All stories by Miriam Gillinson on BroadwayStars

Friday, October 7, 2022

The Caucasian Chalk Circle review – Carrie Hope Fletcher shines light in Brecht’s epic by Miriam Gillinson

Rose theatre, LondonA striking score and expressive singing carry Christopher Haydon’s production of the wartime classic First there’s the prologue. Then the play-within-a-play. Finally,…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:13PM
Thursday, September 29, 2022

Noises Off review – Frayn’s exquisite farce-within-a-farce finds new humanity by Miriam Gillinson

Felicity Kendal, Tracy-Ann Oberman and especially Joseph Millson are comic gifts in this 40th anniversary version that fits our times almost too well Well, here’s a surprise. Michael Fray…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:49AM
Friday, September 23, 2022

Clutch review – drama about driving lessons is a joyful ride by Miriam Gillinson

Bush theatre, LondonWill Jackson’s endearing two-hander pairs a nervous learner driver with an overbearing instructor Driving instructor extraordinaire Max has just three rules. No drinkin…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:25AM
Wednesday, September 14, 2022

The Cherry Orchard review – Chekhov in space by Miriam Gillinson

The Yard, LondonVinay Patel’s sci-fi adaptation boldly goes into the future on a rickety starship while exploring entrenched hierarchies and class There is still a cherry orchard in this C…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:55AM
Thursday, September 8, 2022

Rehab: The Musical review – 90s pop star hits the road to recovery by Miriam Gillinson

Playground theatre, LondonFeaturing Keith Allen as a scheming PR man, this heartfelt comedy drawn from songwriter Grant Black’s own experiences is often great fun Opening with a song named…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:55AM
Friday, September 2, 2022

Gary Barlow: A Different Stage review – Could it be magic? No! by Miriam Gillinson

Duke of York’s theatre, LondonThis one-man, one-note show is a blandly sanitised history of Take That. While it won’t thrill you with its drama, its slightly smug star does have one hell…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:54AM
Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Great British Bake Off: The Musical review – sweet treat with a soggy bottom by Miriam Gillinson

Everyman theatre, CheltenhamThe TV show invites a large helping of satire but Jake Brunger and Pippa Cleary serve up a sugary plot with over-egged characters The exquisite joy of Bake Off on…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:07PM
Sunday, July 31, 2022

The Tempest review – the bard in budgie smugglers by Miriam Gillinson

Globe theatre, LondonSean Holmes’s gleefully comic take is a riot of holiday colour and fun, featuring luminous lilos, stag do bantz and a playful Prospero in eyewateringly tight trunks Co…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:12PM
Sunday, July 24, 2022

Billy Elliot the Musical review – the boy who just wants to dance is back in an electric new production by Miriam Gillinson

Leicester CurveNikolai Foster’s new version is more like a play with dance and songs, giving ideas around love and loss, community and isolation, passion and violence room to breathe In di…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:03AM
Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Bugsy Malone review – splurge guns at the ready for a twinkling revival by Miriam Gillinson

Theatre Royal BathWith charismatic performances and playful effects, Sean Holmes’ slick touring production is escapist fun Here is a chance to press pause on the difficult business of bein…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:03AM
Tuesday, July 12, 2022

Never fear! Mo Willems’ spectacularly unscary monster is gobbled up by kids by Miriam Gillinson

Manual Cinema’s stage version of Leonardo the Terrible Monster is heading for the Edinburgh fringe – and its adaptors hope it inspires audiences to create their own creatures Mo Willems�…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:42PM
Monday, July 11, 2022

No strings attached: new wave of puppetry storming London’s West End by Miriam Gillinson

Sophisticated productions of Life of Pi and 101 Dalmatians are pushing the art of puppetry into new and sometimes surprisingly dark directions The Olivier-award-winning puppets in the new st…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:42AM

The Anarchist review – an innocent sense of humour amid political unrest by Miriam Gillinson

Jermyn Street theatre, LondonThe first winner of the Woven Voices prize for migrant playwrights is an open-hearted play that layers a Belarusian woman’s past and present Leather jackets an…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:24AM
Friday, July 1, 2022

9 Circles review – unflinching appraisal of a wartime atrocity by Miriam Gillinson

Park theatre, LondonJoshua Collins is magnetic as a US soldier awaiting trial for murder in this hard-hitting drama hamstrung by its loose grip on reality The title is a riff on Dante’s In…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:33PM
Friday, June 17, 2022

A Doll’s House, Part 2 review – Ibsen’s Nora returns for second round by Miriam Gillinson

Donmar Warehouse, LondonNoma Dumezweni is a compelling lead in Lucas Hnath’s sequel, which is well drawn but a little too tightly controlled A dark and heavy house fills the stage. Just b…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:03AM
Tuesday, June 14, 2022

The False Servant review – deception, disguise and filthy lucre by Miriam Gillinson

Orange Tree theatre, LondonMartin Crimp’s crisp translation of Marivaux’s comedy never feels overplayed and highlights the seductive allure of money A spiralling maze has been painted ac…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:06AM
Friday, June 10, 2022

Starcrossed review – gay romance riff on Romeo and Juliet is a giddy delight by Miriam Gillinson

Wilton’s Musical Hall, LondonRachel Garnet’s reframing ditches Shakespeare’s lovers for a smitten Tybalt and Mercutio. Can this winning couple alter their fate? Romeo is in a terrible …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:18AM
Monday, May 16, 2022

Revenge is sweet: the music, TV and theatre about getting your own back by Jason Okundaye, Jessica Kiang, Miriam Gillinson, Hugh Morris and Sam Jordison

From Shakespeare’s dithering Dane to Desperate Housewives’ steely-eyed Bree, our critics serve up the coldest revenge dishes In Desperate Housewives, when her gay son, Andrew, sleeps wit…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:54AM
Friday, May 13, 2022

Dom Juan review – Molière’s lothario gets lost in translation by Miriam Gillinson

The Vaults, LondonMarking the French playwright’s 400th anniversary, this chaotic bilingual comedy lacks clarity Tonight we’re listening to Dom Juan’s seductive escapades in English. T…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:33AM
Wednesday, May 11, 2022

‘The trembling is real’: how does it feel to sing a musical showstopper? by Miriam Gillinson

From Elsa letting it go in Frozen to Sally Bowles belting out Cabaret, the performers of the most barnstorming numbers in musicals share the thrill of bringing the house down Continue readin…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:13AM
Friday, May 6, 2022

Oklahoma! review – an invigorating take on Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic by Miriam Gillinson

Young Vic, LondonThis modern, sexy and unsettling show injects thrills into a familiar musical, making it feel newly minted How to rewrite Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic musical without…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:12AM
Sunday, May 1, 2022

The Osmonds: A New Musical – an awful lot of Osmond for your buck by Miriam Gillinson

Churchill theatre, BromleyThe musical based on a book by Jay Osmond hints at unsettling moments in the brothers’ televised childhood before reality is swept under the carpet Thanks to thei…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:03PM
Friday, April 29, 2022

The Misfortune of the English review – a stinging exploration of boyhood and patriotism by Miriam Gillinson

Orange Tree theatre, LondonBased on real events, Pamela Carter’s drama follows British schoolchildren on a walking tour in prewar Nazi Germany What started out as a bit of fun is beginnin…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:54AM
Monday, April 11, 2022

Sad review – a woman on holiday from reality by Miriam Gillinson

Omnibus theatre, LondonVictoria Willing’s new play is full of deadpan humour, as Gloria decides to live in her attic – permanently Gloria has installed herself in the attic. For good. He…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:42AM
Thursday, April 7, 2022

Project Dictator review – meta clowning lays bare real terror by Miriam Gillinson

New Diorama theatre, LondonRhum + Clay’s latest devised work is a Russian doll of a production whose layers peel back to reveal a fearful reality We begin with a political sketch show that…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:03AM
Friday, March 4, 2022

Persuasion review – audacious Austen comedy is joyfully silly by Miriam Gillinson

Rose theatre, Kingston upon ThamesJeff James’s take on the classic novel has pounding pop music, wacky dancing and a standout debut from Matilda Bailes Imagine the world that Jane Austen c…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:24PM
Thursday, March 3, 2022

After the End review – violence, comedy and cliches in Dennis Kelly’s nuclear bunker by Miriam Gillinson

Theatre Royal Stratford East, LondonThis dated two-hander about colleagues cowering in the wake of an explosion creates all-too-familiar disgust and fear This intense two-hander is one of De…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:06AM
Friday, February 25, 2022

Uncanny Valley review – a menacing robot examines the meaning of life by Miriam Gillinson

Battersea Arts Centre, LondonWriter Thomas Melle delivers a lecture via his android counterpart in an unsettling show that poses big questions It’s the fingers that get to me. Bitten and w…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:42AM
Wednesday, February 23, 2022

Red Pitch review – football, friendship and the fear of being left behind by Miriam Gillinson

Bush theatre, LondonTackling gentrification, change and ambition, Tyrell Williams’s writing creates a convincing bond in a play that is fierce, affectionate and effortlessly funny Actors K…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:18PM
Thursday, February 17, 2022

Saturday Night Fever review – don’t drop that glitter ball! by Miriam Gillinson

Peacock theatre, LondonBig-hearted production ticks all the visual boxes of the 70s classic, and pro dancers tidy the raw edges but at times the floor fails to light up A kaleidoscope of dis…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:48AM
Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Broken Wings review – loved-up Middle Eastern musical fails to take flight by Miriam Gillinson

Charing Cross theatre, LondonStriking singing and an unabashedly romantic score can’t salvage this disappointingly one-note adaptation of the Kahlil Gibran novel This new musical is about …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:03AM

All that Chat

2024-2025 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 05, 2024: Home - Todd Haimes Theatre
Jul 11, 2024: Oh, Mary! - Lyceum Theatre
Jul 30, 2024: Job - Hayes Theater
Sep 12, 2024: The Roommate - Booth Theatre
Nov 14, 2024: Tammy Faye - Palace Theatre
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 17, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 01, 2025: Glengarry Glen Ross
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre
TBA: Titanic
TBA: Ragtime