新闻滚动条
CRITICS CHOICE: Top 10 New Musicals October 2015
发布日期
2015年10月1日
由
stephencollins
What Musical should you see first in London?
We have compiled this list to save you the trouble of working it out! It's just our view - and everyone has one - based on our Reviewers' thoughts. We will update the list regularly so new productions get on your radar and when original casts change that is factored in.
Musicals which have been running for more than three years are not included - this is a list for new or relatively new productions running in London.
So go see them!
Join our mailing list to be kept up to date with offers for these and other great shows
1. Gypsy
You don't have much longer to see this extraordinary piece of theatre! Everyone in this company is superb in their part, everyone can really sing, really dance and really deliver the goods in terms of dramatic and comic acting. This is that rare beast: an exquisitely cast musical where the requirements of the parts have more importance in the casting process than potential box office draw or Twitter popularity. It is difficult to believe that there has ever been a better Rose than Staunton creates here.
Katie Brayben and Carole King in Beautiful. Photo: Brinkoff Mogenberg 2. Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
The throbbing, majestic and luminous heart of this production comes from Katie Brayben’s faultless, radiant and absolutely triumphant turn as Carole King. Brayben recreates the feel, the sound, the look of Carole King in a completely authentic and resonant way – she feels like the natural woman.
Dylan Emery, Justin Brett, Ruth Bratt, Andrew Pugsley, Lucy Trodd, Adam Meggido and Philip Pellew in Showstopper. Photo: Geraint Lewis. 3. Showstopper! The Improvised Musical
If you attend the theatre regularly, you will undoubtedly have encountered that rare, awful, but entirely exquisite, moment when an actor dries, a prop fails, a door doesn’t open or a dress falls apart. You will recognise the peculiar, particular moment of fused horror and wonder that flickers across the features of the cast as some battle to keep going and others try, usually hopelessly, to stifle laughter. Showstopper! thrives on such moments; indeed, in a way, the adrenalin from the uncertainty about the choice another actor will make fuels the comedy and creativity.
4. The Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon begins long before you step into the theatre. London is adorned with its posters, our offices echo with remembered jokes and songs. As you enter Leicester Square, you are bottlenecked towards the Prince of Wales – particularly if there’s a film premiere – and when you step up to the theatre, you are encircled by queues for entry and ticket collection alike. The atmosphere is spellbinding, and the weight of expectation is colossal. I’m delighted to say that my expectations were met.
David Flynn and Abigail Matthews in The White Feather. Photo: Scott Rylander 5. The White Feather
The White Feather is everything musical theatre should be – it will make you think deeply about bravery, war and the nature of humanity all the way home. If there is any justice this exciting production will be given a longer run or a second home so it gets the wider viewing it deserves.
6. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Sam Mendes’ production of the musical adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is in excellent shape. Nothing indicates that more clearly than the show not missing a beat despite the fact that three understudies were called upon to perform. The company didn’t hiccup. Routines are polished and well-drilled; Mark Thompson’s wonderfully colourful, and sometimes colourless, costumes and sets are in pristine shape and conjure up the requisite sense of magic effortlessly. The tunefulness and sprightly fun of Marc Shaiman’s music remains infectious and sweet.
The Hounslow Harriers in Bend It Like Beckham. Photo: Ellie Kurttz 7. Bend It Like Beckham
Act Two is practically perfect. It starts with a fabulous number for the girls, Glorious, and it never looks back. It’s full of great music from Goodall and the range of styles he covers is significant. He uses Punjabi tunes effectively, there is a terrific solo for Jules’s mother, There She Goes, a melodious duet which is gentle and joyful, Bend It, then a stirring quintet and an overwhelmingly joyous piece which celebrates the wedding of Pinky and Teetu in contrapuntal tandem with the celebration of the football grand final win. By the time the second Act is over, the longeurs of the first have been brushed aside, and the infectious sense of harmony and happiness is irrepressible.
Jon Jon Briones as The Engineer in Miss Saigon 8. Miss Saigon
If anything, this production of Miss Saigon re-establishes Cameron Mackintosh as the greatest producer of musicals ever. He understands his audience, and as a producer and theatre owner, he delivers!
9. Memphis
More than anything else, Memphis is about change and acceptance, and the important way culture and art (music, in this case) can be transformative in important and tangible ways. But it is not worthy or earnest in any way; rather, it relies upon humour, heart and hockadoo, creating mini-tornadoes of singing and dancing joy to propel your spirit into the stratosphere.
10. Kinky Boots
Lennox is sensational as Lauren, the whacky factory girl who flirts with and eventually wins the heart of the Boss. It is a comic tour-de-force from Lennox who doesn’t miss a trick, let a laugh opportunity pass or do anything at less than dynamite power levels. She completely steals every scene she is in and her hilarious solo, The History of Wrong Guys, is the first moment in the show then you think that Lauper might be up to the task of composing a Broadway score. Start engraving that Olivier Award now, because if there is any justice Lennox will be a shoe in.
© BritishTheatre.com 1999-2024 版权所有。
BritishTheatre.com 网站的创建旨在庆祝英国丰富多样的戏剧文化。我们的使命是提供最新的英国剧院新闻、伦敦西区评论，以及地方剧院和伦敦戏剧票的见解，确保戏剧爱好者可以及时了解从最盛大的伦敦西区音乐剧到前沿的边缘戏剧的一切。我们热衷于鼓励和培养各种形式的表演艺术。
戏剧的精神生生不息，而BritishTheatre.com位于前沿地带，向戏剧爱好者提供及时、权威的新闻和信息。我们敬业的剧院记者和评论家团队不懈努力，报道每一场制作和活动，使您能够轻松获取最新评论并预订必看的伦敦戏剧票。