MickeyJoTheatre

A new production of Jonathan Larson's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning musical RENT has just opened at the Tom Stoppard Theatre in the West End. The musical stars Gaten Matarazzo alongside Travis Ross, Alexa Lopez, Jeevan Braich, Danielle Fiamanya, Billy Nevers, Lazy Violet, Joaquin Pedro Valdes, and more. 30 years on from the landmark original production in New York, find out why Mickey-Jo thinks this could be the revival we've been waiting for... sign up to Mickey-Jo's weekly substack newsletter: www.mickeyjotheatre.substack.com00:00 | introduction01:55 | the musical07:39 | this production19:17 | performances31:54 | conclusion

Earlier this week, the hotly anticipated new production of William Shakespeare’s AS YOU LIKE IT opened at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford upon Avon. The comedy stars Tony Award winning Broadway actor Jonathan Groff as Rosalind in an all-male production directed by Daniel Evans. Check out the full review to find out what Mickey-Jo thought of this production's concept, performances, and creative choices. sign up to Mickey-Jo's weekly substack newsletter: www.mickeyjotheatre.substack.com00:00 | introduction02:07 | overview / synopsis08:29 | creative choices15:09 | performances19:57 | conclusion

The 2026-2027 Broadway season has officially commenced and is set to bring numerous exciting productions of plays and musicals. The new and revived shows include the likes of Paddington the Musical, Evita, Inter Alia, Paranormal Activity, Dolly, Damn Yankees, Other Desert Cities, A Few Good Men, The Sound of Music, Much Ado about Nothing, and more. Before Mickey-Jo has seen any of this season's shows on Broadway, check out his initial thoughts on all of these upcoming productions and some premature speculation as to which might win the Tony Awards... sign up to Mickey-Jo's weekly substack newsletter: www.mickeyjotheatre.substack.com00:00 | introduction02:01 | new musicals11:19 | new plays19:14 | musical revivals28:14 | play revivals44:24 | conclusion •

Inspired by some recent social media discourse, Mickey-Jo has been thinking about whether audience members have the right to expect perfection from stage performers. Recent performances have come under intense scrutiny due to the propagation of bootleg recordings, but the truth is that onstage mishaps and mistakes are nothing new. From Angela Lansbury in Sweeney Todd to Billy Porter in Cabaret, Mickey-Jo is taking a look at some documented imperfect performances in order to ascertain which we critique more heavily, and under what circumstances it's truly fair to do so... check out Mickey-Jo's brand new substack newsletter: www.mickeyjotheatre.substack.com00:00 | introduction 02:50 | what is this about? 09:38 | who makes mistakes? 16:57 | what's the problem? 24:16 | conclusion

Among the plays Mickey-Jo saw this week were the latest from James Graham: "The Standard of Living" at Theatre Royal Haymarket and a new revival of Noel Coward's "Hay Fever" at the Wyndham's Theatre. Find out what Mickey-Jo thought of each of these productions, including their creative choices, material, and performances... sign up to Mickey-Jo's weekly substack newsletter: www.mickeyjotheatre.substack.com00:00 | introduction 01:27 | The Standard of Living 11:02 | Hay Fever 20:59 | conclusion

Last night, Mickey-Jo saw a new production of one of his favourite plays: Edward Albee's WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? This new London production at @SohoPlace stars Gillian Anderson and Billy Crudup aa feuding spouses Martha and George and has already sold out the duration of its limited run. Find out whether this production lived up to Mickey-Jo's expectations and what these central performances were like... sign up to Mickey-Jo's weekly substack newsletter: www.mickeyjotheatre.substack.com00:00 | introduction03:11 | synopsis / overview07:48 | creative choices15:52 | the performances23:50 | conclusion