MickeyJoTheatre

The West End's newest musical is THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY, based on the novel of the same name by Rachel Joyce. The show is adapted with a book by Joyce and an original score by the indie-folk somgwriter, Passenger, and stars Mark Addy and Jenna Russell. Check out Mickey-Jo's thoughts on the show, its material, and its design in this full review... • 00:00 | introduction 03:02 | synop...

Last Wednesday, Mickey-Jo spent all day at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford upon Avon to see the two part play ALL IS BUT FANTASY. The piece, which is written, composed, directed and performed by Whitney White, extrapolates Shakespeare’s tragic heroines in order to study their arcs, empowerment and lasting social impact. Check out this full review for Mickey-Jo's thoughts on both plays s...

A few days ago, it was announced that MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL would close on Broadway after 7 years at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. The stage musical, based on the Baz Luhrmann film of the same name, opened in July 2019 and earned multiple Tony Awards, before giving way to multiple international productions and a US national Tour. Is this a surprising announcement for Broadway, and does it tell us...

Amidst an already exciting year of theatregoing in the United Kingdom, Mickey-Jo and his stagey fiancé  @AeronJames are talking through some of their most anticipated plays and musicals in 2026. In and beyond the West End, from return engagements of Inter Alia and Cyrano de Bergerac, to new productions of The Greatest Showman and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry as well as regional reviv...

Last month, Mickey-Jo travelled to Madrid in Spain to see major productions of some of the world's most iconic and well-loved musicals: Los Miserables, Wicked and The Book of Mormon. Two of these productions were non-replica stagings, with entirely new creative teams bringing their own vision to the story, and all were performed entirely in Spanish, by Spanish performers. Check out this triple bil...

During Mickey-Jo's most recent trip to New York City, he found himself with very limited options and time enough for an additional show in his schedule, which sent him (to his own surprise) back to CHICAGO. The last thing Mickey-Jo expected on his 3rd visit to the long-running Broadway revival was a startling glimpse at its former (and enduringly possible) glory, but thanks to the sublime principa...

One of Broadway's most recent new openings is BUG, a new production of The Tracy play which premiered in 1996. This production, first seen at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, stars Carrie Coon and Namir Smallwood. Check out what Mickey-Jo thought of this apparently divisive play... • check out Mickey-Jo's brand new substack newsletter: www.mickeyjotheatre.substack.com 00:00 | introduction 03:32 | over...

This week, after considerable intrigue and massive demand for tickets, the musical adaptation of AMERICAN PSYCHO has returned to the London stage, with a revised production opening at the Almeida Theatre where it first premiered in 2013. The musical, which features a book by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and a score by Duncan Sheik, stars Arty Froushan as Patrick Bateman alongside a cast filled with the...

This week, Mickey-Jo spent three consecutive nights at Off West End Theatres reviewing new musicals. The shows were: Cable Street (Marylebone Theatre), Beautiful Little Fool (Southwark Playhouse Borough), and Ballad Lines (Southwark Playhouse Elephant). Check out what Mickey-Jo thought of each of these musicals in a triple bill review! • 00:00 | introduction 02:24 | Cable Street (★★★) 12:11 | Beau...

In surprising news, it was announced earlier today that the popular (and controversial) stage musical adaptation of BURLESQUE would return to London later this year following a cancelled Japanese run. The show, which ran last year at the Savoy Theatre and sparked an equity investigation, will run concurrently at a new West End venue in Marble Arch and on tour around the UK, with creatives to be an...

Earlier this month Mickey-Jo flew to Madrid to see four musicals in Spanish, in spite of the fact that he does not speak the language. Among the most intriguing was an original production of CABARET, one which again transformed the auditorium (of Teatro Albéniz at the UMusic Hotel) into the Kit Kat Club. Check out Mickey-Jo's full review to find out why it was so shocking, which characters were af...

Earlier this week it was announced that THE TRAITORS, the global television phenomenon, was being developed for a London stage launch in 2027. While, at this time, it remains unclear exactly what this production will be - a live version of the game, or a narrative play based on it, we can certainly expect that it will prove to be popular. Ahead of further details being announced, Mickey-Jo is taki...

As January draws to a close, Mickey-Jo and his stagey fiancé  @AeronJames  are once more talking through their theatrical resolutions for the coming year. By taking a look at the goals they set this time last year, Mickey-Jo and Aeron are refocusing their priorities for theatregoing, content creation and travel. These include theatres they'd like to visit, countries they're eager to retu...

It was recently announced that actor and social media personality, Dylan Mulvaney, would join the Broadway cast of SIX the Musical alongside other new cast members including Abigail Barlow and returning members of the original Broadway company. In an increasingly dangerous climate for the trans community, this news has unearthed criticism, with the show's X account becoming temporarily private in...

After reported rumours, it has now been confirmed that a major new revival of the musical SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE will open at the Barbican in London in Summer 2027. The musical, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1985, was written by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, and will star Wicked stars Jonathan Bailey and Ariana Grande. In this theatrical news recap, Mickey-Jo is sharing al...

With so many major casting changes having recently been announced for Broadway, Mickey-Jo is sharing his thoughts on some of the most high profile headlines. From returning stars at The Great Gatsby to departing Robots at Maybe Happy Ending, let's take a look at current casting trends and see what they can tell us about the evolving Broadway landscape... 00:00 | introduction 02:50 | miscellaneous...

Mickey-Jo's first week back at the theatre in 2026 concluded with the press night of HIGH NOON in the West End, a new stage adaptation of the iconic 1952 Western film. The play, which stars Billy Crudup and Denise Gough, takes place in real time as the clock ticks down to the fateful arrival of a train. Check out what Mickey-Jo thought of this production, its creative choices, its performances, an...

Mickey-Jo has a substack now!! For a while Mickey-Jo has wanted to create a way of staying up to date with the reviews, features, interviews and vlogs he shares across multiple platforms, and now here it is! Designed by Mickey-Jo's brilliant fiancé  @aeronjamesuk , this weekly update will let you know what Mickey-Jo has been seeing, and will even contain exclusive teasers of the theatre trips...

Just before the weekend, the London production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's STARLIGHT EXPRESS announced a final extension and with that, a closing date in May of this year. The show, which has been running at a temporary theatre in Wembley Park, London, is a multi-award winning revival of the long-running show which perhaps did not capture the same excitement as its predecessor. Check out this theatre...

The first West End press night of the year for me was WOMAN IN MIND at the Duke of York's Theatre in London. This 40th Anniversary Revival of the celebrated play by Alan Ayckbourn stars Sheridan Smith and Romesh Ranganathan. Check out what Mickey-Jo thought of the new production and its central performances... • 00:00 | introduction 02:56 | synopsis / material 09:48 | this production 15:54 | perfo...

An explosive intermission argument between audience members at Mamma Mia! on Broadway has made headlines this month and been seen across social media. The confrontation has reignited a recurring dialogue around theatre etiquette and audience behaviour, which Mickey-Jo will be discussing once more today. • 00:00 | introduction 02:17 | what happened? 13:18 | why Mamma Mia? 23:09 | the underlying rea...

Just before the end of 2025, Mickey-Jo spent 12 consecutive days seeing theatre, including two new productions of dance-centric musicals based on classic films. Singin in the Rain is currently playing a limited run at the utterly unique Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester while a new production of Top Hat runs at the Southbank Centre in London ahead of a full UK tour. Check out what Mickey-Jo tho...

As a new year of theatregoing begins, Mickey-Jo is glancing ahead to his most anticipated shows of the Broadway season and letting you know what he suggests seeing in New York this Spring. Check out which already open shows Mickey-Jo recommends revisiting as well as which upcoming openings bear the Mickey-Jo seal of approval. • 00:00 | introduction 01:50 | already open 10:08 | Spring shows 17:46 |...

After seeing almost 300 shows in 2025, Mickey-Jo is looking back over some of his favourite shows from the last year. From the West End to Broadway, these are the shows Mickey-Jo was the most enthralled, astonished and excited by. Stay tuned for many more reviews coming in 2026... • 00:00 | introduction 02:48 | 15. The Last 5 Years 05:52 | 14. Hole 08:02 | 13. Oedipus 10:12 | 12. Liberation 12:41...

After seeing almost 300 shows in 2025, Mickey-Jo is looking back over some of his least favourite shows from the last year. From the West End to Broadway, these are the shows Mickey-Jo was disappointed by including the likes of The Queen of Versailles, The Tempest, Freaky Friday, and more. Stay tuned for Mickey-Jo's roundup of the year's best shows coming soon, and for many more reviews in 2026......