Sheffield Lyceum Archives - North West End UK

The Karate Kid – The Musical – Sheffield Lyceum

9Jul

By Natalia PrucnalNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Karate Kid – The Musical – Sheffield Lyceum

The hit 1984 film ‘The Karate Kid’ has marched into the Sheffield Lyceum, now reimagined as an action-packed musical production (from the book written by Robert Mark Kamen and composed by Drew Gasparini). The cast of this musical are ridiculously talented, and it makes for a deeply enjoyable watch. The show follows teenager Daniel Larusso, who moves to Southern California with his single mother Lucille. He finds himself the target of bullying at the hands of the Cobra Kai dojo, particularly Johnny Lawrence, which only derails after he falls for Ali Mills, Lawrence’s ex-girlfriend. After befriending his local maintenance man Mr. Miyagi, who is secretly a martial arts master, Larusso trains under his new sensei’s watchful eye to fight the Cobra Kai at a karate competition. Walking into...

Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical – Sheffield Lyceum

30Jun

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical – Sheffield Lyceum

The Sheffield Lyceum Theatre basked in the 80s/90’s disco glitter ball disco hits as Priscilla Queen of the Desert - the Musical drove into town. With more sequined glamour and glitz than a red carpet event the audience went wild and this full throttle jukebox musical hit all the right notes with unadulterated pizzazz. Based on the Motion Picture, Stephen Elliott and Allan Scott’s adaptation does a stellar job in retaining its heart-warming story of acceptance, queer identity and family. The 13 years since its premier has seen Drag become a mainstay and accepted part of our culture not just in theatre but on prime time TV and Media. But, Priscilla, the trailblazer adds the Trans community central and upfront - no hiding - with the character of Bernadette which is written with sinceri...

The Choir of Man – Sheffield Lyceum Theatre

25Jun

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Choir of Man – Sheffield Lyceum Theatre

Wow! What an exhibition of triple /quad threat talent was took over the entire building at Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield last night. I am still stunned by what I saw. The Choir of Man created by Nic Doodson and Andrew Kay and under Doodson’s direction is one of the most enduring pieces of cultural enhancing theatre I have witnessed. With Musical Supervision, vocal arrangement and orchestration by Jack Blume, monologues written by Ben Norris and Freddie Huddleston in directive charge of movement and choreography, this production only gives you time to have a quick gulp of your beer in between diverse spectacle after spectacle. Energy in every form possible. Oli Townsend’s scenic design takes us to ‘The Jungle’, the local British pub, much in decline and much needed. Where men can...

2Jun

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

2:22 A Ghost Story – Sheffield Lyceum

A ghostly entertaining, slick mind game of a production! With a sense of apprehension - due to a very active imagination - I convinced myself to review 2:22 A ghost Story on its opening night at the Sheffield Lyceum Theatre, and I survived the evening stunned but unscathed! Written by Danny Robins, the seven seasoned West End phenomenon which premiered in 2021 and went on to tour the UK and Ireland, has been seen in over thirty worldwide productions. I have to immediately note, that it is the writing by Robins that highly impressed me. The theatrical thriller is the near perfect exploration of doubt, belief and theories surrounding the controversial topic of Ghosts. It allows you to question your beliefs, your scepticism and learn some new theories to explain away the spirit world. All ...

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold – Sheffield Lyceum

12May

By Natalia PrucnalNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold – Sheffield Lyceum

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold brings John Le Carré’s 1963 Cold War novel to the stage, alongside plenty of carefully woven drama, deception and espionage. The Ink Factory and Second Half Productions take us on a tumultuous journey to East Germany alongside British intelligence officer Alec Leamus at the Sheffield Lyceum Theatre. The play is well adapted by David Eldridge, with a relatively digestible storyline and many witty British references sprinkled throughout the script. It felt as though there was a lot of “telling”, with little “showing”, particularly in the first act. There were several times where characters, particularly Leamas, referred to the show’s title and broke the fourth wall, clichés that surely caused a few eyerolls in the audience. Yet, the scenes featuring Leamu...

14Apr

By Nathan DunnNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Operation Mincemeat – Sheffield Lyceum

Operation Mincemeat smashed records for being the best reviewed West End show in history collecting a baffling amount of 5-star reviews - and I’m here to tell you each one is earned. Avalon & SpitLip have birthed a raucous, compelling musical comedy for the ages. The story is intriguing. We are thrust into World War Two, and MI5 are scheming a plan to try and thwart the threat of German aggression across mainland Europe. SpitLip, composed of David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts, authored the script, music and lyrics. They recount the relatively unknown story of ‘Operation Mincemeat’, a real-life plot to trick the Nazi’s into anticipating an allied counter-offensive into Sardinia. The desired effect would be for the Third Reich to move their troops into the isl...

Northern Ballet: Gentleman Jack – Sheffield Lyceum

2Apr

By Jo TillotsonNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Northern Ballet: Gentleman Jack – Sheffield Lyceum

Anne Lister. Born 1791, died 1840. Yorkshirewoman. Diarist. Businesswoman. Landowner. A woman who lived life on her own terms, and who loved how and who she wanted. For anyone who hadn’t already heard of her, she was made famous in the 2010s by the BBC, which cemented her status as the ‘first modern lesbian’, but there is so much more to her than just her sexuality. In this brand new, 100-minute ballet (with interval) we get to know Anne as a woman who forged her own path in society. From the moment the curtain rises to reveal Anne (danced at this performance by Gemma Coutts) in a striking tailored jacket surrounded by a homogeneous group of male contemporaries, she demands your complete attention. The ballet follows the story of her life as she falls in love, gets her heart broken, fac...

25Mar

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Cher Show – Sheffield Lyceum

The Cher Show – A new musical has a book by Rick Elise and is brought to the Sheffield Lyceum Theatre by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC and Croft House Theatre Company. Originally premiering in Chicago in 2018, before transferring to Broadway, the Cher Show had its UK premier with a tour in 2022/23. Celebrating the remarkable story of Cher’s life with its highest heights and lowest lows and set to a back catalogue of 31 songs that encapsulate the longevity and apparent timelessness of her talents and persona … not forgetting her looks that seem to defy time! Then there is the Bob Mackie costumes, always fabulous, always spectacular and always head turning. A six-decade career, an icon and a memory that shaped her life, ‘the power is in the song’. Expertly directed and ...

Legally Blonde The Musical – Sheffield Lyceum

4Mar

By NewsdeskNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Legally Blonde The Musical – Sheffield Lyceum

‘Legally Blonde: The Musical’ took Sheffield Theatres’ stage by storm. An absolute tour de force, it is a hilarious, dazzling night of entertainment for all. Amber Davies stars as Elle Wood, the chihuahua wielding, pink-wearing, fashion-obsessive sorority queen who embarks on an adventure in pursuit of status and legitimacy (or what her ex-boyfriend Warner refers to as ‘seriousness’). Davies is remarkably adept in the role, possessing great comedic sensibility and offering a very precise and focussed portrayal of the unlikely, unlucky-in-love law student. She is excellently matched by George Crawford’s Emmett who provided an equally as pointed and complete performance. Adam Cooper’s Callahan is formidably authoritative and delightfully antagonistic. Jocasta Almgill’s Brooke is refreshin...

25Feb

By Natalia PrucnalNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Single White Female – Sheffield Lyceum

‘Single White Female’ is an intense psychological thriller, adapted by Rebecca Reid from the iconic 1992 film under the same name, but with a modern twist for its 2026 audience. The script takes many creative liberties in updating the story from the source material, but generally does so fluidly, despite the occasional already-outdated reference and odd pacing of the end of the second act. The play follows Allie and her teenage child Bella, as they navigate life in a skyscraper apartment. Allie’s ex-husband, Sam, tells her his new fiancée is pregnant and cannot afford to support them, so Graham (Allie’s coworker and best friend) encourages her to look for a roommate. Online they quickly find Hedy. Hedy’s relationship grows with both Allie and Bella, but things take a turn for the worst,...