Rob Madge Archives - North West End UK

My Son’s a Queer (But what can you do?) – Ambassadors Theatre

2Feb

By Jennifer LaishleyNo Comments

London

My Son’s a Queer (But what can you do?) – Ambassadors Theatre

My Son’s a Queer (But what can you do?) is a fabulous solo show that sets out to educate the audience and re-claim the word Queer as something to be celebrated! Rob Madge has successfully crafted a piece of theatre that is heart-warmingly hilarious and poignantly moving. The message is obvious, yet powerful: you should let everyone be who they are. Rob openly shares the highs and lows of their magical childhood and explains how Rob’s family encourage them to shine. The structure of the show itself is powerful: 7 steps of putting on a Disney Parade in your living room. Using clips from their family video archive, Rob explains how we can make life magical just by using our imaginations. Rob’s ode to Disney encapsulates the joy and relatable challenges of childhood. The show is written as...

15Jul

By Gemma PrinceNo Comments

London

Millennials – The Other Palace

A pink pop frenzy is the best way to describe Elliot Clay’s new pop song cycle Millennials, which has transformed the Studio of The Other Palace. Written and composed by Clay and directed by Hannah Benson, the musical tells the highs and lows of life as a millennial right now, from crippling social anxiety to first loves, the show packs in plenty in just over an hour. The show features a small but strong cast which includes Hannah Lowther, Luke Bayer, Hiba Elchikhe, Georgina Onuorah, Luke Latchman and What’s Onstage award winner Rob Madge. Designed by Andrew Exeter, the immersive set wowed the moment you walked through the curtain of pink pool noodles. There was a dizzying blend of sparkles, pink lights, inflatables, rubber ducks and slinkies everywhere. Normal seats were replaced w...

Bedknobs and Broomsticks – Wolverhampton Grand

7Apr

By Clare ChandlerNo Comments

West Midlands

Bedknobs and Broomsticks – Wolverhampton Grand

The iconic Disney film Bedknobs and Broomsticks has been adapted into a ‘magical musical’ with additional songs from Neil Bartram, and a new book by Brian Hill. Adapting a beloved film for the stage can be risky, but Candice Edmunds and Jamie Harrison navigate the challenges with some flair and ingenuity. Harrison’s clever design references the original film’s animations, which also influence Gabriella Slade’s costume designs and Sam Cox’s hair and wig work. The opening sequence cleverly situates the piece in London during the Blitz as the Rawlins’ children’s world explodes. Following a bomb blast their bedroom shatters, its fractured parts framing the stage providing a constant reminder of the reality of war. There is some clever theatrical magic as we see the Rawlins’ children evacua...

Bedknobs and Broomsticks – Liverpool Empire

24Feb

By Codie WrightNo Comments

North West

Bedknobs and Broomsticks – Liverpool Empire

As someone who has never seen Bedknobs and Broomsticks (I know, I know, I feel like I missed out on many a cult classic) I was worried that I wouldn’t love the musical as much as someone who has nostalgia on their side. I needn’t have worried. I can hand on heart say that that was one of the most beautiful and magical shows I have ever seen in my life - or beauti-cal as our 3 heroes (Charles, Carrie and Paul) would say. We start the show with a bang, quite literally, in a breath-taking sequence of physical theatre. Beginning with the three children happily in their cosy bedroom, their mother and father saying goodnight before a sudden explosion tears their home, and lives, apart. There’s no time to gather their thoughts as we follow them, silently, as they leave the broken street...

Bedknobs and Broomsticks – Edinburgh Festival Theatre

19Feb

By Melissa JonesNo Comments

Scotland

Bedknobs and Broomsticks – Edinburgh Festival Theatre

Disney first brought Bedknobs and Broomsticks to the silver screen back in 1971, starring the much-loved Angela Lansbury. With music from the legendary Sherman Brothers, it’s always quietly nestled itself amongst the firm family favourites. The announcement it was coming to the stage and its subsequent tour have sent the musical theatre world into a frenzy and it’s easy to see why. Set amongst the bombs of WWII, three orphaned children find themselves sent to the south coast as evacuees where they are taken in by Eglantine Price, a trainee witch in correspondence with the elusive Emelius Browne. She’s got a witchy idea to defeat the Nazis with an incredible spell, but she and the children need help from Professor Emelius to seal the deal. The gang of travelers soon realize that in orde...

My Son’s a Queer … but what can you do? – Turbine Theatre

25Jun

By Louise PennNo Comments

London

My Son’s a Queer … but what can you do? – Turbine Theatre

Rob Madge is putting on a Disney parade. In this heart-warming show we meet the young Robert through old videos of the productions staged in their living room. An intelligent and confident child, Madge graced the West End stage in Mary Poppins, Matilda, and Les Misérables. It is clear from the obsessive attention placed on these family shows (programmes, rehearsal schedules, that they were destined to head in front of the footlights. To pinhole this show in a particular genre would be an injustice. It is a play about expression and tolerance. It is a musical, with songs which reach out to queer children anywhere, as step by step their lyrics comment on the actor’s childhood. It is a memoir, with the grown Rob looking back on their younger self, sometimes lip-synching words, alway...

My Son’s A Queer But What Can You Do to run at the Turbine Theatre for a limited time

19Apr

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

My Son’s A Queer But What Can You Do to run at the Turbine Theatre for a limited time

My Son’s A Queer But What Can You Do, written by and performed by Rob Madge (Oliver!, Les Misérables) and directed by Luke Sheppard (& Juliet, In The Heights) celebrates the joy and chaos of raising a queer child, and runs at the Turbine Theatre for a limited run from 17th June until 03rd July. When Rob was 12, they attempted to stage a full-blown Disney parade in their house for their Grandma. As Rob donned a wig and played Mary Poppins, Ariel, Mickey Mouse and Belle, their Dad doubled as Stage Manager, Sound Technician and Goofy. Unfortunately, Dad missed all his cues and pushed all the floats in the wrong direction. Mum mistook Aladdin for Ursula. The costumes went awry. Ariel's bubble gun didn't even work properly. Grandma had a nice time though. Join Rob as they delve into ...