It's great that London audiences, including me, are finally getting a chance to see Yank! the American musical by composer Joseph Zellnik with book and lyrics by his brother David. New Yorkers have been raving about it to me for years.
The revival currently playing at the Charring Cross Theatre, fast becoming the venue for quality and innovative musical theatre under the Artistic Direction of Thom Southerland, started life at the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester. The critics loved it and enterprising producer Katie Lipson has lead efforts to bring it to London.
Producer Bill Kenwright’s rather elegant production of the classic Tim Rice, Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita is headed black to the West End and it's going to be much better than the last time.
What a treat to duck out of the sticky london heat and descend into the comparatively cool air conditioned Jermyn Street Theatre.
The play is performed solely by Palestinian actor Ahmed Tobasi but thanks to the brilliant production team, sound by Max Pappenheim, lighting by Andy Purves, movement by Lanre Malaolu, set design, Sarah Beaton and directed by Zoe Lafferty this one man play makes you feel like you have been transported to the West Bank complete with its heat, dust, sand and gunfire and watched a large ensemble piece performing.
The Mentor, a 90 minute piece of theatre that's so slight it's scarcely more than a conversation piece, centres around a confrontation between two playwrights.