MickeyJoTheatre

The Royal Shakespeare Company's festive production has just opened, a new stage adaptation of Roald Dahl's The BFG. The production, directed by Daniel Evans, uses puppetry and live instrumental music to being the nostalgic children's story to the stage for a family audience, and will subsequently visit Chichester Festival Theatre in 2026. Check out this full review to find out what Mickey-Jo thoug...

Mickey-Jo has been thinking recently about why it is that theatre audiences seem to be enamoured with the notion of seeing a real life couple performing together onstage, even though they're portraying characters other than themselves. The answers may seem obvious, but there is some nuance to uncover here as we consider the various different ways in which a couple can perform together - as lovers,...

The Tony Award winning Broadway revival of the Musical Merrily we Roll Along has now been released in cinemas as a film, ahead of an upcoming feature film adaptation of the originally short-lived show written by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth. This production, which played a limited run at the Hudson Theatre in New York, starred Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez, and Daniel Radcliffe alongside a s...

Last month, WICKED: FOR GOOD, the second part of the film adaptation of the global musical phenomenon Wicked, finally arrived in cinemas. The film, directed by Jon M Chu, stars Cynthia Erivo (The Color Purple) as Elphaba, Ariana Grande (13 the Musical) as Glinda, and Jonathan Bailey (Company) as Fiyero. The supporting cast also includes Marissa Bode, Ethan Slater, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum....

One of the best pieces of theatre Mickey-Jo saw during his most recent trip to New York was LIBERATION, an extraordinary new play from playwright Bess Wohl, directed by Whitney White. The play, which sees a version of the playwright trying to reconcile a younger, empowered version of her late mother with the woman she knew, examines a consciousness raising group for women's liberation in 1970s Ohi...

Something Mickey-Jo has been wondering about for a while is why two of Broadway's biggest stars, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, have struggled to find a hit star vehicle on stage since their star-making turns in Wicked. The actresses, who originated the roles of Elphaba and Glinda, and who have gone on to become household names with considerable success on screen, both returned to Broadway th...

One of this season's most anticipated shows has recently opened at the Imperial Theatre, the first ever Broadway revival of CHESS. The musical, first seen on stage in the 1980s, depicts a chess-centred love triangle in the midst of cold war tensions, written by Benny Anderson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Sir Tim Rice. This new production, with a rewritten book by Danny Strong, stars Lea Michele (Funny Girl...

With drag performers including Jinkx Monsoon and La Voix having recently been announced for major stage projects in 2026, Mickey-Jo is wondering whether there's been a trend in how many drag queens (and specifically alumni of RuPaul's Drag Race) have taken to the stage in the last few years. Shows on either side of the Atlantic, including Chicago, Cabaret, Moulin Rouge, Everybody's Talking about J...

During Mickey-Jo's most recent trip to New York City he saw five off-Broadway plays, which were: • This World of Tomorrow at the Shed • Gruesome Playground Injuries at the Lucille Lortel Theatre • Prince F*ggot at Studio Seaview • Caroline at MCC Theatre • Initiative at the Public Theatre Check out that Mickey-Jo thought of each of these shows, share your own thoughts and recommend more off-Broadw...

After enormous anticipation that has only built during the show's preview period, Paddington the Musical has officially opened at the Savoy Theatre in London. The brand new stage adaptation of the Michael Bond story and the STUDIOCANAL films is directed by Luke Sheppard (The Little Big Things, Starlight Express) with Tom Fletcher and Jessica Swale having written the score and book respectively. Ar...

Earlier this month, WICKED: FOR GOOD, the second part of the film adaptation of the global musical phenomenon Wicked, finally arrived in cinemas. The film, directed by Jon M Chu, stars Cynthia Erivo (The Color Purple) as Elphaba, Ariana Grande (13 the Musical) as Glinda, and Jonathan Bailey (Company) as Fiyero. The supporting cast also includes Marissa Bode, Ethan Slater, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff G...

One of this season's earliest new musical openings on Broadway was THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES, a Kristin Chenoweth led star vehicle with a new score from Stephen Schwartz based on the documentary of the same name. The show, which opened to mixed to negative reviews, has already set an early closing date of January 4th, with online conversation quickly turning to whether or not this show deserved to c...

The cult-hit, TikTok-viral Canadian musical RIDE THE CYCLONE has finally opened in London for its new UK premiere production. The show, at Southwark Playhouse Elephant, follows the St Cassian High School Chamber Choir into the afterlife when they die as part of a grizzly rollercoaster accident. Check out what Mickey-Jo thought of the popular show when he finally watched it for the very first time....

Earlier this week it was announced that the West End production of BACK TO THE FUTURE will close in April 2026 after nearly 5 years at the Adelphi Theatre in London. This news comes shortly after the cancellation of the show's Australian Tour, but amidst confirmation of a subsequent UK Tour as well as an imminent German production, prompting questions about the future of this show as well as chang...

After years of anticipation, Mickey-Jo has finally seen both parts of the film adaptation of the global musical sensation, Wicked, having now seen WICKED: For Good in cinemas on either side of the Atlantic. Both films have been directed by Jon M Chu and star Cynthia Erivo (The Color Purple) as Elphaba, Ariana Grande (13 the Musical) as Glinda, and Jonathan Bailey (Company) as Fiyero. The supportin...

As Mickey-Jo gets ready to bring you dozens of updates from his most recent trip to New York including reviews and vlog content, he's taking on an unusual challenge. Mickey-Jo has decided to briefly review every show currently playing on Broadway (as of last week) by telling you what he thinks the best and worst thing about each of them is... About Mickey-Jo: As one of the leading voices in theatr...

Last night, after considerable anticipation, Mickey-Jo finally saw WICKED: For Good, the second film in the two part adaptation of the global musical phenomenon, Wicked. Both films have been directed by Jon M Chu and star Cynthia Erivo (The Color Purple) as Elphaba, Ariana Grande (13 the Musical) as Glinda, and Jonathan Bailey (Company) as Fiyero. The supporting cast also includes Marissa Bode, Et...

One of London's most anticipated new theatrical openings this year has been a much talked about stage adaptation of THE HUNGER GAMES, based on the young adult dystopian novel by Suzanne Collins which has also been adapted for film. The brand new production, written by Connor McPherson and directed by Matthew Dunster, is now playing at the purpose built Troubadour Theatre Canary Wharf and celebrate...

After starring in back to back off-Broadway musicals, the name on everybody's lips is rising star Matt Rodin. Of course, his face may be familiar to anyone who caught him as Jamie on the most recent US Tour of Company or from his multi-year, game filled red carpet coverage for outlets such as Broadway.com. After enjoying many of his performances and looking up to him in the theatre industry for ye...

On only the second day of Mickey-Jo's most recent trip to New York, he headed to City Center and caught the penultimate performance of BAT BOY, the venue's annual gala presentation. A cult hit musical first seen around the millennium, this revival starred Taylor Trensch alongside Kerry Butler, who returned to the show having played a role in its original off-Broadway run. Check out what Mickey-Jo...

Mickey-Jo has officially arrived back in New York City for another marathon theatre trip filled with as many Broadway and Off-Broadway shows as possible. Ahead of sharing plenty of review and vlog-style coverage, Mickey-Jo is letting you know which shows he plans to see, which he is still considering and which he will deliberately avoid... Check out Mickey-Jo's thoughts on what's currently playing...

It has been announced today that the Tony Award winning musical AVENUE Q is heading back to the West End for a 20th anniversary production that is being called a 'revisal'. Find out why I'm excited for the irreverent, fuzzy show to return, who I would like to see starring in it, and what we might expect in terms of updates to the material... • 00:00 | introduction 01:44 | what we know 08:50 | what...

This week Mickey-Jo was invited to review the opening night performance of a new West End production of OTHELLO at Theatre Royal, Haymarket. The Shakespearean tragedy starred David Harewood and Toby Jones and was directed by Tom Morris in the first of a series of contemporary Shakespearean productions. Check our this full review to find out what Mickey-Jo thought of the direction, performances, an...

With more high profile plays and musicals receiving their world premiere productions in the UK, audiences are asking whether these West End shows will ever get a Broadway transfer. From celebrated musicals like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and the recent revival of Evita to highly anticipated new adaptations like Paddington the Musical and The Hunger Games, New York theatre fans are eager t...

On either side of the Atlantic, from Keanu Reeves and George Clooney to Bryan Cranston and Nicole Scherzinger, the theatre industry has been no stranger to celebrity casting. It perhaps isn't a surprise, then, that The Stage newspaper ran two opposing opinion pieces about whether or not this type of stunt casting was in fact damaging the industry on a fundamental level. Through these differing per...