MickeyJoTheatre

The nominations were recently announced for the 2025 Laurence Olivier Awards, celebrating the best of the last year of West End and London Theatre. This year saw nominations for musicals including FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, STARLIGHT EXPRESS, OLIVER!, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON and NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 as well as plays such as KYOTO, THE YEARS, GIANT, OEDIPUS and THE FE...

During Mickey-Jo's most recent trip to New York, he saw a handful of Broadway shows including two of the best plays he'd seen in a while. The first was EUREKA DAY, by Jonathan Spector, at the Friedman Theatre, and the second was ENGLISH, by Sanaz Toossi, at the Todd Haimes Theatre. Check out what he thought of each of these brilliant, contemporary plays, and what they had in common with ea...

Mickey-Jo was recently invited to see the UK premiere of the new musical WHITE ROSE, which documents an important historical chapter about resistance during the second World War. The show, which was previously seen Off-Broadway stars Collette Guitart (& Juliet, Why Am I So Single?) and Tobias Turley (Heathers, Mamma Mia!) as Sophie and Hans Scholl, two young German students who stood bravely a...

One of this week's biggest London Theatre openings was a new adaptation of Anton Chekhov's THE SEAGULL at the Barbican Centre, directed snd co-written by Thomas Ostermeier alongside Duncan Macmillan. The production's starry ensemble cast includes Cate Blanchett, Tom Burke, Jason Watkins, Emma Corrin, Priyanga Burford, Zachary Hart, Paul Higgins, Tanya Reynolds, Paul Bazely, and Kodi Sm...

While Mickey-Jo was in Bochum, Germany to watch the iconic, long-running production of STARLIGHT EXPRESS, he had the chance to meet one of its stars. Sophie-Rose Middleton is a British actress who currently stars in the German language production as Pearl, and has previously been seen in the international tour of CATS as well as SIX: THE MUSICAL and KIN.Check out what she had to say about rising t...

On Mickey-Jo's two recent visits to New York, he saw the new Broadway musical comedy DEATH BECOMES HER twice, and he's finally ready to tell you why. The show, based on the 1992 cult classic film, stars Megan Hilty, Jennifer Simard, Christopher Sieber, and Michelle Williams in the roles played on screen by Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, Bruce Willis, and Isabella Rossellini. Check out this ful...

On Wednesday 5 March, it was reported by Baz Bamigboye for Deadline that the long anticipated stage musical adaptation of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN would finally receive its world premiere production in 2026.The show, produced by Disney Theatrical, will first be seen at Bristol Hippodrome, after an extensive London workshop last year and ahead of a presumably bright future in the West End and on Broadw...

On Tuesday 4th March at 12pm, the nominations for the 2025 Olivier Awards were announced, celebrating the best of the last year of London Theatre. The announcements were filled with plenty of surprises, from unexpected frontrunners to shocking omissions, and a few more reasons Mickey-Jo was taken aback. Check out this recap of the biggest surprises from the newly announced nominations and share yo...

Mickey-Jo recently headed to the National Theatre in London to see their latest production, a new staging of Michael Abbensetts' ALTERATIONS.The play stars Arinzé Kene and is directed by Lynette Linton in its largest ever staging, with additional material contributed by Trish Cooke. Check out this new review for Mickey-Jo's thoughts on this production, its performances, and what it has to...

After three years of manifesting this interview, Mickey-Jo finally had the chance to sit down with Carrie Hope Fletcher. Currently starring in the UK and Ireland Tour of CALAMITY JANE, Carrie Hope Fletcher is known to many for her hugely popular YouTube channel as well as her stage performances as Éponine and Fantine in LES MISÉRABLES, Veronica in HEATHERS, and as the original star of Andrew Lloyd...

On Tuesday 4th March at 12pm, the nominations for the 2025 Olivier Awards will be announced, celebrating the best of the last year of London Theatre. In today's episode, 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 OLIVER!, HELLO DOLLY!, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTO...

After initially being announced for a 2024 premiere, it has finally been revealed that the stage adaptation of Suzanne Collins' THE HUNGER GAMES will arrive at a London Theatre in 2024.The exciting new production, written by Connor McPherson and directed by Matthew Dunster, will receive its world premiere at the purpose built Troubadour Theatre Canary Wharf in October. Check out today's th...

Several years after first seeing this production, Mickey-Jo returned to watch the new UK and Ireland tour of CALAMITY JANE, based on the film of the same name. The new tour stars Carrie Hope Fletcher (Cinderella, Heathers, Les Misérables) as Calamity Jane alongside former co-star Vinny Coyle (Cinderella, Aspects of Love) as Wild Bill Hicock, and a company of actor-musician performers. Check out th...

The Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine musical INTO THE WOODS, last seen on a London stage in 2016, will receive a major production at the Bridge Theatre from December 2025, it has been announced. Following a return engagement of the venue's acclaimed production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, the musical will be directed by Jordan Fein (Fiddler on the Roof), with design from Tony Award winne...

Alongside the long awaited film adaptation of WICKED, another movie musical has made headlines among this year's releases - the critically acclaimed and controversial Emilia Pérez. With many award nominations, including several at the imminent Academy Awards, this Spanish-language French film starring Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, and Selena Gomez has been well received by the industry but...

It was recently announced that Tony Award winner and Academy Award nominee Cynthia Erivo (Wicked, The Color Purple) would star as Jesus in an upcoming concert staging of the rock opera JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, this summer at the Hollywood Bowl. The news that Erivo will appear in the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice written show, has been met with some overblown backlash, and accusations of blasphem...

In the second of this week's Shakespearean openings, Mickey-Jo headed to Theatre Royal Drury Lane to see MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.This new production, directed by Jamie Lloyd (Sunset Boulevard, The Tempest, Romeo and Juliet), stars Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell as the feuding Benedick and Beatrice. Check out this full review to find out what this production was like, how it compares to a couple o...

In a new week of London Theatre openings, Jonathan Bailey is starring in a new production of William Shakespeare’s RICHARD II at the Bridge Theatre. Check out this review to find out what Mickey-Jo thought of this production, Bailey's leading performance and the supporting cast. Don't forget to comment below with your thoughts on the play, and make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss upcoming...

Mickey-Jo was recently invited to attend another gala night at the West End production of CABARET, currently running at the Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre in London. The production, directed by Rebecca Frecknall and originally starring Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley has recently welcomed new stars in Billy Porter (Pose, Kinky Boots) and Marisha Wallace (Guys and Dolls, Waitress) as The E...

It has been announced today that the stage adaptation of Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame will finally receive its professional UK Premiere, with two concert performances on Sunday 17th August at the Prince Edward Theatre. In today's stagey news recap Mickey-Jo is talking through all of the details we know so far as well as some casting he'd love to manifest for the upcoming concer...

The Tony Award winning musical SHUCKED is finally coming to the UK, set to open at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre in May 2025 after initially being stated to be heading to a West End venue last year. The cast will include Steven Webb (The Book of Mormon), Ben Joyce (Back to the Future the Musical), Sophie McShera (Downton Abbey) Georgina Onuorah (Hamilton), Monique Ashe-Palmer (Six), and more....

In a busy week for play openings in London, THE YEARS arrived at the Harold Pinter Theatre for its West End transfer, having originally played at the Almeida. The play, adapted by Eline Arbo, based on Les Années by Annie Ernaux, follows the story of a woman living in France between the 1960s and 2000s and depicts the evolution in society from her perspective. Check out this full review for Mickey-...

Earlier this week, a new production of OEDIPUS opened at the Old Vic Theatre in London, notably the second iteration of the Sophocles play in the last few months. The Greek tragedy stars Rami Malek and Indira Varma and incorporates much contemporary dance in place of a traditional Greek Chorus. Check out this brand new review to find out what Mickey-Jo thought about this much talked about new prod...

With A Wonderful World's recent announcement of early Broadway closure and Hell's Kitchen's Best Musical Theatre Album Grammy win, questions have been raised about what it takes for a jukebox musical to be successful in the current landscape. In the wake of the global success of shows like Jersey Boys and Mamma Mia!, Mickey-Jo is looking back over the most recent jukebox shows on eithe...

One of a handful of new productions of plays opening this week in London is ELEKTRA, the Sophoclean tragedy as translated by Anne Carson in a bold new staging from director Daniel Fish. Brie Larson (Room, Lessons in Chemistry, Captain Marvel), is making her West End debut. The cast also includes internationally renowned Stockard Channing (The West Wing, The Good Wife), Marième Diouf (Romeo and Jul...