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Shrek The Musical

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Feature Review - Steve Martin

A Christmas Carol

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Award winning Director Tim Carroll’s wealth of experience clearly showed throughout the performance and he should be congratulated on another success.

Not only did actor Dominic Gerrard narrate the story, he also provided a diverse range of voices for the characters in the story. He was succinct and every word and sound effect he produced was clearly audible. Dominic simultaneously manipulated the puppet of Scrooge and disproved the adage that men can’t multitask. Minimal props were used and he kept the story moving seamlessly whilst changing Scrooges clothes and quill. When appropriate, Dominic positioned himself to encourage the audience to watch the puppet.

Alexis Bennett’s violin provided the majority of the music but was interspersed with several more unusual instruments such as a Tibetan singing bowl and Tingsha bells.

The accompaniment was perfectly in keeping with what is after all a Christmas ghost story.

There appeared to be no moving parts to the puppets face, but I could have sworn it produced expression and displayed emotion. To my mind, the puppet creator Mandarava produced a master piece in Scrooge as well as training Dominic in its manipulation.

Operating from a small alcove (Glorified shelf) the lighting is atmospheric and displayed both the actor and puppet their best advantage.

The show was staged to what appeared to be a full-house at The Lounge in the Leicester Square Theatre. With its own small bar, individual seats and it is comfortable, cosy and intimate.

Would Charles Dickens have approved of this adaptation? In my opinion, very much so as he had a life long love of magic, elusion, the theatre, actors and actresses (Especially the young actress Ellen Turnen, but that is another story) I hope the audience are inspired to read some of Dickens many other Christmas ghost stories. The Goblin and the Sexton’s tale from Pickwick Papers is topical as it can be argued that A Christmas Carol evolved from it.

Steve Martin
Rochester and Chatham Dickens Fellowship
Joint Hon. Secretary.

Steve Martin
  
Olivier Awards 2011 - Winners
Legally Blonde The Musical
We Will Rock You
  
London Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2011 - Winners
Matilda
One Man, Two Guvnors
Wicked
  
WhatsOnStage.com Awards 2012 - Nominations
Crazy For You
Ghost The Musical
Matilda
One Man, Two Guvnors
Rock Of Ages
Shrek The Musical



Feature Reviews
A Cavalier for Milady
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A Christmas Carol
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An Actress Prepares
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Autumn and Winter
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Becky Shaw
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Blind Date / 27 Wagons Full of Cotton
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Chapel Street
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Death Takes a Lover
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Double Falsehood
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Frankenstein
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In A Forest Dark And Deep
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Jukai
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Kingdom of Earth
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Limehouse Nights
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Macbeth
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Nation
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NIMBY
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Polar Bears
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Romeo & Juliet
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Salome
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Six Degrees Of Separation
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The Cave
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The Children's Hour
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The Conspirators
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The Fever Chart
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The Last Pilgrim
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The Little Dog Laughed
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The Master Builder
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The Mercy Seat
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The Ruffian on the Stair
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The Two-Character Play
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Then The Snow Came
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Through A Glass Darkly
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Virtual Reality
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Winter
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Wittgenstein (The Crooked Roads)
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Top Theatre Shows
Billy Elliot
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One Man, Two Guvnors
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The Lion King
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The Phantom of the Opera
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We Will Rock You
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Wicked
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Dreamboats And Petticoats
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Jersey Boys
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Juno and the Paycock
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Legally Blonde The Musical
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Shrek The Musical
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The Mousetrap
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The Wizard Of Oz
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War Horse
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Chicago
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Les Miserables
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Stomp
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Thriller Live
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Buy Show Tickets
A Bowl Of Cherries
A Tale of Two Cities
Backbeat
Billy Elliot
Blood Brothers
Chicago
Crazy For You
Dreamboats And Petticoats
Ghost The Musical
Jersey Boys
Juno and the Paycock
La Soiree
Legally Blonde The Musical
Les Miserables
Long Day's Journey Into Night
Mamma Mia!
Matilda
Midnight Tango
Pippin
Rock Of Ages
Shrek The Musical
Singin’ In The Rain
Stomp
Strictly Come Dancing (O2 Arena)
Strictly Come Dancing (Wembley Arena)
Sweeney Todd
The 39 Steps
The Ladykillers
The Lion In Winter
The Lion King
The Most Incredible Thing
The Mousetrap
The Phantom of the Opera
The Tiger Who Came To Tea
The Wah! Wah! Girls
The Wizard Of Oz
Three Days In May
Thriller Live
Top Hat
War Horse
We Will Rock You
Wicked

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West End Theatre Reviews

Here you can find reviews of the shows in London’s West End. Buy tickets for musicals such as Ghost, Matilda, Mamma Mia!, Legally Blonde and Wicked plus forthcoming productions including A Christmas Carol and Singin' In The Rain.

Reviewers give honest opinions and ratings about the plays and musicals they have seen to help you decide which show to see. This is the perfect place for you to get an idea of what a show is really like, before you make a booking. Once you have decided which show to go to, our partners will help you find the tickets, often at discounted rates. We also offer Dinner & Show deals for a full nights entertainment.

Add a review yourself, just click on the show you have seen and click the "add a review" button.

Latest Reviews of Shows in London

Amazing set, costumes ect. The palladium is a very tidy and smart theatre. Danielle was lovely, super little actress with a lovely voice, however the wicked witch stole the show! Didnt blow me away as other shows such as wicked did, but was enjoyable and very suitable for children.

Name: sara
Age: 42
See more reviews

wow,wow, and more WOW!!Definatly the BEST theatre show i have seen, and ive seen a few-les mis, wizard of oz, phantom, ect but blew us all away. Uplifting story, great set and fab cast. The voice and acting skills of both witches was too much for me to bear, incredible. Rachel Tuckers voice was out of this world, the music was stunning. We has cheopo seats but you wouldnt have known it, you could see and feel everything. Cant wait to go again

Name: sara
Age: 42
See more reviews

A brilliantly put together show in which the Children are the Stars. The Adult actors are extremely good but the show would not be anything without the Youngsters. Jake Bailey as 'Bruce Bogtrotter' is a 'must' to see, especially eating the giant chocolate cake. The Matildas are all Different, but very talented in their own right. Really worth going to see.

Name: V Thicke
Age: 66
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Broken Glass at The Vaudeville was the final play of the month and I have a confession to make. Now, don’t get me wrong, I admire Arthur Miller, Anthony Sher and Tara Fitzgerald enormously, but this production failed to engage. I know, I know, it’s had wonderful reviews and, quite rightly, because Anthony Sher as Phillip Gellburg and Tara Fitzgerald as Sylvia, his wife are deeply moving, but, horror of horrors, I had to fight to stay awake. This will probably stop anyone ever reading anything I write ever again (if they ever did) but I’m not prosecuting the production, more the space in which it is housed. It was a very hot, muggy night in late September (remember that Indian summer) and our seats were in Row P, meaning that we had the balcony acting as a low ceiling, making the whole experience rather claustrophobic. I felt as if I were sitting at the back of a long tunnel and totally failed to engage with what was going on on stage. Maybe if the piece had been staged incorporating more “business”, my attention would have held, but however hard I tried – and try I did – there were long snatches of conversation I missed as my head drooped. I’m sure if I’d seen it in a more intimate space, where the whites of the character’s eyes were visible, I would have enjoyed it more. I should have gone to see it at The Tricycle. See my other reviews at www.theatretrips.blogspot.com

Name: Sandy P-G
Age: 61
See more reviews

Another day, another play, actually another Irish play – Juno and the Paycock at The Lyttleton. Playboy of the Western World may have got the good reviews, but, for me this co-production with the Abbey Theatre, Dublin is better, mainly because there are no weak links in the acting department. With the Irish Civil War as a backdrop, Juno and the Paycock, set in a Dublin tenement in 1922, concerns the Boyle family; the father “Captain” Jack Boyle, mother Juno, daughter, Mary and son Johnny. Jack, excellently portrayed by Ciaran Hinds would rather tell “tall” sea stories than do a job of work. The work ethic is only instilled in Juno, the stunningly effective Sinead Cusack, as Mary is on strike and Johnny, having lost an arm in the War of Independence, now lives his life in fear of being executed as a punishment for betraying a fellow IRA comrade. The play brilliantly illustrates the family’s difficulties, celebrations when luck comes calling and heartache when they realise the luck was false. The physical timing in some of the scenes is superb, testament to the fact that the cast are already immersed in their characters having been playing them in Dublin. Janet Moran as neighbour Mrs. Maisie Madigan and Risteard Cooper playing Jack’s rogue of a drinking buddy, Joxer, lighten the whole proceedings really well and the duet with Juno and Mary is wonderfully touching. In fact under Howard Davies’ direction and Bob Crowley’s design, Sean O’Casey’s devastating portrait of wasted potential in a Dublin torn apart by the chaos of War, is perfectly brought to life. Finally, when the tragedy ultimately strikes Sinead Cusack is intensely moving. My only criticism is that it took a little while for me to tune into the Dublin dialect, but once there I was hooked. See my other blogs at www.theatretrips.blogspot.com

Name: Sandy P-G
Age: 61
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Mmmm, Playboy of the Western World? Having read several of the “professional” critics’ views on The Old Vic production of J.M. Synge’s historic play, I went along last night with avid anticipation that I would witness something extraordinary. I’m sorry to say, I was disappointed. Is it because I have no Irish blood coursing through my veins? Surely not, after all I adored The Beauty Queen of Leenane at The Young Vic and that has more than a hint of the blarney stone. The play centres on Christy Mahon who arrives at a shabby pub and soon becomes the hero of the hour following his confession that he’s just murdered his father. As in all good tales he is found out as a sham during the second act and those that originally feted him turn into his prosecutors. It all started promisingly, with a troupe of Irish musicians, women, and men dressed as such, harmoniously delivering an Irish folk song. Then the shabby shebeen, where all the action takes place, rotated to reveal it’s innards – ah, ha, a great set from Scott Pask, I thought; so far so good. The coming apart at the seams started when Ruth Negga as Pegeen and Robert Sheehan as Christy Mahon delivered their lines. Much is said about the lyrical quality of Synge’s writing, but for me these two young actors didn’t deliver anything near. Instead I strained to understand much of what they were saying. Neither inhabited or seemed at ease with their roles and I became irritated by Sheehan’s stooping and arm flapping and Nega’s shouting, posturing and lack of any warmth. Thank goodness for Niamh Cusack as the seductive Widow Quin and Kevin Trainor who brought humour and a soaring voice to Pegeen’s wooer, Shawn Keogh. I’ve just watched a YouTube snippet of Garry Hynes’s 2004 production of ‘Playboy’ with Cillian Murphy as Christy and Anne-Marie Duff as Pegeen. If I’d seen this version in it’s entirety I’m sure I would also eulogise about this play. As it is, I’m glad I’ve seen it but it’s not there amongst my favourites. See my blog for furter reviews www.theatretrips.blogspot.com

Name: Sandy P-G
Age: 61
See more reviews


Shows opening soon

Strictly Come Dancing (Wembley Arena)

Dance
Show opens 27 January 2012
Show closes 27 January 2012


Strictly Come Dancing Live is back for a fifth golden year! This multi million pound production is hitting the road in January and February 2012, bringing the Strictly magic to fans around the UK and Ireland.

The ultimate in feel-good entertainment, Strictly Come Dancing Live features all the must-haves from the hugely popular BBC1 TV series. Stunning costumes, outspoken judges, dazzling dances from your favourite celebrity contestants and some brand new routines courtesy of the ever-popular professional dancers make this a must-see show that is sure to bring a smile to your face and beat away any winter blues.

Don't miss your chance to experience the energy and excitement of Strictly Live.


Wembley Arena
Arena Square, Engineers Way, Middlesex, HA9 0DH

Strictly Come Dancing (O2 Arena)

Dance
Show opens 28 January 2012
Show closes 29 January 2012

Strictly Come Dancing Live is back for a fifth golden year! This multi million pound production is hitting the road in January and February 2012, bringing the Strictly magic to fans around the UK and Ireland.

The ultimate in feel-good entertainment, Strictly Come Dancing Live features all the must-haves from the hugely popular BBC1 TV series. Stunning costumes, outspoken judges, dazzling dances from your favourite celebrity contestants and some brand new routines courtesy of the ever-popular professional dancers make this a must-see show that is sure to bring a smile to your face and beat away any winter blues.

Don't miss your chance to experience the energy and excitement of Strictly Live.


O2 Arena
Peninsula Square, Greenwich, London, SE10 0DX

Singin’ In The Rain

Musical
Show opens 15 February 2012
Show closes 29 September 2012


From the golden age of musicals to the West End, Singin' In The Rain brings the glamour of the MGM film to the Palace theatre. Set at a time of change in the film world, Singin' In The Rain follows silent movie star Dan Lockwood who has everything he could ever want; fame, adulation and even a well-publicised romance with his co-star Lina Lamont. But there are rumours doing the rounds of a new kind of film that could alter everything, a kind of film where actors talk... and sing... and dance.

Singin' in the Rain is the...story of that first Hollywood musical, the moment when the silver screen found its voice and never looked back. With all the sparkle and spectacle of a golden age, it features a glorious score including Make 'em Laugh, Good Morning, Moses Supposes and, of course, Singin' in the Rain. Shining with vitality, wit and romance, this is a musical to lift your heart and set you singin' and dancin'-in any weather.

cast: Adam Cooper, Daniel Crossley, Scarlett Strallen, Katherine Kingsley, Michael Brandon, Sandra Dickinson, Brendan Cull, Flora Dawson, Jaye Juliette Elster, Peter Forbes, Gemma Fuller, Francis Haugen, David Lucas, Scott Mobley, Ebony Molina, Gillian Parkhouse, Sherrie Pennington, Lisa Ritchie, Nancy Wei George

Palace Theatre
Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 5AY

The Lady from the Sea

Play
Show opens 23 February 2012
Show closes 17 March 2012

Stars Joely Richardson.

Joely plays a troubled married woman who still has feelings for a previous lover who was forced to leave the small town where she lives.

Joely is the third member of her family to play the role following in the footsteps of her mother Vanessa Redgrave and her sister, the late Natasha Richardson.

Rose Theatre
24-26 High Street, Kingston, KT1 1JH


Shows ending soon


Show closes 27 January 2012
Click here to book tickets for Strictly Come Dancing (Wembley Arena)


Strictly Come Dancing Live is back for a fifth golden year! This multi million pound production is hitting the road in January and February 2012, bringing the Strictly magic to fans around the UK and Ireland.

The ultimate in feel-good entertainment, Strictly Come Dancing Live features all the must-haves from the hugely popular BBC1 TV series. Stunning costumes, outspoken judges, dazzling dances from your favourite celebrity contestants and some brand new routines courtesy of the ever-popular professional dancers make this a must-see show that is sure to bring a smile to your face and beat away any winter blues.

Don't miss your chance to experience the energy and excitement of Strictly Live.


Show closes 28 January 2012
Click here to book tickets for The Lion In Winter

Robert Lindsay and Joanna Lumley star in The Lion in Winter, directed by Trevor Nunn

A family Christmas becomes a family at war.

Henry II, not so young as he was, invites his estranged wife Eleanor of Aquitane, and his three sons, Richard, Geoffrey and John, to spend the festive season with him, along with his mistress Princess Alais, and her brother, the young King Philip of France.

Will Henry name who is to be his successor as King of England? Their yuletide celebration turns into a combat zone of deceit, betrayal, bitter power games and scabrous wit.


Show closes 29 January 2012
Click here to book tickets for Strictly Come Dancing (O2 Arena)

Strictly Come Dancing Live is back for a fifth golden year! This multi million pound production is hitting the road in January and February 2012, bringing the Strictly magic to fans around the UK and Ireland.

The ultimate in feel-good entertainment, Strictly Come Dancing Live features all the must-haves from the hugely popular BBC1 TV series. Stunning costumes, outspoken judges, dazzling dances from your favourite celebrity contestants and some brand new routines courtesy of the ever-popular professional dancers make this a must-see show that is sure to bring a smile to your face and beat away any winter blues.

Don't miss your chance to experience the energy and excitement of Strictly Live.


Show closes 29 January 2012
Click here to book tickets for La Soiree

Following a hugely successful Christmas season at the Roundhouse in 2009 and the stupendous premiere at the South Bank Big Top in the
Autumn of 2010, La Soiree is thrilled to be returning to London at Camden's legendary cultural venue, the Roundhouse, for Christmas 2011.

With an ever-changing line-up of the most outrageous, hilarious, beautiful and downright bizarre acts you will ever see, this troupe of artists have performed around the world conquering everything in their path: Paris, Sydney, Stockholm and New York have all fallen for their dysfunctional charms.

Promising an unforgettable night of thrills, shock, laughs and entertainment this is one event guaranteed to deliver a brilliant night out during the party season.

All tickets are general admission within areas. There is no reserved seating.Customers will exchange their tickets for a wristband upon arrival to grant them access to their area and are encouraged to arrive early. Doors open 30 minutes before performance.


Show closes 04 February 2012

Shakespeare's poetic masterpiece, Richard II is an epic tale of destruction, ruin and decay that casts light on the decline of a kingdom and the solitude of power.

King Richard banishes his noblemen and seizes their land to fuel his own wars. As anger mounts, a battle for the soul of England begins and one man's divine right to rule is called into question.

Richard II marks Eddie Redmayne's first return to the Donmar Warehouse since he starred opposite Alfred Molina in the widely acclaimed Red, a performance which led to him winning the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. His television credits include Pillars Of The Earth and Tess Of The D'Urbervilles.

Richard II will be the final production directed by Michael Grandage as the Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse. Grandage's tenure at the head of the intimate London venue has included a host of Broadway transfers, a West End season at the Wyndham's theatre, an opportunity for emerging directors to have their work showcased and a plethora of awards.

cast: Eddie Redmayne, Andrew Buchan, Harry Attwell, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Stefano Braschi, Ron Cook, Daniel Easton, Daniel Flynn, Michael Hadley, Sean Jackson, Phillip Joseph, Michael Marcus, Sian Thomas, Joseph Timms, Ben Turner, Ashley Zhangazha


Show closes 25 February 2012

Michael Frayn’s Olivier Award-winning comedy about the goings-on behind the scenes or a touring sex comedy, Noises Off returns to the London stage.

From a disastrous dress rehearsal where the cast fumble their entrances and exits, to bothersome props and a final performance of missed cues and forgotten lines, Noises Off explores the explosive personal relationships that lead to off-stage shenanigans and on-stage bedlam.

Noises Off received its premiere in 1982 at the Lyric Hammersmith, where it featured a cast including Patricia Routledge, Paul Eddington and Nicky Henson. After receiving strong reviews, it transferred to the Savoy theatre, where it ran until 1987, winning both an Evening Standard Theatre Award and an Olivier Award.

While the original production of Noises Off was directed by Michael Blakemore, this revival at the Old Vic is directed by Lindsay Posner, whose recent work includes Butley, An Ideal Husband and House Of Games.

Playwright Michael Frayn has an impressive list of plays to his name, including Donkeys’ Years, Benefactors, Copenhagen, Democracy and Noises Off.

cast: Janie Dee, Robert Glenister, Celia Imrie, Jonathan Coy, Karl Johnson, Aisling Loftus, Amy Nuttall, Paul Ready


Show closes 25 February 2012
Click here to book tickets for Pippin

In this coming-of-age story, Pippin, heir to the throne of Charlemagne, ventures on a quest of self-discovery, but in doing so our hero must face the uncertain worlds of warfare, love, politics and religion.

With music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (composer of Wicked and Godspell ) and book by Roger O. Hirson, The Menier Chocolate Factory's new version has been completely re-conceived, directed and choreographed, incorporating Bob Fosse's original Tony Award-winning routines, by Mitch Sebastian.

cast: Frances Ruffelle, Matt Rawle, Harry Hepple, Ian Kelsey, Carly Bawden, Stuart Neal, David Page, Ben Bunce, Bob Harms, Holly James, Anabel Kutay, David McMullan, Kate Tydman


Show closes 25 February 2012

Fired from his skiffle band, Francis Henshall becomes minder to Roscoe Crabbe, a small time East End hood, now in Brighton to collect £6,000 from his fiancee's dad. But Roscoe is really his sister Rachel posing as her own dead brother, who's been killed by her boyfriend Stanley Stubbers.

Holed up at The Cricketers' Arms, the permanently ravenous Francis spots the chance of an extra meal ticket and takes a second job with one Stanley Stubbers, who is hiding from the police and waiting to be re-united with Rachel. To prevent discovery, Francis must keep his two guvnors apart. Simple.

In Richard Bean's English version of Goldoni's classic Italian comedy, sex, food and money are high on the agenda. James Corden returns to the National for the first time since The History Boys to play Francis.

cast: James Corden, Oliver Chris, Martyn Ellis, Trevor Laird, Claire Lams, Fred Ridgeway, Daniel Rigby, Jemima Rooper, Suzie Toase