine

Director: Jordan Fein

I was very excited about this, the first big London revival of a Sondheim show since his death, and one of my favourites (I think this was the fourth production I've seen of it). It was a really good production, a really solid four stars, but not the production by which all future productions will be judged against. It looked amazing - the trees seemed real - and the whole staging was great, as was the singing. I wish they'd do less serious drama at the Bridge and more fun stuff like this.

Here We Are

 

Here We Are, Lyttelton Theatre, 2025.

Cast: Tracie Bennett, Jack Butterworth, Chumisa Dornford-May, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Richard Fleeshman, Harry Hadden-Paton, Cameron Johnson, Rory Kinnear, Jane Krakowski, Denis O'Hare, Martha Plimpton, Paula Szot, Edward Baker-Duly, Alastair Brookshaw, Amira Matthews, Steven Serin.

Book: David Ives

Music & lyrics: Stephen Sondheim

Director: Joe Mantello

Sondheim's last, and slightly unfinished work, gets the full National Theatre experience with an amazing set and unbelievably good cast. They do their best but they can't make up for the fact that it doesn't make sense and is a bit silly. Now I think it's time to revisit the classics and put the oddities back in a cupboard.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

 

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Minerva Theatre, 2025.

Cast: Jack Wolfe, Jenna Russell, Mark Addy, Ralph Birtwell, Sharon Rose, Madeleine Worrall, Amy Booth-Steel, Don Gallagher, Tarinn Callender, Timo Tatzber, Ben Redfern, Jacqueline Hughes, Nell Martin, Anu Ogunmefun.

Book: Rachel Joyce

Music & lyrics: Passenger

Director: Katy Rudd

I was surprised how much I enjoyed the book this was based on, and the two others which went with it, as they could easily be described as a bit twee. But I found them moving and sweet and funny. This was the same and inevitably it made me cry. The wife is still a bit tricky, forced to be miserable at home while he husband wanders off, and maybe the actors were a bit young for the roles, but it really is a lovely piece of work.

The Frogs

 

The Frogs, Southwark Playhouse Borough, 2025.

Cast: Dan Buckley, Kevin McHale, Joaquin Pedro Valdes, Carl Patrick, Bart Lambert, Martha Pothen, Alison Driver, Milo McCarthy, Evonnee Bentley-Holder, Jo Foster.

Written and adapted by Aristophanes, Burt Shevelove, Nathan Lane.

Music & lyrics: Stephen Sondheim

My attempt to see all of Sondheim's stuff - not impossible, there's not as much of it as you'd think - took me to this early and obscure (to me, at least) work. Silly and fun but completely forgettable. Kevin McHale was in Glee and was an unlikely actor to find in a small theatre in South London (he was good though).

Richard II

 

Richard II, Bridge Theatre, 2025.

Cast: Jonathan Bailey, Olivia Popica, Clive Wood, Michael Simkins, Royce Pierreson, Vinnie Heaven, Amanda Root, Gerard Monaco, Jordan Kouamé, Adam Best, Badria Timimi, Phoenix Di Sebastiani, Christopher Osikanlu Colquhoun, Seamus Dillane, George Taylor, Emma Bown, Stephen Boyce, Martin Carroll.

Writer: William Shakespeare

Director: Nicholas Hytner

The second time I've seen this, the previous time was with David Tennant at the Barbican. There's something about this play and hot youngish actors (at the same time someone of that description was doing it on Broadway). It's a pity that the play is nonsense and I couldn't wait for it to end.

Jonathan Bailey, who at the time had just been described as the hottest man on the planet or something, was good, very energetic, very watchable. The staging was great, but none of it makes up for the fact that I just didn't like the play.

The Importance of Being Earnest

 

The Importance of Being Earnest, Lyttelton Theatre, 2025.

Cast: Ronke Adekoluejo, Julian Bleach, Sheereener Browne, Richard Cant, Sharon D Clarke, Ncuti Gatwa, Jasmine Kerr, Amanda Lawrence, Gillian McCafferty, Elliot Pritchard, Eliza Scanlen, Hugh Skinner, John Vernon.

Writer: Oscar Wilde

Director: Max Webster

When this was announced I rolled my eyes. Do we really need any more productions of Oscar Wilde's plays? Didn't the season where they did them all to very lukewarm reviews finish them off for a while? Apparently not. The reason for seeing this was Ncuti Gatwa, making his first appearance post Doctor Who, and he was good although both Sharon D Clarke and Hugh Skinner were better. I probably laughed more at this than anything I had seen in a very long time. I really should have seen the transfer that included Stephen Fry as Lady Bracknell. But I'm still of the opinion that Wilde should be staged sparingly.

An Inspector Calls

 

An Inspector Calls, Norwich Theatre Royal, 2025.

Cast: Tim Treloar, Jackie Morrison, Jeffrey Harmer, Tom Chapman, Leona Allen, George Rowlands, Alice Darling.

Writer: J B Priestley

Director: Stephen Daldry

I saw this a long time ago but it had been on my mind again after seeing The Mousetrap and realising there were similarities between the two, plus other crime things of a similar age. It was just as good a second time around and astonishingly relevant for something that is 80 years old. Great set as well. One of those perfect productions that makes it hard to imagine the play being performed any other way.

The Tempest

 

The Tempest, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, 2025.

Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Jude Akuwudike, Jason Barnett, Selina Cadell, Matthew Horne, Mara Huf, Forbes Masson, Mason Alexander Park, James Phoon, Oliver Ryan, Tim Steed, Phillip Olagoke.

Writer: William Shakespeare

Director: Jamie Lloyd.

When this was announced I had no hesitation in getting a ticket: Sigourney Weaver had never appeared on the London stage before and she was going to be doing Shakespeare. So it was especially disappointing and infuriating that this was utter shit. The set seemed to be a pile of mud. The cast seemed to be doing at least four different styles of acting. Sigourney - an action star! - was static for the first half. It was shit.

What made it worse was that I then mistrusted Jamie Lloyd - a twat with too many tattoos - so much that I didn't go and see his Much Ado About Nothing with Hayley Atwell and Tom Hiddleston which turned out to be joyous, or his Evita which was the most talked about show of the summer. And for that I hate him even more.

Midnight Cowboy

 

Midnight Cowboy, Southwark Playhouse Elephant, 2025.

Cast: Max Bowden, Paul Jacob French, Tori Allen-Martin, Elena Breschi, Joanne Henry, Nick Lew, Hollie-Ann Lowe, Dean Makowski-Clayton, Christian Maynard, Phoebe Roberts, Tim Rogers, Rohan Tickell, Matthew White.

Book: Bryony Lavery

Music & lyrics: Francis 'Eg' White

Director: Nick Winston

I was excited about this as it had a vaguely gay story, was co-written by someone who has written songs for Will Young, and was at a new theatre. What I'd failed to take into account was that the story is really bleak and no amount of songs will take away the fact that a character dies on stage. A wasted opportunity.

The new theatre was nice although now I wonder if I'll ever go again. And the whole nonsense of the naming of the two Southwark Playhouse's doesn't help - the other one is no nearer to Borough than I am, and is actually closer to Elephant. Perhaps a number would have worked better.

Hamilton

 

Hamilton, Norwich Theatre Royal, 2025.

Cast: Marley Fenton, Billy Nevers, Casey Al-Shaqsy, Km Drew Boateng, Chastity Crisp, Ashley J Daniels, Jonathan Hermosa-Lopez, Shak Mancel James, Naomi Katiyo, Akmed Junior Khemalai, Louis Maskell, Jonathan Andre, Simeon Beckett, Melad Hamidi, Imogen Rose Hart, Bethany Kate, Richard Logun, Tamara Morgan, Jago Mottart, Patrick Munday, Antoine Murray-Straughan, Chris Otim, Castell Parker, Eva Phillips, Izzy Read, Harry Robinson, Phoebe Samuel-Gray, Samantha Shumba, Sydney Spencer, Sylvie Stenson, Michael James Stewart, Ethan Vijn, Jack Whitehead, Lashane Williams, Ynez Williams, Sian Yeo.

Author: Lin-Manuel Miranda

Director: Thomas Kail

I'd avoided this in London as the fuss put me off - airport style security for a musical? Get over yourselves! But I did want to see it and was glad when it finally came to Norwich. In the end I had mixed feelings about it: it's a good half hour too long, and if I didn't know his style of work from the film and cast recording of In the Heights I'd have found it difficult to understand. But it is clever and really well done, but perhaps it needed a lot of editing.

Backstroke

 

Backstroke, Donmar Warehouse, 2025.

Cast: Tamsin Greig, Celia Imrie, Lucy Briers, Anita Reynolds, Georgina Rich, Chloe Hart & Tamilore Lawson, Rhashan Stone.

Writer & director: Anna Mackmin.

This was irresistible: I really like Tamsin Greig and had never seen Celia Imrie before. The chance to see them playing mother and daughter in a small theatre was not to be missed. The reality was a bit disappointing. Celia spent some of the time in bed, and other times being slightly difficult and unlikeable. It occurs to me now that she must have gone to film The Traitors just after this.

Kinky Boots

 

Kinky Boots, Norwich Theatre Royal, 2025.

Cast: Johannes Radebe, Dan Patridge, Courtney Bowman, Kara Lily Hayworth, Joe Caffrey, Newton Matthews, Kathryn Barnes, Lucy Williamson, Jonathan Dryden Taylor, Scott Paige, Liam Doyle, Cerys Burton, Kaya Farrugia, Kofi Dennis, Ru Fisher, Liam McEvoy, Ben Middleton, Ashley-Jordon Packer, Colt Dunn, Deena Kapadia, Joshua Beswick/Leo Hollingsworth/Lonan Johnson, Sekhani Dumezweni/Jesse Manzi/Lawrence Ndola-Myers.

Book: Harvey Fierstein

Music & lyrics: Cyndi Lauper

Director: Nikolai Foster

I love this show, have seen it a few times, and would definitely see it again. It's so English that I always forget that it was written by Americans, and it feels so much like a musical that I still can't quite believe that Cyndi Lauper wrote it. Surely her greatest moment.

I didn't know what to expect of Johannes - I knew he could dance but what about the singing? He might not be the strongest singer but his version of I'm not my Father's Son moved me to tears.

2025 bag

 

This was the year things changed, probably the last year which will have a significant amount of London theatre in it.

I met a man and decided to do things differently. Instead of fitting him into the leftovers of my life I prioritised him and put other stuff on hold. It's not easy and I'm sure I've missed lots of good stuff but it was the right decision. It helped that the trains to London had gotten so unreliable I just didn't want to go. And maybe this week I turned another corner as I started unsubscribing from emails from London theatres. Going to one of the shows in this bag nearly made the relationship fail and I won't let that happen again.

Robin Hood

 

Robin Hood, London Palladium, 2024.

Cast: Jane McDonald, Julian Clary, Paul Zerdin, Nigel Havers, Marisha Wallace, Charlie Stemp, Rob Madge, Tosh Wanogho-Maud, Tonto Appiah, Charlotte Bazeley, Chrissy Brooke, Katie Dunsden, Mike Fellows, Demmileigh Foster, Ruby Hood, Emma Hunter, Ediz Ibrahim, Thomas Inge, Tyler Lotzof, Louis Mackrodt, Amonik Rance, Grant Thresh, Zinzile Tshuma.

Devised by Michael Harrison, Julian Clary, Paul Zerdin, Rob Madge, Ed Curtis.

Director: Michael Harrison

Always a joy, and this fulfilled my need to see Jane McDonald onstage who was every bit as fabulous as you'd imagine. Again there are slightly too many people for them all to be used successfully but that's how these shows work. I hope they never stop.

Guys & Dolls

 

Guys & Dolls, Bridge Theatre, 2024.

Cast: Owain Arthur, George Ioannides, Jonathan Andrew Hume, Ryan Pidgen, Cameron Johnson, Dashaun Vegas, TJ Lloyd, Eamonn Cox, Dominic Lamb, Filippo Coffano, Pierce Rogan, Nathan Rigg, Dale White, Samuel Routley, Alex Given, Niall Buggy, Cornelius Clarke, Celinde Schoenmaker, Saffi Needham, Lucie Horsfall, Hollie Jane Stephens, Kamilla Fernandes, Tori Scott, Timmika Ramsey, Sian Nathaniel-James, Tanisha-Mae Brown, Katie Bradley, Sophie Pourret.

Music & lyrics: Frank Loesser

Book: Jo Swerling & Abe Burrows

Director: Nicholas Hytner

This is one of those productions that's so good and which reinvents the way something is performed - in the round, definitely immersive - that I left wanting never to see a conventional production of a musical again. But of course not everyone can afford to do this type of thing and before you know it we're back to the same productions as before. Change really is glacial.

This must have saved the Bridge. Nicholas Hytner has a liking for the kind of serious/dull dramas he did at the National which are never going to be big hits, whereas this seemed to go on forever. I wish people would learn a lesson from that.

Murder on the Orient Express

 

Murder on the Orient Express, Norwich Theatre Royal, 2024.

Cast: Michael Maloney, Bob Barrett, Mila Carter, Debbie Chazen, Rebecca Charles, Simon Cotton, Jean-Baptiste Fillon, Christie Kavanagh, Paul Keating, Iniki Mariano, Rishi Rian, Alex Stedman, Antony Gabriel, Jasmine Raymond, Beth Tuckey.

Writer: Agatha Christie

Adapted by: Ken Ludwig

Director: Lucy Bailey

The obvious first thought about this is, "how will they do the train on stage?" Well when I first saw this at Chichester they did small carriages, about the size of a golf cart, that didn't particularly work. For the tour they did a much larger representation of a train that worked a lot better.

Lucy Bailey is back, because she's obviously the Queen of Christie, and Bob Barrett is back too (Casualty) who also keeps popping up in these adaptations. Interesting to see Paul Keating, who was in the original production of the Pet Shop Boys Closer to Heaven, who didn't seem to have aged much in all that time.

Some of the characters are omitted to make it easier to stage but I think it still works well. There's no stopping the Christie plays.

Cowbois

Cowbois, Royal Court, 2024. 

Cast: Vinnie Heaven, Sophie Melville, Emma Pallant, Bridgette Amofah, Lemuel Ariel Adou, Alexander Joseph, Philip Kamau, Lucy McCormick, Lee Braithwaite, Paul Hunter, Shaun Dingwall, Michael Elcock, Colm Gormley, Julian Moore-Cook, LJ Parkinson.

Writer: Charlie Josephine

Directors: Charlie Josephine & Seaan Holmes

A rare but fun trip to the Royal Court to see a play with music about queer cowboys - if I remember rightly the men of the town go away and leave the women in charge and they like it. I can't imagine it will be revived anywhere but it's a pity it doesn't exist in some format as it was too good to be so fleeting.

Wreckage

 

Wreckage, Key Theatre, 2024.

Cast: Tom Ratcliffe, Taofique Folarin.

Writer: Tom Ratcliffe

Director: Rikki Beadle-Blair

It's quite unusual for small scale gay stuff to reach the country but the theatre in Peterborough is quite good at finding this kind of thing for their studio theatre. This was about a gay man whose partner is killed in a car crash. I remember liking it a lot.

Nye

 

Nye, Olivier Theatre, 2024.

Cast: Remy Beasley, Matthew Bulgo, Dyfan Dwyfor, Roger Evans, Ross Foley, Jon Furlong, Daniel Hawksford, Bea Holland, Stephanie Jacob, Kezrena James, Tony Jayawardena, Michael Keane, Nicholas Khan, Rebecca Killick, Oliver Llewellyn-Jenkins, Mark Matthews, Rhodri Meilir, Ashley Mejri, Lee Mengo, David Monteith, Mali O'Donnell, Sra Otung, Michael Sheen, Sharon Small.

Writer: Tim Price

Director: Rufus Norris

This is one of those rare pieces of theatre that manages to be both important and entertaining - not an easy combination to pull off. It helps that it had the full force of the National Theatre behind it: big stage, big cast, big set - you couldn't fail to be impressed by itt. And you'd be an idiot to leave and not feel full of love for the NHS.

& Juliet

 

& Juliet, Norwich Theatre Royal, 2024.

Cast: Matt Cardle, Geraldine Sacdalan, Lara Denning, Sandra Marvin, Ranj Singh, Jordan Broatch, Kyle Cox, Jack Danson, Harriet Caplan-Dean, Alexander Kranz, Jade Johnson, Andilé Mabhena, Rachel Moran, Psalms-Nissi Myers-Reid, Liam Morris, Michael Nelson, Toni Paise, Rosie Singha, Aaron Shales, Nia Stephen, Samuel Wilson-Freeman.

Music: Max Martin & friends

Book: David West Read

Director: Luke Sheppard

I saw this in London and loved it so definitely had to see it on tour. It was just as much fun the second time around. I was worried the friend I went with wouldn't love it but they did, as did the many younger people in the audience. It's a lot cleverer than you'd give it credit for considering it uses existing pop songs.

And then there were none

 

And then there were none, Norwich Theatre Royal, 2024.

Cast: Bob Barrett, Joseph Beattie, Oliver Clayton, Jeffery Kissoon, Andrew Lancel, Nicola May-Taylor, Louise McNulty, Katy Stephens, Lucy Tregear, Sophie Walter, Matt Weyland, David Yelland.

Writer: Agatha Christie

Director: Lucy Bailey

I've seen this before, seen TV adaptations, and read the book, but now as I think about it I still have no idea who did it. It's a brilliant book and it works really well on stage.

Closer to Heaven

 

Closer to Heaven, Turbine Theatre, 2024.

Cast: Frances Ruffelle, Glenn Adamson, Connor Carson, Courtney Bowman, Kurt Kansley, Lewis James, Beth Curnock, Jaime Tait, Cian Hughes, David Muscat.

Music & lyrics: Pet Shop Boys

Book: Jonathan Harvey

Director: Simon Hardwick

This is the third revival of this I've seen and I hope it won't be the last. Always a fun show, this worked well in the small theatre under the arches, getting really up close to the cast.

The theatre has since closed, with allegations against the man who ran it and yet I've seen his name appear on stuff since so goodness knows what happened there.

A Chorus Line

 

A Chorus Line, Norwich Theatre Royal, 2024.

Cast: Adam Cooper, Carly Mercedes Dyer, Jocasta Almgill, Yuki Abe, Fin Adams, Lydia Bannister, Bradley Delarosbel, Katrina Dix, Archie Durrant, Imogen Ross Hart, Laura Hills, Joshua Lay, Katie Lee, Josh Kiernan, Mireia Mambo, Kanako Nakano, Manuel Pacific, Ashley-Jordan Packer, Kate Patt, Rachel Jayne Picar, Redmand Rance, Chloe Saunders, Toby Seddon, Joshua Steel, Amy Thornton, Louie Wood.

Book: James Kirkwood & Nicholas Dante

Music: Marvin Hamlisch

Lyrics: Edward Kleban

Director: Nikolai Foster

My second viewing of this - the first was at a half empty Palladium - but I remember nothing about it. I'm sure there was tap and it was spectacular.

Witness for the Prosecution

 

Witness for the Prosecution, London County Hall, 2024.

Cast: Karlu Akumas, William Baylis, Dugald Bruce-Lockhart, Michael Cochrane, Isabel Della-Porta, Kriss Dosanjh, Ben Galvin, Nicky Goldie, Harry Gostelow, Robert Hands, Oxa Hazel, Thomas Judd, James Lavender, Avril Maponga, Alfie Noble, Shivam Pallana, Georgia Rona, Steve Watts.

Writer: Agatha Christie

Director: Lucy Bailey

I don't know why it took me so long to see this (it opened in 2017). It's brilliant! It makes really good use of the space (hard to imagine them ever using it for anything else now, like the theatre that has Cabaret in it). It would have been nice to have a bit more of a nose around the building.

Despite its age it still works really well and is a thrilling piece of theatre. I wonder if Lucy Bailey minds being the woman who now has to put on the Christie plays all the time?