Musical Geek - Musical Theatre Reviews

In the midst of a Global Pandemic and with virtually everything musical or theatrical cancelled or deferred for a considerable period, it came as a bright light in the dark to find that Unity Productions were able to 'Live Stream' a performance of their current production, Jonathan Larson's 'Rent', on YouTube. Whilst I am sure the experience in the room would have been much more atmospheric and I feel for a stunningly talented cast who must be beyond disappointed that they are unable to perform to a full house, this remote video view still showcased how Unity are and will continue to be a 'tour de force' in the theatrical performance arena. David Gregory's direction is intense and yet delivers a rich storytelling experience, complemented by some invigorating and visually bewitching choreography from Anna Forster and a powerful interpretation of Larson's score from Adam Joy and his musicians this is a performance worthy of any stage in the w...

Always a great story is that of 'Little Orphan Annie' and very popular on the amateur musical circuit, the latest incarnation of which is from Knowle Musical Society running at the Core Theatre in Solihull and if you're looking for a night of great entertainment that covers the whole gamut of emotions, this is the show for you. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll probably be humming along with a number of recognisable tunes but, most of all you'll leave with a smile on your face. Apologies to all the adults in the production but, you chose to work with children and animals so you must have known what that would mean! Absolute show stealer of course is Molly the hound in the role of Sandy, very comfortable on stage and even managed to make an appearance during one of the set changes when I am sure she was supposed to be supervised. At this performance the role of Annie was taken by Evie-May Humphries, a confident and incredibly well projected performanc...

There's a small slice of Camden Town suddenly appeared in the West Midlands in the form of the Our House Musical (based on the songs of Madness) currently resident at The Rose Theatre in Kidderminster and performed with gusto by Kidderminster Operatic & Dramatic Society. It's difficult not to be overwhelmed by the energy that the cast put into telling the conflicting story of Joe Casey and his response to that simple equation of making the wrong or right decision. Some creative direction from Hollie Christian-Brookes and energetic choreography from Hannah Kearns make this a supremely entertaining production to experience, add Chris Passey's authentic interpretation of the classic Madness tunes and you really have a feast of entertainment. Jack Simpson delivers a splendid and soulful portrayal of Joe Casey, both good and bad incarnations, seamlessly slipping from one character to another with the assistance of the occasional cast double and a personal dresser in...