‘MAMMA MIA!’ (Left to right) Jalynn Steele, Christine Sherrill & Carly Sakolove. Photo: Joan Marcus.

MAMMA MIA!
Music & lyrics by Benny Andersson & Bjorn Ulvaeus
Some songs with Stig Anderson
Book by Catherine Johnson
Choreography by Anthony Van Laast
Directed by Phyllida Lloyd
Through February 1, 2026
Winter Garden Theatre
https://mammamiabway.com/

By Scott Harrah

Mamma Mia! It’s back—and just as irresistibly corny and infectious as it was when it first opened on Broadway 24 years ago. This is the “jukebox musical” jam-packed with ABBA classics that started the trend in the early aughts. It’s a welcome return and the perfect escape from the troubled reality of 2025.

You know the “jukebox” genre—a musical with a paper-thin plot featuring the mega hits of a super pop group or iconic star woven into a narrative. It’s a formula that audiences love but is rarely praised by critics. Mamma Mia! is the best jukebox hero of all time. It was adapted into a phenomenal film adaptation in 2008 starring Meryl Streep, and a hit sequel was released in 2018. There’s now a third film in the works, so love it or hate it, the songs of ABBA and Mamma Mia! are a lucrative franchise. As long as people love ABBA songs (and who doesn’t it?) and A-listers like Meryl Streep and Cher agree to do cameos, Hollywood can make many more successful sequels.

Here we go again!

This ABBA songfest is back for just six months and if you haven’t seen the show or the film adaptation, here’s the premise in a nutshell. On a Greek island, Donna (Christine Sherrill) lives with her young daughter Sophie (Amy Weaver). Sophie is about to marry her fiancé, Sky (Grant Reynolds). Unbeknownst to Donna, Sophie invites three men to the celebration. Sophie wants to find out which man is her father. Is it Sam Carmichael (Victor Wallace), Bill Austin (Jim Newman) or Harry Bright (Rob Marnell).

Donna invites two old friends and bandmates, Tanya (Jalynn Steele) and Rosie (Carly Sokolove).

What follows is Sophie’s hunt to figure out which one of three men invited is her biological father. She secretly read her mom’s diary to find out all the details.  Each potential papa learns that it was Sophie and not Donna who invited them.

Most of the musical centers on Donna, Rosie and Tanya reminiscing about their youth. In addition, the three guys disclose their associations with Donna.

From national tour back to Broadway

Some argue that this Broadway return engagement is essentially the national road tour production mounted at the Winter Garden.  They say production designer Mark Thompson’s sets (a white-washed interior and Greek taverna) are not as solid as in the original 2021 production. This is a trivial “flaw” that only hardcore Mamma Mia! aficionados (ones who have sat through umpteen performances) might notice. Go to any long-running Broadway super hit and you can easily nitpick over minutiae (from costumes to sets) and gripe about something that isn’t as glossy or polished as it was 25 or 30 years ago. By the way, the costumes in this 2025 re-engagement, by Mark Thompson and associate costume designer Lucy Gaiger, are the same type of colorful spandex jumpsuits as in the 2001 show. And what glorious costumes they are.

Mamma Mia! is more than just a musical. It’s a feel-good institution. True fans keep coming back for the simple story and the chance to sing along to ABBA standards. My dad has seen the musical on Broadway and on countless road tours across the nation. He watched the movie adaptations dozens of times.

Great cast & song delivery

Director Phyllida Lloyd gets great performances from the latest cast. Standouts include golden-voiced Christine Sherrill as Donna. and Carly Sokolove and Jalynn Steele are both spunky as sidekicks Rosie and Tanya.

Equally top-notch are Amy Weaver as Sophie and all three of the possible fathers. Grant Reynolds shines in particular as Sky.

The show’s band, directed by Will Van Dyke, delivers glorious covers of ABBA golden oldies. Waterloo,”   “Super Trouper,” “The Winner Takes It All,” and all the best tracks are here.

Fantastic finale

Warning: You may feel to urge to sing along each time a character breaks out into song. This reviewer especially loved the finale and curtain call. Donna and pals Rosie and Tanya sing medleys of all the Swedish pop group’s hits, from “Dancing Queen” to, of course, “Mamma Mia!” as the cast joins in. When Donna shouts to the audience “do you want to hear more?” and the crowd roars, you might find yourself screaming along with everyone else and singing along. That’s the true beauty behind this show—few musicals can make us forget all our troubles and just immerse ourselves in the gleeful nostalgia of singing ABBA songs amongst thousands of people.

Published August 27, 2025
Reviewed at press performance on August 21, 2025

‘MAMMA MIA!’: (Left to right) Lena Owens, Amy Weaver & Haley Wright. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘MAMMA MIA’: Grant Reynolds & Amy Weaver. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘MAMMA MIA!’: (Left to right) Jim Newman, Victor Wallace & Rob Marnell. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘MAMMA MIA!’ (Left to right) Jalynn Steele, Carly Sakolove & Christine Sherrill. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘MAMMA MIA!’ Christine Sherrill & cast. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘MAMMA MIA!’: (Collage, top & bottom). The cast. Photos: Joan Marcus.

‘MAMMA MIA!’: Amy Weaver & Christine Sherrill. Photo: Joan Marcus.

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MAMMA MIA!

Returns Home to Broadway

This Summer

Performances Begin Saturday, August 2, 2025

Opening Thursday, August 14, 2025

At the Winter Garden Theatre,

Original Broadway Home of the

Global Smash Hit Musical

Tickets for Six-Month Limited Engagement

Go On Sale Next Week

MammaMiaBway.com

NEW YORK—Here we go again! Creator and producer Judy Craymer is thrilled to announce that the global smash hit musical MAMMA MIA!, the ultimate feel-good show set to the timeless songs of ABBA, will return home to Broadway this summer.

On Saturday, August 2, 2025 at the Winter Garden Theatre (1634 Broadway), MAMMA MIA! will resume performances at the musical’s original home on Broadway, where it opened in 2001. The production played for a record-breaking 14 years and 5,773 performances at the Winter Garden and then at the Broadhurst Theatre, making it Broadway’s ninth-longest running show of all time.

An opening night celebration will be held on Thursday, August 14, 2025.

Judy Craymer said, “When MAMMA MIA! opened on Broadway in 2001, the show had already launched productions in London and Toronto and played a sold-out North American tour. Despite the glowing reception we received in those markets, nothing could have prepared us for the outpouring of love and acclaim (and dancing in the aisles!) that overwhelmed us when we arrived in New York at the magnificent Winter Garden Theatre.

“Last year, MAMMA MIA! celebrated 25 successful years in the West End, and it’s truly fantastic to bring the original production back to its Broadway home after 24 years.

“With Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus’ irresistible songs, Catherine Johnson’s wonderful story of a sunny, funny tale of a mother, daughter and three possible dads on a Greek island paradise, Phyllida Lloyd’s brilliant direction and the entire creative team’s exceptional work, returning to Broadway is a celebration for all.”

Tickets for MAMMA MIA! on Broadway go on sale beginning next week. The limited engagement will play in New York for six months only, through Sunday, February 1, 2026.

‘MAMMA MIA!’ Judy Craymer, Catherine Johnson, & Phyllida Lloyd in Times Square. Photo :Courtesy of Littlestar.

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‘BACK TO THE FUTURE’: Casey Likes. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman.

BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE MUSICAL
Based on the Universal Pictures/Amblin Entertainment Film
Written by Robert Zemeckis & Bob Gale
Book by Bob Gale
Music & lyrics by Alan Silvestri & Glen Ballard
Directed by John Rando
Winter Garden Theatre
1634 Broadway
https://www.backtothefuturemusical.com/new-york/

By David NouNou

Having seen Back to The Future last year in London, I have to concede that this version is far superior to the British production. Reason being that other than Roger Bart playing Doc Brown, an American actor, the rest of cast were all British, with the most abominable American accents. In addition, the actor playing Marty McFly was way too old for the role, thus making the part cringeworthy.

You all know the plot, here’s a recap: Set in a small California town in 1985, 17-year-old Marty McFly (Casey Likes), in an experiment travels through time in a modified DeLorean car created by his eccentric friend, Doc Brown (Roger Bart) where he ends up in 1955 encountering young versions of his parents, before they were married. His mother Lorraine Baines (Liana Hunt) has the hots for Marty when she first meets him and thinks his name is Calvin Klein because of the underwear he’s wearing, and his father is a nerdy highschooler George McFly (Hugh Coles) who is constantly being picked on and tormented by Biff Tannen (Nathaniel Hackmann), the town bully. Marty has to make sure that George and Lorraine fall in love and kiss at a designated time, or he and his siblings shall cease to exist. More daunting, Marty has to return to his own time and save the life of Doc Brown.

The plot is simple and the cast is minimal. It follows the premise of the movie; however, most of the charm and innocence of the piece is gone. Instead, it is loud and all over the place. Substance has been replaced with needless and uninspired dance numbers.

The book by Bob Gale is clever enough to keep it afloat. The score at best tries to stay in the mood of the 50s and 80s but is not particularly memorable. Although the musical is created and directed by Americans, it was originally presented in London. What’s amazing about British musicals is when creating material that is English in nature, from Six to & Juliet, they can be brilliant, but when they try to create American-themed musicals, they somehow miss the mark by overindulgence to play for an American audience—as if to say bigger is better.

The cast, headed by Roger Bart, as Doc Brown, has mercifully toned down his performance a lot. Doc Brown is a brilliant but eccentric scientist. In London, Mr. Bart portrayed him as a manic lunatic. His performance is much better and more genuine now. If you follow the performance, he now seems to channel Robin Williams which is a much more pleasant experience. Casey Likes—who last fall played William in the short-lived musical version of Almost Famous— now plays Marty McFly. He is age appropriate and rather likeable.

The best part of the show is the English holdover, Hugh Coles. He was great as George McFly in London; he is even better now on Broadway.

To be sure, as long as tourists keep coming to New York, Back to the Future will be their favorite staple and can keep it running well into the future.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published August 11, 2023
Reviewed at August 10, 2023 press performance.

‘BACK TO THE FUTURE’: Roger Bart & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman.

‘BACK TO THE FUTURE’ (left to right): Daryl Tofa, Nathaniel Hackmann, Will Branner, Casey Likes & Hugh Coles. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman.

‘BACK TO THE FUTURE’: Jelani Remy & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman.

‘BACK TO THE FUTURE’: Casey Likes & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman.

‘BACK TO THE FUTURE’: Casey Likes. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman.

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‘THE MUSIC MAN’: Hugh Jackman, Sutton Foster & cast. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

THE MUSIC MAN
Book, music & lyrics by Meredith Willson
Based on a story by Meredith Willson & Franklin Lacey
Directed by Jerry Zaks
Choreographed by Warren Carlyle
Winter Garden Theatre
1634 Broadway at 50th Street
(212-239-6200), www.MusicManOnBroadway.com

By David NouNou

Americana at its very best.

I have been called a traditionalist, and I am proud of it. Being one of the few remaining dinosaurs who saw the original version of The Music Man in 1959 at the Majestic Theatre, starring Robert Preston and Barbara Cook, I can’t say I was overwhelmed by it. I was only a little boy, I thought it was too long and I didn’t understand the lingo being spoken on stage.  The things that excited me most were so many people dancing, singing and having a good time on stage. I was dazzled by the sets and costumes. I actually wanted to learn to play a musical instrument so I could be a part of the show and play in Professor Harold Hill’s band.

This brings us to 2022. I never learned to play a musical instrument, but over the years I’ve come to appreciate the complexities of what it takes to write a musical. This is a period piece for sure and for modern audiences it may seem stilted. However, one must see it from the context of when it was written and about the times in which it was written. Meredith Willson, being a native of Iowa, wrote a beautifully complex and textured tale about the people he knew best at the turn of the 20^th century in the small town of River City, Iowa. He also wrote the entire score which defines all the characters and their attitudes in the score.

Into this small, sleepy, and unfriendly town storms Professor Harold Hill (Hugh Jackman), trying to sell these cold and gullible folks musical instruments and band uniforms for their children. Once he fleeces his sheep, he usually runs out of town with the money and leaves them with no band. In this instance, there is a little hitch by the name of Marian the librarian (Sutton Foster) who is on to Professor Hill’s antics. In turn, one gets to meet all the colorful townspeople and their quirks.

Once you get accustomed to the lingo used—the likes of jokes from Captain Billy’s whiz bag, Sen-Sen, “so’s your old man,” dime novels, libertine men, “scarlet women and shameless music”—and get in step with the proceedings, it becomes a joyride from start to finish.

This revival brings back to life the magic that was Broadway. A musical that has an orchestra pit, an actual visible conductor, and an orchestra playing real instruments that you can hear and feel the music with no prerecorded and overmiked tracks. An actual live orchestra and a stageful of marvelous performers acting, singing, hoofing and giving it their all. What a joy to finally see a revival or any musical with a cast of 42 people filling the stage and each playing their designated role and not have to watch 20 people going in and out of different characters and play chorus members as well.

Hugh Jackman may not be Harold Hill of 1912, but he is certainly Professor Hill for 2022 and hopefully for years to come. His charm and energy are boundless, he sings sublimely, looks divine, and he is a hoofing Harold Hill. What more can you ask of the man?

Sutton Foster gives us a different interpretation of Marian Paroo, the librarian. Unlike any of her predecessors who came off as sweet and ladylike, this young lady takes no guff from any one, stands her ground, and isn’t waiting for a white knight to rescue her. She is in complete control.

The townsfolk are priceless: Marie Mullen as wise Mrs. Paroo is an Irish charmer; Jayne Houdyshell as Mrs. Shin, the Mayor’s wife, is a showstopper with every move and glance. Jefferson Mays as Mayor Shin is perfect at getting flummoxed easily. The quartet of Phillip Boykin, Eddie Korbich, Nicholas Ward and Daniel Torres is impressive, and their harmonizing is a constant delight throughout the show. One will especially fall in love with Benjamin Pajak as Winthrop Paroo; that was the role I was willing to learn an instrument for when I was a kid and wanted to be in the show to play Winthrop.

To my glee, Warren Carlyle has kept the infectious period dances and his excellent dancers of all ages keep in step. Jerry Zaks, usually an expert director on extravaganzas, could have decluttered the sets a bit and instructed Santo Loquasto, the designer, a more realistic vision than just a side of a barn or painted backdrops. These are mere trifles for an evening that explodes with joy and heart; the musical theatre’s cup has runneth over.

Please indulge me in being able to thank my parents for taking me to the theatre at an early age and introducing me to the magic that was Broadway to such an extravaganza as The Music Man. Watching Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster and the rest of the glorious cast took me back decades to being a small child who wanted to learn the cornet so he could be in a show. I urge parents to take their children to see this glorious version of The Music Man and know what magic Broadway can create if done well, and who knows— maybe someday your kids will thank you, too.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published February 16, 2022
Reviewed at February 15, 2022 press performance.

‘THE MUSIC MAN’: Hugh Jackman, Sutton Foster & cast. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘THE MUSIC MAN’: Hugh Jackman (center) & cast. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘THE MUSIC MAN’: Jefferson Mays (center) & cast. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘THE MUSIC MAN’: (left to right) Phillip Boykin, Nicholas Ward, Hugh Jackman, Daniel-Torres & Eddie Korbich. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘THE MUSIC MAN’: The cast. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘THE MUSIC MAN’: The cast. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘THE MUSIC MAN’: Shuler Hensley. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘THE MUSIC MAN’: Benjamin Pajak & Marie Mullen. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘THE MUSIC MAN’: Sutton Foster. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘THE MUSIC MAN’: Jayne Houdyshell. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘THE MUSIC MAN’: Hugh Jackman & Sutton Foster. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

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‘BEETLEJUICE’: Alex Brightman & Sophia Anne Caruso. Photo: Matthew Murphy

BEETLEJUICE
Music & lyrics by Eddie Perfect
Book by Scott Brown & Anthony King
Based on the 1988 movie Beetlejuice
Directed by Alex Timbers
Winter Garden Theatre
1634 Broadway
(212-239-6200, https://beetlejuicebroadway.com/

Editor’s note: This review is from the 2019 production, starring Alex Brightman, Rob McClure and Sophia Anne Caruso.  The show has some new cast members and is now playing at the Marquis Theatre.

By Scott Harrah

Beetlejuice is a rare gem in the genre of Hollywood movie adaptations for the Broadway stage. While following the main narrative from the 1988 Tim Burton film, Beetlejuice expands on the story of Goth teen Lydia (played with panache by rising 17-year-old star Sophia Anne Caruso), making her the central female character. The musical is a theme park unto itself and a fun, offbeat roller-coaster ride from start to finish. It stands out as a superior adaptation for so many reasons, but mostly due to Scott Brown and Anthony King’s clever book and outrageously effervescent performances by Alex Brightman, Leslie Kritzer and Ms. Caruso, plus whimsical sets by David Korins and over-the-top costumes by William Ivey Long.

It’s hard to resist the incomparable Alex Brightman from the moment he enters the stage as Beetlejuice, the lovable poltergeist who is also the tale’s narrator, saying he hopes we’re ready for “a show about death” and starts into the razzle-dazzle opening number “The Whole ‘Being Dead’ Thing”.

Mr. Brightman is that rare entertainer who is so energetic, he commands the whole stage whenever he’s on it. He tosses off bon mots like “I’m powerless…like a gay Republican” with cavalier ease, in one of the season’s best performances. He’s the perfect guide through this gloriously re-imagined version of the hit film. Adam (Rob McClure) and Barbara (Kerry Butler) are the Maitlands, a happy couple in an old Victorian home (played by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis in the film). When they tragically die in a freak accident, their spirits are left to haunt their house and live in its attic. Soon the obnoxious Deetz family buys the house. Charles (Adam Dannheisser) and his ditzy paramour/Lydia’s nanny Delia (Ms. Kritzer) want to totally redecorate the place and turn it into a modern art showcase, hoping to make it a model home and land a lucrative real estate development deal. Charles’ daughter Lydia (Ms. Caruso) is a black-wearing Goth and has no interest in the home, and certainly wants nothing to do with her dad and Delia. She runs into the ghosts of Adam and Barbara in the attic and strikes up an unusual friendship with them as they create a scheme to literally scare Charles and Delia out of the house.

In the movie, Lydia was portrayed by Winona Ryder as a dour, depressed teen mourning the death of her mother but there was little explanation as to why the girl was so grief-stricken and obsessed with the dark side of life. However, in Beetlejuice the musical, Lydia and all her quirks and pathos are front and center, tackling the issue of children grappling with grief in a lighthearted way, something one would never expect in a Broadway musical. Ms. Caruso’s voice is richly textured and particularly haunting when she sings the solo numbers “Dead Mom” and “Home.”

In 2014, I caught Sophia Anne Caruso in a revival of Ruthless! The Musical at an uptown cabaret. Ms. Caruso was just a child then, playing Tina Denmark, a parody of the demented girl Rhoda from The Bad Seed. She had a unique stage presence and one-of-a-kind voice I never forgot. I wrote in the review back then about her “wholesome looks, lush singing voice and over-the-top acting style,” noting that she was going to be quite famous someday. It is remarkable how far Ms. Caruso has come in just five years. With her distinctive voice and spunky performance in Beetlejuice, she’s indeed on her way to Broadway stardom.

The book has some minor flaws. A scene involving the “netherworld” and Ms. Kritzer in a secondary role as an otherworldly beauty pageant winner makes little sense. In addition, the songs by Eddie Perfect are bouncy and propel the plot wonderfully. Although the score is upbeat, it is not exactly memorable.

Regardless, director Alex Timbers holds everything together beautifully and gets noteworthy performances from the rest of the cast. Standouts include Ms. Kritzer, who is sensational as the gaudy, overbearing Delia. Rob McClure and Kerry Butler are a hilarious duo as the kooky spooks the Maitlands, and Broadway veteran Ms. Butler (last seen in Mean Girls) has never been funnier.

Musical adaptations of hit Hollywood films are standard fare on Broadway. Most are pedestrian or simply mediocre, but Beetlejuice is colorful, consistently lighthearted fun. It’s—dare I say it? —a musical “to die for.”

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 25, 2019
Reviewed at April 20, 2019 press performance.

‘BEETLEJUICE’: (left to right) Sophia Anne Caruso, Rob McClure & Kerry Butler. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘BEETLEJUICE’: (left to right) Rob McClure, Kerry Butler, Sophia Anne Caruso & Alex Brightman. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘BEETLEJUICE’: Alex Brightman. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘BEETLEJUICE’: Leslie Kritzer & Adam Dannheisser. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘BEETLEJUICE’: Alex Brightman & Sophia Anne Caruso. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘BEETLEJUICE’: Alex Brightman. Photo; Matthew Murphy

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‘SCHOOL OF ROCK’: (left to right) Alex Brightman, Dante Melucci & Evie Dolan. Photo: Matthew Murphy

SCHOOL OF ROCK
Book by Julian Fellowes
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics by Glenn Slater
Directed by Laurence Connor
Choreographed by JoAnn M. Hunter
Winter Garden Theatre
1634 Broadway at 50th Street
(212-239-6200), www.schoolofrockthemusical.com/

By David NouNou

Having not seen the 2003 movie School of Rock and knowing very little about it (other than it was a huge hit for Jack Black) definitely gave me a leg up to enjoy this vastly entertaining musical. For me, it was seeing an original musical and it’s a rock-ass thrill. Adding to that thrill is the music by Andrew Lloyd Webber (longtime favorite) going back to his rock roots of Jesus Christ Superstar, and the book is by Julian Fellows of “Downton Abbey” fame. Who would have thought that these two “very proper” Englishmen would give us a most compelling rock musical of this generation?

Like Matilda, it is a child that tries to make sense of the outside world and fit in it. Dewey Finn (Alex Brightman) is not a little girl and certainly not a child; he is more akin to Peter Pan, the child that doesn’t want to grow up. Dewey is a misfit. He has been kicked out of his rock band; he’s despondent, and lives in the home of a former bandmate, Ned Schneebly (a substitute teacher) and his girlfriend Patty. Dewey owes them a lot of back rent. Patty has had enough of his slovenliness and wants him out, until one day a call comes for Ned and is intercepted by Dewey. The call is from staunch Principal Rosalie Mullins (Sierra Boggess) for a substitute teacher at the prestigious Horace Green Prep School. Needing money, Dewey goes for the job posing as Ned.

Dewey is confronted by children who come from privilege and overachieving parents who have no clue as to who their children are and what they can actually accomplish. This becomes a learning lesson for both. Dewey gets to learn about the kids and himself; the kids learn to abandon discipline and overcome their insecurities. He has to train them to fulfill his dream in competing in the “Battle of the Bands.” The two become co-dependent and both grow, learn and mature in the process.

I would probably say that the most daunting task in originating this musical was to find the proper Dewey. You couldn’t just bring a Jack Black imitator; you had to bring a Dewey that can make the character real for the stage. After all he is the loser. However, he has to have enough likability, charm and charisma to be able to win the audience over and root for him. This task has fallen into the hands of Alex Brightman.

I hate to use the term overnight star, because that term on Broadway is so ephemeral and overused. Mr. Brightman has paid his dues and has to his credits roles in Wicked, Big Fish, as well as Matilda. He is a person that should be noticed in the future, and come awards time next spring, he has to be recognized.

Earlier this spring, Sierra Boggess was in the abysmal musical It Shoulda Been You and previously was enchanting as Christine in Mr. Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom Of the Opera. Although she has the beautiful, haunting song “Where Did the Rock Go?” in Act II and learns to defrost, her Principal Mullins is a thankless role.

As for the children, they are all perfection and they actually play their musical instruments and are versatile performers in acting, singing and dancing. Laurence Connor, who directed the current version of Les Miserables has tapped into a much lighter venue (rock comedy) he keeps things constantly moving and never allows the children to be annoying or cloying. He respects them and gives each one of them a distinct personality and we get to know them as individuals.

In the end, it is Julian Fellows (book), Andrew Lloyd Webber (music) and Glenn Slater (lyrics) who are the real rock stars of School of Rock. Without them, we wouldn’t have had this infinitely delightful head-banger.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published December 18, 2015
Reviewed at performance on December 17, 2015

‘SCHOOL OF ROCK’: Alex Brightman & Sierra Boggess. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘SCHOOL OF ROCK’: Alex Brightman & the adult ensemble. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘SCHOOL OF ROCK’: Alex Brightman & the kid band. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘SCHOOL OF ROCK’: (left to right) Evie Dolan, Alex Brightman & Brando Niederauer. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘SCHOOL OF ROCK’: Sierra Boggess. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘SCHOOL OF ROCK’: The children’s ensemble & Sierra Boggess. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘SCHOOL OF ROCK’: The children’s ensemble. Photo: Matthew Murphy

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