REVIEW: Waitress, Adelphi Theatre London ✭✭✭✭
Douglas Mayo reviews Waitress the musical starring Katharine McPhee at the Adelphi Theatre, London.
Ken Billington
Chicago 2016 Tour Tickets
Chicago the musical returns to the UK in 2015. The acclaimed musical by John Kander, Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse and holds several accolades as Broadway’s longest -running musical revival, the longest-running American musical in Broadway History, the second longest-running show in Broadway history and the longest-running American musical in West End history as well as winning the 202 Academy Award for Best Film. Set in prohibition-era Chicago, Chicago is a satire on the corruption of the criminal justice system and manipulation of the media. The 2016 UK Tour of Chicago will star John Partridge (Eastenders, A Chorus Line, Cats) as Billy Flynn, Hayley Tamaddon (Coronation Street, Emmerdale) as Roxie Hart and Sam Bailey (X Factor) as Mama Morton. Further casting is to be announced. Chicago, which is based on the play by Maurine Dallas Watkins, has a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and … Read more
REVIEW: Dames At Sea, Helen Hayes Theatre ✭✭✭✭
Dames at Sea, the work of George Haimsohn and Robin Miller (Book and Lyrics) and Jim Wise (Score), is well known as the off-Broadway hit from 1968 which launched the star of one Bernadette Peters into the Broadway stratosphere. It has been surprisingly absent from Broadway stages and this revival is a timely one, coming, as it does, amongst a season where Broadway houses are playing host to very serious and intense works (plays and musicals).
REVIEW: Amazing Grace, Nederlander Theatre ✭✭
While the tunes and harmonies for the new material might not be memorable, the orchestrations and playing is first rate. Kenny Seymour and Joseph Church, together with the 13 piece orchestra led by Aaron Jodoin, make great, evocative and stirring sounds. And when the title tune finally comes, the fusion of its simple majesty, the brilliant harmonisations of the cast and the clever arrangements, see the whole musical end on an intensely satisfying note.
Dames At Sea – Helen Hayes Theatre
The first-ever Broadway production of Dames at Sea will drop anchor at the Helen Hayes Theatre this season. Directed and choreographed by three-time Tony nominee Randy Skinner, the tap-happy tuner will begin performances on September 24 and officially open on October 22. No word yet on casting for the show, which features a book and lyrics by George Haimsohn and Robin Miller, along with music by Jim Wise. Dames at Sea tells the story of Ruby, who steps off a bus from Utah and into her first Broadway show. But hours before the opening night curtain is set to rise, the cast learns that their theater is being demolished. With the help of some adoring sailors, Ruby and the cast set a plan in motion to perform the show in a naval battleship. The production will feature music supervision and vocal and dance arrangements by Rob Berman, scenic design by ... Read more
