New Musicals to see in London this festive season
It’s four weeks until Christmas which means it is the peak of theatre season in London. Spoilt as we are with the West End at our fingertips, sometimes the choice can be a tad overwhelming. And never more so than this year - with more musicals than usual having arrived on stage since last Yuletide. If your looking for a hearty evening to help spur on your festive cheer, here are our top picks of new musicals to see in London this season:
The Little Big Things
The Little Big Things starring Ed Larkin and Jonny Amies as Henry Fraser. Photo by Pamela Raith.
@sohoplace theatre has been open for little over year and has already firmly established itself as a home to some of the most polished entertainment on the West End. A musical dramatisation of rugby player turned mouth-artist Henry Fraser’s autobiography, The Little Big Things excels at exploring the difficult theme of injury and the impacts of paralysis. Whilst remaining delicate in its approach, the production injects the story with colour, magic and some intentional cheese to evoke in the audience the positivity so clearly embodied by Fraser himself.
To do so, it puts to work the hi-tech features of this extraordinary new space: the LED stage which uses light beneath the feet and wheels of the cast to guide the audience’s eyes; suspension features to enact the feeling of an accident at sea as the main character somersaults high above the stage; and the seamless accessible access to the in-the-round stage which ensures that the characters who use wheelchairs can be portrayed by actors who do too. Amy Trigg as Henry’s outspoken and outlandish physio Agnes gets more than a giggle from the audience in every scene she’s in; whilst Linzi Hateley as Fran shows her experience delivering an emotional one-woman ballad in ‘One to Seventeen.’
There is a lot going on in a small space but the show is executed with care and precision, a triumph and a testament to the truly inspirational story it seeks to retell.
Date: 2 September 2023 - 2 March 2024. Location: 4 Soho Place, Charing Cross Road, W1D 3BG. Price: from £30. Book now.
Two strangers (carry a cake across New York)
Dujonna Gift and Sam Tutty in Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York). Photo courtesy of production.
Back in 2003, Colin Frizzle went to Milwaukee and showed the world that even a fairly uncool British bloke could turn his life around with a quick trip across the pond. In their new musical Two strangers (carry a cake across New York) Jim Barne and Kit Buchan are sending Crawley born Dougal to New York City for his estranged Dad’s wedding, and you know what, the American magic still seems to work 20 years later.
Dujonna Gift and Sam Tutty are an incredibly charismatic pair who deliver this two-hander with confidence. A good bout of British sarcasm underlines the otherwise melodic musical numbers and Tim Jackson’s creative team prove that you really can go anywhere in the world.. as long as you have a suitcase (or a few). Debuting at Kilburn’s Kiln Theatre until mid Jan, this show promises to make you ‘awwww’ as much as any Richard Curtis film!
Date: 27 November 2023 - 20 January 2024. Location: Kiln Theatre, 269 Kilburn High Rd, London NW6 7JR. Price: from £18. Book now.
Operation Mincemeat
Operation Mincemeat featuring Claire-Marie Hall, Natasha Hodgson, David Cumming, Zoe Roberts and Jak Malone in Operation Mincemeat. Photo by Matt Crockett.
A stolen corpse, some self-important MI5 agents, an unexpected wartime success story and a bit of grassroots feminism thrown in - it’s almost a miracle that this story didn’t write itself into a musical. We are delighted however that the masterful SpitLip team did and that they’ve created a show which we expect to become a true West End stalwart.
Laced with songs that you’ll be singing for weeks and which are genuine musical hits in their own right, the production has been finessed in its four years since its run at The Fringe. Most of the cast have also journeyed with OM from The Fringe to London and their performances of what is a fairly speedy script with some high energy numbers is absolutely faultless. Jake Malone is a knockout - transforming multiple times to chop and change between totally contrasting characters, whilst getting us all welled up in the process. This will be one you go and see again.. and again, and like us, won’t stop talking about.
Date: 29 March 2023 - 15 June 2024. Location: The Fortune Theatre, Russell St, London, WC2B 5HH. Price: from £35. Book now.
Lizzie
Lizzie at Southwark Playhouse. Lauren Drew, © Pamela Raith.
If, like us, you are big fans of an all female cast who turn beheadings into rock & roll, you’ll be delighted to know that three of our favourite Queens have turned up the temperature and are in a show which turns axe murdering into punk rock.
Lizzie is about the gruesome case of murder suspect Lizzie Borden who is thought to have killed her parents with an axe back in the late 1800s in Massachusetts. William Whelton does not shy away from the complex themes explored as Lizzie’s motives making for a truly unique production. Andrew Exeter’s set is suitably eerie and enhanced by Adam Fisher’s sound design, but the casts’ vocals are the real highlight of this show.
Having already had success at The Living Theatre in New York, Southwark Playhouse is the UK’s debut home to Lizzie.
Date: 26 October 2023 - 2 December 2023. Location: Southwark Playhouse Elephant, 1 Dante Place, London SE11 4RX. Price: from £28. Concessions available. Book now.
Words by Lucy Firestone
