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Review: Monday Night at the Apollo #2

The second Monday Night at the Apollo showcases the marvellous skills of Shan Ako, Sophie Evans, Arthur Darvill, Sandra Marvin & Jamie Muscato

“A few stolen moments is all that we share”

After a highly successful opening show, Monday Night at the Apollo returns for a second instalment with its genre-busting tracklisting. Hosted by the ever-chirpy Greg Barnett, this concert featured Shan Ako, Sophie Evans, Arthur Darvill, Sandra Marvin and Jamie Muscato subbing in for an unavailable Oli Tompsett.

Fresh from rehearsals for the Old Vic’s Bagdad Cafe, Sandra Marvin was probably my MVP. Impressing with jazz standard ‘Hit me with your high notes’ and a similarly laidback saunter through Whitney’s ‘Saving All My Love For You’, by the time she moved onto Hairspray, she had the audience eating from her palm. Continue reading “Review: Monday Night at the Apollo #2”

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Review: Monday Night at the Apollo

As the West End begins to return, new concert series Monday Night at the Apollo reminds us of just some of its talent

“Just waiting there till you came home to me”

On the face of it, you would expect Monday Night at the Apollo to be all about celebrating the world of musical theatre. But though the roll-call is full of stagey sorts, the breadth of the source material they’re drawing from is so broad that we’re more or less past the interval before we actually hit any MT classics.

We’re treated to the likes of Aimie Atkinson’s growling through ‘Rolling in the Deep’, Cedric Neal imbuing Billy Joel with real soul on ‘Just The Way You Are’, Cassidy Janson showcasing the lushness of her lower register in ‘Get Here’ and Julian Ovenden crooning dreamily through Tom Waits and Dolly Parton. Continue reading “Review: Monday Night at the Apollo”

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News: line-up for Monday Night at the Apollo #2 revealed

The star line up has been confirmed for the second concert of the series for Monday Night at the Apollo – which will be performed in front of a socially distanced audience at the Apollo Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue on Monday 14 June, and simultaneously livestreamed to viewers at home via the theatre discovery platform Thespie, which is dedicated to bringing the best live and recorded theatre to audiences around the world.

Shan Ako (Les Miserable, Xfactor), Arthur Darvill (Once, Doctor Who), Sophie Evans (Wicked, Wizard of Oz), Sandra Marvin (Waitress, Emmerdale) and Oliver Tompsett (&Juliet, Wicked) will join on-stage for an intimate night of music and theatrical chat, featuring ovation worthy performances of songs from their favourite genres. Host Greg Barnett (Miss Littlewood, Swallows and Amazons) invites his audience behind the curtain to catch these castmates as you’ve never seen them before. Sharing their most cherished memories and experiences from their careers, alongside performances of music personal to them, West End royalty celebrate the craft and industry they’ve so dearly missed. Continue reading “News: line-up for Monday Night at the Apollo #2 revealed”

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Some musicals news from the last week

News about new musicals in Leicester and Maidstone, plus concerts in the West End and Chiswick 

The line up has been confirmed for the first concert of the series for Monday Night at the Apollo – which will be performed in front of a socially distanced audience at the Apollo Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue on Monday 24 May, and simultaneously livestreamed to viewers at home via the theatre discovery platform Thespie.

Aimie Atkinson (Six, Pretty Woman), Cassidy Janson (&Juliet, Beautiful), Lucie Jones (Waitress, Rent), Cedric Neal (Chess, Motown the Musical) and Julian Ovenden (South Pacific, Downton Abbey) will join on-stage for an intimate night of music and theatrical chat, featuring ovation worthy performances of songs from their favourite genres with host Greg Barnett (Miss Littlewood, Swallows and Amazons). Continue reading “Some musicals news from the last week”

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News: Monday Night at the Apollo reveals new dates

Newly revised dates have now been confirmed for Monday Night at the Apollo – a brand-new concert series for 2021, to be performed in front of socially distanced audiences at the Apollo Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue, and simultaneously livestreamed to viewers at home via the theatre discovery platform Thespie, which is dedicated to bringing the best live and recorded theatre to audiences around the world

Originally scheduled for earlier in the year, the concerts have now been rescheduled to reflect the recently announced government roadmap for the lifting of restrictions. Tickets are on sale now for Monday 24 May, Monday 14 June and Monday 5 July. The producers will continue to review each date as it approaches and react according to government guidelines at the time. Continue reading “News: Monday Night at the Apollo reveals new dates”

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News: new dates announced for Monday Night at the Apollo

Revised dates have now been confirmed for Monday Night at the Apollo – a brand-new concert series for 2021, to be performed in front of socially distanced audiences at the Apollo Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue, and simultaneously livestreamed to viewers at home via the theatre discovery platform Thespie, which is dedicated to bringing the best live and recorded theatre to audiences around the world

Originally scheduled for January and February, the concerts have been postponed because of the national government restrictions and venue closures. Tickets are on sale now for Monday 12 April, Monday 26 April and Monday 10 May. In light of the current restrictions, the producers will still review each date as it approaches and react accordingly according to government guidelines at the time. Continue reading “News: new dates announced for Monday Night at the Apollo”

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News: Mondays in January to look distinctly brighter with Monday Night at the Apollo

Tickets are on sale now for Monday Night at the Apollo – a brand-new concert series taking place in front of a socially distanced audience at the Apollo Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue. The concerts will take place at 7pm on Monday 11 January 2021, Monday 25 January 2021 and Monday 8 February 2021, and will also be livestreamed to audiences at home.

An intimate evening of conversation and song hosted by Greg Barnett (Miss Littlewood, Duchess of Malfi), Monday Night at the Apollo will see some of the West End’s best-known performers sing an eclectic mix of music from their favourite genres. Performers will share their most cherished memories and experiences from their careers, alongside performances of music which is personal to them, in a relaxed and informal theatrical celebration. Continue reading “News: Mondays in January to look distinctly brighter with Monday Night at the Apollo”

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Review: Miss Littlewood, Swan Theatre

A hugely fascinating new musical from the RSC, Miss Littlewood impresses at the Swan Theatre – might we see it London before too long?

“I’ve come about the theatre”

The last musical to come out of the RSC is a little know thing that is still kicking around somewhere, Matilda I think it’s called… So Miss Littlewood might have a little expectation carrying on its shoulders, although it is clearly a completely different kettle of fish.

In the Swan Theatre, Sam Kenyon (book, music and lyrics) tells us the story of Joan Littlewood. Or rather, given the format of the show, hands the reins over to Joan to tell her story. Clare Burt stars as an older Littlewood who acts as a narrator, a maestro, as she directs six other performers, all of whom take turns in donning the blue cap to embody this most totemic figure of British theatre.  Continue reading “Review: Miss Littlewood, Swan Theatre”

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Review: This Little Life Of Mine, Park Theatre

“Come on don’t you keep me waiting
Today’s the day I’m ovulating”

The clunkiness of the above rhyming couplet is a little symptomatic of This Little Life Of Mine, a well-meaning but mis-intentioned new musical receiving its premiere here at the Park. Written and directed by Michael Yale and scored by Charlie Round-Turner, it follows the regular lives of regular London couple Izzy and Jonesy and that really is just about it. Self-described as a “musical drama”, there’s a singular lack of the latter here which means that the show just ends up dull.

Finding the magic in the mundane is the stock in trade of many an insightful piece of writing but ultimately, all This Little Life… manages to do is extract the ordinary out of the extraordinary. Yes, there’s chuckles to be had in recognising some of the more exasperating aspects of modern life in the capital, extortionate house prices and needlessly expansive coffee menus to name just a couple, but a show that aims to show just how regular life can be needs to aim higher than replicating said regularness (regularity doesn’t seem right there…). Continue reading “Review: This Little Life Of Mine, Park Theatre”

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Album Review: Thérèse Raquin (2014 Original London Cast)

“You are not still, you are not still Thérèse”

There are times when listening to cast recordings can sometimes feel like a chore, and others when they are a glorious reminder of shows gone by. For me, hearing the utterly gorgeous waterfall of voices on ‘You Are Not Still Thérèse’ from Craig Adams’ Thérèse Raquin is very much in the latter category, one of those moments of musical theatre perfection that work as music, as drama, as theatre, as pure art.

Adams and Nona Shepphard’s adaptation of Zola’s novel played at the Finborough in 2014 and then transferred to the larger Park in one of those really sensible moments theatreland sometimes has. Musically complex and dramatically interesting as a radical interpretation of the book, it delved deep into Thérèse’s psychology and aided by a stunning performance from Julie Atherton, worked beautifully. Continue reading “Album Review: Thérèse Raquin (2014 Original London Cast)”