Caroline Cronin - Page 2

This isn’t the first time that an opening night review has been written when the following day is closing night, but it is hopefully the last. When Tier 3 restrictions were announced at 3.30pm on Monday, the theatre industry heaved a collective sigh of desperation as once again, the rug was pulled out from under them. Of course, regional theatres have been closed for many months, but some is better than none, and seeing London theatres alive these past few weeks gave a glimmer of hope - not to mention employment - to thousands of people.

Not since the Landor production in 2013 has the UK seen a professional production of Title of Show, the self-referential musical by Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell about two struggling writers in New York who decided to write an original musical for the New York Musical Theatre Festival. But joyfully, Lambert Jackson Productions has bought it back to the British masses and assembled a superb cast directed by Josh Seymour.

Austin Winberg's musical First Date was first seen on Broadway in 2013. It's a classic American story of two mismatched singletons in New York - Aaron and Casey - who end up on a blind date, and all the complications that come with that.

Austin Winberg's musical First Date was first seen on Broadway in 2013. It's a classic American story of two mis-matched singletons in New York - Aaron and Casey - who end up on a blind date, and all the complications that come with that. Featuring a contemporary rock score by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, First Date the Musical ran for five months on Broadway and hasn't been seen on these shores in a professional capacity until now.

Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years has a brilliantly problematic narrative - two souls taking us on a journey of their relationship, but one in chronological order (Jamie), and one in reverse (Cathy). Jonathan O'Boyle's version takes it to the upper echelons of directorial genius by creating an actor-muso production where the actors are entwined at all times through the music itself - and now, I can't imagine consuming this musical in any other way.

It's six years since Before After premiered at what was then the St James Studio, with Hadley Fraser and Caroline Sheen in the lead roles. It's a shame that it's taken so long for us to see it again, as it's a rather charming piece - made all the more so by the return of Fraser and his real-life partner Rosalie Craig.

The Last Five Years is one of the few musicals that seems as if Jason Robert Brown wrote it precisely with a pandemic in mind. 

David Hare is well known for his biting commentary on public institutions. The Church of England, the legal system: none have escaped his observation unscathed, and with Beat the Devil, the Conservative Government is the target of choice.

My recent visit as a first-timer to this much-celebrated space was to see Educating Rita - a truncated version of the David Pugh production that was due to tour the country, pre-COVID.

Layton Williams will be headlining his own concert as part of the West End Musical Drive-In series on 29 August

Jason Robert Brown has gifted the world with immeasurable talent through his flair for theatrical compositions with a pop/rock bent and broad vocal ranges. The UK has been gifted with a wealth of JRB productions over the years - most recently an inspired lockdown performance of The Last Five Years, and before that a stunning Menier Chocolate Factory production of Bridges of Madison County.

Fans of Jason Robert Brown will be embracing the opportunity to witness a fresh production of Songs From A New World. It was last performed in the UK way back in 2015 - when The Other Palace was known as St James Theatre - and had an impressive cast of Jenna Russell, Cynthia Erivo, Dean John Wilson and Damian Humbley. Songs For A New World is Brown's first musical, and Lambert Jackson Productions is bringing it back to the masses with a new isolated production starring Rachel John, Cedric Neal, Rachel Tucker and Ramin Karimloo.

What Club11 London has always done so brilliantly is unite communities, and Turn Up London is perhaps their most effective and important example of that.

During this unsettling time, here at BroadwayWorld we've been buoyed by witnessing the outpouring of support, encouragement and collaboration that members of the arts community have been offering each other as the weeks have passed.

Cats. Possibly the most recognisable Andrew Lloyd Webber creation, known worldwide for its elaborate feline choreography and signature song 'Memory'. Its profile makes it the perfect candidate to close the 'The Shows Must Go On' streaming series of Lloyd Webber productions, which has successfully raised over $500,000 across the past seven weeks.

The hype around the National Theatre's production of Twelfth Night when it premiered in 2017 was, understandably, centred around Tamsin Greig. Not necessarily because of her celebrity status (although that of course will have been a factor), but primarily because she would be undertaking a gender-swapped role - from Malvolio to Malvolia.

David Hunter has become a renowned West End leading man - from Guy in Once to Charlie Price in Kinky Boots, and, most recently, Dr Pomatter in Waitress. Since theatres went dark and lockdown began, he's kept himself busy (and his fans entertained) by actively creating and sharing new material online with his trademark infectious enthusiasm. We had a natter to David about his involvement in the upcoming All The Web's a Stage online concert, why he'll miss Waitress so much, and which of his previous roles he thinks would cope best in a lockdown.

Premiering at Chichester Festival Theatre in September 2018 (although first produced in Sheffield in 2016), Daniel Evans' production of Flowers for Mrs Harris takes us on a heart-warming journey of self-discovery. Based on Paul Gallico's 1958 novel of the same name, Rachel Wagstaff's book is overflowing with an authentic sense of humanity, and what it means to truly find oneself.

It's a strange old time right now, with our beloved theatre community mourning the loss of jobs, of creative outlets, and of the human connections that theatre is so brilliant at creating. This collective grief is felt over at BroadwayWorld UK too, and we want to do what we can to continue celebrating the industry we love so much, so we've launched a series of features that celebrate musicals and plays from days gone by.

A stage adaptation of Pretty Woman makes a lot of sense. It's possibly one of the most beloved movies of its time, with its iconic costumes and quotable one-liners...and it propelled the ever-popular Julia Roberts into superstardom.