British Theatre Guide

News, reviews, features and podcast on theatre across the UK

Musicals

Musicals news

The Best Of… Rock Musicals

Casting is announced for charity event in May in aid of mental health charity The Charlie Waller Memorial Trust.

West Side Story

West Side Story for Royal Exchange

A brand-new version of Broadway's biggest musical West Side Story comes to the Royal Exchange Theatre.

Jaymi Hensley (Joseph)

Joseph is heading back to the North East

A new tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is coming to two NE theatres

Thrilled: Royal and Derngate artistic director James Dacre

Musical theatre conference to be staged in Northampton

The first conference in the country to have a focus on touring musical theatre is to be staged at Northampton’s Royal and Derngate.

Les Misérables: One Day More

Les Miserables back in Manchester in 2020

Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Les Misérables—currently enjoying a sold-out run at Manchester Palace Theatre—is to return to Greater Manchester.

Jason Manford as Frank Cioffi in Curtains

Manford heads new musical tour

A brand-new UK tour of the Tony Award winning musical Curtains, starring comedian Jason Manford, will will be at Manchester Palace Theatre.

No Miracles Here

Musical dances into Keswick

Musical theatre makers The Letter Room stop off in Keswick's Theatre by the Lake as part of a national tour.

Avenue Q for Chester venue

The Tony Award-winning Avenue Q arrives at Storyhouse in Chester.

Sarah Jane Buckley, Lisa Maxwell, Rebecca Storm, Ruth Madoc, Judy Holt, Sue Daveney, Julia Hills in Calendar Girls The Musical

Calendar date for Chester

Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s musical comedy, Calendar Girls The Musical, is at Chester’s Storyhouse this year.

Ghost the Musical back on tour

Ghost – The Musical is back on tour and is at Storyhouse, Chester March 5 to 9.

Union J's Jaymi Hensley

Dreamcoat at Storyhouse

Union J singer Jaymi Hensley will be donning the iconic Dreamcoat in his first ever major musical role.

The London 2018 cast

The Mormons are coming!

The Book of Mormon, the musical which takes a comic look at the Mormon religion, is coming to Sunderland.

The Cast of Saturday Night Fever - UK Tour

Saturday Night Fever in Chester

Saturday Night Fever is coming to Storyhouse in Chester.

British Youth Music Theatre

New music theatre award won by The Dickens Girls

The inaugural British Youth Music Theatre award has been won by Rachel Bellman and Elizabeth Charlesworth for The Dickens Girls, which they based on a true story of fallen women.

Rebecca Trehearn

UK première of Rags musical

Olivier Award-winning actress Rebecca Trehearn will star as Rebecca in the UK première of a new version of the Stephen Schwartz musical Rags at Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester.

Arbuthnot (David John Hopper), Cutlet (Charlie Raine) and Puddles (Dale Jewitt)

A half-term detective story

The Customs House in South Shields presents a detective story with a difference for half-term.

Sweeney Todd cast for Liverpool

Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse has announced casting for Sweeney Todd.

Anita Dobson in Annie

Anita Dobson for Chester Annie

Anita Dobson will star as Miss Hannigan in Annie at Storyhouse in Chester.

Motown the Musical

Motown memories could earn you FREE tickets

Motown The Musical comes to Manchester in February and music fans across the North West are being encouraged to share their memories of Motown legends performing at the Manchester Odeon on March 30, 1965.

Achy Breaky Bride

Jukebox country musical for St Helens

Achy Breaky Bride, a jukebox country musical, comes to St Helens Theatre Royal.

Victoria Gibson

Steel and Iron: a new musical coming soon

Twenty Seven Productions is developing a new musical based on the history of Middlesbrough.

Musical reviews

Nathan Gunn and Sarah Tynan

The Merry Widow

Lehár

English National Opera

The Coliseum, London

1 March to 13 April 2019

The Bodyguard

Alexander Dinelaris (book) based on screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan

Michael Harrison and David Ian

Liverpool Empire

28 February to 9 March 2019

Kayi Ushe as Lola

Kinky Boots

Book by Harvey Fierstein, music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper

Bristol Hippodrome

25 February to 9 March 2019

In The Willows

Poppy Burton-Morgan (adapted from Kenneth Grahame)

Metta Theatre in association with Exeter Northcott Theatre

Exeter Northcott

24 February to 1 June 2019

The cast of Matilda The Musical

Matilda The Musical

Roald Dahl, book by Dennis Kelly, music & lyrics by Tim Minchin

Royal Shakespeare Company

The Alhambra, Bradford

19 February to 23 March 2019

A J Bentley, Curtis T Johns, Sario Solomon, Nick Carsberg and Yazdan Qafouri

The Band

Tim Firth and the music of Take That

Ambassadors Theatre Group

The New Victoria Theatre, Woking

19 to 23 February 2019

tick, tick... BOOM!

tick, tick... BOOM!

Jonathan Larson

Yes Please Theatre Company

Newbridge Memo

15 to 16 February 2019

Natalie Williams as Susan, Michael Vinsen as Hunter, Jordan Fox as Jeff and Kirby Hughes as Heidi

[title of show]

Music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen and book by Hunter Bell

Above the Stag

Above the Stag Theatre (Studio Theatre)

13 February to 10 March 2019

Follies: The Company

Follies

Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by James Goldman

National Theatre

National Theatre (Olivier Theatre)

12 February to 11 May 2019

Can-Can!

Book and lyrics by Phil Willmott, loosely based on a plot by Sir Arthur Wing ...

The Phil Willmott Company

Union Theatre

6 February to 9 March 2019

Anita Dobson as Miss Hannigan, Carolyn Maitland as Grace Farrell and company

Annie

Book by Thomas Meehan with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin

Michael Harrison, David Ian, Tulchin / Bartner, Michael Watt, Neil Laidlaw / Ramin Sabi

Opera House, Manchester

2 to 16 February 2019

Company (2018 London Cast Recording)

Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by George Furth

Warner Classics / Elliott & Harper Productions

Released 1 February 2019

A Super Happy Story

A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad)

Jon Brittain and Matthew Floyd Jones

Silent Uproar

The Vaults

30 January to 3 February 2019

Come from Away

Book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein

Phoenix Theatre

From 30 January 2019

Jersey Boys: the cast

Jersey Boys

Book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice; music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob ...

Dodger Theatricals and Ambassador Theatre Group

Palace Theatre, Manchester

29 January to 16 February 2019

Caroline Sheen, Amber Davies and Natalie McQueen

9 to 5 The Musical

Music and Lyrics by Dolly Parton, Book by Patricia Resnick

Savoy Theatre

28 January to 31 August 2019

Brad (Ben Adams) and Janet (Joanne Clifton) with chorus

The Rocky Horror Show

Richard O'Brien

Howard Panter for Trafalgar Theatre Productions

Sunderland Empire

28 January to 2 February 2019

Quasimodo (Angelo Del Vecchio) and Esmeralda (Hiba Tawaji)

Notre Dame de Paris

From the novel by Victor Hugo, lyrics by Luc Plamondon, composition by Richar...

London Coliseum

23 to 27 January 2019

Musical features

Man of La Mancha Launch at the London Coliseum

The latest ENO musical launched at the London Coliseum with a panel discussion between Matt Wolf, producer Michael Linnit and four of the show's stars, Kelsey Grammer, Danielle de Niese Nicholas Lyndhurst and Cassidy Janson