These Theatre Thoughts

  (c) Hugo Glendinning Tickets: Gifted Date: 28th July 2023 Seat: J15 (Stalls) Rating: 4 Stars Trailer:  https://youtu.be/k8bWWsoSXYg There’s a lot to be said for theatre that entertains. Really entertains. And The Crown Jewels , written by Simon Nye, is exactly that kind of theatre. It’s silly, funny, a little bit rude, there’s audience participation, there are jokes, there’s standup, there’s singing (thank you, Carrie Hope Fletcher – always a treat), there’s (attempted) murder and mayhem, and it’s all based on a true story. What more could you ask for?   The story of The Crown Jewels concerns the attempted theft of said baubles by Colonel Thomas Blood in 1671. Along with his son and another accomplice, Captain Perrot, they bluffed their way into viewing the crown jewels, attacked the guard, and tried to make off with them. It did not go well. But Blood’s ‘punishment’ might not be quite as deadly as you imagine… I won’t spoil the story, but it’s not something most kings...

Tickets: Gifted Date: 24th July 2023 Seat: H16 Star Rating: 5 Trailer:  https://youtu.be/LvmFQZXCQcE  My review video:  https://youtu.be/J5lf0o0hwFo In a world filled with familiar shows that pedal out the same old story time and again, Ride shines as a beacon of originality, artfully weaving the little-known history of Annie Londonderry into the most extraordinary and exciting musical experience. Freya Catrin Smith and Jack Williams have skillfully crafted a captivating narrative that transcends time and place, touching on subtle feminist themes, the power of storytelling, and the complex relationship between reality and self-perception. But don’t worry; it’s done in a fun, fascinating, and fabulously fantastic way that makes the story even more compelling than it already is.  That story is that of Annie Londonderry, who, on the back of a wager that may or may not have actually happened (she is the most unreliable of narrators, as we come to find out), carries ou...

  My review of   Twelfth Night  at Wilton's Music Hall, London, on behalf of West End Best Friend:  Twelfth Night at Wilton's Music Hall, presented by Duke's Theatre Company, offers an evening of absurd Shakespearean shenanigans that raises laughs and cheers and, perhaps surprisingly, some audience participation that gives the entire production the fun feeling of being at a panto. In fact, the story of Twelfth Night , with its themes of mistaken identity, love triangles, and general comedic chaos, is the kind of thing a good panto should definitely be made of.   Read more at:  https://www.westendbestfriend.co.uk/news/review-twelfth-night-wiltons-music-hall-dukes-theatre-company

  My review of   Crazy for You  at the Gillian Lynne Theatre, on behalf of West End Best Friend:  Crazy for You has burst onto the stage in an all-singing, all-dancing, irresistibly charming musical revival at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in London, and if this isn’t what musical theatre is meant to be, we don’t know what is! Glitzy dance numbers, feathery costumes, hats, tap shoes, a farcical comedy of errors, dancers rising up through the stage, jokes, slapstick comedy… who could ask for anything more?   Read more at:  https://www.westendbestfriend.co.uk/news/review-crazy-for-you-gillian-lynne-theatre