As You Like It - West End Articles Page 7

French aristocrats, revolutionaries, traveling comedy troupes, swordsmen — Scaramouche packs it all in this world premiere musical that doesn’t stop moving and keeps you laughing. 

One thing about a Charlie Puth concert is that the music is almost guaranteed to sound great. The real question is whether the live performance can live up to the level of precision people have come to expect from him. At Vancouver’s Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre on May 5, Puth answered that question quickly. From the opening moments of the sold-out night, the WHATEVER’S CLEVER! WORLD TOUR felt built around the strengths that have defined his career for over a decade: polished production, strong live vocals, and an understanding of music that goes deeper than catchy hooks alone. 

The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus will close Season 48 with two concerts: SHINE ON, featuring West Coast guest ensembles, and DOLLY! A PRIDE SHOW, a choral tribute to Dolly Parton performed at Green Music Center and San Francisco's Curran Theatre.

The Weidner will present the 2026-2027 VIRTUOSI LIVE! Series, headlined by JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA with Wynton Marsalis, marking the 100th anniversary of the Brown County Civic Music Association. Series packages are on sale now.

In her first season as the new artistic director at Opera Theatre of St. Louis (OTSL), Patricia Racette has programmed a festival season that holds something for everyone. Three of the four Operas being presented are written in English. Two, Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance and The Light in the Piazza, are from the canon of the American Musical Theatre. The other two, A Streetcar Named Desire and Romeo and Juliet, are well known dramas. If you’ve never seen an Opera, this is the season to take in a show at OTSL.

Though it’s a musical about a support group for internet addicts, Dave Molloy’s Octet is delightfully analog. And that’s precisely the point — Molloy’s musical invites audiences to look away from their screens and lean into this intimate, inventive, and fully a cappella show. Molloy (perhaps best known for Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812) has written the kind of show that gives me hope for the future of new musicals. Octet is timely, creative, often funny — and truly, wholly original. And based on the recent news about the forthcoming movie musical directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, it has commercial legs.

Next Week, 54 Below will some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond, including Stephanie Pope, Jonathan Poretz, Ari Axelrod and more. 

BroadwayWorld recently caught up with actor and singer Dana Cimone LaFreniere, currently appearing as Dorothy in the national tour of THE WIZ, about stepping into a production that understands exactly what audiences cherish about this groundbreaking musical while still daring to ask what THE WIZ sounds and feels like now. That balancing act of honoring legacy without getting trapped in nostalgia is part of what gives this revival its electricity.

Traditionally, most Broadway shows hold off on releasing live captures until after the show closes. But could releasing a filmed capture earlier be a smart business move, one that solves a fundamental supply-and-demand problem bothering Broadway since the 1960s? If shows like Hadestown and Six can turn live captures into added income, all while keeping up the demand and fan fervor for the Broadway tickets themselves, then live captures might be the Broadway business trend of the future.

Guild Hall Players present “The Book of Will” by Lauren Gunderson on May 21-24, 2026. Show times are 8 p.m. from May 21-24 and 7 p.m. on May 24. Guild Hall Players perform at St. James Episcopal Church located at 3750 E. Douglas Ave. in Wichita, KS 67208. Reservations can be made by calling 316-683-5686, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The full cast recording of Jamie Lloyd's West End production of EVITA, featuring Rachel Zegler, announced as a triple vinyl and digital album, with a new single 'Rainbow Tour' now available on all digital platforms. Listen here.

From the Ground Up, Portland's feminist arts incubator, will present 10 YEARS OF BELONGING AND BECOMING at CoHo Productions, featuring 12 artists across theater, dance, comedy, and photography in its largest festival to date.

While harmonizing to perfection, Katis rules the piano with the sensitivity necessary to realistically perform King’s songs of self-awareness and the longing to find your place in the world, while Clews’ finger-picking expertise on guitar adds a real sense of introspective musical magic to Taylor’s.

If you have never seen a live opera, this would be an excellent introduction.

The Receptionist officially opens tonight at Pershing Square Signature Center. Directed by Sarah Benson, the production stars Katie Finneran, Mallori Johnson, Nael Nacer, and Will Pullen. Read the reviews.

The Soraya announced its 2026-27 season featuring 45 performances, eight major debuts including Sutton Foster, Snarky Puppy, Audra McDonald, and Dance Theatre of Harlem, plus the introduction of incoming Executive & Artistic Director Chad Hilligus.

Citadel Theatre has announced its 2026-27 mainstage season, featuring EUREKA DAY, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY, THE GLASS MENAGERIE, and the musical ORDINARY DAYS.

Hackmatack Farm + Playhouse in Berwick, Maine will present a summer season of community events, including a Farm to Table Dinner with James Beard-nominated Chef Evan Mallett, monthly Contra Dances, and a youth nature camp.

The Duke's Theatre Company's open-air production of ROMEO AND JULIET, directed by Joseph Pitcher, will tour UK venues including Hever Castle and the Minack Theatre, featuring a cast of six.

The American Theatre Guild has announced its 2026-27 Broadway in Thousand Oaks season at the Bank of America Performing Arts Center, unveiling a lineup that leans strongly into music-driven storytelling and audience favorites while still offering discovery. The upcoming season includes Hadestown, The Bodyguard, and A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical as subscription titles, with The Carpenters Songbook: A Live Celebration offered as a special add-on engagement. All four productions mark Thousand Oaks premieres, continuing the Guild’s commitment to bringing major touring Broadway directly to Ventura County.

When I saw Portland Playhouse's 2025–2026 season announced, the show I was most irrationally excited about was THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL. I’m far from an expert on the SpongeBob SquarePants universe, but I've watched enough episodes to have completely fallen for the little yellow sponge in square pants and a tie whose greatest ambition in life is to be the best fry cook at the Krusty Krab.

The 13th Annual Heller Awards for Young Artists (HAYAs) took place last night, May 6, 2026, for the first time at Bass Concert Hall, the home of Broadway in Austin, presented by Texas Performing Arts and co-produced by Impact Arts. It was a night of celebration and joy!

Scrum Theatre announced a summer programme of writing workshops, masterclasses, and intensives at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, featuring sessions with David Hare, Philip Shelley, Josh Azouz, and other practitioners.

Rose Shalloo will lead the cast of the Olivier Award-winning play NELL GWYNN at Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre, in a co-production from Storyhouse, Shakespeare North Playhouse, and Theatre by the Lake.

We visited MO Lounge their elegant Afternoon Tea service and had a marvelous, relaxing experience.