Aladdin review - live-action remake in classic Disney mould

Will Smith has the only magic in update of 1992 animation

Next up in Disney’s parade of live-action revamps is: yes, Aladdin. The other recent re-dos – Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Dumbo – just about managed to overcome the remake challenge: be faithful to an original that will remain definitive for audiences, whilst updating the material enough to obtain contemporary relevance. A re-jigged plot with fresh surprises is an added bonus.

My Left Right Foot: The Musical, Brighton Festival 2019 review - foul-mouthed comic brilliance

★★★★ MY LEFT RIGHT FOOT: THE MUSICAL, BRIGHTON FESTIVAL Scottish production that reaps comedy gold from society's awkwardness about disablity

Scottish production that reaps comedy gold from society's awkwardness about disablity

My Left Right Foot tiptoes right to the precipice of massive offense. For some, it tumbles right in. During the interval audience members can be heard tutting at the amount of times “the c-word” is casually thrown around. But it’s not just the swearing. The play makes mayhem over our awkwardness around disability while also ruthlessly sending up institutionalised inclusivity.

Hugh Jackman, SSE Hydro, Glasgow review - showman plays to his strengths as he kicks off world tour

★★★★★ HUGH JACKMAN, SSE HYRDO, GLASGOW Hollywood star's arena-sized one-man musical revue

Drama and laughs in Hollywood star's arena-sized one-man musical revue

“I hope you’re not only Wolverine fans or this is going to be a long night,” a grinning Hugh Jackman tells a screaming Glasgow crowd. The line – delivered in front of a giant screen on which Jackman, adamantium claws extended, is climbing out of a river with his shirt off – sums up a particular curiosity about the actor known to many as the Greatest Showman: how did an award-winning musical theatre actor end up playing a comic book mutant?

Dead Dog in a Suitcase (and other love songs), Brighton Festival 2019 review - a feverishly foul-mouthed musical comedy

★★★ DEAD DOG IN A SUITCASE, BRIGHTON FESTIVAL 2019 Feverishly foul-mouthed musical comedy in Kneehigh's frantic Beggar's Opera reimagining

Timely revival for Kneehigh Theatre's frantic Beggar's Opera reimagining

Five years ago this Kneehigh Theatre production caused a stir with its vibrant modern retelling of John Gay’s 18th century satirical classic, The Beggar’s Opera. It’s currently on tour again and it’s easy to see why a revival was greenlit.

Man of La Mancha, London Coliseum review - historical work better left in the past

★★ MAN OF LA MANCHA, LONDON COLISEUM Historical work better left in the past

Kelsey Grammer leads a muddled musical take on Don Quixote

English National Opera continues its run of semi-staged musicals, in commercial collaboration with Grade Linnit, with a revival of this vintage oddity. Mind, commercial might be a stretch, as Dale Wasserman, Joe Darion and Mitch Leigh's 1965 work – it quickly transpires – is a tough sell, particularly in a quixotically cast revival that struggles to find a coherent tone.  

Ain't Misbehavin', Southwark Playhouse review - a jazz-hot musical revue

★★★★ AIN'T MISBEHAVIN', SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE A jazz-hot musical revue

Dancing, singing and plenty of swinging in this joyful tribute to Fats Waller

The joint is jumpin’ at Southwark Playhouse, now hosting an irresistible Fats Waller-inspired, Manhattan-set musical revue (a co-production with Colchester’s Mercury Theatre, where it opened last month).

Sweet Charity, Donmar Warehouse review - Sixties style over substance

★★★ SWEET CHARITY, DONMAR WAREHOUSE Design dominates in Josie Rourke's farewell production

Design dominates in Josie Rourke's farewell production

For her swansong, departing Donmar Artistic Director Josie Rourke goes Swinging Sixties in this stylish but flawed revival of the Cy Coleman, Dorothy Fields and Neil Simon musical.

Fiddler on the Roof, Playhouse Theatre, review – energetic production whips up an emotional storm

★★★★★ FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, PLAYHOUSE Energetic production whips up emotional storm

A spikily poignant reminder of humanity in politically dark times

In an age where political, social, and gender norms seem to be in perpetual meltdown, it should be pretty much impossible for a musical that begins with a song celebrating ‘Tradition’ to strike a chord. Yet from the moment that the cast of Trevor Nunn’s foot-stompingly fist-wavingly triumphant Fiddler on the Roof launches into the opening number, it’s clear that they have the energy and chutzpah to whip up an emotional storm.

Local Hero, Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh - captivating musical with a harder edge

★★★★ LOCAL HERO, ROYAL LYCEUM THEATRE Captivating musical with a harder edge

New staging brings the iconic 1983 movie's themes and characters into sharper focus

“Cult” is probably an over-used adjective, especially when it comes to movies. But there’s undoubtedly something truly special about Bill Forsyth’s 1983 film – about a Texan oil executive on a mission to buy up a section of the Scottish coast for a vast new refinery, only to end up falling in love with the place – that makes it so warmly cherished by certain viewers.

The Life I Lead, Park Theatre review - pleasant enough but lacks bite

Solo play looks back blandly at the celebrated screen dad in 'Mary Poppins'

I am deeply jealous of Miles Jupp's dressing gown in The Life I Lead, the solo play at the Park Theatre. It's a silky-grey patterned number of exquisitely comfortable proportions, and just the sort of thing a chap should wear to tell the story of his life via some genial patter over an hour or two.