Why do we keep bringing back the same (bad) musicals?
Thoughts on Heathers, Burlesque, and Trainspotting the Musical plus my review of Midnight at the Never Get.
OHMYGOD HEY!
Welcome back to my weekly collation of the various reviews, opinion pieces and theatre news updates I’ve shared across multiple social media platforms.
In what is usually a quieter chapter of the UK theatrical calendar, owing to the start of the school Summer holidays before which PR and marketing teams try and release their big announcements as well as the looming Edinburgh Festival Fringe, there has been some commotion. This has been largely thanks to the one-two punch from Burlesque and Trainspotting the Musical, one a seemingly cursed and constantly restaged production perpetually plagued by offstage drama and the other a critically panned bafflement that ought never to have been conceived.
The common thread tying these together, to which I have additionally woven my own return experience to Heathers, is the frequency with which lacklustre, safe and uninspired ideas resurface when it comes to producing musicals. Though I will call for, as I ever do, greater support for and platforming of talented British musical theatre writers, such misguided and malnourished remountings leave me wondering why we haven’t instead seen revivals of already celebrated brilliant works (see my list of musicals I’d like to see revived, and where).
In less cranky news, I did have some enchanting theatrical experiences last week, including at the Menier Chocolate Factory which is currently enjoying its finest configuration ever, with plush loveseats and cabaret tables replacing its unforgiving bench seating. A little over 12 hours later and days after I purposefully saw The Odyssey on screen, I was at the newly sold Bridge Theatre whose stage is currently hosting an entire two-storey revolving house, the contents of which are quite remarkable.
The weekend brought further theatre-adjacent highlights though I only ventured inside of one to use its bathroom (I’ll explain). Two early morning starts saw me covering the annual West End Flea Market (video to come very soon), with shows from around London hawking stage-used props, unique experiences and baked goods in aid of Acting for Others, and then a day later running around theatreland wearing a toga as part of a run organised by Disney’s Hercules the Musical in association with another charity: Make a Wish UK. Should you find the quick summary of my 5km run effortful enough, you can help me reach my fundraising goal in support of the brilliant work this organisation does.
Why has BURLESQUE been cancelled?! The truth behind the show's postponement, cancellation & drama…
There is yet more drama in the world of Burlesque the Musical as it was announced that its two concurrently readying UK productions would each face some postponement.
The show's London return, at the Arts Theatre at Marble Arch, has been delayed to 2027 and will no longer play at the same venue, while the UK tour has cancelled its first stop in Woking and will now begin performances in Sunderland.
With considerable history of offstage drama, I'm taking a look back at prior productions of the show in order to highlight exactly why this keeps happening...
Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
Why I won't see HEATHERS again... Thoughts on the fan favourite musical in 2026…
I recently returned to Heathers the Musical, which is back in London once more at its new home - the Arts at Marble Arch.
Having seen the show several times since it first arrived in the UK, I was surprised by my reaction to the largely identical production and the feeling that the show was no longer one which I could enjoy.
For my thoughts about this latest iteration of Westerburg High School, plus reflections on Heathers' history and legacy, check out my latest review.
Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
Why did critics hate TRAINSPOTTING the musical? Review roundup for the West End musical!
Trainspotting the Musical recently opened at Theatre Royal Haymarket in the West End.
Among the reviews have been many of the most critical verdicts a new London opening has received in some time, prompting the question: why did the critics hate Trainspotting the Musical?
Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
15 musical revivals we need to see: My Broadway and West End theatre wishlist!
I'm answering one of my most frequently asked question: which musical revival would you like to see next?
I'm sharing 15 shows I would like to see revived either on Broadway or in the West End as well as my thoughts on how, where, and with whom they ought to be staged.
Let me know which of these you would like to see as well as which revivals you are waiting for...
Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
This Week’s Reviews
Midnight at the Never Get at Menier Chocolate Factory, London
★★★★ Review available YouTube / Spotify / Apple Podcasts
We went to a new West End Theatre! Theatre vlog ft Sweeney Todd, Heathers, Ride The Cyclone & Hole!
Check out another week in our life of seeing theatre in the UK!
This week we headed to Birmingham to see a regional revival of Sweeney Todd, then returned to London to see Heathers, Hole!, and Hit Machine. I also got to host a post performance Q&A at Ride The Cyclone and meet Tony Award Winner Laura Benanti.
Join us vicariously in this brand new vlog to find out what a week in our lives looks like!
What’s coming up this week?
This week’s theatre is an intriguing mixed bag of experiences - a handful of which will see me either on the edge of my seat or standing without one. These include the apparently horrifying Cleansed at the Almeida Theatre as well as an onstage perspective of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Palladium. I’ll also be taking in the ‘insufficiently-talked-about’ new tour of 9 to 5 the Musical and a flamenco-inspired staging of Love’s Labours Lost at Shakespeare’s Globe - finally a new title to tick off that particular list.
In a summer shaping up to be culturally inspired by ancient Greece, stay tuned for my parallel reviews of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and Simon Stone’s The Oresteia - two inherently connected yet utterly distinct works of auteur storytelling.
Until next week, I hope that everyone is staying safe and that you have a stagey… week! - Mickey-Jo