Andrew Lippa, St. James Theatre
Ok, I’ll come clean (and this is hard, not to say shameful, for a musical theatre aficionado): Andrew Lippa had somehow passed me by; until now – until yesterday, to be precise. Don’t ask how come I…
The Scottsboro Boys, Young Vic
John Kander and Fred Ebb – masters of the cabaret satire – delivered a sucker punch with this their last show together. The story of the Scottsboro nine shamefully redefined the sickness at the heart of American…
An audience with Dame Janet Baker, London Jewish Cultural Centre
PODCAST now available here Every now and again – but only very rarely – a professional engagement comes along that is so personal, so loaded with treasured associations, that it transcends all normal parameters and takes on…
Briefly… Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Wimbledon Theatre & Tour
The sound levels seemed to be in synch with the pine trees backdrop and went up and down like a whore’s knickers. In this the official press night for a lengthy stage tour of the much-loved MGM…
Briefly… Die Fledermaus, English National Opera
Eisenstein’s pocket watch (every seducer needs one) looms large and his wife Rosalinde is not having a good night. Recurring nightmares accost her and, wouldn’t you know, bats figure in every one. Is Christopher Alden really going all…
Briefly… Peter Grimes, London Philharmonic, Jurowski, Royal Festival Hall (Review)
I think we can now say with absolute certainty that Stuart Skelton is the pre-eminent Peter Grimes of the present time. Just as Peter Pears originated the role for a whole generation and Jon Vickers redefined it…
Briefly… “The Sound of Music”, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
The thing about The Sound of Music is the degree to which it is universally loved. The film has a lot to do with that, of course – there is NO finer film musical in my opinion…
Briefly… Falstaff, Glyndebourne Festival Opera
It’s a world of girl guides, animatronic cats, and cabbages. Ford’s garden apparently yields nothing else. And whilst the flat surfaces and wonky perspectives of designer Ultz’ sets aren’t too prepossessing in themselves they serve the child…
Anne Reid, Crazy Coqs
One of the great advantages of leaving your cabaret debut until you are on the cusp of becoming an octogenarian is that you and you alone alone make the rules. Better yet you owe no one an…
Briefly… Alison Jiear at the St James Studio
You can take the girl out of Brisbane… Alison Jiear is a riot – a whole lot of woman with a blinder of a voice and the kind of familiarity that they breed in Oz. She and…
