MickeyJoTheatre

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...

Screen star Asa Butterfield makes his stage debut in SECOND BEST, a new play which opened this week at the Riverside Studios in London. The play follows the fictional Martin Hill, who narrowly missed out on the chance to play Harry Potter on screen and must reckon with the consequences of this disappointment years later as he prepares to become a father. Check out what Mickey-Jo thought of yesterd...

With today's casting news, the West End production of HADESTOWN at the Lyric Theatre in London will see three different sets of performers performing in the show over the next five weeks. The current cast, led by Dylan Wood and Madeline Charlemagne, and featuring Rachel Tucker, Melanie La Barrie, and Trevor Dion Nicholas will play their final performance on Sunday, 9th February. Between 11th F...

Mickey-Jo recently travelled to New York to see the new Broadway revival of GYPSY, written by Arthur Laurents, Jule Styne, and Stephen Sondheim. Six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald stars as Rose, and is joined by Danny Burstein (Fiddler on the Roof, Moulin Rouge, Follies, Cabaret) as Herbie, Joy Woods (The Notebook, Six, Little Shop of Horrors) as Louise, and Jordan Tyson (The Notebook) as J...

In the wake of multiple troubling allegations made against author Neil Gaiman, an upcoming production of CORALINE has been cancelled. The show, a musical adaptation of the novel, was scheduled to play at multiple co-producing theatres including Leeds Playhouse, HOME Manchester, Birmingham Rep and the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh. Today Mickey-Jo is talking through the news, why exactly this d...

As January draws to a close, Mickey-Jo and his stagey fiancé Aeron James‬ are talking through our theatrical resolutions for the coming year. These include theatres they would like to visit, countries they are eager to return to and a handful more theatre themed goals for 2025. Check it out - and don't forget to comment below with your theatre resolutions and goals for 2025. Aeron James: @aeronjam...

Having recently been invited to attend preview screenings of Disney's MOANA 2 and MUFASA: THE LION KING, Mickey-Jo felt struck by a recent decline in the quality of Disney's cinematic scores. With a discernible link to the world of musical theatre, today he is questioning the circumstances and business decisions which led to these results from songwriters including Lin Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, En...

Find out what Mickey-Jo thought about KYOTO, the new play which recently transferred from the RSC to @sohoplace. Welcome to the Kyoto Conference Centre, 11 December 1997. The nations of the world are in deadlock and 11 hours have passed since the UN’s landmark climate conference should have ended. Time is running out and agreement feels a world away. The greatest obstacle: American oil lobbyist an...

With so many new Broadway shows opening between now and the end of April, it can be challenging to decide which tickets you want to buy. In an effort to help you plan any upcoming Broadway trips, as well as to keep you updated, today Mickey-Jo is talking through each of those openings including the likes of Operation Mincemeat, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Othello, Redwood, Buena Vista Socia...

Earlier this week Mickey-Jo had the enormous privilege of attending the opening night performance of OLIVER! which has made a triumphant return to the West End with a new production at the Gielgud Theatre. This staging of the show, produced by Sir Cameron Mackintosh and directed by Sir Matthew Bourne, was first seen in 2024 at Chichester Festival Theatre and features Simon Lipkin as Fagin with Sha...

This morning, after much anticipation, the West End production of WICKED announced the new cast members who would be joining the show from 25th March 2025.It was revealed that Emma Kingston (Evita, The Band's Visit, Heathers) and Zizi Strallen (Mary Poppins, Cake, Oklahoma!) would play Elphaba and Glinda alongside a new principal roster. Check out today's theatre news recap for Mickey-Jo&#...

In huge theatre news this week, it was announced that the proshot recording of SIX: the musical would be released in UK cinemas from April 6th. The show, which was filmed with its original West End cast at the Vaudeville Theatre in Summer 2022, has become a global hit with an enormous fan following. Written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, the pop-inspired musical brings the queens - Catherine of Ara...

One of this season's new musicals is A WONDERFUL WORLD, which opened last year at Studio 54.The jukebox musical tells the story of Louis Armstrong and his extraordinary career as an iconic jazz musician alongside his complicated personal life, with Tony Award winner James Monroe Iglehart starring. Check out my thoughts about this show, which I was surprised to enjoy as much as I did, in this full...

After multiple requests, and much consideration, Mickey-Jo is sharing his recommendations for which shows to see in the West End and the rest of the UK in 2025.But with so many new productions opening, Mickey-Jo decided this year he'd let you know how strongly he felt about each of them with a traffic light system indicating his enthusiasm! From plays like My Neighbour Totoro and Stereophonic to m...

The hit off-Broadway musical TITANIQUE, from Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli, and Tye Blue, has arrived in London this week with an official opening at the Criterion Theatre in the West End. The show, which parodies the popular 1997 James Cameron film Titanic, features the songs of the iconic Celine Dione as it wittily retells the story of Jack, Rose, and the fateful iceberg. Check out this f...