Theatre reviews for you, by you. If you would like to review for us,
please contact us including a short review of what you have seen recently.

Music: Marc Shaiman Lyrics: Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman Book: Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan Director: Jack O’Brien Reviewer: Jim Nicholson The Public Reviews Rating: The phenomenon that is Hairspray has hit the Mayflower and already the three week run is very close to a sell out. Based on the 1988 John Waters film, this musical version then [...]

Composed: Bill Whelan Director: John McColgan Reviewer: Jim Nicholson The Public Reviews Rating: A 2010 cast of sheer quality means that, even 15 years on and slimmed down, Riverdance is still as spectacular and thoroughly entertaining as when it first hit the stage. Born out of the interval entertainment at the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin, Bill [...]

Music: Sergei Prokoficv Choreographer: Michael Corder Conductor: Alex Ingram Reviewer: Emily Daughtery The Public Reviews Rating: I was particularly thrilled to be in the audience of the English National Ballet’s Cinderella because I last viewed it from the stage as I stood as the page boy in Act II ten years ago. Consequently I settled down with [...]

Based on Original Book by: Ian Fleming Music and Lyrics: The Sherman Brothers Director: Adrian Noble Reviewer: Jim Nicholson  The Public Reviews Rating:  The kids loved it, the parents loved it, this is a thoroughly enjoyable, very professional and unquestionably uplifting touring version of that ‘old favourite’ Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  Ian Fleming’s only children’s novel, written in [...]

Director and Choreographer: Alan Harding Reviewer: Jim Nicholson The Public Reviews Rating: You know you are on a loser when, thirty seconds in, you realise there is no live orchestra, the music is recorded, the 14 dancers on stage are all miming and the dance routines only link with the word ‘tight’ is budget based. The show features [...]

Director: Keith Strachan Choreographer: Carole Todd Reviewer: Jim Nicholson The Public Reviews Rating: As a schoolboy of the sixties and seventies I not only grew up with the sound of the motor city I allowed it to almost take over my formative years. A record collection covering every inch of floor space in my parents front room,  all [...]

Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Jim Steinman Book: Patricia Knop, Gale Edwards & Andrew Lloyd Webber Reviewer: Jim Nicholson The Public Reviews Rating: Director Bill Kenwright appears to have transformed the original 1998 high octane, ‘in your face’, full on impact rocking monster of a musical into a pipe and slippers affair. Even the rawness of the kids [...]

Music: John Kander Lyrics: Fred Ebb Book: Fred Ebb & Bob Fosse Adaptor: David Thompson Director: Scott Faris Reviewer: Nick Hutchinson The Public Reviews Rating: I’m not someone who is particularly fond of many musicals, but having seen the movie adaptation of this starring Richard Gere, Catherine Zeta Jones and Renee Zellwegger, (and enjoyed it) I wanted to [...]