Mark Hollmann

Urinetown Apollo Theatre 5 Stars “What kind of a musical is this??!” cries Little Sally The good kind. Susannah Clapp (for the Guardian) described Miss Saigon as “a show that flaunts the notion of liberal sympathies, while cruising on commerce.” This got me thinking, Miss Saigon aside, about how this all too apparent paradox operates throughout theatre – bubbling at the very core of it, and of all art. Theatre, with its passionate, imaginative, liberal-minded practitioners with something important to say, is monopolised by those who can afford to produce the work in the first place, and then experienced by those who can afford the ticket prices. Theatre is reserved for the wealthy, particularly in the west end. But is the door permanently shut? Perhaps not. For me, there are two types of musical: commercial ones and less commercial ones. Most of the time, you know what to expect from … Read more