Wednesday, October 21

Tag: Mark Dickman

Sylvia – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh 
Scotland

Sylvia – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh 

This is some show! Having watched Jersey Boys at the Edinburgh Playhouse the previous evening, I thought I had witnessed musical theatre at its most polished and professional. Twenty-four hours later, Sylvia at the Festival Theatre took the whole business to another level. The comparison is fascinating. Jersey Boys has the considerable advantage of being built around songs that generations already know and love. Recognition and nostalgia do much of the heavy lifting. Sylvia has no such luxury. We arrived knowing none of its songs, yet for two hours and forty-five minutes this extraordinary production held our attention almost without respite. That is no small achievement. Written by Kate Prince and Priya Parmar, with music by Josh Cohen and ...
Tonight at the London Coliseum: Sharon D Clarke
London

Tonight at the London Coliseum: Sharon D Clarke

When you think of West End stalwarts, it’s safe to say that Sharon D Clarke would appear on a lot of people’s lists. Having starred in musicals such as We Will Rock You, Ghost, Hairspray, Caroline or Change and Once on this Island, it’s safe to say that at some point or another at lot of us have enjoyed at least one of her powerhouse performances. More recently she performed a stunning rendition of ‘At Last’ for the BBC’s VE Day celebration. Clarke really thought out the set list of songs for this concert, some to help us reflect on the times we’re currently enduring and other to cheer us up and make us forget –  but each one had her take on it. It was a perfect balance, especially with the tales she would regale us with. From being mistaken as Whoopi Goldberg, to holidays and anec...