Reviews

Coming direct from the West End to Wolverhampton’s Grand Theatre, Mean Girls the musical is the hit production that won Best New Musical at the WhatsOnStage Awards. Created by an award-winning team including: book by Tina Fey, lyrics by Nell Benjamin, and music by Jeff Richmond, Mean Girls the musical is based on the hit 2004 film of the same name

The Cursed Fate is the spellbinding sequel to Sam Prentice-Jones’ The Lost Heirs, in his début graphic novel series, Arcana. Picking up immediately from where The Lost Heirs left off, this second work delves quickly into magic and adventure

Set in the 1920s at Briarley School for Girls, Avery Curran’s Spoiled Milk begins suddenly and dramatically, with the violent demise of everyone’s favourite pupil, Violet, who falls to her death on the night of her eighteenth birthday.

Following a previous, hit UK tour, Frankie Goes to Bollywood, returns to stages promising to be ‘bigger, bolder, and bursting with Bollywood glamour.’ The production, which takes titular inspiration from the pop group, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, is a musical comedy drama that draws audiences into the glittering but high-pressure world of cinema and Bollywood movie-making.

The hit musical, Annie, returns to Birmingham in a new touring production. Set in 1930s New York, foundling Annie is living the ‘Hard Knock Life’ at Miss Hannigan’s orphanage but her luck could all change after she's chosen to spend a magical Christmas with famous billionaire, Oliver Warbucks. That is if Miss Hannigan’s wicked scheme to tamper with Annie’s search for her true family doesn’t succeed.

Waitress is a joyous musical of love and friendship, centring Jenna; a waitress and expert pie maker, who dreams of a happier more fulfilling life. Starring Carrie Hope Fletcher (Calamity Jane, Heathers, The Addams Family) as Jenna, whose life gets increasingly complicated when a hot new doctor arrives in town.

'Daphne du Maurier stole my life' proclaims the central character of Rose Tremain’s latest novel, The Housekeeper. Mrs Danowski, known affectionately as Danni, is the housekeeper of Manderville Hall on the coast of Cornwall. When Daphne du Maurier visits in search of inspiration for her latest novel – which fans of the novelist will know to be the bestseller, Rebecca – she draws Danni into a secret and intense affair.

Playing at the RSC’s The Other Place Driftwood is a vibrant work set in 1950s Caribbean. The first play from Martina Laird, the production is directed by Chichester Festival Theatre’s Artistic Director Justin Audibert, presenting a tale of family, belonging, and identity.

A play based on the 90s psychological thriller of the same name, Single White Female is a world premiere stage production offering a modern take on the bestselling book (SWF Seeks Same by John Lutz) and hit movie.

Birmingham Rep’s new production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream breathes contemporary Brummie life into the mystical play of trickster fairies and humorous misdirection.

The Castle of Stories makes for a great queer summer read. Sunsets and olive groves underpin a sweet tale of queer love, pride, healing and connection.

Based on Patricia Highsmith's iconic psychological thriller novel, which also inspired the acclaimed film and Netflix series of the same name, The Talented Mr. Ripley is a new stage adaptation that draws audiences into a world of deadly deceptions and desires.

“Real love is nothing like the movies’ in PJ Ellis’ split-timeline romantic comedy, We Could Be Heroes.

Based on Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile, this Hercule Poirot tale is adapted for stage by writer Ken Ludwig, and directed by Lucy Bailey. When a couple's idyllic honeymoon onboard a luxurious cruise is cut short following a murder, it is up to world-famous dectect Hercule Poirot to uncover secrets buried in the Egyptian sands, untangle the complicated web of lies and solve another crime.

Based on Andrea Levy’s award-winning novel, Small Island is a play adapted for stage by Helen Edmundson, and directed by Matthew Xia. Taking audiences on a journey from Jamaica to 1940s London, the production is an exploration of empire and the Windrush generation, belonging and identity, and hope

‘Letters to My Younger Queer Self: Inspiring, influential voices from the LGBTQIA+ community’ is a book curated by journalist, Daniel Harding.

Based on Malorie Blackman’s acclaimed novel, Noughts and Crosses, Pilot Theatre in association with Northern Stage presents this adaptation at The Rep Theatre, Birmingham. Depicting an alternate history, Noughts and Crosses is a dramatic tale of love, revolution, and the fraught experience of growing up in a such a divided world.

Olivier Award-winning Best New Musical, Operation Mincemeat, air-drops in to Wolverhampton Grand Theatre for one week only. Based on an unbelievably true WWII story, the year is 1943 and Britain might be losing the war but Intelligence have a wild plan that might just save the day.

Here & Now: The Steps Musical is an original new British musical, created using the pop classics from platinum album, multi-million record-selling dance-pop group, Steps (Claire Richards, Faye Tozer, Ian ‘H’ Watkins, Lee Latchford-Evans, and Lisa Scott-Lee). Following its world premiere in Birmingham (2024), the musical is embarking on its UK tour, currently running at Wolverhampton’s Grand Theatre.

Set in the mid-1980s, Natalie Adler’s Waiting on a Friend centres Renata, a lesbian living in New York’s East Village.