I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical - 2023 - West End Articles Page 2

BWW Scotland editor Natalie O'Donoghue selects her top picks of shows returning to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. With over 3000 shows now on sale for the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, trying to narrow down what to see can be a bit of a task. BWW Scotland editor Natalie O'Donoghue has selected her top ten picks across different categories in the festival programme to highlight the shows you really don't want to miss this year!

​​​​​​​In today’s culture, it is hard to find anyone who doesn’t have some experience with the story of Peter Pan. For many, their first exposure to the “boy who refused to grow up” was through Walt Disney’s classic 1953 animated film. Others first journeyed off to Neverland with Peter and Wendy by reading the original 1904 play by J.M. Barrie. And in between (and beyond) have come many different iterations of this timeless adventure. But for musical theatre fans, there is just one PETER PAN – the classic 1954 stage musical which starred Mary Martin and was captured for posterity through a 1955 NBC broadcast. So how does one take a story with its beautiful score but also some troublesome stereotypes and bring it to an audience in 2025? That is just what Larissa FastHorse and the team bringing PETER PAN to life on the stage at the fabulous Fox Theatre have done – taken a classic and updated it for a new generation. And in the role of Tiger Lily, Bailey Frankenberg has a front row seat to what makes this story so magical. I had the chance to catch up with Bailey and hear all about her career and what it is like to play an iconic (but updated) heroine as well as serve as Fight and Flight captain for the show.

It's been one hell of year for James Scully. Following a critically acclaimed performance off-Broadway last year, the actor made his Broadway debut in July in the cast of the hottest (and funniest) play of the season- Oh, Mary! This little show that could started as a limited engagement before it extended... and extended again, and again, and again. James has been along for the ride, and following a brief time away this winter, he has returned to the cast for the show's final months on Broadway. ​

Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater will present a full slate of nightly performances all April long. See the full lineup, including Nicole Henry and more, and learn how to purchase tickets.

Next month, 54 BELOW will presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond, including Lorna Luft and Andrea McArdle, Marilyn Maye, and many more. See the full lineup here!

Recently, we had the chance to chat with Madeleine Jackson-Smith, who plays Jean Leslie & Others in the current cast of Operation Mincemeat. We discussed how she first got into theatre, what it has been like joining the show and even her recent debut as Ewen Montagu!

The San Francisco Symphony has revealed details of the Orchestra’s 114th season, taking place September 4, 2025–June 28, 2026. Learn more and see how to purchase tickets.

Now that we are a quarter of the way through the 21st Century, the serious debate can begin: What is the best stage musical of this century so far? There are several contenders, including The Producers, Hamilton, Waitress, Wicked, Spring Awakening, Fun Home, Next to Normal and In the Heights. High on my list, maybe at or near the very top of it, must be HAIRSPRAY. 

Next month, 54 BELOW, Broadway’s Supper Club & Private Event Destination, will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond, including Jenn Colella, Norbert Leo Butz, and more. See the full March programming here!

For two weekends in a row in January 2025, Segerstrom Center for the Arts presented some powerhouse talents from the world of Broadway to their enjoyable Cabaret Series. First up was the returning Jason Robert Brown, the Tony Award-winning composer of musicals such as PARADE and THE LAST FIVE YEARS joined by a new special guest, Tony Award-winner Anika Noni Rose. The following weekend, the Samueli Theatre then opened its doors to Tony nominee Kerry Butler’s hilarious one-woman comedy cabaret 'Breaking Broadway.'

2025 GRAMMY® nominee Jordan Adetunji ushers in a dynamic new era with his mixtape A Jaguar’s Dream – out January 24. To celebrate the announcement, the multifaceted artist shares new track “Too Many Women” featuring East London artist kwn. Listen to it now.

South Coast Repertory will bring the Pulitzer Prize-winning, Orange County native Sanaz Toossi home with the West Coast premiere of her comedy Wish You Were Here.

Comedian Adam Sank Los Angeles premieres his acclaimed one-man show, Bad Dates: A One Man Show About Many Men, at the Broadwater Main Stage for one-night-only on December 6, 2024.  Adam actually came out of retirement to share his bad, but hilarious dating experiences.

Eric McCormick and Laura Bell Bundy recently stopped by Segerstrom Center of the Arts to present the OC debut of their cabaret show “A Blonde, A Brunette, and Some Duets: From Primetime to Sondheim,” a fun and cheeky night of silly songs and even sillier stories for a limited three-night engagement at the Samueli Theater in Costa Mesa.

The national tour of Kimberly Akimbo, led by Carolee Carmello, is now underway! Read the reviews for the touring production of Kimberly Akimbo here!

Rob Drummond’s new play, Pins and Needles, will premiere in Amit Sharma’s inaugural season at the Kiln Theatre on Wednesday 25 September.

The Microphone Doctors & Doctor Noize's new family album, Mood Food is out now.

54 BELOW will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond in September. Learn more and see how to purchase tickets.

Theater for the New City will present its twelfth  Dream Up Festival in August. See the full lineup and learn how to purchase tickets.

The new album from MAC and Bistro Award-winning concert artist JEFF HARNAR – Jeff Harnar Sings Sammy Cahn: The Second Time Around – is available on CD and digital formats now.

Gloucester Stage Company will continue its 45th-year celebration with the regional premiere of 'WISH YOU WERE HERE' by Pulitzer Prize Winner Sanaz Toossi.

Over and over again, that has happened to me for the almost half a century during which I’ve been reviewing theater. No matter if it’s a play I have seen countless times, I find myself excited to witness a new take on a much-loved title or to find new and expressive meaning in something I know like the back of my hand. More importantly, I find that theater can elicit in me a profound response and cause me to recall people, places and memories that feed my very soul.

The new cast has been announced for the debut UK and Ireland tour of Alexander S. Bermange’s hugely popular revue, I Wish My Life Were Like a Musical.

Syracuse Stage reveals its 2024/2025 season lineup featuring a diverse range of productions including classics, contemporary plays, and family-friendly shows. Learn how to purchase tickets.

MIRACLE OF MIRACLES, a grand tribute to Sheldon Harnick, closed its trio of concert performances last night. It serves as a radiant reminder of a legendary talent of musical theatre. Sheldon Harnick's lyrics and legacy were warmly presented in the Lyrics & Lyricists series, which he was a major part of in its early years.