Stand out Performances of 2018

2018 saw many kinds of theatre; ground breaking theatre like The Inheritance, gender swapping in Company, new musical theatre like Unexpected Joy at the Southwark, twisting and retelling of loved  shows like Little Shop of Horrors and revivals of classic like Pinter at the Pinter. Within that we have seen some incredible performances and we wanted to highlight some of our top performances of the year. What are yours?! 

Rosalie Craig in Company at the Gielgud Theatre

The first Female to tackle the role of Bobby (Or Bobbie in this adaptation) in Stephen Sondheim's Company, she succeeds in every way possible. She gives a real and genuine performance that is natural and precise, this role could have been written for her. Alongside one of the best ensemble of actors in the West End, she proves exactly why she is the true meaning of a Leading Lady. Company closes on the 30th March, so get down to see her quickly!

Marc Antolin in Little Shop of Horrors at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

After seeing Marc in quite a few things over his career, we knew he was great but after seeing him as Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors over the summer at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, we finally saw how truly versatile and brilliant he is as an actor. Maybe not the obvious choice for the role aesthetically but he was absolutely the perfect choice in this wonderful and ground breaking production.

8 of the best West End trios!

Following my Best Performances and Best Duos features, the nature thing to do next is the best trios! Here is our selection of the Best West End trios. Tweet us if you think we've missed any out! @PocketSizeBoy

Mark Umbers, Jenna Russell & Damian Humbley in Merrily We Roll Along

Robert Lindsay, Rufus Hound & Katherine Kingsley in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

15 of the most Memorable performances I've ever seen

I was looking through a bunch of my old programmes and it got me thinking about some of the fantastic performances I have seen over my years of going to the theatre. So I've put together a list of some of my most favourite and most memorable performances I've had the pleasure of watching. 

So, in no particular order... 

Oliver Thornton as Adam (Felicia) in Priscilla Queen of the Desert 

Katherine Kingsley as Lina Lamont in Singin' in the Rain

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: Musical Theatre Review

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a musical based on the film of the same name, with music and lyrics by David Yazbek and a book by Jeffrey Lane this musical made its Broadway debut almost 10 years ago. With a star cast that included John Lithgow, Norbert Leo Butz and Sherie Rene Scott the show was nominated for 10 Tony Awards however only managing to win 1. The show began its journey on this side of the Atlantic in November last year, having a pre-West End tryout at the Manchester Opera House and the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre. It finally opened on April 2, 2014 with direction and choreography by Jerry Mitchell and design by Peter McKintosh. 

The story is very similar to the film; two conmen, one who has been doing it for years and another who is new on the scene, get to together and have a bet as to who can get $50,000 out of the ‘soap queen’. The film is brilliant and I wasn’t expecting the story of the musical to be so close to it but, as they say, if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it! The story was super easy to follow, to be honest you don’t need to concentrate on it so that allows you to sit back, relax and have a laugh. Exactly what this show is about. 

Singin' in the Rain the Musical: Theatre Review

Singin' in the Rain is one of Hollywood's most loved and treasured musicals, although it caused controversy because Debbie Reynolds voice was ironically dubbed in parts, it still remains among people's favourite musicals of all time. Bringing an adaption of the iconic film to the West End would always be a risky thing because you'd have to get it right; otherwise you'd be seen to be making a joke of one of the most loved films from the past 100 years. The show was first put on in London in 1983 where it ran about 2 and a half years at the London Palladium, this adaption then went on tour in the UK in 1994. A Broadway production also played New York in 1985 through to 1986 with London revivals in 2000 and 2004.

In 2011 another revival was put on as part of the Chichester Festival in 2011, the show then announced it would be transferring to the West End where it would replace Priscilla Queen of the Desert at the Palace Theatre. Don Lockwood is a Hollywood legend in 1927, alongside Lina Lamont; they make the perfect 'Hollywood couple'. They are huge hits until movies introduce sound into their pictures because Lina has the worst voice! Luckily Don bumps into a young actress called Kathy Sleden, they come up with the idea to dub Lina's voice with Kathy's. Don and Kathy soon fall in love, much to Lina's disapproval because this could ruin her career. By the end of the show Lina is soon shown as the fake she is to the public and Kathy finally gets the attention she deserves.