Carmel ThomasonThe Band, a stage musical with the songs of Take That, comes to The Lowry in January. Vicky Edwards talks to producers Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen to find out the secret behind its success. Gary, Mark and Howard (everyone is on first...
‘I’ve never seen anything like it!’ exclaims Brian Capron’s Greatest Showman style circus owner, Albert Blossom on seeing the two-headed llama, Pushmi-Pullyu – and in years of reviewing, neither have I. The puppets, and there are lots of them, are...
Badly bleached beehives, tap-dancing zimmer-frames and pigeon puppets – Raz Shaw’s new production of The Producers, at The Royal Exchange, is a riot of absurdity. As if taking stage notes from one of the show’s more well-known numbers, Shaw keeps it...
After 15 years at the top of its game, Wicked can no longer simply be thought of as a quirky off-shoot of the Wizard of Oz. It’s fair to say that if you’re a fan of Frank Baum’s original tale, you’ll get much more from this re-imagining of the...
Six the Musical is a histore-mix of the lives of Henry VIII’s six wives, with a 21st century kick – and what a kick it is. The Tudor King is out of the picture – in Facebook-style he’s ‘unfriended’ them all. And his six Queens have taken the...
From Weatherfield baddie to a singing circus ringmaster, Brian Capron tells Vicky Edwards about going animal crackers. For many of us Brian Capron will always be ‘Norman Bates with a briefcase.’ Famously one of Coronation Street’s most murderous...
Mark Williams tells Vicky Edwards about making his musical debut, learning a superhero skill and taking the bus. Mark Williams must have been off sick when the caution to ‘never work with children or animals’ was flagged up. From playing Mr Weasley...
Vicky Entwistle talks song, dance and incredible tail feathers. She may be playing a parrot, but former Corrie star, Vicky Entwistle won’t be winging it when it comes to performing in the newly updated 50th anniversary revival of the classic musical...
More than two million people worldwide have seen Beatles’ show, Let It Be since it burst onto the musical scene in 2012. Now the show, which has enjoyed West End and Broadway runs, is returning to the stage on a UK tour for 2018 – but not as...
Over a cuppa with the cast of ‘Calendar Girls the Musical’ Vicky Edwards discovers that Ruth Madoc is ‘perky,’ Fern Britton’s intuition sometimes malfunctions and Gary Barlow and Tim Firth are to musical comedy what Mary Berry is to baking. If...