A show with strong bouncing tunes, a warm heart and some sly wit. Quirky and original, but it doesn't embrace its full wackiness.

Pros: Immersive and beautiful staging Cons: Slightly difficult to follow This musical adaptation sees Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale transplanted from its original Edinburgh setting to a smoggy, dark and dingy Victorian London. That setting is stunningly brought to life through the staging, which immerses the audience from the moment they approach the theatre door with faded notices adorning soot-covered red brick walls. The classic nineteenth-century urban street setting – worthy of Oliver or Les Mis – gives the cast a huge stage to work ...

Pros: Beautiful music and singing, hilariously relatable moments. Cons: A space simply not suited to a musical. Little by Little, performed by Three Barks and a Bite theatre company, is a three handed musical about ‘mates, dates and love triangles’. As such it’s hard to see that the story is really doing anything we haven’t seen many times before. The basic plot follows three childhood friends, two girls and one guy, who, stumbling blindly into the confusing world of adolescence, complicate the friendship ...

Pros:  The performance of Cassiopeia Berkeley-Agyepong. Cons: Uncomfortable benches resulted in noisy fidgeting which made it difficult to hear. This Folk musical tells the story of the Haymarket Affair, an incident at a gathering of striking workers in May 1886, at Haymarket Square, Chicago, USA.  What started as a peaceful rally to support strikers demanding an eight hour day, ended up with a number of police and strikers being killed when a bomb was thrown into the police line. The police, in ...

This energetic tribute to the King of Pop will have you dancing in your seat while wondering what happened to the actual Michael Jackson.

Pros: Catchy tunes, zingy one-liners and great performances. A hugely enjoyable riot. Cons: The play takes a little time to warm up, but the wait is worth it. When the devil sings, he roars, he reigns. New Year’s Eve, at the height of Stalin’s Great Purge. A young couple try to create a moment of solace in their little flat. A mysterious visitor brutally invites himself into their home. Time stops, and an air of wonderful menace hangs over the stage. Adapted from Elchin’s ...

This musical is unique, fresh and fantastic. A true product of hard work and talented individuals.

Pros: An original and ambitious new musical showcasing new writers and songwriters that makes for a fun, fast-paced night out with friends Cons: The script is corny at times, with a few plot holes. The songwriter could have done with cramming fewer words into some of the songs as they were hard to follow in places Guy: A New Musical is an original play which showcases new writers and songwriters. It brings the narrative of young gay men navigating the often ...

Pros: The main characters were phenomenal, especially for being ages 16-21. Not a note, dance move or line out of place. Truly professionals. Cons: The band was way too loud and drowned out the performers. In The Heights, the popular musical by Lin Manuel Miranda, has been chosen by RicNic Theatre Company for their summer show. It tells the story of a group of Latinos living in Washington Heights, New York and the journey they all take, learning about themselves, each other and their ...

Pros: A brilliant cast and a magnificently scripted story provide the perfect combination. Cons: The musical interludes are all too brief, and annoyingly clipped to make way for more detail in the script. The Rise and Fall of Little Voice was released as a film in 1997 and featured a starry cast including Michael Caine and Brenda Blethyn, with Jane Horrocks in the title role. There’s always a dilemma seeing the stage version after you’ve seen the film: you naturally miss the  expansive ...