MickeyJoTheatre

In the 25 years since it premiered, audiences have been debating which of the characters in The Last Five Years is at fault for the end of their relationship. The musical, written by Jason Robert Brown, follows the dual perspectives of Cathy Hyatt, an aspiring actress, and Jamie Wellerstein, a successful novelists, on their 5 year relationship. Productions have previously starred Norbert Leo Butz,...

The fan favourite musical WAITRESS, seen on Broadway and in the West End, is back on stage in a new UK Tour starring Carrie Hope Fletcher as Jenna. The musical, based on the film of the same name features a book by Jessie Nelson and a score from Sara Bareilles, and also stars Dan Partridge, Les Dennis, Sandra Marvin, Evelyn Hoskins, Mark Anderson, and more. Check out what Mickey-Jo thought of the...

Right now, it seems like there are more Glee alumni on stage in New York than ever before, and it made Mickey-Jo wonder about the impact of the TV show on the theatre industry in the years since it debuted. From Lea Michele in Funny Girl to Matthew Morrison in Just in Time, plenty of Glee cast members have either made their stage debut or returned to Broadway after finding fame on screen, and it h...

With the 2026 Olivier Awards fast approaching, Mickey-Jo and his stagey fiancé  @AeronJames  are finally sharing our predictions for the upcoming ceremony. Check out which productions, actors, and creatives we think (and hope) will win next weekend from nominees including Paddington the Musical, Into the Woods, Kenrex, 1536, All My Sons, Evita, Inter Alia, and more. Check out today's new...

Earlier this week, Mickey-Jo was invited to review the press night performance of ROMEO & JULIET at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London. This new production of the Shakespearean tragedy has been directed by Robert Icke and stars Noah Jupe (Hamnet) and Sadie Sink (John Proctor is the Villain). Check out what Mickey-Jo thought of this bold, new staging and its leading performances... • 00:00 | i...

KINKY BOOTS is back in London, in a new production which opened first at Curve Leicester before touring the UK and Europe. This revival of the popular musical stars Johannes Radebe as Lola alongside Matt Cardle as Charlie Price. Check out what Mickey-Jo thought of this production, its design, and its performances and find out where Mickey-Jo thought it improved on the original version... • 00:00 |...

The contemporary musical theatre song cycle IN PIECES has become a fan favourite show, and played sold out concert performances this week at the Other Palace Theatre in London. Before seeing the final show, Mickey-Jo sat down with writer / composer Joey Contreras to discuss the show's inspirations, development, and fan reception. Comment down below with who you'd love to see me to interview next!...

Mickey-Jo is sharing reviews of four plays he's seen in the last couple of weeks in London: • Summerfolk at the National Theatre • Slippery at the Omnibus Theatre • Jaja's African Hair Braiding at the Lyric, Hammersmith • Choir Boy at Stratford East Check out what Mickey-Jo thought of the writing, creative choices, and performances in each! check out Mickey-Jo's brand new substack newsletter: www....

There's a new production of Jason Robert Brown's THE LAST FIVE YEARS, celebrating its 25th Anniversary, and starring Rachel Zegler and Ben Platt. The iconic early contemporary musical theatre song cycle was performed in a semi staged concert last week at the London Palladium and will also be seen at Radio City Music Hall in New York and the Hollywood Bowl. After loving and hating different product...

In just a few weeks, the West End Theatre community will celebrate the annual Olivier Awards in London, while many of Broadway's most exciting new shows are opening in anticipation of the Tony Awards in New York. Though these two ceremonies and institutions seem to be comparable counterparts, there has always been distinct differences between them, beyond their geography. Today, as a frequent West...

A new revival of the play TEETH N SMILES by David Hare opened earlier this week at the Duke of York's Theatre in the West End. The play, originally seen 50 years ago at the Royal Court, stars Rebecca Lucy Taylor AKA Selfie Esteem as Maggie, the troubled lead singer of a derailing rock band. Check out what Mickey-Jo thought of the play, its captivating central performance, and the creative choices...

When Jessie Buckley won an Oscar earlier this month for her celebrated performance in Hamnet, it reminded Mickey-Jo of the 2008 BBC TV series I'd Do Anything. The programme was a weekly competition in which aspiring performers went head to head to win the role of Nancy in a major West End revival of Oliver! What's fascinating, on reflection, is how many of the show's alumni have gone on to achieve...

Mcikey-Jo recently visited the Omnibus Theatre in Clapham, where a new play SLIPPERY was readying for its final preview performance. Mickey-Jo sat down with one of the play's two cast members, John McCrea, known for his starring role in Everybody's Talking About Jamie as well as his recent appearances in Cabaret and Prince F*ggot, as well as the rising star playwright Louis Emmitt-Stern. Find out...

Over the last week, there has been debate about National press outlets being excluded from the opportunity to review ONE DAY the Musical at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh. The production, which is making its world premiere, is one of a handful that had declined certain critics, alongside The Greatest Showman, and the most recent tours of Legally Blonde, and Kinky Boots. Today, as well as sh...

Over the last week, drama and discourse has surrounded the new UK Tour of Legally Blonde. While the show was in Milton Keynes, leading lady Amber Davies became ongoingly indisposed due to ill health, with the role of Elle Woods being played thereafter by Hannah Lowther. In addition to the sensationalised reporting of this by the tabloids, the show encountered further challenges when several other...

As promised, Mickey-Jo made it to the Bristol Hippodrome to see the first preview performance of the world premiere of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN, finally on stage as a full musical. The show stars Oliver Tompsett as PT Barnum and Samantha Barks as Charity Barnum, with a supporting cast including Ben Joyce, Lorna Courtney, Vajèn van den Bosch, Malinda Parris and more. In lieue of a review, here is what...

Last week the nominations were announced for the 2026 Olivier Awards, celebrating the best of the last year of London Theatre. The most nominated shows this year were Paddington and Into the Woods, with recognition for 1536, Evita, Inter Alia, Punch, Kenrex, Stereophonic, and more. There were, however, some productions, performances and creatives who were snubbed from this year's nominations... ch...

Mickey-Jo recently checked out one of London's most talked about new arrivals, a limited workshop presentation of the new musical MIDNIGHT by Todrick Hall. The musical, written, directed and choreographed by as well as starring Todrick, also featured performers including Rachel Tucker, Marisha Wallace, Jeremy Beloate, Ayana George, Charlotte Jaconelli, and more. Ahead of the show's further develop...

Mickey-Jo's sharing reviews of four plays he's seen in the last couple of weeks in London: • While They Were Waiting at Upstairs at the Gatehouse (★★) • The Manningtree Witches at Mercury Theatre, Colchester (★★★★) • Our Town at Rose Theatre, Kingston (★★★) • Marie and Rosetta at @sohoplace (★★★★) Check out what Mickey-Jo thought of the writing, creative choices, and performances in each! check ou...

The Academy Award nominated actor Timothée Chalamet is currently experiencing backlash after publicly dismissing Opera and Ballet as dying, unpopular artforms. Chalamet, who has previously appeared on stage and worked alongside trained singers and dancers on screen, has since been criticised by major companies worldwide for his thoughtless comments. But what does this tell us about the mainstream...

Mickey-Jo finally had the chance to sit down with multi-hyphenate stage star, social media personality and musical theatre superfan Todrick Hall, ahead of a performance of his new musical, MIDNIGHT. The show, currently concluding a sold out workshop run at Sadler's Wells East, is the second London project which Todrick has appeared in, in addition to serving as writer, director, and choreographer....

On Sunday, London's theatregoers had the unique opportunity to see two different musicals, both offering insight into the backstory of the sea witch from the Little Mermaid. One of these was Unfortunate, a parody musical Mickey-Jo first enjoyed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe which is currently playing at the Other Palace Theatre, and the other was Sea Witch, a brand new musical in concert receiv...

A few days ago, Mickey-Jo bought a ticket to go see the brand new UK Tour of LEGALLY BLONDE at the Southampton Mayflower. The new production of the fan favourite musical, which began performances at Curve Leicester earlier in February, stars Amber Davies as Elle Woods. In this full description of the show (rather than a review at this time), find out what the new production is like, what's been cu...

On Thursday 5th March at 12pm, the nominations for the 2026 Olivier Awards will be announced, celebrating the best of the last year of London Theatre. In today's video, Mickey-Jo and his stagey fiancé Aeron James are predicting which shows, performers and creatives might be nominated amidst a hugely busy year that included the likes of Paddington the Musical, Evita, All My Sons, 1536, Inter Alia,...

With theatre fans once again talking about stunt casting, it's finally time to have a robust conversation about the controversial topic. From Whitney Leavitt in Chicago on Broadway to Natalie Bassingthwaite in the Australian premiere of Waitress, there are plenty of current examples of the practice which have been come under criticism. check out Mickey-Jo's brand new substack newsletter: www.micke...