MUSICALS

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  June 16, 2014 / 0 Comments

  Jersey Boys Liverpool dates

  Further dates have been announced for the UK tour of the Tony, Olivier and Grammy Award-winning musical Jersey Boys, which will now land at the Empire on June 23 next year.   The show, about the rise to fame of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons,  has never been more in the spotlight, with Clint […]

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  May 29, 2014 / 0 Comments

  What We Did Next’s Carousel

  They are best known for bringing more modern musicals to the city centre, but next week will see members of community group What We Did Next turn their hand to a Rogers and Hammerstein classic.   The company returns to the Unity from June 4 to 7 for their production of Carousel (you know, the […]

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  May 21, 2014 / 1 Comment

  REVIEW: The Lion King, Liverpool Empire

  Its campaign to lure us to the Empire for its seven week run has been a full on assault on the entire city; last night Disney finally got to show the critics its stuff. The Lion King roared (groan) into the venue to showcase what a remarkable, inventive and special piece of theatre it is. […]

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  March 1, 2014 / 0 Comments

  REVIEW: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Unity Theatre

  Fortunately, somebody told me just before I started writing this review that the larger national touring production of this show that was scheduled a stop at the Royal Court before Christmas never actually made it (I wondered how it had passed me by, but was going to draw the parallel anyway. That would have been […]

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  January 6, 2014 / 0 Comments

  Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at the Empire

  Classic American musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers has been given an ‘award-winning makeover’, and comes to the Empire at the end of February. It stars Dancing on Ice winner Sam Attwater and Helena Blackman, a runner up in BBC1’s How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?. And for those who like their stage […]

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  December 8, 2013 / 0 Comments

  Fame the Musical returns to Liverpool

  Touring productions of Fame seem to have become a favourite on the North West stage over the last couple of years, and here’s another. “An exciting new production that has been bought up to date and into the 21st century”, apparently, stops off with us at the Empire next year, courtesy of our own Bill […]

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  October 24, 2013 / 0 Comments

  Rent’s 20th anniversary concert returns

  The musical Rent is celebrating its 20th anniversary (kind of – see this from font of all theatre knowledge Mark Shenton) – and the touring concert returns to Liverpool next month with a co-incidentally Scouse-tastic cast.   The large scale show first toured in April this year, but went down so well it comes back […]

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  October 18, 2013 / 0 Comments

  Wicked news

  It was always a matter of time, and today the Liverpool Empire announced it will be staging hit witchy musical Wicked – and you’ve got until next September to wait. Tickets quite fittingly go on sale on Halloween.   The ‘untold story of the Witches of Oz’, Wicked is one of the most popular West […]

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  October 14, 2013 / 0 Comments

  Ten reasons to see Jesus Christ Superstar

  Jesus Christ Superstar is back in Liverpool at the arena tomorrow (October 15). It’s great – and here’s a few reasons why: 1. Tim Minchin MADEUP had a soft spot for Minchin before this show, but staggered out of the arena this time last year a woman obsessed. Frankly, he could make reasons 1 to […]

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  September 5, 2013 / 0 Comments

  It’s Liza (on an E)

  If the touring production of Cabaret currently in town has you pining for Liza, there’s a chance to see an act that “captures the soul and craziness of Minnelli” in Liverpool next month.   Following his West End debut earlier this year, Australian star Trevor Ashley is back in the UK and heading for the […]

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  August 11, 2013 / 2 Comments

  Blood Brothers returns to the Liverpool Empire

  In news that will surprise absolutely no-one, it has been announced that quintessential Scouse musical Blood Brothers will return to the city this autumn. The perennially popular weepie ran in the West End for 24 years, has been touring the UK since 1995, and we never have to wait too long before it pops in […]

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  July 14, 2013 / 0 Comments

  Singin’ in the Rain with Grease 2 star

  Singin’ in the Rain has been one of the big West End hits of recent times, lauded for its timeless tunes and watery effects. And it’s heading to Liverpool in April next year, which has to be pretty swell.   The cast for the touring production has been revealed, and my life flashed before my […]

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  June 27, 2013 / 0 Comments

  Cabaret at the Empire with Will Young as Emcee

  It’s a dream musical week for MADEUP, as Evita hasn’t even left town before we get the announcement Cabaret is to return to the Empire this autumn, with Will Young in tow.   A be-lederhosened Young was Oliver award nominated earlier this year for his performance as the Emcee in Rufus Norris’ acclaimed production of […]

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  June 24, 2013 / 0 Comments

  REVIEW: Evita, Liverpool Empire

  Evita has made almost biennial appearances in Liverpool since 2008, and although the show is still a class act this new production seems smaller in scale and ambition than previous outings, despite boasting arguably its first household name in a while. With Marti Pellow stepping into the combat boots and army fatigues of Che Guevara […]

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  June 15, 2013 / 0 Comments

  Ghost the Musical: 2014 Liverpool dates

  It may have had its day on Broadway and in the West End, but Ghost the Musical lives on and the show’s first UK tour will hit the Empire in February next year. Tickets go on general sale from Wednesday (June 19).   Described a timeless fantasy about the power of love, Ghost – in […]

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  June 7, 2013 / 0 Comments

  REVIEW: Bat Boy the Musical, Unity Theatre

  Bat Boy has been a pop culture staple in the US since its inception in ludicrous tabloid the Weekly World News. Turning the character into the lead in a full blown musical has kept up the momentum of ridiculousness, with short Broadway and West End runs in the early 2000s and revivals by enthusiastic fans […]

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  June 6, 2013 / 0 Comments

  REVIEW: The Last 5 Years, Epstein Theatre

  It’s the second time round for this production of The Last 5 Years, which was first staged to acclaim at the Actors Studio last summer. Now, in a bigger theatre and for a longer run, there’s no excuse not to go and see what all the fuss is about.   A clever two-handed musical that […]

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  June 1, 2013 / 0 Comments

  Judy & Liza at the Epstein

  Tribute musical Judy & Liza, first seen on the Liverpool stage in 2010, returns to the Epstein for two shows on Saturday, June 29.   Written by West End star and Liverpool native Emma Dears and directed by Rita Henderson, you get no prizes for guessing that Judy & Liza features the music and stories […]

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  May 23, 2013 / 0 Comments

  REVIEW: Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Liverpool Empire

  Priscilla is a conventional story at heart, with its drag twist elevating the spectacle to new heights. There’s no original songs, so it’s essentially a jukebox musical, but for the most part this works. It flies by at breakneck pace, yet still manages to introduce and flesh out its central characters, the key to its […]

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  May 11, 2013 / 0 Comments

  New Liverpool musical from Cardello and Zutons stars

  Songs from a new musical from former Zutons guitarist Boyan Chowdhury and Cardello’s David South will be heard for the first time at in a preview performance at the Bluecoat next month.   The musicians have joined forces with Liverpool scriptwriter Michelle Langan (whose TV credits include Coronation Street and Hollyoaks) to produce Shoebox, a […]

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