Articles by Pete Shaw

Titanique

My heart will go on for quirky shows that have their roots in the fringe but make it to a West End stage.

Marry Me a Little

London’s newest Pub Theatre has opened with a sublime production of Stephen Sondheim’s rarely-staged Marry Me A Little.

Sunset Boulevard

Review
★★
Pete Shaw
West End
Savoy Theatre
14th Oct, 2023

Thirty years ago I stood on The Strand in a queue for eight hours intent on getting my hands on early tickets for the first production of Sunset Boulevard.

Wicked

Nearly two decades after its West End debut, Wicked continues to provide a spectacular night out at the Apollo Victoria.

The Queen of Hearts

When Mark Twain said the only two certainties in life were death and taxes, he clearly hadn’t accounted for Andrew Pollard and the Greenwich team knocking out a cracking panto.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Review
★★★★
Pete Shaw
Online & Broadcast
26th Feb, 2021

Lucian begat Goethe begat Dukas begat Disney begat Richard Hough and Ben Morales Frost; for this new musical by the latter writing duo has history.

Good Grief

Review
★★★★
Pete Shaw
Online & Broadcast
12th Feb, 2021

Kicking off at the end of a particularly boozy and pizza-fuelled wake, then time-skipping over the months of post-funeral aftermath, Good Grief charts the stuttering relationship o…

Hello, Dolly!

Review
★★★★
Pete Shaw
West End
London Palladium
31st Jul, 2024

A proper golden-age-of-musicals show, the Broadway version of Hello Dolly! has arrived for a limited season at the London Palladium.

Live From The Phoenix Flat

Review
★★★★★
Pete Shaw
West End
The Phoenix Arts Club Facebook Live Page
21st Mar, 2020

Tonight I figured out how to beam a Facebook video to my TV so I could watch – amongst other things – a burlesque performer do a striptease on a unicycle.

Over My Dad's Body

Since I last saw Simon David on stage in his 2018 Edinburgh Fringe debut, Virgin, much has happened in his personal life.

Sleeping Beauty

The predictably brilliant writer/director/dame Andrew Pollard returns to Greenwich Theatre again for another triumphant Panto season, marking the 50th anniversary of the theatre’…

La Clique

Almost inevitably, doing a show at Christmas draws comparisons to Panto – that staple of British theatre that keeps the house funded for the rest of the year; but stood next to L…

Brooklyn The Musical

Set in the shadow of Brooklyn Bridge on a shabby corner, Brooklyn The Musical is a play-within-a-play staged by a rag-tag bunch of street performers who call themselves the Ci…

Zach Zimmerman: Clean Comedy

New Yorker Zach Zimmerman packs a breath-taking number of laughs into his 50-minute slot; delivering a narrative about the relationship with his mother at a speed that leaves no ti…

Salomé

The leitmotifs of the Lazarus canon shine brightly in their interpretation of Oscar Wilde’s scandalous 19th century play Salomé.

Robinson Crusoe

He’s back in Greenwich and he’s right back on form.

Here

A young couple are viewing a flat and bicker about whether it’s right for them or not.

The Jungle Book

Anyone unfamiliar with Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book could have been conceivably raised by the same wolves that adopt man-cub Mowgli at the heart of this century-old collecti…

Grace Notes

Becky Williams delivers an emotionally charged monologue about murderess Grace Miller somewhat reluctantly seeking a second chance at series of rehab sessions entitled Notes.

The House

A blissfully domestic sitting room in a nameless American suburb is the setting for Brian Parks’ riotous comedy The House.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

The intention of Shakespeare’s plays is writ large under the titles.

A Spoonful Of Sherman

Review
★★★★★
Pete Shaw
London Fringe
Multiple Venues
27th Mar, 2018

There’s a light bulb moment in A Spoonful Of Sherman when you realise its magic lies not within its high production values, exquisite lighting, fantastic set, immaculate choreogr…

Assassins

Could you kill a President? That’s what a fairground proprietor asks in this 1990s genre-busting Sondheim musical that explores both the real-life and imagined motives why nine p…

Lord Of The Flies

William Golding’s seminal tale of children going feral when left to their own devices on a Pacific island gets a trademark Lazarus Theatre treatment on this their second producti…

Edward II

Lazarus Theatre kick off their year-long residency at Greenwich Theatre on a visceral note with Christopher Marlowe’s homoerotic epic Edward II.

The Book of Mormon

Possibly one of the most controversial, yet wildly successful musicals ever on the West End, The Book of Mormon pulls no punches as it high-kicks its way through every conceivable …

MAMMA MIA!

Review
★★★★
Pete Shaw
West End
Novello Theatre
31st Jul, 2024

Twenty-five years after it originally opened in London, Mamma Mia is still packing them in at the Novello Theatre, and it’s easy to see why.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

If you’re looking for a reason why Panto is the one time of year theatres can guarantee bums-on-seats, then Bromley’s Snow White is surely a perfect example.

Cinderella

Seasonal jokesmith Andrew Pollard marks his twelve years of Christmas at Greenwich Theatre with a presentation of family favourite, Cinderella.

The Toxic Avenger

The Toxic Avenger – The Musical doesn’t take itself seriously.

Follies

British audiences have had to wait a long time to finally figure out what Sondheim’s backstage musical Follies is.

Peter Pan - A New Adventure

More than a century after Wendy was having an awfully big adventure with Peter Pan and the Lost Boys, her Great-Great-Granddaughter – also called Wendy (Louise Young) – is …

Into the Woods Jr

Though the second act is cut completely, half the first act also cut and music transposed into keys more accessible to younger voices, Into The Woods is still a sophisticated show …

The Producers

The Producers charts the tale of Broadway producer Max Bialystock and meek accountant Leo Bloom as they try to defraud the wealthy widows of New York out of two million dollars by …

Merrily We Roll Along

Sondheim’s most famous flop, Merrily We Roll Along, was his last notable collaboration with Hal Prince.

Bugsy Malone

There are plenty of musicals that have versions suitable for younger companies, but Alan Parker’s Bugsy Malone is possibly unique in that it’s a piece that only really works if…

Camille O'Sullivan: The Carny Dream

I imagine Camille O’Sullivan has been called an Irish Chanteuse in reviews more times that you’ve had a flyer thrust at you on the Mile.

Myra DuBois: Self AdMyra

As the Willie Loman quote goes “Attention must be paid”.

Company

Company is a musical so of its time that a string of directors over the past decade have struggled with the problem of whether to present it as an unchanged period piece or contemp…

Down And Out In Paris And London

Bridging a gap of 80 years between author George Orwell’s early life in Paris and a social experiment by Guardian journalist Polly Tonybee in London, Down & Out In Paris And L…

Tinned Goods

Review
★★
Pete Shaw
UK Regional & Tours
Arcola Theatre / Greenwich Theatre / Nottingham Arts Theatre
31st Mar, 2016

It’s 1984 and the effects of the six-month-old Miner’s Strike is really starting to bite.

Rocky Horror Show

Review
★★★★★
Pete Shaw
UK Regional & Tours
Multiple Venues
1st Mar, 2016

Behind me a slightly overweight man in basque, suspenders and very little else is shuffling up the row to his seat to cheers from the back stalls.

Wicked

Nearly two decades after its West End debut, Wicked continues to provide a spectacular night out at the Apollo Victoria.

Clementine the Living Fashion Doll's Seasonal Spectacular

Although only 15 inches tall, Clementine is still a mighty big talent.

Dogfight

Based on an obscure 1991 feature film, Dogfight is a recent musical from the talented composing duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, that showtune aficionados may know from Edges, a sho…

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

John Cameron and Stephen Trask’s big, ballsy, gender-bending musical detonates upon Greenside’s Royal Terrace stage with a blast that can be heard clear across Edinburgh.

Revan and Fennell: Fan Club

Brimming with originality and presenting a confidently executed show, Revan and Fennell are a double act that have the potential to succeed the comedy throne of French & Saunders.

Morgan and West’s Utterly Spiffing Spectacular Magic Show – For Kids (and Childish Grown-ups!)

Kevin MacLeod’s Call To Adventure is entirely appropriate as the walk-in soundtrack to Morgan and West’s Utterly Spiffing Spectacular Magic Show – For Kids.

West End Magic

West End Magic, a monthly fixture at the Leicester Square Theatre, heads north for a limited engagement at The Great Yorkshire Fringe.

The Supreme Fabulettes

Opening their show with the anthem I’m Every Woman, all-male girl group The Supreme Fabulettes are here to make a statement.

Paul Chowdhry: PC’s World

I was reading about a Gay Pride event in Glasgow last week that had banned drag acts from performing for fear they may offend transgendered members of their community who were conf…

The Amazing Bubble Man

You’ve got to hand it to him, Louis Pearl aka The Amazing Bubbleman is a crowd pleaser.

James Campbell’s Comedy 4 Kids

Holding the attention of a room full of six to eleven year olds armed with nothing more than a microphone is quite some feat, but for James Campbell – widely acknowledged as t…

Just Like That! The Tommy Cooper Show

With the blessing of the Cooper Estate, John Hewer takes to the stage in the guise of one of Britain’s most loved comedians.

Dusty "O"s Musical Menagerie

Thirty years ago there was a late-night drinking spot in Soho called The Piano Bar.

About Miss Julie

Strindberg’s classic 19th Century upstairs-downstairs play Miss Julie dealing with social mores is transported to a post-World War I England in which the class system was unde…

The Pajama Game

Written as a contemporary piece in 1954, The Pajama Game is a musical about a rag trade union dispute and the romance that develops between the leaders of the opposing sides of t…

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Hedwig and the Angry Inch has a cult following.

Avenue Q

Review
★★★★★
Pete Shaw
UK Regional & Tours
Multiple Venues
29th Apr, 2014

Freshly-graduated and bright-eyed Princeton arrives in Avenue Q looking for his purpose but lacking the funds to afford anywhere better to stay.

Les Miserables

Last year, Minnetonka High School brought the school edition of Les Misérables to Edinburgh as part of the American High School Theatre Festival, and to say the least I was blown …

Broken Holmes

Since Broken Holmes’ last visit to the Fringe with a farcical tale of the eponymous detective in 2009, a certain Benedict Cumberbatch has helped propel Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s…

Merrily We Roll Along

Merrily We Roll Along is a curious musical.

Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens

Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens is not really a musical, but rather a song cycle, or collection of songs and poetic verse.

Five Guys Named Moe

With a budget that suggests they spent more in the lighting rig than most in Edinburgh spend on their whole show, the production values on Five Guys Named Moe are ridiculously high…

Interrupt

Set to a mixture of haunting strings and pumping electro rhythms, Collisions Dance bring their premiere performance to the intimate Studio space at Zoo Southside.

The Terrible Infants

The Terrible Infants is billed as a children’s show, and I’m a gnarly old hack, just the wrong side of 40.

Breakfast Bedlam, Live!

The premise for Breakfast Bedlam, Live! is a rich comedy vein.

Macbeth - The Hour

Director Sam Yates has changed my expectations of a Fringe show.

Murder Mystery Musical

Set on the private island of recently deceased music mogul Morgan Tremain, where all the people he had a grudge with in his life have been assembled for the reading of his will, Mu…

Marry Me A Little

Marry Me A Little started life in 1980 as collection of songs either cut from other Sondheim musicals, or from shows that were never produced.

The Little British Empire

Review
★★
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
22nd Aug, 2006

My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen - for you delectation, curiosity and amusement, please welcome to the stage The Repertorie Room.

Mikey the Pikey

Chavs are a fashionable target at this year’s Fringe.

Camille O'Sullivan: Feel

Review
★★★★★
Pete Shaw
London Fringe
15th May, 2012

Irish chanteuse Camille O’Sullivan returns to her spiritual roots, singing in a traditional circus Spiegeltent.

Side by Side by Sondheim

Side By Side By Sondheim was originally conceived back in 1976 as a fund-raiser for a regional theatre owned by Cleo Lane and Johnny Dankworth.

Assassins

Assassins delves into the possible motives of nine individuals who have both failed and succeeded in killing an American President.

Shakespeare for Breakfast

If ever there was a perfectly matched pair, like a pie and a pint, a horse and cart or Edinburgh and rent-scalping, then surely Shakespeare is now inexorably linked with Breakfast.

Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens

Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens is a collection of songs and poetic verse reflecting the lives of people remembered on the AIDS memorial quilt.

Night of a Thousand Jay Astons

Editors note: Realising that I did this production a great injustice by only awarding 3 stars the first time around, (Maybe the show I saw before was just too dire), I’ve re-visite…

Lights! Camera! Improvise!

The term improv comedy is usually enough to have me, and any number of reviewers I know in Edinburgh, making excuses and running for the exit.

Famished

Claiming to raise the bar for the Victorian Zombie Comedy Musical genre, Famished is a show clearly inspired by Monty Python, but also tipping its top hat to Five Go Mad In Dorset …

Tony Blair the Musical

Io Theatre’s take on the Tony Blair years is a satirical view of his leadership, set to a bitingly funny score.

Charlie Pickering: Auto

Above all else, Charlie Pickering is an engaging storyteller - even if that contradicts the premise of his Edinburgh show, in which he struggles to write his autobiography.

Seb Lime

Chris Chapman’s take on the classic Faust tale is surrealistically comic.

Eurobeat - Almost Eurovision

There’s something of an impressive atmosphere even as you queue for Eurobeat.

Have A Nice Life

Take six social misfits with relationship worries, throw them into group therapy, and then you have the basis for Conor Mitchell’s brilliant musical Have A Nice Life.

School Ties

Jonathan and Julian Kaufmann both have a great deal of direct experience in teaching.

On The Twentieth Century

Review
★★★★
Pete Shaw
London Fringe
18th Dec, 2010

Though on the wrong side of forty, even I was a little young to catch the original London production of On The Twentieth Century back in 1980 - it’s one of those shows I know wel…

The Wolves Descend

In a picturesque Croatian village where the main industry is werewolf tourism, the owners of The House of the Night Bed & Breakfast are facing a decline in their business due to th…

Sweeney Todd ... The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Review
★★
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
19th Aug, 2008

Tim Burton gave hostage to fortune in his rather splendid big-screen version of Sweeney Todd, which opened in the UK earlier this year.

Pam Ann - One World Alliance

Please ensure your seat is in the upright position and that your tray tables are securely stowed.

Know It All

Coming under a banner of ‘edutainment’ (please remember to shoot whoever came up with that), John and Dan are a pair of real, genuine scientists from London’s Science Museum, who a…

The Altruists

Once described as the bad-boy playwright of Off-Broadway, Nicky Silver is known for his black comedies.

Scott Mills The Musical

With only three months from concept to stage (not even enough time to make the official printed Fringe programme), and just ten days in rehearsals to put it together, Scott Mills T…

Harlem Renaissance - The Life of Florence Mills

Watching Jonelle Allen in Harlem Renaissance, you can’t help thinking you’re in the presence of Broadway Royalty.

Chris Cox - Everything Happens for a Reason

Paying a second visit to the Fringe, Chris Cox is a contemporary mind reader who strips away all of the sinister nonsense that is often associated with the Derren Brown school of …

Brick Walls

Despite the University-production origins of Thomas Eccelshare & Dan Mansell’s new play, Brick Walls, there is absolutely nothing amateur about their show currently playing at the …

Out Of The Blue

Making a second visit to the Fringe, Out Of The Blue are the Oxford-based all male a cappella group somewhere between Eminem and Gregorian Chant.

Lady Bug Warrior

It’s easy to hold preconceptions and pigeon-hole an unproven act in Edinburgh based on the superlatives and hyperbole of a press release, and I admit that I had expected Vicki Fe…

Just So

The Just So Stories, written in 1902, are Kipling’s accounts of how various natural phenomena came about.

Slap!

Slap, in gay palare, is make-up; and that’s the central theme to this comedy romp set in the make-up trailer of an 80s music video shoot.

Starting Here, Starting Now

David Shire and Richard Maltby Jr are one of the most respected lyricist/composer teams on Broadway.

Iolanthe

Review
★★★★
Pete Shaw
London Fringe
2nd Dec, 2010

Iolanthe marks the halfway point, and quite a highlight, of Gilbert and Sullivans enormously successful 25-year collaboration.

Her Right Mind

The audience is introduced to the story behind Her Right Mind via a dynamically-staged sequence showing us the mundanity of protagonist Jack’s life.

The Laramie Project

It has been ten years since American university student Matthew Shepard was murdered by Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney, bringing the issue of gay hate crime to an internation…

Richard O'Brien's Mephistopheles Smith

Review
★★
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
9th Aug, 2007

Having seen the Janus Theatre Company productions of Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens, perhaps my expectations were simply too high for Mephistopheles …

Caviar & Chips

Reading the press release for Caviar & Chips, you’d be forgiven for thinking this was some deep polemic drama.

We're Not In Brixton Anymore

Three guys sit in God’s waiting room, coming to terms with the fact they’ve slipped off this mortal coil and try to figure out who they need to apologise too in order the gain acce…

The Bite-Size'd 'Breakfast In Bedlam'

Making their third visit to the Fringe, the Bite-Sized team are starting to create something of a niche for themselves at both the Brighton and Edinburgh Festivals.

7 Spies At The Casino

David Niven tells the bizarre tale of Charles Feldman’s 1967 film, Casino Royale.

Hey Diddle Diddle

The National Student Theatre Company (NSTC) are regular visitors to the Fringe, bringing productions that draw on talent from drama schools across the country and combining with ov…

The Future

Jonny Sweet and Joe Thomas are breaking new comedy turf over at The Underbelly, with their satirical view of the future, called simply The Future.

Snoopy

Cartoonist Charles Shulz created an icon that lasted over 50 years, when he first drew the irrepressible Snoopy for United Feature Syndicate in 1950.

Jack Whitehall - Nearly Rebellious

Last week, after a particularly late night out getting my major organs in training for the month that is simply referred to as Edinburgh, I had my first Festival encounter of J…

The Gently Progressive Behemoth

I have the distinct feeling that Fringe audiences are going to approach The Gently Progressive Behemoth a bit like Marmite.

Oliver Maltman's Little Black Book

Review
★
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
19th Aug, 2006

I can’t help thinking that somebody, somewhere must have watched Oliver Maltman’s show, Little Black Book, before he brought it up to Edinburgh; but clearly didn’t have the balls t…

The Cider House Rules

John Irving is a unique modern storyteller who creates rich plots inhabited with vivid characters, much in the same style as Dickens.

Scott Mills: The Bjorn Identity

Emerging from the fear cupboard for the climax of Radio 1s one-man shows, Scott Mills chose to re-tell the Bourne Identity with an Abba twist in front of a packed-house last …

I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change

I Love You, Youre Perfect, Now Change is a comedy musical from the pen of Joe DiPietro and Jimmy Roberts.

Be a Star in a Juggling Show!

If you’re attending the Festival with some young ‘uns in tow, then I can enthusiastically recommend you drop in on Be a Star in a Juggling Show at Zoo Venues.

Topping & Butch: Filth!

Every year this pair just get better, and their material gets ruder.

Acetylene

A breakdancing act may seem out of place at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, but to describe Acetylene as such belittles their talent.

Sammy J In The Forest Of Dreams

Its what would happen if the cast of Avenue Q had decided to have a knife-fight in the Disney world of Enchanted.

A Beginner's Guide to German Humour!

Who knew the Germans could be funny? Yes, the butt of most lack-of-humour gags for several decades have actually been laughing at the English all this time.

Cymbeline

I can hardly think of any occasion where I have laughed so hard while watching Shakespeare.

The End of the Golden Weather

Bruce Mason’s coming-of-age tale is of a bygone day of innocence, where through a child’s eyes even the village idiot’s tall stories are to be believed.

The Threepenny Opera

Much has been written about Brechts Threepenny Opera - after all, it was written in 1928 and plenty of critics have had a chance to dissect what has been become one of the earliest…

Hou Hou Shahou's Chorus Of Descent

There is an infectious energy about Hou Hou that you just cant ignore.

How To Pimp Your Kids and Shop For Free at Waitrose

Review
★★
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
8th Aug, 2007

Matthew Collins is a travel journalist and single parent, although not necessarily in that order.

The Oxford Gargoyles - Jazz A Cappella

The Oxford Gargoyles are making their debut appearance at the Fringe this year, in their show which, as the title suggests, brings Jazz and a-cappella together.

Thrillseeking

Tom Powell explores some interesting ideas in his new play, Thrillseeking, which is currently at C Central until the end of the month.

Beccy Huxtable: Live and Loose

Scott Mills assistant producer Beccy Huxtable took to the stage last night in the penultimate performance in a series of four one-man shows Radio 1 have brought to Edinburgh this…

State of Matter

The boys of 2FaCeD last attended the Edinburgh Fringe in 2005 with an explosive breakdancing show, appropriately called Acetylene.

Moths Ate My Dr Who Scarf

According to Toby Hadoke, hetrosexual Dr Who fans are about as common as a shop selling ginger hair dye.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

The name Hedwig originates from old German, hadu = battle; wig = fight.

Rent: School Edition

Review
★★
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
18th Aug, 2009

Oh lordy.

The Smile Off Your Face

Anxiety.

Tina C - Sometimes I Frighten Myself

Tina C, who shot to notoriety as host of Sky One’s Yanky Panky show (basically the US-facing equivalent of Euro Trash), returns to Edinburgh once again to give us all a glimpse int…

The Traps Bad Play: Second Coming

If there’s one theatre company that can claim to have built an episodic comedy-of-errors at the Fringe, then it’s The Trap.

Newsrevue

If ever there was a comedy institution, Newsrevue is it.

Have A Nice Life

Im beginning to think that Musical Theatre @ George Square are like some dodgy wartime butcher, whos keeping all the good stuff round the back.

A British Guide to World Peace

Review
★★
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
7th Aug, 2007

A British Guide to World Peace is Toby Mitchell’s third in a trilogy of ‘British Guide’ shows that started with ‘French Pop’ in 2005 and then ‘World Religion’ last year.

Putting It Together

Few composers have received the critical acclaim of Stephen Sondheim.

Apocalypse - The Musical

Ok, let’s get this out of the way at the start.

Nick Grimshaw: Team Hate

For a man who claims never to have done this before, DJ Nick Grimshaw appears very comfortable in the skin of a stand-up comedian.

War Of The Worlds

I, like a generation around me, grew up with Jeff Waynes hauntingly powerful War Of The Worlds concept album.

Faith Brown and Her Boys in the Buff

In a story that’s somewhere between Mrs Henderson Presents and The Full Monty, Boys In The Buff tells the story of Diane Diamante (Faith Brown), the owner of a failing seaside thea…

Lunch with The Hamiltons

Call it morbid curiosity, but I was keen to see quite what Neil & Christine Hamilton were going to do at the Fringe.

Hitting Town

Three talented actors present a passionate performance of Stephen Poliakoff’s seminal play Hitting Town; the show that formed the basis for the film Close My Eyes.

Rent

Rent is most notable for the death of its author, Jonathan Larson, the night before the off-Broadway premiere, but owes its longevity to its mould-breaking style; described once as…

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Shakepeare’s romantic comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is one of his most popular works, so it’s not surprising that the majority of hands are up when The Pantaloons ask their au…

Victims of Freedom

Review
★★
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
26th Aug, 2006

Set in an imagined European city of the future, a nuclear family’s idyllic existence is shattered when Dad’s past returns to haunt him.

Grandmotherf***er

From the moment Pat Candaras takes to the stage in her show at The Underbelly, you just know you’re going to like her.

Putting It Together

Sondheim at the Fringe is a double edged sword.

Falsettoland

The history of Falsettoland goes back to 1979, when the show ‘In Trousers’ opened at the off-Broadway hub of Fringe theatre, Playwrights Horizons.

Stinky Flowers and the Bad Banana

Fringe theatre is often about taking risks, so you have to applaud Croft Vaughn for the bravery of his one-man show in which he plays a nine-year-old boy up in his attic with an ov…

Assassins

Review
★
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
16th Aug, 2006

Assassins is arguably one of Sondheim’s finest musicals.

Bouncers

A night out with the lads - or the lasses - is something that most of us have experienced in our teenage years, and that’s the subject matter for John Godber’s sharply observed com…

The One That Doesnt Speak: Silent But Deadly

Kicking off BBC Radio 1s series of four one-off, one-man shows by Scott Mills, Nick Grimshaw and the team at this years festival, The One Who Doesnt Speak presented an eclect…

Jet Set Go!

Im hardly giving much away by saying Jet Set Go! the Cabin Crew Musical is rather camp.

Debbie Does Dallas the Musical

Based on the famous 1970’s porn flick of the same name (but with less sex and more satire), small-town girl Debbie Benton dreams of making it as a cheerleader (and marine biologist…

A British Guide To World Religions

Religious belief is a funny thing - so much so that duo Toby Mitchell and Sarah Thomas Lane have devised an hour long comedy show to describe it.

Goblin Market

Youth Music Theatre UK are setting new standards in musical theatre at the Fringe with their gloriously rich production of Goblin Market at George Square.

Precious Little Talent

Ella Hickson was the darling of the Fringe last year with her debut play, Eight.

Company

If you ever needed proof that Edinburgh isn’t a level playing field, then Kenmac’s production of Company is surely it.

Think Pink

There was a moment during In The Pink’s performance of Think Pink tonight when everyone in the audience collectively knew they were watching a new pop idol.

Potted Potter The Unofficial Harry Experience

Dan & Jeff, the comic storytelling duo from Blue Peter, attempt to summarise all six Harry Potter novels in just sixty minutes.

The Big Bite-Size Breakfast /Matinee Shows

Review
★★★★
Pete Shaw
Brighton Fringe
3rd May, 2009

The concept of Bite Size is a perfectly simple, yet novel one, and the clue really is in the title.

Ernest And The Pale Moon

Author Oliver Lansley garnered considerable and well deserved praise for his Fringe hit, The Terrible Infants, which popped up at the Pleasance in 2007 and enjoyed a runaway succes…

Les Miserables

I will freely admit that I had a certain amount of anxiety when approaching Minnetonka’s production of Les Misérables.

Confessions of a Paralysed Porn Star

Sarah-Louise Young’s show, Confessions of a Paralysed Porn Star, was conceived the day she Googled herself and discovered she shared her name with an adult actress.

The Laramie Project

The Laramie Project is a play documenting the tragic death of Matthew Sheppard, who was kidnapped and savagely beaten before being left to die tied to a fence on the outskirts of a…

Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens

Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens is a glam-rock musical that returns to its spiritual home in Edinburgh.

Company

I am, it is no secret to my friends, a big fan of Sondheims musical about relationships, Company.

Prodigal Daughter

Writer and director Asa Gim Palomera creates fascinating theatre in her play, The Prodigal Daughter, which runs at C until the end of the Festival on Monday.

Out Of The Blue

For this reviewer, Out Of The Blue is one of the shows in my schedule that I look forward to with some confidence that it’s going to be good.

Cracks In The Garden

Jo Randerson and Gentiane Lupi are two very brave comedians who find material in places most would be afraid to look.

Plane Food Cafe

There is something uniquely wonderful about Plane Food Café that makes it a perfect fit for the Fringe.

Joanna Neary's Little Moments

I’ve just spent the most uncomfortable hour of my Festival thus far.

The IT Boy

Sprinkling a little Cinderella magic into the plot, Castoffs Youth Theatre have chosen a worthy subject for their musical The IT Boy, which tells the tale of Chris, a sixteen y…

Be A Star In A Juggling Show

If there were a prize for shows that do exactly what they say on the tin, this one clearly would be walk off with a rosette.

Mr Millennium: Issue No.1

Featuring what could potentially be the most well-produced programme in the history of the Fringe, David Kingsmill’s one-man show uses song and comic (in both senses) anecdotes t…

Bloodbath - The Musical

Review
★
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
9th Aug, 2009

I had high expectations of Bloodbath The Musical - everything from their high-profile casting to glossy programme gives the impression they’ve spent some money on this show, and th…

Out of the Blue

There’s a predictable brilliance about Out Of The Blue which explains why this troupe from Oxford are selling out only two days into their month-long run at C Venues this year.

4 Poofs and a Piano - Strictly Neurotic

Review
★★
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
14th Aug, 2006

Their regular slot on the Johnathan Ross show goes a long way to explaining the largely heterosexual audience in tonight.

The Jay Aston Party

Last night’s Jay Aston Party over at C Bar at Adam House attracted an eclectic collection of drag queens and club kids.

Putting It Together by Sondheim

Putting It Together was the product of collaboration between Stephen Sondheim and Julia McKenzie (yes, the same one from Cranford off the telly).

Xenu is Loose! Cower puny Humans as the Dark Prince of the Galactic Federation rains Atomic Death once more upon your Pitiful Planet - The Musical!

Review
★
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
5th Aug, 2007

I lowered my expectations dramatically during the opening scene of Xenu is Loose when the smoke effect obliterated the audience’s view of the action for at least a couple of minute…

Hansel and Gretel

Hansel and Gretel are the children of a poor wood cutter and his wife, and times are so hard that mother decides it’s time to significantly reduce the number of mouths to feed in t…

Angry Young Man

I firmly believe Ben Woolf is one of the most originally talented writers in the world.

Myriad

Making its second visit to the Fringe, Collisions Dance and its founder, Laban-trained David Beer, is back complimenting the impressive Dance & Physical Theatre line up at Zoo, thi…

Tony! The Blair Musical

It’s impossible to review a musical about Tony Blair without acknowledging that there are two competing productions about his leadership tenure in town.

Alice Through The Looking-Glass

Let’s make this clear from the start, that this is not the sugary-coated vision of Alice popularised by Disney’s 1951 classic, but the darker, more nightmarish view closer to Lewis…

Chris Cox - He Can't Read Minds?

It’s obviously easy to draw comparisons between Derren Brown when talking about Chris Cox.

Love Story

Review
★★★★
Pete Shaw
London Fringe
13th Nov, 2013

Up there with The Deer Hunter and The Champ, Love Story came from a decade of schmaltzy tearjerkers that kept tissue manufacturers in healthy profits.

CappellaJuice: Beyond the Wardrobe

CapellaJuice describe their show as a ‘clothes-based musical revue’.

Baby

Review
★★
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
14th Aug, 2009

Baby is Malty & Shires 1983 musical set on a college campus following nine months of three different couples attempting to have a child.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Sweeny Todd is arguably one of the finest works in musical theatre.

Greedy

There’s some material in Greedy which really is on the furthest reaches of comedy.

Astrakhan Winter

Astrakhan Winter falls firmly into the category of challenging theatre.

Assassins

Assassins is an uncommon musical, seeking the motivations of nine individuals who have both failed and succeeded in bumping off US Presidents.

Failed States

The opening few bars of Failed States brilliantly foreshadows the musical to follow.

Tommy

Tommy was the first musical to be specifically billed as a ‘Rock Opera’, and to this day remains one of the most defining examples of the genre.

Beautiful Thing

Review
★★
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
1st Aug, 2005

Jonathan Harvey is more widely known for scripting the BBC comedy Gimme Gimme Gimme, but before Tom and Linda were a glint in his eye he wrote the play Beautiful Thing.

My Queer Valentine

An understudy of a remote touring version of Miss Saigon, Ric Lau is taking an enormous gamble with debut one-man show in Edinburgh.

Little Shop Of Horrors

Little Shop of Horrors was first produced as a musical in 1982, based on a low-budget movie of the same name, which was shot in just two days in 1960.

Ida Barr - Get Old Or Die Tryin'

As she shuffles onto the stage assisted by a Las Vegas showgirl, Ida Barr hardly looks like Grandma-rapper billed in the programme; but Ida is the lesser-known creation of Christop…

Katzenjammer

Although their act is only around three years old, Katzenjammer have literally been around the world - and it’s easy to see why they are in such demand.

Rent

Review
★★★★★
Pete Shaw
London Fringe
8th Sep, 2012

RENT charts the story of a group of friends living in New York’s Alphabet City in the early nineties, a ghetto of Manhattan synonymous with starving artists.

Berlin Cabaret

Hitler.

6.0: How Heap And Pebble Took On The World And Won

Dancing Brick are a company that have done well at the Fringe over the years.

Jihad: The Musical

There’s something of a dichotomy going on in Jihad The Musical, and I’m not sure whether I should be deeply offended, or laughing my socks off.

Newsrevue 2006

Anyone who’s been even close to Edinburgh in August will have heard of Newsrevue.

Bruised Blueberries

Rosalind Adler’s monologue, Bruised Blueberries, tackles subjects as gritty as adultery, suicide and paedophilia, from the point of view of five diverse women in a local village co…

Surviving and Thriving at the Fringe: A Veteran’s Guide to Festival Success

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
20th May, 2025

Broadway Baby Publisher, Pete Shaw, offers a comprehensive guide to marketing your show at a fringe festival such as Edinburgh with tips on budgets, creating a press release, socia...

Why Your Production’s Press Release Is Being Ignored – And How to Fix It Fast

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
19th May, 2025

In an era where arts journalism is shrinking, the role of public relations agents in shaping narratives has never been more crucial.

A Divided Friendship and a Divided Ireland: New Play Derry Boys Opens at Theatre503

Feature
Pete Shaw
London Fringe
2nd May, 2025

A new play exploring fractured friendships and post-conflict identity in Northern Ireland is set to premiere at Theatre503 this May.

A Tale of Two Cities: Why Broadway Will Bleed Your Wallet Dry (and the West End Might Just Buy You a Drink)

Feature
Pete Shaw
West End
28th Apr, 2025

Theatre, we’re often told, is for everyone; Unless, of course, you happen to want a decent view of Hamilton on Broadway, then theatre is for everyone with $400 to spare...

A Brief, Chaotic History of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe or How Gatecrashers Built an Empire (and how we helped)

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
28th Apr, 2025

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, today the globe’s largest arts festival, began not with fanfare; but with a snub.

Berlin Nights moves into the West End

Feature
Queera Lynn
West End
5th Nov, 2024

Berlin Nights, an evening of burlesque, comedy and the best of modern drag, moves into the West End, so we asked the show's creator - Queera Lynn - to tell us more about it.

Show Racism The Red Card Commissions New Musical in Support of the Campaign to Get Justice for Walter Tull

Feature
Pete Shaw
London Fringe
2nd Oct, 2024

Show Racism the Red Card- the UK's leading anti-racism educational charity - has commissioned a new musical drama for Black History Month as part of a campaign to redress a grave i...

Save up to £62 on the best seats for Les Misérables

Feature
Pete Shaw
West End
1st Oct, 2024

Act now to grab the best seats in the house for Les Mis and save up to £62!

Les Misérables World Tour starts in Glasgow, Sheffield, Aberdeen, Manchester and Newcastle

Feature
Pete Shaw
World Tours
30th Sep, 2024

New production expanded from the hugely successful Les Misérables The Staged Concert which played for over 200 record-breaking performances in the West End.

A total of five Bobby Awards find new homes following the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
28th Aug, 2024

Broadway Baby presented four more prestigious Bobby Awards at the end of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, making a total of five.

Broadway Baby's first Bobby of the 2024 Festival Fringe finds new home in a Boarding School

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
16th Aug, 2024

Broadway Baby presented their first prestigious Bobby Award of this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe to An Adequate Abridgement of Boarding School Life as a Homo by Choir Boys & ...

GDPR Statement

Feature
Pete Shaw
West End
24th May, 2018

You have probably seen an awful lot about GDPR coming from all angles recently and although I’ve no desire to add more white noise to the conversation, in the spirit of compl...

How To Write A Press Release

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
3rd Apr, 2018

Writing a press release that a journalist will use is a skill even experienced PRs can get wrong.

How To Get Broadway Baby To Review Your Show

Feature
Pete Shaw
London Fringe
16th Mar, 2018

Some years ago I wrote an article about the best strategies for getting Broadway Baby to review your show.

Pete Shaw: Is PR Worth the Money?

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
18th Aug, 2017

Earlier this month I saw an amusing post on Twitter from Garrett Millerick who decided not to drop £2K on an EdFringe PR and instead buy a top-of-the-range flatscreen TV instead.

Ten ways to screw up your show in Edinburgh

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
8th Jun, 2017

Over 3,000 separate productions will squeeze themselves into Edinburgh this August and the slightly depressing reality is that most will not achieve their objectives for the fest...

No joke. The Counting House goes Gilded Balloon [Updated]

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
25th Feb, 2016

One of the Free Festival’s flagship Edinburgh venues, The Counting House, will be operated by The Gilded Balloon at this year’s Fringe it was revealed today.

Brighton Fringe Crowdfund Opening Night Parade

Feature
Pete Shaw
Brighton Fringe
7th Jan, 2016

Brighton Fringe is asking people in Sussex to give the gift of joy this Christmas by helping the Fringe put on its first ever opening night parade.

Five Christmas Shows You Shouldn’t Miss In London This Year

Feature
Pete Shaw
London Fringe
20th Dec, 2015

Christmas is the one time of year you can drag your non-theatre-going friends to the theatre.

The Fringe through the lens of my iPhone camera

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
1st Sep, 2015

Broadway Baby publisher Pete Shaw wraps up his Edinburgh experience via his iPhone photo stream.

The Fringe Incubator: Why Greenwich Theatre Supports EdFest.

Feature
Pete Shaw
London Fringe
10th Jul, 2015

Greenwich Theatre has a long and successful association with the Edinburgh Fringe, but why does a London Theatre have such a keen interest in a festival hundreds of miles away from...

Into The Woods makes the big screen

Feature
Pete Shaw
West End
6th Jan, 2015

Broadway Baby doesn't often discuss movies, but when the film in question is one of the most hotly anticipated stage musical adaptations of all time (and when the good folk at Disn...

Casting Announced for prèmiere of Gods and Monsters

Feature
Pete Shaw
London Fringe
5th Jan, 2015

Ian Gelder - Kevan Lannister in the epic TV drama series Game of Thrones - is to play Frankenstein director James Whale and Will Austin is gardener Clayton Boone, who becomes the o...

Thrill Me at C venues receives first Bobby Award of 2014

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
6th Aug, 2014

The musical based on the 1924 'thrill killers' Leopold and Loeb, Thrill Me, has been named as the first Broadway Baby 'Bobby Award' winner for 2014.

The Martin Walker Three Minute Interview

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
26th Jul, 2014

Martin Walker became Broadway Baby’s Stand-Up Comedy editor in March 2014.

The Heather Bagnall Three Minute Interview

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
10th Jul, 2014

Co-founder of Tasty Monster Productions, Heather Bagnall, made her debut at the Edinburgh Fringe last year with SINGLEMARRIEDGIRL.

The Divallusion Three Minute Interview

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
7th Jul, 2014

Broadway headliner Christina Bianco and West End showgirl Velma Celli (alter ego Ian Stroughair) are planning to cram in a lot of diva into their Edinburgh collaboration at Assembl...

The Story Pocket Theatre Three Minute Interview

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
7th Jul, 2014

Family-friendly Story Pocket Theatre is a new company bringing Arabian Nights to the Edinburgh Fringe. Pete Shaw grabbed a moment of their rehearsal period to ask some questions.

The Apphia Campbell Three Minute Interview

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
7th Jul, 2014

Following sold out performances in Shanghai and New York, Apphia Campbell brings her Nina Simone inspired show to the Gilded Balloon.

The Mzz Kimberley Three Minute Interview

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
4th Jul, 2014

Last year, Mzz Kimberley received five-star reviews for her show A Tranny Is Born.

The Hartshorn - Hook Three Minute Interview

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
2nd Jul, 2014

Serial producers Louis Hartshorn and Brian Hook have been a regular fixture at the Edinburgh Fringe for nearly a decade, but is this the last time we’ll see them at the Festiv...

The Mike Belgrave Three Minute Interview

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
1st Jul, 2014

Never work with children, they say, but comedian Mike Belgrave is back in Edinburgh with a show packed with the sort of mayhem kids adore.

The Cameryn Moore Three Minute Interview

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
30th Jun, 2014

Cameryn Moore's award-winning solo play Phone Whore comes back to the 2014 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The Miss Hope Springs Three Minute Interview

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
26th Jun, 2014

Towering blonde ex-Vegas showgirl Miss Hope Springs is set to make her Edinburgh debut at the Playhouse this year.

The EdFringe 'Live' Top Ten Lists

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
24th Jun, 2014

It's time once again for the EdFringe Top Ten Lists - but not just any list.

The Jessica Sherr Three Minute Interview

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
20th Jun, 2014

Jessica Sherr is returning to Edinburgh with her show Bette Davis Ain’t for Sissies.

The Alex Motswiri Three Minute Interview

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
20th Jun, 2014

Alex Motswiri Director of African Tree Productions – producers of last year’s hit show The System, talks to Pete Shaw about their new Musical – Magadi – The Bride’s Pric...

The Ian Garrett Three Minute Interview

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
19th Jun, 2014

A regular visitor to the Edinburgh Fringe from North America, Ian Garrett not only has brought many shows across the pond but also created the Edinburgh Fringe Sustainable Practi...

The Irene Ros Three Minute Interview

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
18th Jun, 2014

Irene Ros is writer and director of Marcel Vol 1, a surrealist show that attempts to turn the Berlusconi sex scandal into art.

The Jeanette Bonner Three Minute Interview

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
17th Jun, 2014

Jeanette Bonner is an American heading to the Edinburgh Fringe for the first time with her show Love.

The FringeDog Three Biscuit Interview

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
17th Jun, 2014

The latest reviewer to hit Edinburgh is FringeDog.

The Green Stag Theatre Company Three Minute Interview

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
16th Jun, 2014

The Edinburgh Fringe has more than its fair share of household-name comedians and high profile actors generating many column inches in the press, but at the heart of the festival a...

The Elaine Liner Three Minute Interview

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
1st Jun, 2014

Texan writer-actor-knitter Elaine Liner had a surprise five-star hit with her show Sweater Curse: A Yarn About Love at the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe.

The Valerie Hager Three Minute Interview

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
30th May, 2014

Valerie Hager is an American ex-crystal meth addict and one-time pole dancer taking a show called Naked In Alaska to the Edinburgh Festival.

The Charles Pamment Three Minute Interview

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
28th May, 2014

Although they may not grab the attention lavished upon the 'big four' at the Edinburgh Festival, theSpaceUK is nonetheless now the largest venue at the Fringe and this year celebra...

Broadway Baby Piano Bar

Feature
Pete Shaw
London Fringe
22nd Apr, 2014

Broadway Baby are thrilled to introduce a new regular date for West End Wendys and Dagenham Divas.

Broadway Baby claims new Twitter home

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
17th Apr, 2014

Broadway Baby's Twitter account has moved to the shorter, more appropriate home of @broadwaybaby - if you were already following us, you don't need to re-follow as you'll auto...

Win a £150 ad package in our Brighton Fringe Twitter Compo

Feature
Pete Shaw
Brighton Fringe
5th Apr, 2014

If you're taking a show to Brighton Fringe this year you want some free advertising, don't you? Sure you do.

London's first Museum of Comedy

Feature
Pete Shaw
London Fringe
3rd Apr, 2014

There's something funny going on under St George's Church in Bloomsbury.

Brighton Rocks! The 2014 Fringe Programme is Launched.

Feature
Pete Shaw
Brighton Fringe
27th Feb, 2014

England's largest mixed-arts festival, the Brighton Fringe, has launched its online programme.

Tenth Birthday Makeover for Broadway Baby

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
23rd Feb, 2014

The all-new, sparkly Broadway Baby website is live. With a host of exciting new features and online tools, we hope you find the site more useful than ever.

The Brighton Fringe Marketing Guide

Feature
Pete Shaw
Brighton Fringe
1st Jan, 2004

Broadway Baby Publisher, Pete Shaw, offers a comprehensive guide to marketing your show at the Brighton Fringe with tips on budgets, creating a press release, social media and bran...

How To Attract Reviewers To Your Show

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
1st Jan, 2004

Broadway Baby publisher, Pete Shaw, reveals how reviewers pick the shows they're going to see, including the specific way Broadway Baby handles its selection.

Advertising

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
1st Jan, 2004

Want to promote your show through banner ads but don't know where to start? Read our advertising overview for more information.

Advertising FAQ

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
1st Jan, 2004

If you've never advertised online before, the jargon alone can be a minefield. Publisher Pete Shaw explains how online ads work and why they work better than traditional print.

Brand Guildlines

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
1st Jan, 2004

Want to use the Broadway Baby logo on your poster in conjunction with a review we've given. Sure, you're welcome - but please read our brand guidelines first.

Write For Broadway Baby

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
1st Jan, 2004

Want to join the team? We're always on the lookout for talented writers in all areas.

Complaints Policy

Feature
Pete Shaw
Edinburgh Fringe
1st Jan, 2004

If you have a complaint about a article you've read on Broadway Baby, read our policy on dealing with it.

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Articles by Pete Shaw