All stories by Chris Wiegand on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, September 10, 2024

‘Like a gig with your favourite 90s artists’: KT Tunstall composes Clueless musical by Chris Wiegand

Adaptation of Amy Heckerling’s classic 1995 comedy will open in London in February with a new score by the Scottish musician inspired by its soundtrack Mean Girls has become a West End hit…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:54AM
Friday, August 23, 2024

Josh Glanc: Family Man review – fun and games with an avuncular oddball by Chris Wiegand

Monkey Barrel Comedy, Edinburgh The Australian standup, nominated for the Edinburgh comedy award, delivers a restlessly zany sequence of songs and thumbnail sketches Promising a set more mem…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:06AM
Thursday, August 22, 2024

Wankernomics: As Per My Last Email review – humdrum office hellscape by Chris Wiegand

Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghThese games lampooning business jargon and CV exaggeration are relatable and initially amusing but soon start to drag A grabby title and a clear concept sell ti…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:42PM

Show Pony review – what happens when the circus says goodbye to you? by Chris Wiegand

Summerhall, EdinburghIn a compelling collaboration with Bryony Kimmings, the German company Still Hungry deconstruct, satirise and celebrate the circus Three women are remembering their intr…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:18AM
Wednesday, August 21, 2024

House of Life review – glittering benediction from a joyously funky double act by Chris Wiegand

Underbelly, Cowgate, Edinburgh A sequinned ‘RaveRend’ and his sidekick Trev help the audience banish sadness in this ebullient hour Anointed with glitter paint, taking our seats to a sco…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:48PM
Tuesday, August 20, 2024

The 39 Steps review – comic homage to Hitchcock thriller goes off the rails by Chris Wiegand

Trafalgar theatre, London With four actors playing 130 parts, this revival of Patrick Barlow’s take on the spy film is fitfully funny but ultimately frustrating ‘Think of the strain invo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:36AM
Sunday, August 18, 2024

A Jaffa Cake Musical and The Gummy Bears’ Great War: Edinburgh fringe stages battles with bite by Chris Wiegand

A zesty courtroom drama about cakes (or biscuits?) and a combat epic using dozens of jelly teddies offer sweet and sour clashes at the festival The sweet spot for Edinburgh fringe comedy is …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:14AM
Saturday, August 17, 2024

Playfight review – enthralling tale of the ascent to adulthood by Chris Wiegand

Roundabout @ Summerhall, EdinburghWith superb performances, Julia Grogan’s lyrical and often extremely funny play follows three young women’s friendship There are raucous teenage kicks i…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:46AM

Rollercoaster review – fizzy tricks and funky escapades from a master of juggling by Chris Wiegand

Assembly Roxy, EdinburghWes Peden shows off his skills with hoops, pins and balls, while his humble pleasure in performance sweetens the stunts If juggling follows breaking to become an Olym…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:55AM

I Am the Boss review – squabbling siblings’ hijinks at Edinburgh fringe by Chris Wiegand

Assembly George Square Gardens, EdinburghIn the Taiwan Season, a spirited trio deliver acrobatic antics – and their mischief spills into the audience ‘Don’t try this at home,” childr…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:00AM
Friday, August 16, 2024

Sawdust Symphony review – a surreal circus where stagecraft meets woodcraft by Chris Wiegand

Zoo Southside, EdinburghAcrobatics, juggling and carpentry are fixed together in a humorous and lightly unsettling production in the Made in Germany showcase Power drill? Check. Hammers? Pr…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:37AM

Burning Down the Horse review – entertaining ancient Greek antics by Chris Wiegand

Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh This comedy puts the audience inside the giant wooden ruse, alongside a cast who add fizz to a show with real interest in the classical age Here is an alternative t…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:47AM
Wednesday, August 14, 2024

The Sex Lives of Puppets review – kaleidoscope of carnality with no strings attached by Chris Wiegand

Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghBased on real interviews, these verbatim-style sketches are often candid and funny, with some emotional revelations Jeremy rubs his nipples and calls Meryl’s …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:11AM
Tuesday, August 13, 2024

How I Learned to Swim review – a dive into the deep waters of Black aquatic history by Chris Wiegand

Roundabout @ Summerhall, EdinburghLessons at the pool expand to take in slavery’s legacy, Olympic achievement and Afrofuturism in an assured play by Somebody Jones The depths plumbed by So…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:55AM
Monday, August 12, 2024

Lost Connection review – dance quartet in thrall to their smartphones by Chris Wiegand

Summerhall, EdinburghDoom-scrolling and dopamine hits take centre stage in this arresting show in the festival’s Taiwan Season You may not recognise the word but you will know the behaviou…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:59AM

Sisyphean Quick Fix review – affecting account of uphill family struggles by Chris Wiegand

Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghBettina Paris and Tina Rizzo play sisters who care for their father from different countries in a sincere two-hander Bettina Paris’s play has a scenario that …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:15AM
Sunday, August 11, 2024

Failure Project review – a reality check about being ‘booked, busy and blessed’ by Chris Wiegand

Summerhall, EdinburghIn an often raw performance that retains a light touch, Yolanda Mercy delivers a bittersweet and valuable reflection on the theatre industry Scroll through the listings …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:20AM
Saturday, August 10, 2024

A Letter to Lyndon B Johnson or God: Whoever Reads This First review – scouting out for America by Chris Wiegand

theSpace @ Niddry Street, EdinburghCult clown duo Xhloe Rice and Natasha Roland play muddy-kneed boy scouts in this knockabout comedy with an emotional punch At the fringe, despite the predo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:16AM

The Chaos That Has Been and Will No Doubt Return review – Luton’s teen spirit by Chris Wiegand

Summerhall, Edinburgh Friends facing an uncertain future attend a boisterous party in this authentically played, vibrant drama Luton has one of the youngest populations in the country. Playw…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:00AM
Friday, August 9, 2024

Weather Girl review – apocalyptic comedy gives chilling forecast for a burning planet by Chris Wiegand

Summerhall, EdinburghJulia McDermott is captivating as a presenter whose all-American smile cracks in the face of environmental nightmare Scorchio! The Fast Show’s persistently sunny forec…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:57AM
Wednesday, August 7, 2024

When It Happens to You review – Amanda Abbington stars in a mother’s memoir of her daughter’s rape by Chris Wiegand

Park theatre, LondonTawni O’Dell’s raw, reflective account of real-life trauma is more diary than drama, making for an often jarring production When her daughter was raped, novelist Tawn…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:44AM
Tuesday, August 6, 2024

Something Rotten! is a riotous Shakespeare musical ripe for the West End | Chris Wiegand by Chris Wiegand

With catchy tunes and endless zingers, this hit comedy is finally on a London stage but only for two nights. When will it get a full run? That is the question … What’s the sign of a good…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:39AM
Thursday, August 1, 2024

The best theatre to stream this month: comedians do Chekhov, Into the Woods and Dear Octopus by Chris Wiegand

Get a taste of Edinburgh fringe, enjoy Shakespearean insights from illustrious actors and sing along with a handful of musicals in our pick of streaming shows Lindsay Duncan shines in the Na…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:00AM
Friday, July 26, 2024

Shrek the Musical review – sludgy show leaves you green about the gills by Chris Wiegand

Hammersmith Apollo, LondonPlayed at the volume of a pantomime, this makeover of the fairytale favourite is flatly unadventurous You might have walked into the Emerald City. The art deco audi…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:24PM

Rough Magic review – zany riff on Macbeth bewitches young audience by Chris Wiegand

Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, London Gleefully batty caper finds one of the weird sisters in hot cauldron water after making reckless promises of a very bright future to a passing …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:18AM
Sunday, July 21, 2024

Red Speedo review – moral dilemmas and personal fears surface in doping drama by Chris Wiegand

Orange Tree theatre, LondonFinn Cole plays swimmer Ray, whose life enters choppy waters when performance-enhancing drugs are discovered at his club A pair of swimming briefs is quite the cos…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:24PM
Friday, July 19, 2024

‘It’s mind-blowing for me’: Boris Charmatz on leading Pina Bausch’s Tanztheater Wuppertal by Chris Wiegand

The French choreographer took over Bausch’s dance company in 2022. He never met his hero, but explains how their histories have entwined In 2023, the German choreographer Pina Bausch’s g…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:02PM

Close Up review – zoom in on a sporty dance of cool control by Chris Wiegand

Opéra Grand, AvignonNoé Soulier’s new piece has six dancers, five musicians and one fixed camera which picks out details from individual and entwined figures For his new creation, French…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:48AM
Thursday, July 18, 2024

Forever (Immersion dans Café Müller de Pina Bausch) review – a heartbreaking redux by Chris Wiegand

La FabricA, AvignonBausch’s 1978 classic is presented six times, interspersed with memories of the performers, in this epic treatment by Boris Charmatz Since Pina Bausch’s death 15 years…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:02PM

La Vie Secrète des Vieux review – older people reveal the full glory of their sex lives by Chris Wiegand

Chartreuse de Villeneuve, AvignonThere is gallows humour and unzipped ribaldry as a mischievous group share stories that are joyful, tender and sometimes eye-watering Warning! The people in …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:54AM
Sunday, July 14, 2024

The Paddington Bear Experience review – the Marmalade Day jamboree must go on! by Chris Wiegand

County Hall, LondonVisitors get stuck in when they enter the world of 32 Windsor Gardens, thanks to a merry immersive show boasting hands-on games and evocative design touches Michael Bond�…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:42AM

All that Chat

2024-2025 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 05, 2024: Home - Todd Haimes Theatre
Jul 11, 2024: Oh, Mary! - Lyceum Theatre
Jul 30, 2024: Job - Hayes Theater
Sep 12, 2024: The Roommate - Booth Theatre
Nov 14, 2024: Tammy Faye - Palace Theatre
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 17, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 01, 2025: Glengarry Glen Ross
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre
TBA: Titanic
TBA: Ragtime