Caroline Cronin - Page 3

It's a strange old time right now, with our beloved theatre community mourning the loss of jobs, of creative outlets, and of the human connections that theatre is so brilliant at creating. This collective grief is felt over at BroadwayWorld UK too, and we want to do what we can to continue celebrating the industry we love so much, so we've launched a series of features that celebrate musicals and plays from days gone by.

A stage adaptation of Pretty Woman makes a lot of sense. It's possibly one of the most beloved movies of its time, with its iconic costumes and quotable one-liners...and it propelled the ever-popular Julia Roberts into superstardom. 

Some might consider The Pirate Queen an odd choice for a producing debut, but Tom Gribby clearly has an affection for the material and no-one can question the credentials of the great Boublil and Schonberg - most notable for writing the book and score to Les Misérables and Miss Saigon.

Lucie Jones has certainly earned her musical theatre stripes in the past few years. Stints in Rent, Legally Blonde, and more recently Waitress, have cemented her as one of our most accomplished musical theatre actresses. And last night during Lucie Jones Live at the Adelphi, as theatreland came together to celebrate her talents, Jones showcased her authentic self and it was a delight to witness.

Nikolai Foster's production of White Christmas is the second in five years to run at the Dominion Theatre. The last a?" directed by Morgan Young a?" was a solid affair, but pales in comparison to this version which sparkles from top to toe.

Anxiety. Isolation. Depression. One would be forgiven for thinking that a musical addressing such weighty topics would be downbeat and maudlin - yet Dear Evan Hansen is anything but.

The most famous love story of all time. Remixed. That's the opening strapline for & Juliet, the new British musical that is now in previews in London, after a successful run in Manchester. & Juliet picks up the Shakespearean story we all know and love and runs with it, turning it on its head and posing the question: What if Juliet's famous ending was really her beginning? Punctuated with a plethora of pop hits from music mogul Max Martin, & Juliet looks set to shake up the musical theatre landscape and deliver audiences something that's fresh and engaging. We chat to musical theatre legend Oliver Tompsett.

Sheer brilliance. Any lesser description wouldn't do justice to the new production of Noises Off that has come barreling into the West End on a wave of relentless belly laughs.

BIG the Musical first premiered on Broadway in 1996 and closed after just six months. It had its UK & Ireland premiere in Plymouth in 2016, shortly followed by a stint in Dublin - both starring Jay McGuiness as Josh, who reprises the role for this West End production.

Caissie Levy made her triumphant return across the Atlantic on Sunday night, marking her first UK performance since 2013. Club 11 London has delivered some brilliant Broadway belters to us over the past year, but the inclusion of Levy in this repertoire has elevated its offering to the next level.

The BBC Proms closed another year with literal bangs, as the Last Night of the Proms played out at Proms in the Park in a blaze of fireworks, alongside the more traditional classical performances over at the Royal Albert Hall.

It's an exciting time for London theatre at the moment, and never more so than when a brand new theatre opens, leaving us brimming with anticipation at the potential to come. Torch Song is the inaugural production at The Turbine Theatre a?' a trendy and intimate space at Battersea Power Station a?' and it' proven to be an excellent launch pad for what will hopefully be a long life for Paul Taylor-Mills' new venture.

Caissie Levy was last seen in London in 2012 when she originated the role of Molly in the West End production of Ghost at the Piccadilly Theatre, and went on to perform a two-night residency at the Hippodrome in 2013. She's since originated the role of Elsa in the Broadway production of Frozen. On 15 September, she is back in the UK for one night only, performing at Cadogan Hall as part of Club 11 London's mission to bring Broadway to our capital.

It's official. Regent's Park Open Air Theatre has found its niche, in hosting productions that are inventive and bold reimaginings of well-established works. We had Jesus Christ Superstar, Little Shop of Horrors...and now we have Jamie Lloyd's Evita, which dazzles with an interpretation that is stylistically groundbreaking.

The BBC Philharmonic made a triumphant return to the BBC Proms for Prom 23: a concert showcasing the work of two of Russia's finest classical exports - Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky.

The View Upstairs tells the story of the 1973 arson attack on a gay bar in New Orleans, through the lens of a time-travelling millennial who exists as part of the modern day LGBTQ+ community.

The Southwark Playhouse has made a name for itself in featuring new musicals and inventive revivals. It's a venue that provides a platform for productions that are lesser-known, but have the potential to go further and I suspect with Fiver, they have an uncontested hit on their hands.

Known for his breakout role in the Pitch Perfect films and subsequently the likes of Book of Mormon and Dear Evan Hansen, Ben Platt has carved out a very successful career for himself across the pond. Over here in the UK, we've not had the pleasure of experiencing his star status on stage, but judging by the reaction he received on Saturday night showcasing his debut album Sing To Me Instead at the Eventim Apollo, his fanbase is just as powerful.

Jason Robert Brown's annual pilgrimage to the UK culminated this year in an intimate concert at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, launching its 'Sunday Encounters' residencies. Known for his penchant for writing a rather lengthy tune, Brown kept this show to a timely 130 minutes…which left his audience desperate for more.