Mind the blog

If you were in London and fancied a joyful escape from the men’s football world cup final, chances are you hot-footed it down to the New Wimbledon Theatre to experience Strictly Come Dancing star Nikita Kuzmin’s new touring show, Supernova. Presented by long-running dance hit Burn the Floor, it sees Kuzmin in collaboration with choreographer Jason Gilkison, exploding onto the stage with the energy, charisma and enthusiasm Strictly viewers have come to expect. Along with his cast of seven fellow…

Photo credit: Melinda Sue Gordon / Universal Pictures “In a time of apparent magic…” From the Second World War to the Trojan War, filmmaker extraordinaire Christopher Nolan certainly doesn’t shy away from the big stories – be they huge, world-changing discoveries, or his own interpretation of an ancient epic poem. In many ways The Odyssey feels like a natural follow-up to Oppenheimer; both have troubled leaders at their core, but whilst J. Robert Oppenheimer started something with his…

After having such a great time last year, expanding my coverage more than ever, I decided to go all-in on the BBC Proms once more. It’s another enticing schedule, although at this point I’m not completely sure what the underlying themes of the programme are – I guess I’ll work that out as I go along! It’s a shame that Doctor Who became a tad shambolic by the end of its most recent series, as ‘back in the day’ we should be treated to another Who Prom in 2026; at this point I can only hope that…

First performed in La Jolla Playhouse (San Diego) on 28 May 2024, and later that year at the Citadel Theatre (Edmonton) on 9 December, The Ballad of Johnny and June is currently on an extensive tour of the UK. This Johnny Cash musical details his personal and professional entanglement with June Carter; written by Des McAnuff (who also directs) & Robert Cary, it’s based on a concept by the couple’s only child John Carter Cash. I would begin with a summary of the plot, however as time seems to be…

“But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?” Is it… Hope? It’s true that season announcements from Shakespeare’s Globe in recent times have had me reaching for the bottle rather than tickets, but with the autumn/winter/spring 2026-27 season it does feel like things have started to reset ever so slightly. I’m still less than convinced in Michelle Terry’s vision in the long-term, but I am prepared to let her convince me otherwise in the coming months. “This new season of plays in our…

“It’s all waiting there for you” In classic me timing, I first listened to Harry’s House (and very quickly became a fan) on the anniversary of its release, as part of Music May 2023 – which didn’t quite give me enough time to get to a Love On Tour show, as my diary was stacked by that point. Of course then Harry Styles takes an extended (but well earned) break for the next three years to complete some side quests, and I was left ruing my stubbornness. You see, I’ve always been very vocally…

“Women the world can lean on” First seen in 2019, Emma Rice’s adaptation of Malory Towers is back on the road this year as part of her selection of revivals hitting theatres across the country. The stage version of Enid Blyton’s beloved book series fittingly has an all-female cast, comprising Robyn Sinclair, Molly Cheesley, Anna Soden, Bethany Wooding, Zoë West, Stephanie Hockley, Eden Barrie & Emily Panes – it also features the legendary Sheila Hancock as the voice of Miss Grayling. This week…

Beginning life as a lockdown YouTube series, Monarchs Anonymous returns to The Other Palace following its debut run in October 2025 and a stint at this year’s Brighton Fringe. This “royal progress” has all been facilitated by writers Nadia Devereux (who also directs), Joshua Poole & Lyon Devereux, as well as the involvement of Ceridwen Theatre Company. The basic premise is that a group of monarchs throughout history have been taken from their timelines in order to participate in therapy…

Phineas Taylor Barnum was born in Connecticut in 1810, and over the course of his life flitted between showbusiness and politics – supposedly coining the adage “There’s a sucker born every minute” along the way. In 1980, Mark Bramble (book), Michael Stewart (lyrics) & Cy Coleman (music) thought this was ideal fodder for a stage show – and so the musical Barnum was born. The Watermill Theatre’s 2024 actor-musician revival production (starring Lee Mead) is currently touring the UK; this week the…

“A person is, among all else, a material thing, easily torn and not easily mended.” Next to grace the Chichester Festival Theatre is the world première stage adaptation of Ian McEwan’s novel Atonement. After bringing the story to the big screen in 2007 (starring Saoirse Ronan as the young Briony Tallis, James McAvoy as Robbie Turner & Keira Knightley as Cecilia Tallis), Christopher Hampton now turns his hand to transferring to the theatre; this production is directed by Adam Penford and stars…

Now that the dust has settled a bit, I thought I should probably reflect on the Sunny Afternoon tour that has somehow just come and gone. Unlike the previous tour, which I only managed to see once, this time I was ready for it and zipped across the country a little bit – even so, I’d still characterise it as a bit of a ‘shoulda woulda coulda’ tour as I would’ve seen twice the amount of shows (and gone to plenty more locations) had all of the circumstances been right. Money played a big part on…

William Shakespeare may have left plenty of literary records from his own hand, but how much can we use these to draw conclusions about William Shakespeare the man? Does it even matter? Eminent Shakespearean Stanley Wells’ book What Was Shakespeare Really Like? seeks to utilise the available evidence in order to flesh out this elusive character. Drawn from a series of lectures delivered during the pandemic, it covers the following subtopics: What manner of man was he? How did Shakespeare write…

Cricket and theatre crossovers are rare beasts, despite us hardy County Championship and Test match fans recognising the similarities between the two. You don’t just find dramatic storylines in an auditorium, they will just as readily play out on a cricket field – whether it’s across five days or within three hours on a balmy evening. Ahead of the 2026 edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has recognised this and summoned the West End cast of hit musical…

The VitalsRelease date: 6 May 1996UK chart peak: #1Running time: 61:52Singles: Kung Fu (#57), Girl from Mars (#11), Angel Interceptor (#14), Goldfinger (#5), Oh Yeah (#6) This was the studio album debut from the North of Ireland outfit, and it garnered a mixed response across the world in terms of chart positions – it did, however, reach the top 40 in Australia (#18), Finland & Norway (#26), New Zealand (#14), and Switzerland (#40). By 1996, Britpop had taken hold of the country as a response…

Following its sell-out debut at Chichester’s Minerva Theatre in 2024, and a recent West End run at @sohoplace, David Eldridge’s adaptation of the John Le Carré classic The Spy Who Came In From The Cold is now on a nationwide tour. Directed by Jeremy Herrin, and starring Ralf Little, the production can currently be found at Richmond Theatre. Alec Leamas has just lost his final operative at the Berlin Station; Karl Riemeck was shot down (on the orders of counterintelligence officer Mundt) as he…

The last two Saturdays have brought me to Chichester for my first two productions of the new spring/summer season – so what better to pair together in this post? Two ostensibly different plays, tailored perfectly to their auditorium of choice, but I suppose the one thread that runs between them is that of grief; its manifestation and after-effects in Magic, and the build-up to it in Eclipse. As well as writing Magic, David Haig stars as Arthur Conan Doyle opposite Hadley Fraser as Harry Houdini…

In the days before the curated Instagram profile, the preferred method of performative living for the middle classes was the dinner party; they’re the ideal way of showing off your affluence and achievements in the safety of your own home, whilst potentially making powerful social connections (if your guests bring interesting plus ones). Based on this idea, Moira Buffini’s Dinner was first staged at the National Theatre in 2002 before transferring to the Wyndham’s for a West End run the…

Not content with the sheer volume of Beatles output (the latest being The Beatles Anthology on Disney+), it seems to be time for Brian Epstein to be put under the spotlight. James Norton is set to play him in Sam Mendes’ Beatles films, Philip Norman’s new biography (Mr Moonlight) will be released next month, and there is an upcoming documentary about his life from director Clare Lewins – but first of all, Tom Wright’s new play Please Please Me at the Kiln Theatre. Brian Epstein finds himself…

Opera producer Ellen Kent has had an illustrious career, taking many different opera and ballet productions around the UK for the past three decades – bringing Eastern European talent over to share their talents. On this farewell tour, she has mounted three different operatic productions with Opera International Kyiv: La traviata, Carmen and Madama Butterfly. From 21 to 23 April 2026 they will play on consecutive nights at Richmond Theatre. The youthful Micaela arrives at a square in Seville,…

We’ve probably all seen that clip by now, and have picked our sides. I won’t beat about the bush here: I’m very much Team Lesley Manville. It’s been really interesting to see the extreme arguments from both sides; the sheer entitlement from some, as well as pushback about Manville saying that she finds it “insulting” […]

Whatever you do, don’t call her crazy… The procession of films adapted for the stage continues, as Rebecca Reid’s version of Single White Female (itself an adaptation of John Lutz’s novel) hits theatres across the UK. Starring Kym Marsh and Lisa Faulkner, the Gordon Greenberg-directed play sets up home at Richmond Theatre this week. Whilst […]

Before this festival I had never heard of the Alliance for Women Film Composers, but when I saw they were involved with one of the events I thought I should make sure to be there. Renowned music supervisor Gemma Dempsey hosted the Sunday morning discussion, which also included live performances of the featured composers’ music […]

On Saturday afternoon, having had a day and a half to recover from the  Homegrown Heroes: From Bond to Thunderbirds concert at the Barbican, British soundtrack composer extraordinaire David Arnold was back for another taste of the London Soundtrack Festival – this time in conversation with journalist Sean Wilson at the Royal College of Music. […]

Rounding off the 2026 London Soundtrack Festival was the aptly titled Rachel Portman & Friends – Beyond the Screen, as the celebrated composer was joined on stage at Cadogan Hall by friends and collaborators Gill Graham, Niklas Liepe & Nils Liepe to talk and play through her illustrious career to date. Not only was Portman […]

From Sunday evenings on ITV1 to Saturday night at Central Hall Westminster (via the big screen), An Evening at Downton Abbey was a true celebration of all things related to the fictional Crawley family. Alastair King conducted the Chamber Orchestra of London, who were responsible for recording the scores to all of the Downton Abbey TV […]

A reimagined version of George Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan is currently playing at the Arches Lane Theatre. Adapted by Ruthie Black, Peter Hinton-Davis & James Saxby, the typically three/four-hour long play has been compressed down to a suggested running time of 90 minutes (although it actually only ran to 70 minutes at my performance), and […]

Hosted by the queen of soundtrack nerdery herself, Edith Bowman, Homegrown Heroes: From Bond to Thunderbirds was both a great way to mark the end of the first day of this year’s London Soundtrack Festival, and also celebrate the incredible ongoing career of British composer David Arnold. It took place in Barbican Hall (the home […]

“He thinks in song” Upon its arrival in the West End in 2024, this jukebox musical about The Kinks proved the surprise hit of the season, scooping four Olivier Awards and completing a two-year run at the Harold Pinter Theatre. Now Sunny Afternoon is off on its second nationwide tour, bringing the music of Ray […]

The VitalsRelease date: 20 June 1966UK chart peak: #3Running time: 72:37Singles: One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later) (#33), Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (#7), I Want You (#16) Despite being considered one of the greatest albums of all time, Blonde on Blonde didn’t make as spectacular a splash in 1966 as you’d expect […]

Surprisingly, the 2025 edition of the London Soundtrack Festival was also its inaugural running. As someone who has taken great joy in soundtracks to both film and TV over the years – be it Murray Gold’s incredible Doctor Who compositions, Quentin Tarantino’s mixtape approach, or the classic discography of John Williams (and many more besides) – […]