It’s not yet 10am and already there’s barely a spare seat to be had in Manchester’s Palace Theatre such is the pull of children’s TV favourite, Peppa Pig. I’m here with my four-year-old nephew. The age guide is three plus, but looking around there...
It’s easy to forget how today’s familiar classics were once new and revolutionary art works. We now know Giselle as one of the most traditional pieces of the classical ballet repertoire, but its first Paris performances during the first...
There’s always the exception that proves the rule. And when it comes to juke box musicals, Mamma Mia is it. Without a doubt, the feel-good appeal of ABBA’s disco beats has a lot to do with the show’s phenomenal success. But what elevates it above...
When American Idiot was first staged in 2010 it blasted a hole in what audiences had become accustomed to from musical theatre and particularly jukebox musicals, cobbled together from a catchy back catalogue. Six years on and it’s still as...
Joe McElderry was two-years-old when I first saw Joseph in 1993 with Philip Schofield in the lead role. I’ve lost count of the number of Josephs I’ve seen since. In recent years it’s a part usually filled by a TV talent show favourite and in this...
I never had a nanny as a child, but if I did I imagine like all children, I’d have loved one like Mary Poppins. Now, what I’d give for a touch of her sparkle and ability to tidy up in a flash. Spit spot. I never tire of Mary Poppins – the quirky...
Commissioned to commemorate 100 years since the start of the First World War, Lest We Forget brings together the talents of three of the most sought after British choreographers to reflect, through dance, the lives and emotions of those who lived...
You don’t need to be a child of the 40s to know the music of the Glenn Miller orchestra. You might not be aware that Miller won the first ever gold disc for Chattanooga Choo Choo and went on to win another 30 more, but you will associate his music...
Carmel Thomason