Aisling Murphy — Theater Critic

Much of the power of Hell’s Kitchen comes from its performances, from 19-year-old Drake (impressive vocally if overly mumbly when she speaks) to the astonishing Caughell, whose second-act rendition of Pawn It All sees the actor sustain a high F6 (!). Roz White, too, is a highlight as Miss Liza Jane, the pianist who instills in Ali a sense of purpose at the piano.

A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical isn’t as torturous as We Will Rock You. And, to its credit, it’s more biographically rigorous than MJ: Unlike Jackson, Diamond doesn’t escape his musical with an unscathed reputation. In fact, he appears wildly unlikeable in places. Even so, A Beautiful Noise is yet another project, structured around the catalogue of a popular artist, in which the story being told – the raison d’être for a theatre show – comes third to the music and atmosphere.

As it stands, though, MJ is a glittering, woefully incomplete ode to one of the most important entertainers in history. The music sounds great; the dancing might see you attempt a moonwalk on your stroll home. But it seems we’re doomed to reassess Jackson’s legacy every few years – I’m sure we’ll do this again when the estate-approved biopic Michael drops in 2026. Once more, we’ll have to ask, likely while humming Thriller under our breath: How can we honour this tremendous, haunted individual if we never hear his whole story?

John Rando’s production has a few moments that titillate rather than obliterate the senses – the levitating car, as well as choreographer Chris Bailey’s tight dance sequences – but there’s an overreliance on projections and video that makes Back to the Future feel less like a stage show and more like a ride at a rickety carnival, flashy and bright but without much substance beneath the surface.

John Rando’s production has a few moments that titillate rather than obliterate the senses – the levitating car, as well as choreographer Chris Bailey’s tight dance sequences – but there’s an overreliance on projections and video that makes Back to the Future feel less like a stage show and more like a ride at a rickety carnival, flashy and bright but without much substance beneath the surface.