Regular readers know that while I love many genres of live theatre there will always be a special place in my heart for musicals. When the recent Wales Millennium Centre brochure arrived I sang with glee to see so many wonderful musicals on the programme this season. Take a look at this list of five must see musical theatre shows at WMC and book soon to make sure you don’t miss out:
The Addams Family – The Musical Comedy
We as a family love the Addams Family and all things Halloween, I have even combined the two and dressed up as Morticia Addams in the past. This comedy looks thoroughly entertaining and I’m sure we’ll all be clicking our fingers Addams family style (Da-da-duh-duh *click* *click*) by the end. Here are the details:
Running: until 12th August 2017
Tickets £16.50 – £39.50
7+ (no under 2’s)
Look who’s moved into the neighbourhood!
Everyone’s favourite kooky family are now on stage in the UK premiere of this spectacular musical comedy from the writers of multi award-winning hit musical Jersey Boys, with music and lyrics by Tony Award nominated Andrew Lippa.
Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, is all grown up and has a shocking secret that only Gomez knows. She’s fallen in love with a sweet young man from a respectable family. With his cherished Morticia in the dark will Gomez manage to keep his daughter’s secret until the two families meet for a fateful dinner with hilarious consequences?
Join them, plus Uncle Fester, Lurch, Pugsley and more for a heart-warming story of love, family and friendship with a twist.
Featuring a live orchestra and extraordinary original score, The Addams Family is sure to entertain whether you are 12 or 312.
Book Cardiff tickets here: https://www.wmc.org.uk/Productions/2017-2018/DonaldGordonTheatre/TheAddamsFamily17/
Book tour tickets here: https://www.theaddamsfamily.co.uk/tour/
Read our review here: https://www.evans-crittens.com/2017/08/the-addams-family-musical-comedy-tour.html
Hairspray
Oh, oh, oh! As a child I loved the 1988 movie version of Hairspray starring Ricky Lake as Tracy Turnblad. When the 2007 movie version was released the kids and I used to watch it over and over learning all the new songs and dances. We watched Hairspray Live! on TV but have been looking forward to watching the musical ourselves for ages. I’m so pleased it’s coming to Cardiff this August.
Running: 16 – 26 August
Tickets: £14.50 – £47.50
5+ (no under 2’s)
The international smash-hit musical comedy Hairspray the Musical is coming to Cardiff, starring Brenda Edwards (X Factor, Chicago), Matt Rixon (The Ladykillers), Norman Pace (Hale & Pace) and Layton Williams (Rent, Bad Education).
It’s Baltimore, 1962. Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart, is on a mission to follow her dreams and dance her way onto national TV.
Featuring the hit songs Welcome To The 60s, You Can’t Stop The Beat, The Nicest Kids in Town and many more, don’t miss this irresistible feel-good show that will have you smiling for days.
Book tickets for Cardiff here: https://www.wmc.org.uk/Productions/2017-2018/DonaldGordonTheatre/Hairspray2017
Book tickets for the tour here: http://www.hairsprayuktour.com/tour-dates/
Crazy For You
My dream one day is to watch a musical on Broadway. Crazy For You celebrates the best of Broadway Musicals. Here are the details:
Running: 5 – 9 September
Tickets: £17.50 – £49.50
6 + (No under 2’s)
High energy, high kicking and gloriously glamorous, the acclaimed Watermill Theatre production of Crazy For You is the ultimate feel-good musical starring Tom Chambers (Top Hat and Strictly Come Dancing), Caroline Flack (Strictly Come Dancing, Love Island, The X Factor) and Charlotte Wakefield (Sound Of Music, Oklahoma!), featuring a fabulous score from the Gershwin brothers’ songbook.
Crazy For You charts the troubled love story of Bobby, son of a wealthy New York banking family and frustrated Broadway hoofer, and Polly, daughter of the proprietor of a failing theatre in Deadrock, Nevada. Sent to close the theatre down, Bobby falls for Polly and, in the guise of a Hungarian impresario, decides to save the theatre by putting on a show.
Mistaken identities, plot twists, heartbreak, happiness and a wealth of memorable tunes, including I Got Rhythm, They Can’t Take That Away From Me, Nice Work If You Can Get It and Embraceable You, all feature in this exhilarating celebration of the great Broadway musicals.
Book tickets here: https://www.wmc.org.uk/Productions/2017-2018/DonaldGordonTheatre/CrazyForYou/
Beautiful- The Carole King Musical
The Carole King Musical is a must see for all Carole King fans. I know the songs but not the story of the talented Carole King so I’m looking forward to hearing more about her rise to stardom.
Running: 30 October – 4 November
Tickets: £15- £49
8+ (no under 2’s)
Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, the Olivier award-winning West End show is coming to Wales Millennium Centre as part of its first ever UK tour.
‘The audience loves Beautiful’ (Daily Mail) and critics agree! Called ‘slick and beautifully played’ (The Times), the ‘amazing story of the songwriting talents of Carole King told through laughter and tears’ (BBC Radio 2), critics are celebrating this ‘tapestry of greatest hits’ (The Guardian).
Long before she was Carole King, the chart-topping music legend, she was an ordinary girl with an extraordinary talent.
Beautiful tells the inspiring true story of King’s remarkable rise to stardom, from being part of a hit songwriting team with her husband Gerry Goffin, to her relationship with fellow writers and best friends Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, to becoming one of the most successful solo acts in popular music history. Along the way, she wrote the soundtrack to a generation, with countless classics such as You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman, Take Good Care of my Baby, You’ve Got a Friend, So Far Away, It Might As Well Rain Until September, Up on the Roof, and Locomotion.
Book tickets here: https://www.wmc.org.uk/Productions/2017-2018/DonaldGordonTheatre/Beautiful/
Tiger Bay- The Musical
I’ve previously mentioned Tiger Bay- the Musical in my Mandela Trilogy Review. I’m so excited that we’re only now only a few months away from watching this highly anticipated show.
Running: 13 – 25 November
Tickets: £7 – £39
8 + (no under 2’s)
Tiger Bay, early 1900s. Extreme poverty meets supreme wealth. Gangs of street children roam the docks. Coal is king.
A revolution is brewing in the dark and restless world beneath the genteel surface of Cardiff’s Butetown…
This epic new musical follows a young woman’s determination to challenge society’s injustices, follow her heart and realise her dreams. With rousing music and unforgettable characters including John Owen-Jones as the Third Marquess of Bute, Tiger Bay will transport you to the notorious public houses and alleyways of the city’s underworld at this extraordinary turning point in history.
With book and lyrics by Michael Williams and an original score from Welsh composer Daf James, Wales Millennium Centre proudly presents this spectacular musical drama that brings Tiger Bay roaring to life on stage.
Discover more about Tiger Bay The Musical here.
Book tickets here: https://www.wmc.org.uk/Productions/2017-2018/DonaldGordonTheatre/TigerBay/
Which musical would you most like to see at Wales Millennium Centre this season? I’m already looking forward to watching Wicked in 2018!
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