The National Theatre and Playful Productions are delighted to confirm further casting for the West End transfer of critically acclaimed Inter Alia. Joining the previously announced, Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winner and BAFTA and Academy Award-nominee, Rosamund Pike (Saltburn) as Jessica Parks and Jamie Glover (Waterloo Road) as Michael Wheatley is Cormac McAlinden (Little Brother) as Harry Wheatley.
Thomas Michaelson (The Father) and Luke Garner-Greene (The Road Trip) reprise their roles as ensemble/Understudy Michael and ensemble/Understudy Harry respectively.
The National Theatre’s recent ‘smash hit’ (★★★★★ Mail on Sunday) plays Wyndham’s Theatre, a Delfont Mackintosh Theatre, from 19 March until 20 June 2026.
Tickets are on sale at www.interaliaplay.com.
This ‘searing legal drama’ (★★★★ The Guardian) is an examination of motherhood and modern masculinity, and reunites Olivier Award-winning writer Suzie Miller and BAFTA-Award-winning director Justin Martin of Prima Facie. Inter Alia is a ‘swaggering epic ’ (★★★★ The Independent) that is bold, witty and deeply human. It premiered at the National Theatre’s Lyttelton theatre from 10 July to 13 September, garnering critical and box office acclaim. It was broadcast live in the UK via National Theatre Live on 4 September to over 50,000 people and has recently been distributed to cinemas worldwide.
‘Vital drama that needs to be heard’ (The i ★★★★)
inter alia /ˌɪntər ˈeɪliə,ˈaliə/ adverb among other things.
Jessica Parks is a maverick London Crown Court Judge; sharp, compassionate, and determined to change a system she knows isn’t always just. But her career exists inter alia (‘among other things’) as she balances motherhood, friendship and the elusive notion of ‘having it all’
So, when an unthinkable event rocks her finely tuned life, can she hold her family together – or will everything fall apart?
Joining Suzie Miller and Justin Martin on the creative team are set and costume designer Miriam Buether, lighting designer Natasha Chivers, sound designers Ben and Max Ringham, video designer Willie Williams for Treatment Studio, composers Erin LeCount and James Jacob PKA Jakwob, casting directors Alastair Coomer CDG and Naomi Downham, children’s casting and administration by Keston & Keston, movement and intimacy director Lucy Hind, music director Nick Pinchbeck and associate director Grace Duggan.
The West End production of Inter Alia is produced by the National Theatre in a co-production with Playful Productions.
Graham Bickley, Rob Houchen and Kelly Mathieson join Ramin Karimloo in To Maury, With Love
A celebration of the works of Maury Yeston on the occasion of his 80th birthday
Graham Bickley, Rob Houchen and Kelly Mathieson
West End stars Graham Bickley, Rob Houchen and Kelly Mathieson are to join the previously announced West End and Broadway star Ramin Karimloo to celebrate multi-Tony Award winning composer Maury Yeston’s 80th birthday.
Sunday February 22, 2026 at 7.30pm Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Catherine St, London WC2B 5JF
To Maury, With Love is a concert of his most well know and loved music, directed by Thom Southerland and produced by Producer Danielle Tarento.
Tarento and Southerland have collaborated previously on several of Yeston’s shows in the UK, including the London premieres of Titanic the Musical and Death Takes a Holiday and a critically acclaimed revival of Grand Hotel.
These musicals will be represented in the concert, along with music from Nine, Phantom (Maury’s 1991 version of The Phantom of the Opera has received over 1,000 productions globally) and many others, including never-before heard songs and an overture written especially for the occasion.
Graham Bickley made his West End debut in 1981 in They’re Playing Our Song. His other West End credits include The Pirates of Penzance, Metropolis, Which Witch, Maddie, The Pajama Game (Best Actor nomination, Toronto), Les Misérables (as Enjolras and Marius), Miss Saigon (as Chris), and Sunset Boulevard (as Joe Gillis, playing opposite Petula Clark). He played Tateh in the 2003 London premiere of Ragtime (nominated for the Laurence Olivier and The Whatsonstage Award for Best Actor in a Musical). In 2023, he toured the UK as Captain EJ Smith in Maury Yeston’s Titanic the Musical.
Rob Houchen played Jack in the West End premiere of Titanique. He made his West End debut in Les Misérables (as Marius Pontmercy) and later played Marius in the staged concert version of Les Misérables at the Gielgud Theatre. He was Lieutenant Joseph Cable in the Chichester Festival Theatre production of South Pacific (Manchester Opera House, Sadler’s Wells and UK tour). He was Frederick Fleet in the Maury Yeston’s Titanic the Musical at Charing Cross Theatre.
Kelly Mathieson made her name in the musical theatre industry when she landed the lead role of Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera in the West End. During her nearly three-year, award-winning run as Christine, Kelly also built a flourishing concert career, performing as a soloist at prestigious venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Royal Concert Hall Glasgow, and Cadogan Hall, where she played Tonia in the UK premiere of Dr Zhivago.
West End and Broadway star Ramin Karimloo is no stranger to Yeston’s work, Karimloo played Barrett in the recent Encores production of Titanic the Musical at NYCityCenter and Guido Contini in Nine in Concert for Hope Mill Theatre at The Lowry.
Final casting is still to be announced.
The concert will feature a 30-piece London Musical Theatre Orchestra and a choir of graduating Musical Theatre MA students from the Royal Academy of Music, under the baton of Mark Aspinall.
Tarento said “My working relationship and friendship with Maury is one of the great joys of my life. His musicals resonate so deeply with me and have framed so much of the past 15 years of my career. To be able to celebrate his 80th birthday in such a significant way is a privilege and an honour.”
The concert is raising funds for Bowel Cancer UK with all profits going towards supporting the work of this vitally important charity.
Maury Yeston is one of Broadway’s most celebrated composer lyricists. In addition to winning a Tony Award for Best Score for Titanic the Musical (which won another four Tonys including Best Musical), Yeston won a Tony Award and two Drama Desk Awards for his music and lyrics to Nine (based on Fellini’s 1963 movie 8½). That production also won four additional Tonys including Best Musical. The Broadway revival of Nine, starring Antonio Banderas, won the Tony Award for Best Musical Revival. Yeston’s contribution to the score for Grand Hotel was nominated for a Tony and two Drama Desk Awards, and the Donmar Warehouse production won an Olivier Award. His score for Phantom has received national and international acclaim. More recently, he wrote music and lyrics to Death Takes A Holiday, which was nominated for 11 Drama Desk Awards, the first entirely American full length ballet, Tom Sawyer: A Ballet In Three Acts, which premiered in Kansas City and Anything Can Happen in The Theater – The Musical World of Maury Yeston, a new musical revue conceived and directed by Gerard Alessandrini which premièred in March 2020 at Manhattan’s York Theater Company.
In 2009, Nine google adapted into a film with a screenplay by Anthony Minghella and Michael Tolkin, directed by Rob Marshall and featuring Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Dame Judi Dench, Kate Hudson, Fergie, and Sophia Loren. It was nominated for five Golden Globes and four Academy Awards. Yeston was nominated for a Critics Choice and Golden Globe for Best Original Song, Cinema Italiano, and an Academy Award for Best Original Song, “Take It All”.
Other works include: Cello Concerto, premièred by Yo Yo Ma; the concert album Goya – A Life In Song, featuring Placido Domingo and Gloria Estefan; December Songs, a song cycle commissioned by Carnegie Hall for its centennial celebration; An American Cantata – 2000 Voices, a choral symphony in three movements for the National Symphony Orchestra and 2000 singers commissioned by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
LISTINGS INFO
Danielle Tarento presents
To Maury, With Love
Directed by Thom Southerland
Orchestrated and Conducted by Mark Aspinall Lighting Designed by Howard Hudson Sound Designed by Andrew Johnson
Theatre Royal Drury Lane Catherine St, London WC2B 5JF
Mayflower Theatre, Southampton – until 24 January 2026
Reviewed by Jo Gordon
4****
Get those curtain fringes perfected, hair twists with mini butterfly clips set solid and dust off your tight tops and hipster trouser combo off because Here & Now! The Steps Musical has arrived.
Full of glitter, heartfelt stories and an unapologetic love for all things Steps, it delivers a crowd-pleasing night. Built around the chart-topping catalogue of Steps, the show offers a warm, funny celebration of connection, chosen family and second chances.
Set in a seaside superstore on the brink of closure, we are introduced to a diverse group of work mates , each wrestling with their own hopes and disappointments. Their stories are mainly light, of the heart yet intertwined with sorrow and loss. Giving the audience plenty of reason to invest emotionally before the first key change hits.
Steps hits are woven into the story, often used to reveal character rather than simply give the audience nostalgia . Numbers like “Tragedy” and “Better Best Forgotten” land with comic precision, while the inevitable “5,6,7,8” becomes a joy, whipped into a euphoric frenzy by wonderful choreography and energy.
The cast throw themselves into the show wholeheartedly, with some show-stopping vocals that blew the audience away and more dance routines than you think could be done using what’s on hand in a supermarket! The set is a neon and glittery treat that reminds us how colourful the Steps era was
Here & Now! The Steps Musical offers joy, inclusivity and a great sense of fun. For fans and newcomers alike, it’s a feel-good night. Dancing, bags of ice, love and absolute banging tunes , what more could we need!
(16 January 2026) – It was announced today, Mischief’s new critically acclaimed festive fiasco Christmas Carol Goes Wrong will be recorded live at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre on Thursday 5 February at 2.30pm and 7.30pm. Tickets are released today for these filmed performances, buy now to see the mayhem and mishaps unravel before your very eyes.
The show continues its UK tour after its sell-out West End run, visiting Nottingham Theatre Royal, the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, the Edinburgh Festival Theatre, the King’s Theatre in Glasgow and the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury, where the tour finishes on 1 March 2026. Distribution plans for the live capture are currently being finalised and will be announced in due course.
Turning this Christmas classic into chaos are: Matt Cavendish as Max, Daniel Fraser as Chris, Sasha Frost as Sandra with Ashley Tucker taking over from Nottingham , Chris Leask as Trevor, Henry Lewis as Robert, Jonathan Sayer as Dennis, Greg Tannahill as Jonathan, and Nancy Zamit and Dumile Sibanda will share the role of Annie. The understudies are: Alex Bird, Will Bishop, Siobhan Cha Cha, Colm Gleeson and Paige Round.
This brand new Goes Wrong comedy sees the chaos and humour of the Cornley Amateur Dramatic Society return, and is written by original Mischief Members Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields. The production welcomes back director Matt DiCarlo following critical claim for his West End directorial debut of the Comedy About Spies, with Set Design by Libby Todd, Costume Design by Roberto Surace, Lighting Design by David Howe, and Alexandra Faye Braithwaite as Sound Designer & Composer.
The Cornley crew battle miscommunication, delays to their set, actors missing in action and a growing feud over who will play the lead. It’s sure to be a disastrous take on the much-loved classic Christmas story of Ebeneezer Scrooge. Will Cornley finally change their ways, or will their misfortunes wreak havoc yet again?
Christmas Carol Goes Wrong is produced by Kenny Wax and Stage Presence, presented by arrangement with Mischief Worldwide Ltd. The live capture will be produced by Mischief Screen, in collaboration with Emma Keith for The Knighton Group, and filmed by Human Eyes.
Casting is announced today for work-in-progress performances of BABYFACE – THE FIERCE WRESTLING MUSICAL, written by Seiriol Davies. The cast includes James Ifan (Kinky Boots), Rex Hayes (To Kill A Mockingbird, Ted Lasso), Genesis Lynea (Six original cast, Sylvia, Dr. Who,Death in Paradise) and Iestyn Arwel. Also joining the cast are musical theatre performers Cadi Mullane, Nic Myers and Elis Myers-Sleight, who are joined by professional wrestlers Nightshade, KM Lane, Cassius The Neon Explosion and Darcy Stone.
The work-in-progress performances will be presented at Storyhouse, Chester on Wednesday 11 February 2026, as part of Storyhouse Queer festival, and at Pleasance, London on Friday 13 February 2026. Tickets are from £15 and on sale now. www.babyfacemusical.com
BABYFACE is the rags-to-spandex story of two tender queer souls from Rhyl, climbing the ranks of an industry where selling your persona is everything. Gruff wants to be a poet but his Nanna Dela needs money to keep the local bailiffs at bay; so Gruff must follow the path of his late grandad, the legendary wrestler Rhyl Dryll. Rezi wants to be the first ever female wrestling world champion. But can their friendship survive this crazy, sweaty, hyper-charged world? Will they turn into villains, or will they be… Babyfaces?
Fusing musical theatre and pro-wrestling (yes, with ACTUAL wrestling in an ACTUAL ring!) it’s a laugh-out-loud thrill ride that asks: in a polarised world, what happens when your need for community conflicts with your urge to WIN?
BABYFACE has been in development for three years and was presented in May 2025 in Birmingham as part of BEAM2025, a national showcase of new musicals. Producer Jafar Iqbal has now partnered with leading West End production company PW Productions.
It follows the success of Davies’ How To Win Against History, which premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2016, returning in 2025, winning The Stage Edinburgh Award and receiving critical acclaim, including:
★★★★★
The Daily Telegraph
‘A work of genius.’
★★★★★
The Stage
‘A glittering production.’
★★★★
The Times
‘Sparkling piece of musical theatre.’
Seiriol Davies is a writer, composer and performer from Anglesey. As well as How to Win Against History, Seiriol has written shows including Milky Peaks (Theatr Clwyd and touring), Betty! A Sort of Musical with Maxine Peake (Manchester Royal Exchange) and Branwen:Dadeni for the Donald Gordon Theatre, Wales Millennium Centre (as co-writer). They have also created work with companies such as Punchdrunk, English National Opera, The Gate Theatre, Underbling & Vow, The Unicorn Theatre and Le Gateau Chocolat. Currently, Seiriol is developing a musical with Hijinx, a queer medieval Shakespearian epic about Henry the Fifth and Welsh folk hero Owain Glyndwr, entitled Sweet Henry Vee with the Birmingham Rep, and Charles Actual Dickens and the Death Ship of Gold with Francesca Moody Productions.
These work-in-progress performances of BABYFACE – THE FIERCE WRESTLING MUSICAL are directed by Debbie Hannan and Matthew Holmquist, with musical supervision and arrangements by Geraint Owen, musical direction by Sioned Evans, wrestling choreography by Ed Gamester, and casting by Harry Blumenau.
LISTINGS
Storyhouse, Hunter Street, Chester CH1 2AR
Performance at 7.30pm on Wednesday 11 February 2026
Pleasance, 5 Carpenters Mews, North Road, London, N7 9EF
FULL CAST INCLUDING ALEX LAWTHER, DOON MACKICHAN, PAUL READY AND SOPHIE RUNDLE ANNOUNCED FOR SUMMERFOLK AT THE NATIONAL THEATRE
NEW VERSION OF MAXIM GORKY’S CLASSIC BY NINA RAINE AND MOSES RAINE
The National Theatre today announces full casting for Nina Raine and Moses Raine’s new version of Maxim Gorky’s Summerfolk, a razor-sharp portrait of class, privilege and denial. Directed by Deputy Artistic Director Robert Hastie, this biting and satirical play will run in the Olivier theatre from 6 March to 29 April 2026.
Full cast includes Rebecca Banatvala as Sasha, Thomas Barrett as Maxim Zimin, Tamika Bennett as Sonya, Pip Carter as Pavel Sergeyich Ryumin, Peter Forbes as Semyon Semyonich Dvoyetochiye, Brandon Grace as Nikolai Petrovich Zamislov, Arthur Hughes as Pyotr Ivanich Suslov, Sam Jenkins-Shaw as Kropilkin, Gwyneth Keyworth as Olga Alekseyevna, Daniel Lapaine as Yakov Petrovich Shalimov, Alex Lawther as Vlass Mikhailich, Adelle Leonce as Yulia Filipovna, Doon Mackichan as Kaleria, Justine Mitchell as Maria Lvovna, Paul Ready as Sergei Vassilich Bassov, Sophie Rundle as Varvara Mikhailovna, Sid Sagar as Kirill Akimovich Dudakov and Richard Trinder as Pustobaika, With Ivan Ivashkin,Aisha-Mae McCormick, Roisin Rae,Ellie Turner and Joe Usher making up the ensemble.
It’s a hot, beautiful summer in 1905, and Russia’s elite retreat to the countryside to swim, sip champagne and start affairs. When they’re having this much fun, why care about anything else? But Varvara just can’t shake the feeling that their holiday idyll is built on borrowed time. As the party continues, how long can they ignore the storm on the horizon?
Director Robert Hastie is joined by set and costume designer Peter McKintosh, lighting designer Paul Pyant, sound designer Alexandra Faye Braithwaite, composer Nicola T. Chang, movement director Thomas Herron, Music Director Candida Caldicot, casting director Bryony Jarvis-Taylor CDG, voice coaches Shereen Ibrahim and Zoe Littleton, associate set designer Joseph Bisat Marshall, and BSL and staff director Lilac Yosiphon..
Playing in the Olivier theatre from 6 March to 29 April 2026, press performance on Tuesday 17 March 2026, 7pm.
Producers ROYO, Runaway Entertainment and Curve are delighted to announce that multi-platinum-selling recording artist and award-winning West End actor Matt Cardle will play Charlie Price alongside Johannes Radebe as Lola, in the brand-new production of the Olivier, Tony® and Grammy® Award-winning KINKY BOOTS The Musical. The show will strut into the spectacular London Coliseum for 17 weeks from 17 March 2026 to 11 July 2026, with a week of previews at Curve, Leicester from 3 March 2026. Tickets are on sale now.
Tosh Wanogho-Maud, who is currently starring as Lola in the European leg of the touring production, also joins the cast as Alternate Lola*.
KINKY BOOTS The Musical features a book by Harvey Fierstein and a score by Cyndi Lauper. It will be directed by Curve’s Artistic Director Nikolai Foster (My Fair Lady, A Chorus Line, Billy Elliot).
Matt Cardle rose to fame performing with Rihanna in front of a televised audience of over 20 million as the winner of The X Factor’s highest ever rated series in 2010. Since then Matt has soared up the charts and achieved similar success on his own terms releasing four studio albums; Letters (2011), The Fire (2012), Porcelain (2013) and Time To Be Alive (2018). New album, The Great Escape, is released on 10 April 2026.
Matt most recently starred as Shakespeare in the UK and Ireland tour of & Juliet. He played Huey Calhoun in Memphis (Shaftesbury Theatre, West End) alongside Beverley Knight, for which he received the WhatsOnStage Award for ‘Best West End Debut.’ He also appeared as Wally Strand in Strictly Ballroom (Piccadilly Theatre) and Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar (Barbican Theatre).
Matt said “I am absolutely over the moon to be joining the cast of Kinky Boots on London’s biggest stage. Theatre has been a huge part of my career so far, and leading a cast alongside Johannes Radebe at the London Coliseum is a huge honour. Kinky Boots is a show I’ve loved for years so to get the opportunity to step into the role of Charlie Price is a dream come true. Bringing this iconic role to life in the West End is an incredible privilege, and I cannot wait to share this production with audiences.”
Tosh Wanogho-Maud started his career as a child in the iconic shows Whistle Down the Wind and The Lion King. Previous credits include ICEBERG in Titanique(Criterion Theatre) Palladium Pantomime, Oklahoma! in Concert (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Batboy in Concert (The London Palladium), Ain’t Too Proud (Prince Edward Theatre), Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat (Toronto), The Drifters Girl (Garrick Theatre), Dreamgirls (Savoy Theatre) and The Book of Mormon (Prince of Wales Theatre). His film and television credits include Jingle Jangle (Apple TV+), Bridgerton (Netflix) and Roadkill (BBC).
KINKY BOOTS The Musical is a Broadway and West End phenomenon based on a true story and movie of the same name released in 2005.
When Charlie Price inherits his family’s failing shoe factory, saving the company – and his love life – feels like an impossibly tall order. Until, that is, he meets Lola, the sparkling, larger-than-life drag queen with the unlikeliest of answers. Can they work together to reboot the business and save the day? Perhaps they just need to help each other – and everyone around them – to stand a little taller…
A glorious celebration of friendship and individuality, let Kinky Boots raise you up higher than ever at the
legendary London Coliseum for 17 weeks only.
KINKY BOOTS is directed by Nikolai Foster with choreography by Leah Hill, set design by Robert Jones, costume design by Robert Jones & Tom Rogers, musical supervision by George Dyer, lighting design by Ben Cracknell, sound design by Adam Fisher, casting by Harry Blumenau CDG CDA, wigs, hair and make-up design by Campbell Young Associates, associate direction by Michaela Powell with production management by Setting Line.
KINKY BOOTS is produced by ROYO, Runaway Entertainment and Curve.
Preview performances: Tuesday – Saturday 7:30pm, Thursday and Saturday 2:30pm
Performances: Monday – Saturday 7:30pm, Thursday and Saturday 2:30pm
Tickets from: £20
Box Office: 020 7845 9300
*Tosh Wanogho-Maud will play the role of Lola on all Monday performances from 6April 2026. Patrons are advised to check the website for further information.
starring Ian Ashpitel as Ernie Wise & Jonty Stephens as Eric Morecambe
at the Garrick Theatre on Sunday 29 March 2026
Martin Clarkson and The Production Garden, producers of the previously announced Eric & Ern centenary special, are delighted to announce that stage and screen star Michelle Collins (EastEnders) will join the West End performance as a special guest. The show takes place at the Garrick Theatre on 29 March 2026, celebrating the 100th birthdays of Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise and their legendary comedy partnership.
The West End show is one of a series of special performances which have recently been announced for Eric and Ern, the new show from Ian Ashpitel and Jonty Stephens, the Olivier nominated duo behind the critically acclaimed West End hit Eric & Little Ern.
Eric and Ern takes audiences back to the times when whole families would huddle around the telly to watch the fantastic Morecambe and Wise Christmas specials. This brilliant homage to the two national comedy heroes is crammed full of renditions of those famous comedy sketches, and hits all the right notes. From Greig’s Piano Concerto to Mr Memory, “Arsenal!”, Eric and Ern is a show full of Morecambe and Wise’s most loved routines, songs and sketches – and of course their special musical guest. It is suitable for all the family from 8 to 80.
Michelle Collins said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining the West End celebration of Morecambe and Wise’s centenary. Eric and Ern are true icons of British entertainment, and to be part of a show honouring their legacy – especially at the Garrick Theatre in the West End – is a real privilege. It’s a wonderful way to celebrate comedy that has brought joy to generations.”
Currently playing a limited run at Curve, Leicester from Tuesday 6 to Saturday 17 January, Eric and Ern will visit the Lowry, Salford from Tuesday 24 to Saturday 28 March, Garrick Theatre in London’s West End on Sunday 29 March, and Morecambe Winter Gardens on Saturday 16 May for a special performance coinciding with Eric Morecambe’s birthday weekend.
Eric and Ern is created by Ian Ashpitel and Jonty Stephens based on the writing of Eddie Braben. It is presented by Martin Clarkson and The Production Garden in association with Cube Room Productions.
LISTINGS INFORMATION
Show title:Eric and Ern
Running time: 1 hour and 50 minutes (including a 20 minute interval)
Age guidance: 8+
TOUR DATES
Tuesday 8 – Saturday 17 January 2026 Curve, Leicester
Cambridge Arts Theatre, Cambridge until Saturday 17th January 2026
Reviewed by Steph Lott
5*****
Last night at The Cambridge Arts Theatre, the Cambridge Operatic Society—celebrating an impressive 115 years of bringing musical theatre to our city—delivered a thoroughly engaging production of Frank Loesser’s beloved 1950 musical comedy “Guys and Dolls”. While there’s always a risk that a show dealing with gamblers, showgirls, and old-fashioned gender dynamics might feel dated, this production proved that with the right vision and talented performers, the magic of Damon Runyon’s short stories remains as captivating as ever.
Co-directors and choreographers Helen Petrovna and David Barrett opted for simple black sets and lighting. This minimalism worked beautifully, allowing the audience’s imagination to conjure the smoky bars, bustling clubs, and shadowy street corners of 1950s New York City. Rather than being a limitation, the spare aesthetic placed the focus squarely on the performers, who rose magnificently to the challenge.
The ensemble deserves particular praise. As one might expect from an operatic society, their vocal work was exceptional. But beyond their singing, the cast used Barrett and Petrovna’s choreography to brilliant effect, creating the unceasing energy and bustle that Runyon’s stories demand. There’s always a danger that such a familiar show might feel jaded, but this production was anything but—it felt fresh, vital, and genuinely entertaining.
Luke Thomas brought considerable charm and swagger to Sky Masterson, the smooth-talking gambler, while Saskia Edwards-Korolczuk’s Sarah Brown was wonderfully nuanced, showing the Save-a-Soul missionary’s journey from righteous certainty to unexpected romance. The chemistry between Thomas and Edwards-Korolczuk was palpable, making their unlikely love story genuinely touching. Meanwhile, Vikki Jones was superb as Miss Adelaide, the long-suffering nightclub performer, delivering both the comedy and pathos of a woman who’s been engaged for fourteen years. Jones was utterly charming, earning some of the evening’s warmest applause.
Musical director James Harvey and the band deserve considerable credit for their splendid work. Two particular highlights stood out: “Luck Be a Lady,” performed with thrilling intensity during the crucial crap game scene, and the show-stopping “Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat”.
Many audience members will have seen “Guys and Dolls” before—it’s one of musical theatre’s most enduring classics. What makes this Cambridge Operatic Society production worth seeing is not just familiarity with beloved songs and storylines but witnessing what this talented local company has accomplished with the material. They’ve created a production that honours the show’s golden age roots while making it feel immediate and alive for contemporary audiences.
This is community theatre at its finest—ambitious, accomplished, and thoroughly enjoyable.
Emerald Theatre – Every Tuesday until April 28th 2026
Reviewed by Carly
5*****
With Van Morrison being a firm fixture in my upbringing I was very excited to see the Alumni Band perform his songs live and what a concert it was!
The setting itself was just beautiful, a very relaxed and intimate venue with large sofas to relax around tables in front of the stage, as well as a very comfortable stalls area offering comfortable chairs of two with a mini table attached for your drinks and two bars either side with very easy to access. The staff also need a mention as they were very pleasant and happy to help, always adding to the experience making the evening one to remember!
As for the musicians and their performances all I can say is how talented they all were with such a great connection on stage, their vibe was on point, and you could clearly see how much passion they have for what they do! Alongside all the stories and memories and experiences shared about Van Morrison, gave the whole concert such an engaging personal performance that will stay with me forever and had me smiling from ear to ear from start to finish!
Leo Green who presented the evening of stories and much enthusiasm gave a performance on the Saxophone throughout that was just exceptional pouring every ounce of energy into the crowd coming off the stage and playing whilst walking through the audience was just outstanding to watch.
Matt Holland on the trumpet, what a legend with his talent keeping the audience engaged and singing ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ which was so epic and had the whole audience bounce to their feet for a sing along and a good old dance!
The whole band – Geoff Dunn drums, Robin Aspland piano, Steve Pearce bass, Jim Watson keys, Matt White guitar played with skill as well as a strong sense of rhythm they were just seamless throughout and i felt very honoured to be a part of it all!
Jess Greenfield what a voice I really enjoyed watching her lose herself to the music, she was fascinating to watch and when she sang ‘sweet thing’ and ‘it stoned me’ sent a chill down my spine what a performer!
Hayley Sanderson who opened with Moondance, was just exceptional throughout her talented voice and technique was just beautiful and she took me right back to some great memories.
Wayne Hernandes whose first song was Brightside of the Road sang with such an energy the man definitely has soul and was just a pure delight to watch and listen too!
This show was out of this world from start to finish the talent is clearly visible along with friendship. If you’re looking for a night to remember, then get yourself down to The Emerald Theatre for an evening that is sure to blow your mind.
