Julian Eaves 
The songs in The Quentin Dentin Show make up the best, and I mean the best new score that British musical theatre has produced in certainly the past few years. Yes, you heard me right. It’s a stonker.
A thoroughly charming, and fun, experience in musical comedy lies in store for all those who tread the path of the wand’ring minstrel Blondel.
Taj Express Peacock Theatre, 14th June 2017 3 Stars BOOK NOW If you missed the superlative ‘Beyond Bollywood’ at the Palladium last year, you could do worse than catch this simpler, humbler offering from the Merchant clan (Vaibhavi, Choreography and Shruti, Director and Producer with Pranav, Executive Producer, and music by Salim and Sulaiman Merchant) in the subterranean lair down Kingsway. No, it’s not the equal of that brand-leader in terms of drama, music, choreography or staging, but Toby Gough’s work-a-day book serves up a revue-style panorama of popular Indian dance styles– keeping it strictly in the family –. There is ‘assistant choreography’ also from Rajitdev Easwardas, Deepak Singh, Tejaswi Shetty, Pratik Utekar and Rahul Shetty). There are basic projections and some rather more sophisticated lighting designs by Miguel Angel Fernandez, and Alessio Comuzzi pumps out the sound. Inevitably, given the indebtedness of the show to the Indian film industry, … Read more
There is, I think, somewhere, in the midst of all this nastiness, a rather interesting show struggling to get out, but it ain’t been found yet.
Julian Eaves reviews Liza Pulman Sings Streisand “This was in every respect a sincere tribute to a really remarkable artist, given by one of the very best acts out there.”
Julian Eaves reviews Working at Southwark Playhouse “You’re going to love the songs. You will remember many of them – and with affection.”
Twitstorm Park Theatre 1st June 2017 3 Stars BOOK NOW The great thing about this theatre is that you can never – quite – tell where Artistic Director Jez Bond is taking it. Each new show comes along and brings with it a new departure, and certainly a bold contrast to whatever preceded it. Each production is a risk, and while many pay off, occasionally some do not. Well, that is the privilege of an experimental, new-writing house: it must reserve ‘the right to …’, well, if not exactly ‘fail’, then certainly to be slightly less than completely successful. Never was that more true than with this opus, a contemporary boulevard comedy, by and partly starring Chris England, set – in theory – in the world of Twitter and celebrity culture. In practice, this feels more like an endearingly old-fashioned, light-hearted slab of cheeky but still not too saucy entertainment. … Read more
Annie Piccadilly Theatre, 4th June 2017 3 Stars BOOK TICKETS Miranda Hart is the big name draw in this bouncy, colourful revival of the perennial childrens’ and families’ favourite about the cute little girl with the endlessly repeated big tune. While she may not be able to act, sing or dance in any recognisable ‘musical theatre’ way, she pleases the audiences every time she sets foot upon the stage and will presumably do enough to bring this production the ticket sales it seeks until such time as a better offer comes along. Nikolai Foster is the artistic director of Curve Leicester and the director of this production; and it is his avowed mission to make his base the home of great musical theatre. How – exactly – this revival fits into that grand plan I will leave it to him to explain, but there are any number of producing houses the length … Read more
