MickeyJoTheatre

The upcoming West End transfer of the hit Broadway play 'Slave Play' by Jeremy O'Harris has recently caught the attention of the British press (as well as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak) for planning two 'Black Out' performances during its 13 week run, to which entirely black-identifying audience members will be invited to attend. Though many have been quick to call this racist, th...

Mickey-Jo recently visited the Old Vic Theatre in London to see one of this year's most anticipated new shows, a jukebox musical telling the story of the historic Live Aid concert, 'Just For One Day'.The show depicts characters including Bob Geldof and Midge Ure and contains the music of Queen, Madonna, The Police, David Bowie, The Beatles, Bog Dylan, and more. Check out the new review...

Mickey-Jo recently attended the opening night of THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY, a new theatrical adaptation of the Oscar Wilde story, transferring to London from Australia. The play stars succession star Sarah Snook in a tour de force performance as each of the narrative's characters, aided by cutting edge deployment of live camera feeds and prerecorded footage. But how many cameras is too many?...

This week saw the opening of HADESTOWN at the Lyric Theatre in West End, direct from Tony Award winning Broadway success and five years after it was last seen by London audiences, at the National Theatre. But the show's critical reception left fans on both sides of the Atlantic frustrated, with many taking to social media to speak out against some of the negative commentary. Did the British pr...

Back in January Mickey-Jo flew to New York to see a bunch of shows, including the Encores presentation of ONCE UPON A MATTRESS at New York City Center. The show, which originally starred Carol Burnett in the 1960s, featured Sutton Foster, Michael Urie, J Harrison Ghee, Harriet Harris, and more! Check out the review for Mickey-Jo's thoughts on the show, its star casting, and whether a Broadway...

Last week Mickey-Jo saw THE ADDAMS FAMILY in concert at the London Palladium. The musical, which had yet to be produced in the West End despite two UK Tours, starred Ramin Karimloo as Gomez and Michelle Visage as Morticia. Check out the new review for Mickey-Jo's thoughts on this starry casting, the show itself, and whether it worked as a semi-staged concert... • About Mickey-Jo: As one of the...

Last night, Mickey-Jo was lucky enough to be invited to review a hugely anticipated new play - The Hills of California. The play, written by Jez Butterworth (Jerusalem, The Ferryman) and directed by Sam Mendes, has just opened at the Harold Pinter Theatre in the West End. Check out the new review for my many thoughts on this show, its revelations, and its powerful performances. • About Mickey-Jo:...

While Mickey-Jo was in New York, he was lucky enough to catch a performance of HARMONY, the musical by Bruce Sussman and Barry Manilow which sadly closed last weekend at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway. The show, which followed the historic career of 1920s vocal group The Comedian Harmonists, was first seen by audiences in the late 1990s but has taken more than two decades to make it to Br...

This week has seen plenty of exciting theatre news about casting in the West End. Today it was announced that Director Jamie Lloyd's latest project would be a major revival of the popular Shakespeare tragedy Romeo & Juliet starring Hollywood actor Tom Holland. But we also recently learned that the latest actress to play the iconic Sally Bowles in Rebecca Frecknall's award-winning reviv...

When Shakespeare's Globe announced that Michelle Terry would play Richard III in an upcoming production of the play of the same name, backlash ensued. Terry, who is the venue's Artistic Director, is an able bodied actress, despite the character being disabled. In this episode Mickey-Jo explains what has happened, talking through statements and open letters and sharing his thoughts on this...

Mickey-Jo recently got back from a week in New York seeing as many Broadway shows as he could, and one of his most hotly anticipated was the new musical HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO, currently running at the Belasco Theatre. The show, which is based on the 2015 documentary of the same name, depicts seven young adults with autism in a counselling group who are preparing for a spring formal dance amidst rom...

After sharing his recommendations for UK theatre in 2024, Mickey-Jo is sharing his thoughts on some of the most exciting announced, planned and rumoured shows for this year in the US.With new musicals, plus, revivals and regional productions there are plenty of intriguing and brilliant shows to consider including The Notebook, Cabaret, Sunset Boulevard, Uncle Vanya, and more! Check out the new epi...

Mickey-Jo was recently invited to The Other Palace Theatre in London to see Cruel Intentions: the 90s musical. Check out his new review for his thoughts on this show... • About Mickey-Jo: As one of the leading voices in theatre criticism on a social platform, Mickey-Jo is pioneering a new medium for a dwindling field. His YouTube channel: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MickeyJoTheatre⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is the largest worldwide in t...

Right now, it feels as though more shows than ever are announcing early closure on Broadway and in the West End. With last season's Shucked, Some Like it Hot and Kimberly Akimbo all set to close before the 2024 Tony Awards, and The Time Traveller's Wife announcing an early West End departure, what are the reasons for these shows struggling to succeed? In fact, even as Mickey-Jo put this ep...

Mickey-Jo finally got the chance to go see the new Mean Girls movie, a screen adaptation of the musical version of the original 2004 film. The new film stars Reneé Rapp, Angourie Rice, Auliʻi Cravalho, Jaquel Spivey, Avantika, Bebe Wood, and Christopher Briney as the iconic characters. Based on the popular Broadway musical, the film features the songs 'Revenge Party', 'Someone Gets Hur...

Last week saw the delayed opening of THE ENFIELD HAUNTING, a brand new play based on the real-life 1970s poltergeist frenzy. The play stars Catherine Tate and David Threlfall at the Ambassador's Theatre in the West End. This opening was unfortunately notable for many of the wrong reasons as most of the reviews were very negative - consequentially Mickey-Jo booked a ticket straight away and hea...

A musical adaptation of The Great Gatsby is heading to Broadway in 2024!The show, which premiered at Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey in 2023, will star Jeremy Jordan (Newsies, Bonnie and Clyde) and Eva Noblezada (Hadestown, Miss Saigon).Check out today's news recap to find out what Mickey-Jo learned about this show when he attended it's first preview last year...•00:00 | introduction01:...

One of the National Theatre's most successful shows last year was the brand new play, The Motive and the Cue. Written by Jack Thorne, the play has since transferred to the Noel Coward Theatre where it stars Mark Gatiss as Sir John Gielgud and Johnny Flynn as Richard Burton in a dramatisation of their fraught 1960s rehearsal process. Check out the new review to find out why Mickey-Jo enjoyed th...

After Mickey-Jo let you know his favourite and least favourite shows from last year, he's now ready to bring you his UK and London Theatre recommendations for 2024.From Broadway transfers such as Hadestown, Mean Girls and MJ to new plays like Red Pitch and The Motive and the Cue, this is a varied list of exciting productions! Check out the new episode to find out about the plays and musicals h...

Mickey-Jo recently headed to the Curve Theatre in Leicester to see their latest production: a bold revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Evita. The show, which has previously starred Elaine Paige, Patti LuPone, and Madonna as Argentinian former first lady Eva Peron, features such songs as 'Oh What a Circus', 'Don't Cry for Me, Argentina' and 'You Must Love Me&#3...

It has just been confirmed that the brand new revival of SUNSET BOULEVARD, led by Nicole Scherzinger as Norma Desmond, will transfer to New York with a Broadway run in 2024.West End cast members Tom Francis, Grace Hodgett-Young and David Thaxton will join Scherzinger on Broadway in a theatre that has not yet been disclosed. Check out today's brand new theatre news recap to find out which detai...

In 2023 Mickey-Jo saw nearly 250 plays and musicals, mostly in the UK and the US and recently shared some of his favourites. However, for every show he loves there will always be shows that leave him a little more disappointed. Check out the new episode to find out which shows were his least favourites of 2023. • About Mickey-Jo: As one of the leading voices in theatre criticism on a social platfo...

This year Mickey-Jo saw nearly 250 plays and musicals, mostly in the UK and the US.Check out the new episode to find out which shows made his top 25, and stay tuned until the end to see which show was his favourite of a very busy year of theatregoing... • About Mickey-Jo: As one of the leading voices in theatre criticism on a social platform, Mickey-Jo is pioneering a new medium for a dwindling fi...

This year Mickey-Jo headed to New York City for the very first time for two trips to Broadway! During his visits he saw 22 Broadway shows (as well as a handful of concerts, off-broadway shows and regional productions) and in this episode, he's ranking them! From Merrily we Roll Along and Hadestown to Bad Cinderella and Funny Girl, he saw plenty of plays and musicals featuring stars like Lea Mi...

Mickey-Jo recently took a trip to Paris, France to see a rarely produced musical: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. The show, which is currently being revived at the Lido 2 Paris, began its life as a Tony Award winning Broadway musical with a score by a young Stephen Sondheim. Check out the new review for Mickey-Jo's thoughts on this zany show, whether it holds up to modern sensi...