Challenge Week 2023: Mind The Musicals

It’s been a while! The last time I did a musicals week, a global pandemic followed in fairly quick succession, so I wonder which apocalyptic horseman I’ll be letting loose this time..?

I’ve not wanted to do a musicals week until now, partly because I’d become a bit frustrated with them (time and time again I’d see new musicals with some great – albeit too many – songs, but a bloody awful book), and partly because it felt like there was a lack of variety available. That may have been my imagination, of course, but now does feel like a better time to delve back into the world of musicals to see what they have to offer.

Currently I have the following shows booked and ready to go:

• Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club (Playhouse Theatre) – of course
• Sylvia at the Old Vic
• After The Act at the New Diorama Theatre
• Operation Mincemeat at the Fortune Theatre

I’m determined to get the new production of Guys and Dolls in there, as it is one of my all-time favourite musicals – and I’ve not been to the Bridge in what seems like an absolute age. Other possibilities, depending on rush tickets, time & transport, are Ain’t Too Proud, Oklahoma!, and Bonnie & Clyde; there are also some film musicals and filmed stage musicals that I’d like to include, so expect to hear about one or two of those as well.

At one point I’d hoped I might be back on Oliviers red carpet coverage for BroadwayWorld UK, but given that I’m coming off a three-gig weekend and have to spend four days in the office this week… Maybe it’s for the best that I’ll be following it at home instead! Despite not being back up to my pre-pandemic levels of theatregoing (thank fuck), I have just about managed to get a decent oversight on all of the nominated productions – or will have by the end of this week – so I may try my hand at a bit of pre-awards punditry for a bit of fun.

This week will mostly be about reviews (helping me to get back into the habit of writing & publishing in a timely fashion), but I also have an interview post lined up, as well as some other ideas for different posts just to keep things ticking over. The diary might also be a good idea, to make sure there’s definitely something each day, and of course there’ll be plenty of Twitter & Instagram spam.

Basically, what I’m trying to say is… Let’s see how it goes.

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