2019 has been yet another great year for theatre, both in the West End and with some brilliant UK Tours too. There's been lots of changes with many Broadway shows coming over to London and lots of excellent shows with, unfortunately, limited runs. Instead of my usual top ten this year I have selected five... Continue Reading →
The Show Must Go On.... The old saying 'the show must go on' seems to have been taken literally as Toby Marlow, co-writer of Six, stepped into the role of Catherine Parr at the 28th July 2019 show. Due to sickness, injuries and cast holidays the co-writer stepped up and took to the stage... Continue Reading →
Let's be honest, at some point in our lives, we've all been disappointed upon arrival at a show to find that an understudy or swing is on. Usually, for most people that initial disappointment soon fades when they see how amazing and talented the understudy actually is. After all, so many of today's theatre stars... Continue Reading →
November and December have been unusually quiet here at MusicalManda so I have condensed them together. During the two months I managed only to see 8 shows including some sensational concerts. Hadestown at the National Theatre, London was a stand out performance for me. Its mixture of modern American folk music and jazz really made... Continue Reading →
What a year 2018 has been! With new shows opening, famous revivals, some fabulous new touring productions starting not to mention some of the most well-received shows of recent years taking to the stage (Six, Heathers and Eugenius to mention just some). I have smashed my last years target of 53 shows and have seen... Continue Reading →
2019 looks set to be another fantastic year of theatre. With lots of the current West End shows closing their doors there are lots of Broadway shows crossing over the pond and opening in London and a fair few revivals too. Hopefully leaving some space for some new writing and material also. Check out the... Continue Reading →
Obviously the last two performances of Six were incredible and really special but the one show that really stood out to me during October was The Distance We Have Come. This was a short run of Scott Alan's song cycle at the intimate Cockpit theatre in London. The songs were utterly gorgeous and the... Continue Reading →
Into The Woods: Central Theatre, Chatham. Reviewed 10th October 2018 Stephen Sondheim's famous Into The Woods is the latest musical performed by the Gillingham Dramatic Society (GDS) who are one of Kent’s premier amateur theatre companies, specialising in musical theatre and pantomime. They have been performing shows in the Medway area for over forty years and this... Continue Reading →
Ok, so despite seeing 10 different shows September basically revolved around one show in particular. Six! Having seen the show in January in London and unfortunately missing the run at Ed Fringe I couldn't wait to catch it back at the Arts Theatre in London. I was absolutely blown away. The show has been... Continue Reading →
Phew, August has been busy! This is the month I am off work (I am a Primary School Teacher by day) so that means there is more chance to go to the theatre but this month I've managed to cram in 15 shows! August is also the month of Edinburgh Fringe which I was lucky... Continue Reading →
Musical Manda 