Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1984 train musical Starlight Express has returned to London and, according to the Telegraph’s Chief Theatre Critic Dominic Cavendish, it is “out of this world.” The show’s creators are equally delighted, although lyricist Richard Stilgoe notes that there is a bittersweet element to seeing new artists reprise these familiar roles, as one… Read More »
The monstrous, pathetic Norma Desmond, the washed-up silent film star at the heart of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard, is a huge and complex role; It takes an actor with great charisma and gravitas to pull this off. Patti LuPone first played Norma in the West End, and Glenn Close also had phenomenal success on… Read More »
Amid the jukebox songs and time-honored classics of the West End stage, a new genre of musical theater is rising. It is a singing, dancing genre mental health musical that highlights identity and personal crises. This means that many new musicals trigger warnings that the upcoming performance may include suicidal teenagers and sexual assault, as… Read More »
Nicole Scherzinger was out of fashion, but she won Best Actress in a Musical at the Olivier Awards on Sunday – Jeff Spicer/Getty Images Listening to the sultry girl group Pussycat Dolls belt out the lyrics “When I grow up, I want to be famous, I want to be a star” in between powerful booty… Read More »
Nicole Scherzinger poses outside the Royal Albert Hall before Sunday’s awards ceremony – Gareth Cattermole/Getty Andrew Lloyd Webber’s revival of Sunset Boulevard swept the table at the Oliviers on Sunday night, winning a joint-record number of awards for a musical. The West End show, which features music by Lord Lloyd Webber, 76, has been awarded… Read More »
Catherine Tate stars in The Enfield Haunting – Marc Brenner British theater has been plagued by stage fright lately, with an increase in shows featuring supernatural themes. The successes of A Christmas Carol at the Old Vic and the terrifying thriller 2:22 A Ghost Story (currently on tour), not to mention the eerie harmony of… Read More »
There was something big, big and embracing about actor Joss Ackland, who has died aged 95. He was a fixture of British films for decades and a stalwart of the Royal Shakespeare Company Old Vic; He played Falstaff at the opening of the RSC. A production of Henry IV, The First and Second Parts at… Read More »