@greatscott
Theatre critic (Musical Theatre Review, The Reviews Hub, Musicals Magazine), occasional writer & director. 🏳️🌈 he/him. Also a software developer (Rails/ReactJS/etc) so expect bits of everything. All opinions my own & not that of any employer.
The Fringe Theatre Awards congratulate Simon Bejer (Design), Matthew Kellett and Catrine Kirkman (Performance) and Charles Court Opera (Production) in the Opera Patience
Further show information available
wiltons.org.uk/whats-on/pat...
Please see FTA website #theFTA
www.fringetheatreawards.co.uk
‘As the choir comes together for a final a cappella performance, it does feel like a powerful statement – not just for lesbians, but for all LGBTQ+ people’
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ for The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs at the Kiln Theatre @greatscott.bsky.social
musicaltheatrereview.com/the-ministry...
‘It does succeed in bringing the joy… And there’s no point in pooh-poohing a fun musical’
★ ★ ★ for Lovestuck at Theatre Royal @stratfordeast.com @greatscott.bsky.social
musicaltheatrereview.com/lovestuck-a-...
‘The key to This is My Family’s charm is that there’s something universal to recognise in its charms, its squabbles, its in-jokes & its occasionally buried love’
★★★★ for This is My Family at @swkplay.bsky.social Elephant @greatscott.bsky.social
musicaltheatrereview.com/this-is-my-f...
‘Act I is much the strongest part of the show, thanks to both Buckley & McHale’s warm double act & some of the show’s strongest musical numbers’
#Review The Frogs at Southwark Playhouse Borough @greatscott.bsky.social ★ ★ ★
musicaltheatrereview.com/the-frogs-so...
‘The production suddenly mutates into the sort of show that one hopes to see on a West End stage, but rarely does’
#Review Clueless: A New Musical at London’s Trafalgar Theatre @greatscott.bsky.social
musicaltheatrereview.com/clueless-a-n...
‘It makes one appreciate the songwriting skills in the musical even more than its original staging did. More than that it reaffirms that there’s something worth treasuring’
★★★★★ for Why Am I So Single? Original London Cast Recording @greatscott.bsky.social
musicaltheatrereview.com/music-review...
‘Mehmet Ergen ensures that it is arguably a closer rendition of Waters’ naughtiness & eclecticism than its more polished predecessor Hairspray’
#Review Cry-Baby, The Musical at the Arcola Theatre @arcolatheatre.bsky.social @greatscott.bsky.social
musicaltheatrereview.com/cry-baby-the...
‘There is such a thrill when watching KENREX that one feels it is surely the theatrical event of 2025 to date. It may even be the event of the year’
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ for Kenrex at @swkplay.bsky.social Borough
#KENREXtheplay @greatscott.bsky.social
musicaltheatrereview.com/kenrex-south...
Captain America is pretty good, if hampered by the obligation to the third act CGI slugfest. That derails the structure quite a bit. Still, outside that it’s nice to see Eternals acknowledged in the wider MCU at long last.
★★★★ Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew, Bush Theatre. “lands some strong punches… it still speaks to, and on behalf of, so many who lost loved ones at the height of the AIDS crisis” www.thereviewshub.com/lavender-hya...
It's never too late to be yourself. 🏳️⚧️
www.pride.com/coming-out/b...
Tonight’s EastEnders is good and all, but with the flashbacks (and reprise of a certain actor playing a young version of a beloved character) one can’t help but feel for the late Jo Warne and her erasure from Easties history
Been reading your posts
‘Without The Music Mandrew, Flo and Joan would not have been able to write one of the most fun new musicals of the year’
★ ★ ★ ★ for One Man Musical at the Underbelly Boulevard @greatscott.bsky.social
https://buff.ly/3EeuJ9r
I have to do the same… I went into S2 ep1 thinking “it’s fine I remember everything from S1” and quickly realised that nope, I have memory holed most of it
…I wonder whether we're intended to turn it into a guessing game of "Olivier, Lyttelton, Dorfman" – a very theatrical version of Shag, Marry, Kill (except that I love all three spaces in different ways, of course)
I know it's of little to no consequence, but in the National Theatre's new "What's on in 2025" booklet I received in the post, it's really frustrating that none of the spears put together for each production tell you which theatre the production will actually be in…
I know we’re all pretty much Wicked discoursed out by now, but why has nobody mentioned the similarity of Dancing Through Life to the This Morning theme
I can buy Leo Woodall as the world’s sexiest maths postgrad in Prime Target (Apple TV+), but not that he’d kick Fra Fee out of bed so that he can scribble a couple more formulas. All believability out the window right there.
We’re now in the arse end of January, so why is #TheArchers STILL banging on about panto?
Screenshot from the WordleBot summary of my effort versus its own. “Comparing Our Solutions: I tried solving it in my own, and you have succeeded where I failed. I did my cap to you. “ Your solution: 4 steps, 45 luck. My solution: unsolved. 19 luck.
Nobody really shares their Wordle efforts any more, but there’s a real sense of pride when the WordleBot can’t solve it and you did.
★★★★★ for James Joyce’s The Dead, an evening of midwinter choral works by London’s LGBTQ+ classical choir accompanying a reading of the famous short story. If this becomes an annual work, I’ll be returning each time www.thereviewshub.com/james-joyces...
Just seen a show that combines a queer choir with a James Joyce short story, and it’s set the bar for what classical music and theatre can deliver in 2025. Full review to be filed, but my heart is full.
Looking to work with a Stage Manager and Production Manager for tiata fahodzi’s spring touring plays. It’s a lovely gig going to some great venues across the country.
www.tiatafahodzi.com/jobs
At work in Friday we had a team exercise at which we each played “two truths and a lie”. Mine were:
* Stephen Hawking once ran over my foot with his wheelchair
* I was punched in the arm by Judi Dench
* I won an award for my blogging
I wonder which one is the lie…?
The programme of little Shop of Horrors (book and lyrics Howard Ashman, music Alan Menken) featuring Colin Ryan as Seymour and Georgina Ounorah as Audrey). The programme is held in front of the pre-show stage, upon which are large LCD-style displays with today’s date, 11/01, displayed. Behind that, an empty tier of seats is visible.
Obligatory programme-in-front-of-stage shot (don’t worry, that bank of seats is now filling up nicely) #LittleShopOfHorrors
The woman in question was on the other side of a traverse stage, so I couldn’t even nudge her. I did wonder why she was thinking, “you know what this recreation of a classroom for 13-14 year olds needs? A splash of press night Chardonnay”
Shouldn't have to say this, but if you are on the front row of the audience at a fringe venue, where the space is so small that you are on the very edge of the performance, please for all that is holy do NOT use the set as a resting place for your wine glass.
