Last night, May 21st, saw an event at the Cadogan Hall conceived to encourage more kids from culturally diverse backgrounds to not only appreciate West End performances but to aspire to perform themselves.
It took the form of a scintillating concert performance of Broadway musical The Colour Purple featuring some of the best black performers in the U.K. spending their night off from major London and touring shows like Dreamgirls, The Bodyguard and Jesus Christ Superstar to sing with a choir of young performers and no doubt inspiring every one of them.
Fellow critic 
Watching Trevor Nunn's funny and fleet-of-foot production of Love in Idleness, a "new" play forged by combining two drafts of an old play written by Terrence Rattigan that's been barely performed, is like a blast from the past.
Everybody loves the musical Matilda. When it opened at the Royal Shakespeare's home theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon even the most pompous critics were besotted calling it the greatest new musical of recent years. Actually it isn't, the musical numbers are fun but beyond the infectious kids song - When I Grow Up - there's nothing anyone will still be singing in ten years time but watching the show is a glorious experience and if you haven't seen it before you'll fall in love with it too. I paid a second visit the other night and fell for its charms all over again. 
It is always interesting to see how a small theatre company tackles the second longest play in the canon with a roster of over 50 speaking characters – there are more ghosts listed in the cast list than in a typical West End play… Here the Arcola Theatre tackles Richard III with 13 fine actors, a couple of extras and a couple of children; a few suitable costumes and a composite set.