Theatre review: The Secret Diary of Henry VIII by The Three Inch Fools at Weald & Downland Living Museum [UK tour]

Photo credit: Anthony Oxley

I do not have the best track record with outdoors theatre. I attended a production at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre in London three times before I managed to see the whole show and it didn't finish prematurely due to heavy rain fall. And I don't think I've ever in my life been quite as soaked as I was during my visit to the iconic Minack Theatre in Cornwall (I'm still unsure how the actors didn't float from the puddle-filled stage straight into the sea). So I was due an open air experience that went without a hitch, and The Three Inch Fools' The Secret Diary of Henry VIII at the beautiful Weald & Downland Living Museum delivered – and then some. 

Theatre review: Top Hat at The Mill at Sonning

Top Hat is an iconic Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musical from the 1930s, featuring music and lyrics by the equally iconic Irving Berlin. Yet, despite its age and recognisable musical numbers, it was only turned into a stage production about 10 years ago in the UK. And after nationwide tour, the show had a short-lived but well-loved run in the West End, before going back on the road. I saw it twice during its stint in London and am thrilled the show is now back on stage for British audiences to enjoy. This time around it's playing at the Mill at Sonning, a dinner theatre near Reading. 

Theatre review: Ilan Eshkeri's Space Station Earth at the Royal Albert Hall

Ilan Eshkeri is a British composer well-known for his sweeping film scores (two of my favs are Stardust and Kick-Ass). Together with astronauts from the European Space Agency he has brought his iconic style of music together with unique footage from out of space to create an immersive theatrical experience. It shows us the beauty that space has to offer – and how tiny we are in the grand scheme of things. It's both magnificent and humbling. 

Les Enfants Terribles' United Queendom at Kensington Palace

Imagine you're in Kensington Palace on the day of King George II's birthday. If you're lucky, you may get an invite to the royal party, and enjoy the company of the likes of Queen Caroline of Ansbach and the king's mistress, Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk. And just a few rooms away from the big feast there is the allure of joining a salon with artistic, literary, and political greats. It's rumoured Jonathan Swift might be the next guest of honour. Are you ready for the most decadent night of your life?!

Mary Poppins at The Prince Edward Theatre

Who doesn't know the story of Mary Poppins? The nanny who quite literally flies into the lives of the Banks' at Cherry Tree Lane, showing children and parents alike that all that truly matters is family (all while dancing on rooftops and with penguins)? The stage adaptation of the classic P.L. Travers stories has 'chim chim cher-eed' onto the London stage for the first time in 15 years, taking over from fellow Disney-alumni Aladdin at the Prince Edward Theatre.

School of Rock at the Gillian Lynne Theatre

[AD – gifted] School of Rock is what you get when you cross the headbanging music of Rock of Ages with a talented young cast like in Matilda. Preppy children in school uniforms turn into rock stars in this super fun show with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Glenn Slater and a book by Julian Fellows. Nearly three years on from its West End debut it's still rockin' night after night, and I had the joy last week to see the show again for the first time in a few years.

Come From Away at the Phoenix Theatre

Have you ever had goosebumps watching a piece of theatre come alive on stage? I experienced this for the first time during the electrifying 25th anniversary performance of Miss Saigon quite a few years ago now – reuniting the original West End leads alongside the then London ones – and again this week when I had the immense pleasure of watching one of the first preview performances of Broadway hit musical Come From Away in its brand-new London home; the Phoenix Theatre.

Eugenius! at The Other Palace

Geeky, sci-fi musical Eugenius! is one of the best shows I've seen in theatre this year. In fact, I loved it so much the first time around it was playing in London I ended up seeing it twice. So I was thrilled when it was announced that the charming feel-good musical would return to its theatrical home The Other Palace for another limited run this year, with some of the main cast reuniting for another superhero-filled few months on the London stage.

Sounds and Sorcery Celebrating Disney's Fantasia at The Vaults

I've been a huge Disney geek for as long as I can remember. I may not mention Disney quite as much on my blog as I do in real life (though I have a few themed posts planned, so stay tuned!) but that doesn't mean that my love for the 90-year-old mouse and his friends has disappeared in the slightest. So when I heard about a new immersive theatre experience at the Vaults underneath Waterloo Station inspired by the Disney classic animated film Fantasia, I was sold.

Madagascar the Musical at New Wimbledon Theatre [UK tour]

It's been a while since I've regularly posted to my blog – sorry! The last month has been a hectic one doing handover stuff at work and starting an exciting new job at a major well-known tech firm. It's been a blast but man it's been crazy and I've been too exhausted in the evenings for a proper blog catch-up. I'm hoping things will settle down soon again though so you can expect a regular flow of book, theatre and London posts, as well as tons of awesome recs from the Lake District, which I visited earlier this month. But first things first... I got to see the UK tour of Madagascar the Musical last week when it came to London.

The King and I at the London Palladium

It's been a fairly light year for high-profile openings and Broadway transfers in London. There are some fringe venues getting great musicals in, like Southwark Playhouse with Bring it On and The Other Palace with the return of its geeky space comedy Eugenius!, but the bigger theatres mostly have some solid long runners in them right now. Which is great for them as it means the shows are clearly doing very well, but for someone who's seen most of what's out by now, new additions always excite me very much. And none more so this year than Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I.

Legally Blonde The Musical at New Wimbledon Theatre

Omigod, omigod you guys, Legally Blonde The Musical has returned to London for a limited run before it takes its pink-hued charm up north! It's cheesier and camper than the last time it graced the boards in the capital, but it is still hella fun with a fabulously catchy soundtrack and empowering message at its heart (not to mention an adorable romance *swoon*).

Strictly Ballroom at the Piccadilly Theatre

As someone who grew up in the nineties I will always associate Baz Luhrmann with Romeo + Juliet (teenage me had a very big crush on Leonardo DiCaprio's Romeo!), but the Australian writer, director and producer's work also includes Moulin Rouge and Strictly Ballroom in his trio of outstanding musical films that have gained popularity far beyond its Australian roots. Though the first of the three – Strictly Ballroom – is perhaps the least known here in the UK, but with the dazzling theatrical adaptation opening in the West End that won't be the case for much longer.

Bananaman the Musical at Southwark Playhouse

Super heroes have been all the rage on the big and small screen in recent years. But what about the theatre? Besides the infamous Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark on Broadway, known more for its stunt troubles and extortionate budget, few flying heroes have made it onto the stage. Here in the UK we had monstrous rock musical The Toxic Avenger saving the day a few years ago and following on from its success we now have a yellow-caped, spandexed super hero battling power-hungry villains at the same venue.

The Lost Boy Peter Pan at Pleasance Theatre

The story of Peter Pan has been adapted in many shapes and sizes, into other novels, for the screen and even the stage. So it's quite a feat if a new version manages to be original and stand out from the crowd. The Lost Boy Peter Pan at the Pleasance Theatre captivates audiences with an enchanting contemporary version featuring well-known pop rock tunes performed with just a few instruments. It's as whimsical as the origin story but less dark, instead capturing the magic of the written word and adding a level of poetry through its beautiful musical performances and stellar young cast of actor-musicians. 

Aladdin at The Prince Edward Theatre

I was eight years old when Disney released Aladdin and I fell utterly in love with it; from Aladdin's cheeky antics to the glittering Cave of Wonders and from his adorable animal side-kick Abu to the Genie's impressive dance skills. It being a much-loved classic from my childhood I wasn't too sure how much I'd enjoy a theatrical adaptation and whether it'd live up to my memories. However, I needn't have worried as the musical version currently threading the boards in London takes some of the best elements from the animation, and turns it into its own dazzling spectacle.

Annie the Musical at Piccadilly Theatre

When I went on holiday to New York City a few years ago, my friend and I ended up seeing more shows during our stay than days we were actually in the city – and one of them was Annie the Musical. It's a film I always loved growing up and I was excited to see it on stage. A few years down the line, however, that was probably the least memorable musical we saw that holiday and so when it made a comeback in London I was keen to check it out, hoping the UK production would dazzle me more than the US one had done.

Kinky Boots at the Adelphi Theatre

I had the pleasure of seeing Kinky Boots for the first time on Broadway among an audience of its creatives such as Harvey Fierstein and Cyndi Lauper in the week before it swept the Tony's by winning six of the thirteen categories it was nominated in, including Best Musical – it was a memorable experience. The show strutted into the West End in 2015 and while it's taken a little while to find its feet (I wasn't as blown away by the original West End cast back then as I was by the Broadway one), it has really managed to carve out a 'kinky' niche for itself in London.

13 The Musical at Ambassadors Theatre

Photo credit: Roy Tan I first became aware of 13 The Musical back in 2012 when the National Youth Music Theatre performed songs from the show at West End Live and I was instantly hooked. The tunes by Jason Robert Brown (of The Last 5 Years, Honeymoon in Vegas, Songs for a New World fame) were immensely catchy and I've been keen to see a full version of this musical ever since. And I finally got a chance to do so this week with the British Theatre Academy's incredible West End version comprised of a mega-talented cast of young performers. Combined with the funny book and excellent score it makes this production an absolute must-see.

Show Boat at the New London Theatre

Credit: Johan Persson
Based on the book of the same name by Edna Ferber, Show Boat is a 1920s musical spanning three generations on the Cotton Blossom, a Mississippi River show boat. Adapted for the stage by Jeremy Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II, it is one of the earliest examples of shows as we know them today rather than the Vaudeville variety that was the more common form of entertainment on Broadway at that time.