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Leicester Square Theatre – until 15 January 2022

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

4****

Sh!t-Faced Showtime’s chaotic version of A Christmas Carol is simply hilarious.

Before each show, one member of the cast drinks as much as they can, and the rest have to cope with the aftermath on stage. Presided over by a sequinned Charles Dickens, who hands out props for audience members to decide when to give the actor another drink, the audience are encouraged to be loud and rowdy. On press night, the drunk was playing Scrooge, causing a swerve in the plot within minutes as he gave one clerk Christmas Day off, promised Bob Cratchit a Diwali break and arranged for Gavin to cover the office.

Christmas classics from Wham and, of course, Slade are scattered throughout the show, given new lyrics and are weirdly brilliant sung in Victorian costume. The production goes full adult panto with Mrs Fezziwig’s appearance, and the cast coped brilliantly improvising around drunk Scrooge’s actions and lines. As the ghosts appeared to show Scrooge the error of his ways, Scrooge got frisky with Marley, came out as gay and ended up providing a running commentary and a (thoroughly deserved) appreciation thread about the cast’s ability to make call-backs to his ridiculous earlier contributions. Press night’s ending was definitely not as Dickens wrote it!

Rude, silly and fantastically unpredictable, A Pissedmas Carol is the perfect night out with friends – Christmas entertainment that will make you sob with laughter.

Park Theatre – until 8 January 2022

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

4****

Alexander Knott’s atmospheric take on A Christmas Carol places Bob Cratchit centre stage as familiar events from Dickens’ story are related to the audience through his eyes. What begins as a seemingly straightforward retelling soon develops into something darker and more surreal as Bob is fleshed out and he becomes more 3 dimensional and much more interesting than the long-suffering character we know. Although Scrooge becomes a side character in the play, his influence is ever present as Bob details the events leading up to Christmas Eve.

It turns out that Threadneedle and Stoneworth are nasty thugs a la Bill Sykes, who take advantage of a drunk Bob to set up the con of collecting for charity and are not best pleased when they can’t get money out of Scrooge. Their retribution forces Bob into a downward spiral where he contemplates violence against Scrooge and himself until Marley’s ghost announces the visits of three ghosts.

John Dagleish is incredible as Cratchit – morphing between Bob, Threadneedle and the Master with wondrous ease. He gives a masterclass in physicality and characterisation during the scenes where he is basically beating himself up in the confrontations between Threadneedle and Bob. The darker, less likeable side of Bob that Knott creates are not glossed over, with Bob directing explanations and excuses to the audience in a matey way. This is still a very Victorian creation with attitudes of that period, and Dagleish manages to keep the audience’s sympathy throughout. Freya Sharp plays various members of the Cratchit family, as well as nephew Fred and John Stoneworth – broad and comic in the first act, but with a more sinister edge in the second. The pair work brilliantly together, with their contrasting styles complimenting each other and adding an extra layer to the discomfort and confusion Bob is feeling.

Emily Bestow’s set is sparse but effective – universal enough to be evocative in every nightmare setting the ghosts show Bob. James Demaine and Samuel Heron’s sound and music is phenomenal, with the eerie soundscape during the interval enough to make your skin crawl and definite encouragement to escape to the bar.

Knott’s visions of the future that cause Bob to re-evaluate his life are both nightmarish and ridiculous, leaving the audience as disorientated as Bob as he is shown a soulless industrial revolution and the horrors of war before a seemingly idyllic late 20th century Soho reveals its bleak underside. Throughout the drama, there is always a sly aside from Bob to the audience to lighten the tone and relieve the tension, and Bob’s final realisation may not be earth shattering, but felt perfect for the character.

Disturbing and darkly funny, with two bravura performances, Cratchit is a must see for anyone who likes a chilling tale for Christmas.

First look at the National Theatre’s new musical Hex, based on Sleeping Beauty, as the first selection of production images are released

Friday 10 December 2021

The National Theatre has today released a first look at Hex, a new musical based on Sleeping Beauty which is currently open for previews in the Olivier theatre.

Rosalie Craig plays the fairy in this vividly original retelling of Sleeping Beauty: a mythic, big-hearted musical that goes beyond the waking kiss.

Deep in the wood, a lonely fairy longs for someone to bless. When she is summoned to the palace to help the princess sleep, her dream turns into a nightmare and her blessing becomes a curse. Soon, she is plunged into a frantic, hundred-year quest to somehow make everything right.

The cast is led by Tamsin Carroll as Queenie, Rosalie Craig as Fairy, Michael Elcock as Bert and Kat Ronney as Rose.   

Rufus Norris directs with music by Jim Fortune, book by Tanya Ronder, lyrics by Rufus Norris, designs by Katrina Lindsay and choreography by Jade Hackett.

The cast also includes Christopher Akrill, Delroy Atkinson, Esme Bacalla-Hayes, Natasha J Barnes, Madeline Charlemagne, Ebony Clarke, Sonya Cullingford, Hanna Dimtsu, Tamsin Dowsett, Joe Foster, Ben Goffe, Daisy Maywood, Kody Mortimer, Joseph Prouse, Sasha Shadid, Shaq Taylor and Sargon Yelda.

Orchestrations by Simon Hale, music supervision by Marc Tritschler, music direction by Tarek Merchant, lighting design by Paul Anderson, choreography by Jade Hackett with consultant choreography by Bill Deamer, sound design by Simon Baker and video design by Ash Woodward.

Hex will be in the Olivier theatre until 22 January 2022. It is recommended for ages 8+.

Hex will be broadcast to cinemas as a National Theatre Live from Thursday 17 March in the UK and Thursday 5 May internationally.

Salisbury Playhouse – until 31st December 2021

Reviewed by Lucy Hitchcock

4****

Panto is back in town-oh no it isn’t! Oh yes it is!!

Wiltshire creative brings their adaptation to Salisbury Playhouse and boy, is it a good one!

A twist on the well known and loved ‘Snow White’ sees Greg Barnett, Rebecca Cooper, Jake Mitchell, Martha Pothen and Consuela Rolle as the multitude of characters making up this brilliant performance. Set In a 1950’s hair salon, Snow is trying to make her aunt Trish proud by working her magic on the 3 Little Pigs, Big Bad Wolf and many other fairytale staples. She suddenly finds herself in peril when her Aunt Trish decides to kill her, so she goes to live with a group of 7 moles underground (puppets no less!). But will Snow escape her Aunt, or will she end up frazzled?

For me, the set was brilliantly utilised. James Button (designer) has done a sterling job with taking a small scale theatre and using it to its full potential. Together with Gareth Machin and Nicky Griffiths for direction and choreography, this is a true toe tapping extravaganza. A sparkling pink set dons the stage for the majority of the show, with a few changes here and there. It really does feel like you are within a salon!

Each and every member of this cast was superb and did an amazing job as changing their roles so quickly and making the audience believe this small cast of 5 was 15 people! The stand out performance of the night was certainly Greg Barnett. He has a stunning voice that was on show during the final number and embodied every character within an inch of their lives. Martha Polen was also exceptional as Trish-with a flair of hilarity mixed with the perfect amount of evil. I did feel as though there could have been more opportunities for the traditional boos and hiss that the evil queen demands, but this did not dampen this brilliant performance. Every member should be proud of their performances and you could see where they excelled, there was an issue with Consuela Rolle’s microphone which was swiftly sorted by backstage crew. However, I did find that Rolle’s singing voice was not as strong as her brilliantly endearing acting.

Jake Mitchell and Rebecca Cooper added so much more to the performance-Mitchell has an exquisite way with words and really made the performance his own. Cooper had one of the most demanding aspects of the show, with multiple quick changes that were seamlessly beautiful.

This is a brilliant performance, with exceptional actors and is really on par with any touring pantomime with headline actors. I thoroughly enjoyed the show and would urge you to join the salon and make sure you keep your wigs on when you find out Trish’s plan!

ACTING FOR OTHERS ANNOUNCES THEIR

ALTERNATIVE BUCKET COLLECTIONS CAMPAIGN

Today, theatrical charity Acting for Others announces their alternative bucket collections, marking the 18^th year of their post-show fundraising campaign. From now, until24 December, donations to Acting for Others can be made via text or by scanning QR codes at a range of venues across London, and via text at regional theatres, with 29 venues taking part.

Jenny Agutter, Ambassador of Acting for Others, said today “It has been a very difficult time for the industry and there are many people desperately in need of the help provided by Acting for Others member charities. We are incredibly grateful for the generous supporter we have received, but here is still a long way to go. As an Ambassador for A4O, I know how crucial their work is, the donations from audiences during this time really do make a difference to the lives of so many.”

Throughout the pandemic, Acting for Others has raised over £1.7 million, and through the network of member charities, over £8 million has been disbursed to workers across the theatre industry, including performers, front of house staff, technical staff, directors, writers and more.

Acting for Others is an umbrella organisation for a network of 14 theatrical charities which use the funds raised to offer emotional and financial support to all theatre workers in times of need. These theatre collections are supported by all the leading theatre groups including Ambassadors Theatre Group, Delfont Mackintosh Theatre, Nimax, LW Theatres, Bill Kenwright Ltd as well as virtually every major grant-aided company and commercial producers.

Initial Participating Venues:

Adelphi Theatre

Ambassadors Theatre

Apollo Theatre

Apollo Victoria Theatre

Charing Cross Theatre

Criterion Theatre

Duchess Theatre

Fortune Theatre

Garrick Theatre

Gielgud Theatre

Gillian Lynne Theatre

Her Majesty’s Theatre

Jermyn Street Theatre

London Palladium

Lyceum Theatre London

Lyric Theatre London

National Theatre

Noël Coward Theatre

Palace Theatre

Phoenix Theatre

Prince Edward Theatre

Prince of Wales Theatre

The Royal Opera House

Shaftesbury Theatre

Sondheim Theatre

Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Trafalgar Studios

Vaudeville Theatre

Victoria Palace Theatre

MADE AT CURVE’S PRODUCTION OF

IRVING BERLIN’S

WHITE CHRISTMAS

THE MUSICAL

RETURNS WINTER 2022

WITH NEW UK TOUR

COMING TO

NOTTINGHAM, SUNDERLAND AND LIVERPOOL

Jamie Wilson, Mark Goucher, Gavin Kalin and Kevin McCollum are thrilled to announce the welcome return of Made at Curve’s production of Irving Berlin’s WHITE CHRISTMAS for 2022. The much-loved stage adaptation of the timeless classic will embark on a brand-new UK tourfor the festive season,opening on Tuesday 22 November 2022 at Nottingham Theatre Royal, before visiting the Sunderland Empire and Liverpool Empire. Full casting will be announced in due course.

A romantic comedy to warm hearts of all ages, WHITE CHRISTMAS features the beloved songs “Blue Skies”, “Sisters”, “I Love A Piano”, “Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)” and the most famous festive song of all… “White Christmas”.

Join veterans Bob Wallace and Phil Davis as – fuelled by love – the all-singing, all-dancing duo follow the stunning Haynes Sisters, Betty & Judy to a Vermont lodge for a special Christmas show. Their journey takes a misstep, and their rhythm is thrown off when they discover the lodge happens to be owned by Bob and Phil’s old Army General, who is in desperate need of their help.

WHITE CHRISTMAS has Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin and a Book by David Ives and Paul Blake. It is based on the original production by Curve Artistic Director Nikolai Foster (Annie, Breakfast at Tiffany’s). It is directed by Ian Talbot OBE (High Society, Anything Goes) and choreographed by two-time Olivier Award-winning choreographer Stephen Mear CBE (Mary Poppins, Gypsy). Set Design is by Michael Taylor and Costume Design is by Diego Pitarch. Musical Supervision is by Stephen Brooker, Lighting Design by Mark Henderson and Sound Design by Tom Marshall. Orchestrations are by Larry Blank with New Musical arrangements by Jason Carr.

Presented by special arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of R&H Theatricals.

WHITE CHRISTMAS is produced by Jamie Wilson, Mark Goucher, Gavin Kalin and Kevin McCollum with Hunter Arnold, Jason Haigh-Ellery, Laurence Myers, InTheatre, Curve and Carlos Candal.

ACCLAIMED NEW MUSICAL EXTENDS WEST END SEASON

THE DRIFTERS GIRL NOW BOOKING TO 2 JULY 2022

BEVERLEY KNIGHT

PLAYS FAYE TREADWELL, THE DRIFTERS’ LEGENDARY MANAGER

ALSO STARS

ADAM J BERNARD, TARINN CALLENDER,

MATT HENRY & TOSH WANOGHO-MAUD

Hit songs include Stand By Me, Saturday Night at the Movies,

Under The Boardwalk, Save The Last Dance For Me

and Kissin in the Back Row of the Movies

At Garrick Theatre, London

Michael Harrison and David Ian are thrilled to announce today that The Drifters Girl – the brand new musical which tells the remarkable story of one of the world’s greatest vocal groups and the woman who made them – is to extend its run at Garrick Theatre in London to Saturday 2 July 2022.

The Drifters Girl stars Beverley Knight as Faye Treadwell, the legendary manager of The Drifters, and Adam J Bernard, Tarinn Callender, Matt Henry and Tosh Wanogho-Maud as the iconic group.

Beverley Knight plays Faye Treadwell, who, alongside her husband, fought for three decades to turn Atlantic Records’ hottest vocal group into a global phenomenon.

From the highs of hit records and sell out tours to the lows of legal battles and personal tragedy, The Drifters Girl charts the trailblazing efforts of the world’s first African American, female music manager and how she refused to ever give up on the group she loved. Thirty years, and hundreds of hit songs later, there is no doubt that Faye Treadwell was and always will be, The Drifters Girl.

Adam J Bernard exploded into the West End limelight when he originated the role of Jimmy ‘Thunder’ Early in Dreamgirls, for which he was awarded an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical.

Tarinn Callender originated the roles of Hercules Mulligan and James Madison in the West End production of the international musical phenomenon Hamilton. His other credits include the Olivier Award winning production of Come From Away.

Award-winning actor, singer, songwriter and artist Matt Henry won an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance as Lola in Kinky Boots, for which he also received a Grammy Award nomination for the London cast recording.

As a finalist on the BBC’s The Voice, Matt’s performance of Ray LaMontagne’s ‘Trouble’ racked up over four million hits on YouTube and the original ‘Trouble’ re-entered the UK charts that week, testament to Matt’s performance.

Tosh Wanogho-Maud played Jimmy in the West End musical Dreamgirls. His other West End credits include Show Boat, The Book of Mormon and playing the role of Simba in The Lion King.

The Drifters Girl boasts an incredible soundtrack of some of the most famous songs in history, including Save The Last Dance For Me, Under The Boardwalk, Kissin In The Back Row Of The Movies, Stand By Me, Come On Over To My Place, Saturday Night At The Movies and many more.

The Drifters Girl, with abook by Ed Curtis, based on an idea by Tina Treadwell, and which is co-created by Beverley Knight, Adam J Bernard, Tarinn Callender, Matt Henry and Tosh Wanogho-Maud is directed by Jonathan Church, with set design by Anthony Ward, choreography by Karen Bruce, costume design by Fay Fullerton, orchestrations and musical supervision by Chris Egan lighting design by Ben Cracknell, sound design by Tom Marshall and video design by Andrzej Goulding. Associate Director is Tyrone Huntley and Associate Choreographer is Myles Brown with casting by Stuart Burt and children’s casting by Jo Hawes.

The Drifters Girl is produced by Michael Harrison and David Ian.

FOURTH WALL LIVE

ANNOUNCES

EMMY, GRAMMY AND SIX-TIME TONY AWARD WINNER

AUDRA MCDONALD

LIVE AT THE LONDON PALLADIUM

SUNDAY 25 SEPTEMBER 2022

Fourth Wall Live is thrilled to announce that the Emmy, Grammy and six-time Tony Award winning Broadway sensation AUDRA MCDONALD will be performing live at the London Palladium with the forty-piece London Musical Theatre Orchestra on Sunday 25 September 2022 at 7.00pm. Alongside Andy Einhorn and the London Musical Theatre Orchestra, Audra will take you through the Great American Songbook and Broadway’s greatest hits.

Ticket presale opens on Wednesday 15 December at 10.00am, with general on sale Friday 17 December at 10.00am.

Pre-sale sign up is open NOW at: www.audra-london.com

Audra McDonald said today, “London is one of my favourite cities on the planet—I love it so much. There was a time when I was working and performing in London at least once a year. I’ve missed it so very much so the fact I’m getting the chance to return in this way is a joy for me. Come on out because I can’t wait to see you all. It’s been a while and I can’t wait to be in a theatre with you again.”

Audra McDonald is unparalleled in the breadth and versatility of her artistry as both a singer and an actor. The winner of a record-breaking six Tony Awards, two Grammy Awards and an Emmy, in 2015 she was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people and received a National Medal of Arts—America’s highest honor for achievement in the field—from President Barack Obama. In addition to her Tony-winning performances in Carousel, Master Class, Ragtime, A Raisin in the Sun, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess and Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill—the role that also served as the vehicle for her Olivier Award-nominated 2017 debut in London’s West End—she has appeared on Broadway in The Secret Garden; Marie Christine (Tony nomination); Henry IV; 110 in the Shade (Tony nomination); Shuffle Along, or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed; and Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune (Tony nomination). A Juilliard-trained soprano, her opera credits include La voix humaine and Send at Houston Grand Opera, and Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny at Los Angeles Opera, where the resulting recording earned her two Grammy Awards.

On television, Audra has been seen by millions as the Mother Abbess in NBC’s The Sound of Music Live! and played Dr. Naomi Bennett on ABC’s Private Practice. She won an Emmy Award for her role as host of PBS’s Live From Lincoln Center and has received nominations for Wit, A Raisin in the Sun and Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill. Having first appeared as Liz Lawrence on CBS’s The Good Wife, she can now be seen in The Good Fight on Paramount+ as well as in Spectrum’s pandemic-themed drama, The Bite. On film, she has appeared in Seven Servants, The Object of My Affection, Cradle Will Rock, It Runs in the Family, The Best Thief in the World, She Got Problems, Rampart, Ricki and the Flash, Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast,the movie-musical Hello Again, and MGM’s Aretha Franklin biopic, Respect. McDonald has issued five solo albums on the Nonesuch label as well as Sing Happy with the New York Philharmonic on Decca Gold. She also maintains a major career as a concert artist, regularly appearing on the great stages of the world and with leading international orchestras. A founding member of Black Theatre United, board member of Covenant House International, and prominent advocate for LGBTQAI+ rights, her favorite roles are those performed offstage, as an activist, wife to actor Will Swenson, and mother.

The London Musical Theatre Orchestra is the world’s only professional orchestra dedicated solely to musical theatre. Since LMTO’s launch in June 2016, the orchestra has performed to over 60,000 people at venues including the Royal Albert Hall, the London Palladium and the Dominion Theatre, and the orchestra’s recordings have nearly half a million streams.

Recent concerts include A Christmas Carol (Dominion Theatre), The Best of the West End (Royal Albert Hall), Lucie Jones Live at theAdelphi (Adelphi Theatre), Cinderella (Cadogan Hall), Zorro The Musical (Cadogan Hall) and Honeymoon in Vegas (London Palladium).

LMTO’s Patrons include Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz, Jason Robert Brown, Julian Fellowes and Howard Goodall. LMTO is Orchestra-in- Residence at Bishopsgate Institute. 

Audra McDonald live at the London Palladium is produced by Darren Bell, Dan Looney, Adam Paulden and Jason Haigh-Ellery for Fourth Wall Live. Fourth Wall Live is a live entertainment company that produces concerts internationally. It regularly brings Broadway artists to the UK, previous concerts include Broadway and TV regulars Laura Benanti, Sierra Boggess, Kelli O’Hara, Chita Rivera, Laura Michelle Kelly, Megan Hilty, Tituss Burgess, Jeremy Jordan, Matthew Morrison, Erich Bergen, Eden Espinosa, Julia Murney and Cynthia Erivo. Other concerts include West End Stars solo concerts including Michael Ball, Matt Cardle, Kerry Ellis, Oliver Tompsett, Hannah Waddingham, Sharon D Clarke and Bonnie Langford. Upcoming productions at Cadogan Hall include Jenna Russell, Shoshana Bean, Keala Settle and Jessica Vosk.

Tori Amos’s musical The Light Princess was presented to critical acclaim, as a special one-off concert in the summer of 2018. Next year Bonnie & Clyde the musical concert will run for two nights to a sold-out audience at Theatre Royal Drury Lane starring Jeremy Jordan. 

Fourth Wall Live also regularly partners with the Hippodrome Casino, in November-December 2020 they produced 25 nights of socially distanced entertainment, proudly being the first live event post lockdown. The current season of Hippodrome concerts runs from September 2021 to December 2021 and features 20 nights of musical entertainment featuring Alice Fearn, Kerry Ellis, Hayley Tamaddon and David O’Reilly.

Fourth Wall Live is committed to following all relevant UK Government Covid-19 guidelines, creating a safe working environment for our cast, musicians, creatives, crew and their families.

Audra McDonald and Fourth Wall Live are proudly being supported by Yamaha Pianos.

“THE PRINCE OF EGYPT” FILMED

BY UNIVERSAL PICTURES CONTENT GROUP

FINAL 4 WEEKS TO EXPERIENCE THE SHOW LIVE IN LONDON

ENGAGEMENT ENDS SATURDAY 8 JANUARY 2022

THE PRINCE OF EGYPT, the “lavish stage adaptation” (The Guardian) of the classic DreamWorks Animation film, has this week been filmed live at London’s Dominion Theatre by Universal Pictures Content Group. Plans for its broadcast will be released at a later date. The live capture of Scott Schwartz’s production is directed by Brett Sullivan and produced by Dione Orrom.

“One of the biggest musicals ever staged” (Metro), the epic production will play its final performance on Saturday 8 January 2022. Extra shows have been added on 20, 21 and 28 December 2021 at 2.30pm with performances also on Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Final tickets are available now via the official website: www.ThePrinceofEgyptMusical.com 

The Prince of Egypt tells an inspiring story of resilience, hope and belief. With a cast and orchestra of more than 60 incredible artists, this “truly phenomenal production” (BBC London) features Sean Cheesman’s “astonishing choreography” (The Guardian) and Stephen Schwartz’s “miraculous music” (Time Out) – including his Academy Award®-winning song ‘When You Believe’.

The huge cast features: Luke Brady (Moses), Liam Tamne (Ramses), Christine Allado (Tzipporah), Alexia Khadime (Miriam), Joe Dixon (Seti), Debbie Kurup (Tuya), Oliver Lidert (Jethro), Mercedesz Csampai (Yocheved), Adam Pearce (Hotep), Nardia Ruth (Nefertari), Silas Wyatt-Barke (Aaron), Simbi Akande, Casey Al-Shaqsy, Jordan Anderton, Joe Atkinson, Danny Becker, Felipe Bejarano, Pàje Campbell, Catherine Cornwall, Adam Filipe, Soophia Foroughi, Natalie Green, George Hankers, Jack Harrison-Cooper, Kalene Jeans, Christian Knight, Jessica Lee, Daniel Luiz, Jay Marsh, Scott Maurice, Carly Miles, Alice Readie, Samuel Sarpong-Broni, Christopher Short, Molly Smith, Marco Venturini, Ricardo Walker, Niko Wirachman and Sasha Woodward together with young performers Chenai Broadbent, Cian Eagle-Service, Maiya Eastmond, Jersey Blu Georgia, Taylor Jenkins, George Menezes Cutts, Iman Pabani and Vishal Soni.  

The orchestra is Dave Rose (Musical Director); Mark Collins (Associate Musical Director, Keyboards); Nina Foster/Fiona McCapra (job share), Sonya Fairbairn, Penny Ainscow, Sebastian Rudnicki (Violins); Fiona Davies (Viola); Magda Pietraszewska (Cello); Rory Dempsey (Bass); Rupert Widdows (Woodwind); Tony Cross (Trumpet, Flugelhorn); Duncan Fuller, David McQueen (Horns); John Gregson (Guitars); Murdoch MacDonald (Percussion) and Dan Ellis (Drums).

The Stage Management team is Debra Tidd (Company Stage Manager); Dominique Pierre-Louis (Stage Manager); Ryan Quelch (Deputy Stage Manager); Nuri Chang, Charlotte Johnson (Assistant Stage Managers/Book Cover); Simon Humphris, Chrissie Huxford and Tracey Farrell (Assistant Stage Managers).

Journey through the wonders of Ancient Egypt as two young men, raised together as brothers in a kingdom of privilege, find themselves suddenly divided by a secret past. One must rule as Pharaoh, the other must rise up and free his true people; both face a destiny that will change history forever.

The Prince of Egypt has music and lyrics by multi-Grammy® and Academy Award®-winner Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell), a book by Philip LaZebnik (Mulan, Pocahontas) and features 10 new songs written by Stephen Schwartz together with 5 of his beloved songs from the DreamWorks Animation film (When You Believe, Deliver Us, All I Ever Wanted, Through Heaven’s Eyes and The Plagues).

The Prince of Egypt is directed by Scott Schwartz with choreography by Sean Cheesman;set designs by Kevin Depinet; costume designs by Ann Hould-Ward; lighting design by Mike Billings; sound design by Gareth Owen; projection designs by Jon Driscoll; illusions by Chris Fisher; wigs, hair and makeup design by Campbell Young Associates; orchestrations by August Eriksmoen; musical supervision and arrangements by Dominick Amendum; musical direction by Dave Rose; casting by Jim Arnold CDG and children’s casting by Verity Naughton CDG.

The Prince of Egypt is produced by DreamWorks Theatricals (a division of Universal Theatrical Group), Michael McCabe and Neil Laidlaw together with John Gore, Tom Smedes and Peter Stern, Ramin Sabi, The Araca Group, James L. Nederlander and Michael Park.

The Original Cast Recording, released by Ghostlight Records, received a 2021 Grammy® Award nomination for `Best Musical Theatre Album’.

A milestone in cinematic achievement, the classic DreamWorks Animation film has been captivating audiences across the world for more than two decades. It has been hailed as “one of the greatest animated films of all time” (Evening Standard) and “a stunning film” (The Guardian).

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube: @PrinceOfEgyptUK

Official website: www.ThePrinceofEgyptMusical.com

Dominion Theatre safety protocols and audience procedures can be viewed here:

 www.nederlander.co.uk/safety

Wales Millennium Centre – until 31 December 2021

Reviewed by Rhys Payne

5*****

XXXmas Carol is a brand new adult focused production at the Wales Millennium Centre in association with Big Loop productions. The show is basically the story of A Christmas Carol crossed with a wonderful array of performances throughout to match key moments in the story. The first thing of note for this show is the fact that it is nothing like the family-friendly version in Sherman, in fact, it is strictly for a mature audience as there are depictions of sexual acts, constant strong language, references to drug use and most shockingly whips and other sexual toys on every table for the audience. I just need to reiterate that this is a show for only people who are over the age of eighteen and so my review many discuss these more adult themes!

The entire event is hosted by the incredibly talented drag queen Polly Amorous. I have seen Polly perform numerous times in local nightclubs where I know she can sing a little and is very entertaining but I had no idea the scale that this could be harnessed into! This show has been uniquely crafted to put Polly herself into the heart of the show where Scrooge is almost the male persona and Polly is his drag alter-ego. There are jokes throughout about appearing on drag race, quitting full-time work to become a full-time drag superstar and fits with her energetic and crude personality. Polly is clearly a very gifted triple-threat performer as she was not only able to perform her alternating roles of the narrator and Ebenezer Scrooge, she delivered both lip-syncing and live performance and her choreography throughout was something to be marvelled at! Talking about marvelled at I think some time need to be put aside to appreciate how stunning Polly looked throughout the whole of this show in her wonderfully festive-inspired outfits! Her first and opening number started off as “All I want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey, which I have seen performed by pretty much every queen I know in recent week, but quickly tweaked to being an intense and sexually powered song about wanting to be f**ked for Christmas which had the audience rolling in hysterics throughout. This song started with Mariah but ended up as an almost Nicky Minaj/Megan Thee Stallion style song which was wonderfully performed!

I was first Introduced to Rahim El Habachi during a different performance at Sherman Theatre. His original piece “The Love Theft” was a very powerful retelling of a classic Greek myth with an underlying political message of LGBT+ acceptance around the world. During this show, Rahim showcased his incredible dancing skills which he again used during this performance. Throughout XXXmas Carol Rahim led belly dancing inspired numbers and was frequently twerking with absolutely incredible to watch! He delivered a wonderfully hilarious poem about a festive act of sex work which was not only hilarious but also explored how the sex industry is still belittled and how we really need to remove the stigma on this career. One of the highlights in this role is the fact that Rahim helped to introduce the Muslim faith into the performance where he discussed to alternative holidays and some of the rules this faith follows. While I am a massive Christmas fan, I need to also remember that there are so many people who do not celebrate Christmas and so for Rahim to focus the audience onto this fact is very important and great to see! Polly and Rahim performed a wonderful performance of the more upbeat version of “One Night Only” which was wonderfully fun and contains some great live vocals.

This retelling of Christmas Carol also had a series of amazing burlesque performances which was delivered by the talented Foo Foo Labelle. The first number in which Foo Foo was dressed as a massive Christmas tree with green balloons all over the costume was wonderfully camp and when they began popping them in time with the music it was very startling to experience. Foo Foo was so wonderfully over-the-top during this performance with the most exaggerated facial reactions I have seen in a long while which helped snatch and maintain the audience attention throughout the unique performance. Polly also worked alongside Foo Foo to deliver another hilarious duet that was based on the classic M&S style adverts. I think that tremendous amounts of praise needs to go to the performer referee simply as Geraint deserves so much praise as he not only was the whipping boy of the show but also managed to play the piano throughout the accompany many of the performers throughout. In a weird sort of way, this character served the same function of Tiny Tim in the original Christmas Carol as they drummed up the sympathy of the audience which helped to really mark the change in Scrooge after his three ghostly visitations!

The fact that XXXmas Carol was able to facilitate numerous aerial performances throughout this show was incredible! Two of the cast were able to showcase incredible trapeze based skills which utilised every each space above the stage itself. In general, I don’t know how people are able to performer numbers while swinging so high in the air as even the thought of it terrifies me but that’s just me! Eric McGill managed to turn up the steamy nature of the show when he performed a number stripping down to his pants while on a trapeze. This was choreographed to perfection where the removal of his clothes were done during popular trapeze positions which made sense within the overall performance. He stripped down to a pair of sparkly pants that had a wonderful festive jewelled Santa hat on the butt and had everyone in the audience hollering throughout! The other performance in the air was a lot less explicitly sexual with Bunmi Odumosu which a mix more traditional aerial number which was also fantastic to watch! Both Bunmi and Erik are clearly very talented contortionists as during their ground-based number they were both able to bend their bodies into the most impossible positions. This performance was actually very spooky and unsettling to experience which fitted the point in the story perfectly! However, Bunmi’s solo performance towards the end of the show was the highlight of her involvement in the show as the dominatrix infused section (complete with working whips) was very erotic and powerful to watch! The end of the show included a sing-along of a rather dirty version of the twelve days of Christmas which had to audience members standing up and shouting the most obscene things you have ever heard!

Overall, XXXmas Carol is a rather unique retelling of A Christmas Carol which I (and Charles Dickens I assume ) would have ever anticipated! When he sat down and wrote this piece of political literature, I don’t think Charles Dickens ever thought that there would be a retelling of his highly moral story which was hosted by a drag queen and included a stripping inspired trapeze act, a raunchy M&S style advert sketch or an incredibly vulgar performance of the twelve days of sexmas and in all honesty, neither did I! Due to the wonderful array of performance this has become the new standard for any variety show I see and will not accept anything less! Every performance was unique but the entire show was tied together by the flawless Polly Amorous which shone a totally different light on her which I had not seen before!