REVIEW: Anything Goes at the Barbican Centre

This sumptuous production is the very definition of a Musical Theatre romantic comedy with four of the most gorgeous leading ladies you see on the West End stage each, dominating the stage in their own way and having the wonderful four leading men falling over themselves to impress them and us at every appearance. It is pure gold stage magic and a must-see outing as we return to Live Theatre.

It is a Musical Treat with the fabulous score and witty lyrics by Cole Porter setting the heart racing from the tremendous overture with Stephen Riley directing the sixteen-piece band in a Captain’s Cap to the glorious uplifting finale with the whole cast celebrating with us on stage. In between we are treated to pitch-perfect renditions of so many classic Porter tunes from “I get a kick out of you”, “You’re the top”, “Friendship”, “All through the night” and “it’s de-lovely”. But it is the two showstoppers led by Reno Sweeney, the American good time showgirl, that really lifts the show into the heights of musical ecstasy with the stunning choreography of “Anything Goes” that closes Act 1 and the sassy & sexy “Blow Gabriel Blow” at the start of Act 2.

COMING HOME: Alistair So, just opened in Anything Goes at the Barbican

Pocket Size Theatre and Liza Heinrichs (Captured by Liz) have teamed up again and created our new series 'Coming Home'. In this new piece, we look at the reopening of Theatres in London and around the country and celebrate our industry coming back. We got together some performers who will be some of the first to return to theatres and created this piece to bring some positivity to the theatre industry which has been through one of the toughest years in our lifetime. Whilst it is important to acknowledge the hardships we've all gone through, it's important we pull together as a community and celebrate our beloved industry finally coming back! 

Alistair So has managed to almost bookend the pandemic with two major shows. Before theatres shut back in March 2020, he was appearing in the West End production of The Phantom of the Opera, covering the role of Raoul. He is currently appearing in the London revival of Anything Goes at the Barbican. But Alistair is under no illusion of how lucky he has been to have been employed and to be going into employment again, “Some of us are fortunate enough to be going back to a job or starting a new one; many of us will not be. Additionally, no doubt there are performers who may be leaving performing behind entirely for all sorts of reasons related to Covid. To get back on stage while the UK heals and the rest of the world continues to fight off the virus, is a very special blessing.” 

Having only graduated in 2017, he has racked up a very impressive CV. He made his professional debut in the UK touring production of Miss Saigon covering the role of Thuy, made his West End debut in the Broadway revival transfer of The King and I at the London Palladium covering Lun Tha, played Jimmy Winter in Nice Work if You Can Get It at Upstairs at the Gatehouse and also appeared in Amour at the Charing Cross Theatre. 

COMING HOME: Michael Afemaré, appearing in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella at the Gillian Lynne Theatre

Pocket Size Theatre and Liza Heinrichs (Captured by Liz) have teamed up again and created our new series 'Coming Home'. In this new piece, we look at the reopening of Theatres in London and around the country and celebrate our industry coming back. We got together some performers who will be some of the first to return to theatres and created this piece to bring some positivity to the theatre industry which has been through one of the toughest years in our lifetime. Whilst it is important to acknowledge the hardships we've all gone through, it's important we pull together as a community and celebrate our beloved industry finally coming back! 

Michael Afemaré was due to perform in the transfer production of Evita. The show was revived in a brand new production at the Regent’s Park, Open Air Theatre in 2019 and was meant to be taking over the Barbican in the summer of 2020. But, with the closure of theatres, the production, unfortunately, didn’t go ahead. What that meant for Michael was that he had lost out on a wonderful job. But, we mustn’t focus on the negatives because the day before we met Michael, it was announced that he would be joining the original London company of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella. Having previously been in the original London cast of Dreamgirls at the Savoy Theatre, he is no stranger to a West End premiere! 

Over the past year, so many issues have been brought to the surface and highlighted in our industry. So many important conversations have been going on and with theatre now planning on reopening, this is the time for the change and progress we’ve been campaigning for. Michael feels incredibly passionate about the lack of representation of ethnicity within the industry, in particular artists of Indian and Asian heritage. Something interesting that he also brings up is, this isn’t just about the casts and people we see on stage, it goes way beyond that, “I am always trying to fight the fight for more equal opportunities, but these opportunities also need to exist beyond theatre casts. I would love for there to be a world where representation and diversity can be noted and appreciated in more positions of power; creative teams, directors, choreographers, casting directors - the list is endless.” 

COMING HOME: Nicole-Lily Baisden, soon to be starring in Anything Goes at the Barbican Centre

Pocket Size Theatre and Liza Heinrichs (Captured by Liz) have teamed up again and created our new series 'Coming Home'. In this new piece, we look at the reopening of Theatres in London and around the country and celebrate our industry coming back. We got together some performers who will be some of the first to return to theatres and created this piece to bring some positivity to the theatre industry which has been through one of the toughest years in our lifetime. Whilst it is important to acknowledge the hardships we've all gone through, it's important we pull together as a community and celebrate our beloved industry finally coming back! 

Nicole-Lily Baisden only graduated from Arts Educational Schools in 2019 and pretty much went straight into her first professional job, as she played Nabulungi in the original UK & International touring production of The Book of Mormon. The tour opened in June 2019, so they had a reasonable run before the theatres shut down but still, unfortunately, didn’t fulfil the full list of touring dates they had prepared themselves for. 

Nicole-Lily has recently been announced as playing the role of Hope Harcourt in the London revival of Anything Goes at the Barbican, featuring a full star line up! She’ll be starring alongside the likes of Broadway legend Sutton Foster, Robert Lindsay, Felicity Kendal and Gary Wilmot as well as West End regulars Samuel Edwards, Haydn Oakley and Carly Mercedes Dyer. 

REVIEW: Périclès, Prince de Tyr at the Silk Street Theatre, Barbican

Cheek by Jowl have built a prestigious international reputation for their innovative and daring reimagining of classic texts including several in Russian. This production of Pericles is their first in French, with a French cast and co produced with several French institutions. It plays in the U.K. during April at the Silk Street Theatre in the Barbican London and the Oxford Playhouse before travelling back to France and Spain.

Director Declan Donnellan and Designer Nick Omerod, the founders and artistic directors of Check by Jowl certainly know how to challenge their audiences and this production running to just over 100 minutes without an interval requires intense concentration with a good grasp of both French and the play to really be enjoyed. Without either, it is extremely hard work to piece together what is going on as they have reset the whole play in a modern hospital.

It appears to take as it's guiding thought the line "This is the rarest dream that e'er dull'd sleep did mock sad fools withal" and presents Shakespeare's tragicomedy romance as the inner thoughts of a man emerging from a coma or general anaesthetic in a stark deep blue hospital ward. The programme describes the play as a "painful adventure", which such a coming out of a deep sleep must surely be but is also a confusing one.

After touring the UK, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD will play at the Barbican and will star Robert Sean Leonard

Following two hugely successful runs at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, To Kill a Mockingbird will return to London from 24 June until 25 July 2015 at the Barbican, at the end of the forthcoming UK tour. Robert Sean Leonard is thrilled to reprise the role of Atticus Finch exclusively at the Barbican. Tickets are now on sale to Barbican Red and Orange Members. 

Tickets will go on sale to the public on Tuesday 2 September at 10am.

Robert Sean Leonard is a Tony award-winning American actor and is best known for playing Dr. James Wilson in the Fox television series House and Neil Perry in the 1989 movie Dead Poets Society. Having frequently performed on and off Broadway since 1986, To Kill a Mockingbird at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in 2013 marked Robert’s critically acclaimed return to the London stage for the first time in 22 years.