Author: Brett Herriot

Since completing training, Brett has enjoyed a varied career across the arts as an actor, writer, performer, producer, company manager, stage manager and arts critic. Brett embraces the arts with a passion in all its forms. Away from the world of theatre, Brett is a vegetarian, loves an occasional glass of wine, chatting with friends and travelling when time permits
Brett Herriot Review

Evita, The London Palladium Review:

Brett Herriot

***** (5 stars)

“The Evita of our Times!”

The renaissance of the works of Andrew Lloyd Webber continue in theatres across London and the world and acclaimed director Jamie Lloyd continues his critically acclaimed work of not only reviving productions but totally reinventing them for audiences who are clamoring  to grab those gold dust tickets.

Jamie Lloyd is truly an impressive symbol of an impassioned new generation of theatre makers who thrills in blurring the lines between live on stage action and live camera work whilst deploying strip backed sets, he allows his talented casts and musicians to carry the load. It worked beautifully on Sunset Boulevard. However can he repeat the feat on Lloyd Webbers 1978 Olivier award winning adaptation of Argentina’s Eva Peron’s Life namely Evita? The answer is a resounding yes and he and his extraordinary cast deliver an Evita of our times!

The story of Eva Peron’s life from the quite backwaters of Argentina to becoming the spiritual leader of the nation is one filled with the dramatic power of love, self belief and ultimately human sacrifice wrapped around a world gripped by a political power play. That power play is now directly reflected in our modern day world and Jamie Lloyd harnesses all that power in this production that lives up to and defies the hype that surrounds it especially that magical moment on the balcony of the London Palladium over looking Argyle Street. 

Performances are across the board are uniformly excellent, none more so than Rachel Zegler making her west end debut as Eva Peron she gives a performance that crackles and sparkles with energy throughout from Eva’s hip and trendy young days to the ball gown and diamond bedecked moment of raw power as she implores those to “don’t cry for me Argentina” Zegler understanding of Eva’s power over the people shine through in an outstanding vocal performance that moves the palladium audience to both wrapped silence and thunderous ovations throughout the performance. She is joined by Diego Andres Rodriguez as “Che” who matches Zegler in a performance filled with raw power and tenacity with gorgeous honey soaked vocals he truly makes the character is own. 

James Olivas brings an understated dignity to his turn as “Juan Peron” but also gives the character a marvelous multi faceted dimension as Juan battles between holding power over the people, his love for Evita and his carnal desires for other women. Aaron Lee Lambert brings comedy and light to his turn as “Augustin Magaldi” and gives the overall show wonderful balance and symmetry. 

The principal cast are joined by stellar and well drill thirty strong ensemble, every one of them west end worthy and beyond as they deliver both the people in inhabit Evita’s life but also every fancy of Argentinean Humanity and the sparkle while delivering Fabian Aloise’s polished Choreography that blends Latin, ballroom and musical theatre themes with ease.

This Palladium production is a partial revival of the 2019 Regent’s Park open air theatre production also directed by Lloyd, which was due to transfer to the Barbican, but the pandemic scuppered those plans so it’s a joy to see the original creative team reuniting to deliver a flawless technical production. 

Soutra Gilmour’s Set and Costume Design is utterly sumptuous as it is stripped back, the bleachers rising high above the Palladium stage with Musical director Alan Williams stellar 17-piece orchestra positioned on the top delivering Lloyd Webber’s score in thrilling style. The orchestra and indeed cast are given an epic sound design from Adam Fisher that brings every note and lyric by Lloyd Webber and Sir Tim Rice to vivid life. This is topped off by Jon Clark’s incredible lighting design that harnesses both open spaces and intimacy with ease. Special mention must go to Tom Durrant who leads the video team. It’s a thrilling addition to the show and the fact that Jamie Lloyd has restricted the video use to very select moments further enhances the show and truly that moment on balcony must be seen from within the palladium to understand its grandeur and power. 

The Palladium production of Evita is not a refreshing of the show more a complete reinvention that seeks to engage the audience by showing the true power and grace of its story coupled with outstanding award worthy performances from the entire company all wrapped in the creative drive of one of the most visionary directors of this new generation.

The show is selling out with ease and is undoubtedly the hottest tickets of London’s summer season! The truth is we have always loved her, so what wrong with you! rush to the Palladium for what few tickets are left and be forever changed by the raw intense power of EVITA!

Evita, The London Palladium runs until Saturday 6th September for more information and tickets go to: https://www.evitathemusical.com/

Please Note Rachel Zegler does not perform at all performances as Bella Brown will perform the Role of Eva Peron on selected dates.

Brett Herriot Review

Starlight Express, Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, London Review:

Brett Herriot

**** (4 stars)

“Captures childhood dreams in the most magical of ways”

Legendary composer Andrew Lloyd Webber’s astonishing back catalog of shows are enjoying a critically acclaimed revival’s at venues across London and around the world. The trickiest to stage of his shows marked its 40th anniversary in 2024 with the conception of a brand new immersive production at the purpose built theatre, The Troubadour at Wembley Park (Formally the fountain studios). The show is of course Starlight Express!

Originally debuting in 1984 Starlight express is a musical based on a child hood dream and a fascination with trains. For context Webber tried to adapt the Thomas the tank engine stories prior to Starlight without much success only to achieve a genre defying musical that pushed the boundaries of both performances and venues.

40 years later Starlight is back at Wembley in production that oozes every penny of its massive budget and beautifully captures childhood dreams in the most magical of ways.

As has been the tradition the show features an updated score and some tweaks to the characters, Poppa is now gone and replaced by Momma, a captivating performance from jade Marvin whose rich vocals bring enchanting warmth to the character. Also the role of “Control” is no longer just a voice but an enchanting child cast who perform in rotation.  Director Luke Sheppard has also blurred the gender roles in the casting with previous male characters being played by females and vice versa whilst also embracing a non binary approach is also to be commended.

Performances are uniformly excellent, although at the performance we saw there was a slight feeling of a long week of performances catching up with the company, it was a Sunday after all, that said every performance was west end worthy. Jeevan Braich as “Rusty” leads the company with a soulfoul interpretation that captures the characters hopes and desires extremely well. The same is true of Sophie Naglik’s “Pearl” who gives a charming take on a prince charming role. Starlight express is after all a parable on Cinderella! Olivia Ringrose and Asher Forth deliver an inspired “ugly sister” pairing as “Greaseball” and “Electra” respectively giving them just enough edge to be a baddie but still likeable by the youngest members of the audience. The principals are joined by an outstanding thirty strong ensemble including swings who show real flair in performing while on roller skates. Special mention has to go to Nicky Wong Rush as “Tassita” who gives a sassy and capturing performance every moment there on stage. Also to Charlie Russel, Jamie Addison and Dante Hutchinson as “Marshals” with death defying stunt’s a plenty.

Production wise this is a total triumph that’s only achievable by having a purpose built venue to work with, Which has allowed set designer Tim Hatley to build an immersive world for Starlight to inhabit and my word does it knock the eye out. It’s further boosted by Andrzej Goulding’s astonishing video design coupled with Howard Hudson’s beguiling lighting design that take the breath away. Gareth Owen’s bespoke sound design ensures every nuance of the show is heard perfectly as is musical director Laura Bangay’s polished off stage band.

Starlight express’s original costume design already set the bar extremely high, so how do you top it and bring it into 2025? Well costume designer Gabriella Slade has achieved the impossible with costumes that redefine the show in awesome style but still allow the incredible roller-skate wearing company to deliver Ashley Nottingham’s Choreography with detailed accuracy. The production also benefits from the shows original creative Dame Arlene Phillips returning as Creative Dramaturg.

Four decades on Starlight Express is still imbued a with a child like heart filled with joy, laughter, imagination and adventure in equal measure and explores the lighter and fun side to Webber’s writing. It also expresses his love for his own children especially Nick, Andrew’s son whom he wrote the show for and now acts as a tribute to his late son. One thing is for sure only you have the power within you to embrace the starlight and make an express journey to Wembley to enjoy a truly magical production!

Starlight Express, Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, London, The production is currently scheduled to run until March 2026 for more information and tickets go to: https://www.starlightexpresslondon.com/

Brett Herriot Review

Dear Evan Hansen Edinburgh Playhouse, Review:

Brett Herriot

***** (5 Stars)

“Redefines the power of musical theatre to explore one’s self!”

The Tony and Olivier award winning Dear Evan Hansen marks its 10th anniversary since its debut at the Arena Stage in Washington DC in July 2015 with its first UK Tour and it makes its final stop at the Playhouse Theatre for a week long run with a production that captures the heart of its audiences and simply redefines the power of musical theatre to explore one’s self and the world around them.

This critically acclaimed musical with book by Steven Levenson and music & lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul has enjoyed lengthy runs both off and on Broadway at the Second Stage and Music Box theatres plus a three year run in London West end at the Noel Coward Theatre brought a new generation of theatre goers to the world of musical theatre. Thanks to it’s fresh and relevant score and massively moving story that explores the life of Evan Hanson, a simply astonishing performance from Ryan Kopel, a high school senior with social anxiety, who following a harrowing tragedy at his school invents a relationship that links him to the victim and there family in a moving exploration of connections, social media and mental health in a 24/7 digital world were words can hurt and heal in equal measure and they can also so easily take on a life of their own.

This production has lost none of its raw power and emotional punch thanks to an outstanding cast who deliver faultless and flawless performances throughout. Kopel is revelation as Hansen bringing a brilliantly judged physicality to the role along with emotional depth and stunning vocal his is a pure west end worthy turn. The same is true of Alice Fearn in the role of Heidi Hansen her ability to explore the life journey of the single mother who doesn’t see her child fully until it’s almost too late is beguiling to watch. Stepping into the role of Connor Murphy is Will Forgrave who turns in a polished and truthful performance as the character that blurs the line between reality and truth. Connor’s family have the most emotionally honest journey in the show with Helen Anker “Cynthia Murphy”, Richard Hurst “Larry Murphy” and Lauren Conroy “Zoe Murphy” delivering utterly convincing performances of a family struggling to put the pieces back together and all three shine in both there solo moments and when the share the stage together they somehow make the vast expanses of the Playhouse auditorium feel like your own front room and you feel honored to be a fly on their wall such an incredible talent indeed.

Production wise this is nothing less than triumph with Morgan Large’s Set, Costume and Co Video design harnessing the best of the west end production and adds to the shows over all power. This is boosted by Matt Daw excellent lighting design that blends perfectly with the shows modern setting. Tom Marshall’s sound design does get there in the end but the start of the performance it felt like the sound needed turned up but this is merely an opening faux pa that’s easily fixed. The balance between cast and Musical Director Michael Bradley’s nine strong pit band is excellent and adds the cherry to and incredible musical theatre cake.

Director Adam Penford has put emotional honesty at the heart of this production and proves that the very best of modern musical theatre is not simply viewed and enjoyed but experienced and that’s what Dear Evan Hansen does so brilliantly well.  Its Mantra that sometimes being just who and what we are is more than enough is a potent statement for modern times in which we live.

Theatre that touches the heart doesn’t come any better than this so do what you must to grab what little tickets remain as the tour ends at the Playhouse as who knows when Dear Evan Hansen will be waving through the window once more.

Dear Evan Hansen,  Edinburgh Playhouse, Runs until Saturday 5th July2025. For more information and tickets go to: https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/dear-evan-hansen/edinburgh-playhouse/

The UK Tour ends and the conclusion of the Playhouse run.

Mary Woodward Review

A little bitof the Pirates of Penzance and the Gondoliers, Northesk Parish Church, Musselburgh, Review

Brett Herriot

**** (4 stars)

“Enticingly Entertaining!”

A thoroughly enjoyable evening – for many of us a delightful trip down memory lane, and for the cast, a welcome roof over their heads!  Scottish Opera’s Pop-ups travel the length and breadth of Scotland to perform potted versions of operas old and new using a specially adapted trailer which provides the artists with a little shelter from inclement weather, but provides none for the audience!  I remember on one previous occasion sitting wrapped in my floor-length black ex-ecclesiastical cloak – and during Covid times sitting in the space encircled by my own personal hula-hoop…

Every single time, Scottish Opera’s pop-up performers deliver a potted version of an opera or operetta.  Two singers, a narrator, a cellist and a guitarist, with the assistance of some brilliantly-drawn illustrations [this time the talented Otto von Beach], canter their way through the essentials of a piece, aiming both to entertain and to entice members of the audience who may be new to the art form to pluck up their courage and find a theatre in which to experience the ‘full-fat’ version.

Tonight’s shows were two Gilbert and Sullivan classics, the Pirates of Penzance and the Gondoliers.  Storyteller Katie Barnett drew us in from the very start, encouraging a lusty aaaaaaaaaaaarh from us whenever we heard the word pirate as she told us about young Frederick, a slave to duty, who was mistakenly apprenticed by his nurse Ruth not to a ship’s pilot but to a pirate.  Orphans, pirates, policemen, a Major-General [the very model of a modern one] and his charming daughters wove their way through the complicated plot to its blessedly happy ending.  On the way, Jessica Leary and Paul Grant sang us bits of arias, duets and ensembles in which we joyfully joined the chorus on every possible occasion.

Lightbulb moment – given the audience’s joy in participating, and the accuracy of their memories, have Scottish Opera ever considered doing a ‘singalongaG&S’ evening?  I’m sure it would be a sell-out!

Back to the shows… after a respectable interval the cast came back on stage, Jessica and Paul with their brilliant accompanists, Luke Anderson on guitar and Andrew Drummond Hagan on cello.  The pirate costumes had been swapped for gondoliers’ outfits, and the setting shifted from salt-sprayed Cornwall to sunny Venice.

Gondoliers, their female admirers, a Duke, his family, and their servant became entangled with a Grand Inquisitor.  Potential kings, potential bigamists, lost, swapped and found babies, and a hard-to-find foster-mother wove their way through this narrative, with Jess and Paul doing sterling duty as just about all of the above.  Thankfully, everything was sorted out satisfactorily!  And the music was joyfully glittering with sparkling, sun-kissed melodies…

It was a clever pairing of pieces [though I am sad not to have made the acquaintance of the third piece currently on offer – the specially-composed Puffy MacPuffer and the Crabbit Canals].  I had sat through Pirates feeling a little miffed that Jess had so much less to do than Paul – but the roles were reversed in Gondoliers and she sparkled and shone along with the music.   There was less for us in the audience to do, but much to admire and enjoy.  Glorious duets – one of us will be a queen and you won’t forget you’ve married me – and the fabulous solos when a merry maiden marries and take a pair of sparkling eyes.  Narrator Katie got drawn into the etiquette lesson I am a courtier grave and serious and we would all have stood up and joined in the lively dance a cacucha, fandango, bolero had we not been trapped in the church’s pews.

All in all, it was a wonderful treat, especially since Scottish Opera so kindly came to my home town and afterwards all I had to do was walk home!  I also had a chance to say hi to Jess, one of the tutors on Scottish Opera’s award-winning Breath Cycle singing workshops, which has helped me and many others find or regain our singing voices.  The resources are now freely available on Scottish Opera’s website – don’t miss out, explore them today: who knows, you might end up on stage in a Pop-up Opera one day soon…

Music at the Brunton: Scottish Opera Pop-up Operas present A little bitof the Pirates of Penzance and the Gondoliers, Northesk Parish Church, Musselburgh, Tour Continues until 6th of July for more information go to: https://www.scottishopera.org.uk/shows/pop-up-opera-2025/

Mary Woodward Review

The Merry Widow, Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Review

Brett Herriot

***** (5 stars)

“Irresistibly Charming”

I remember thoroughly enjoying my first live experience of Merry Widow when Scottish Opera’s touring company came to the Brunton Theatre in Musselburgh and totally wowed their audience with their scaled-down-to-fit/ accompanied by piano utterly enchanting and engrossing version of this piece which has been a firm favourite with audiences world-wide for the past 120 years.

The basic plotline is fairly simple.  An impoverished middle-European state is desperate to replenish its coffers with the vast fortune of one of their daughters – Hannah Glawari, whose wealthy husband has recently died, leaving her all his wealth.  It seems a brilliant idea to instruct the irresistibly charming Count Danilo to woo and wed her: unfortunately, these two have a history…

Scottish Opera have really gone to town with this exuberant, brightly-coloured, almost-over-the-top-but-not-quite production in collaboration with D’Oyley Carte Opera and Opera Holland Park.  Before the curtain rises we have the usual ‘no phones, no photography’ warning delivered in a very gangsta style, inviting us to celebrate the Godfather’s 50th birthday, and inviting us to welcome Maestro Stewie to the pit, giving us a heads-up that this will be no conventional, frothily mittel-european performance.

The curtain rises on a riotous party taking place in the colourful Manhattan apartment of Godfather Don Zeta, head of New York’s Mafia families.  We meet his wife, Valentina, various Mafia Dons and their wives, a French singer, and two new mobsters, recent arrivals from Italy, where Hanna Glawari is now in control of the vast Sicilian lemon groves that belonged to her lately-deceased husband.

Finally the Don arrives, and is saluted and presented with his birthday gift – a gleaming new cement mixer, with which he is utterly delighted.

It may seem that the Cosa is one big happy family – but it soon becomes apparent that all is not well.  The Don’s wife is desperately in love with French cabaret singer Camille de Rossillon, while aware that being a Mafia wife means complete loyalty to the Don and all the Family; the married couples are definitely not getting on; the two Italians are having affairs with married women and feuding about which one of them is going to marry Hanna Glawari; and Don Zeta himself is anxiously demanding of his capo, Nicky Negus, where on earth Danilo, his consigliere, has got to – he simply must marry Hanna before someone else makes off with her.  Nicky is aware of the past history between Hanna and Danilo, but Zeta isn’t – and he’s not an easy man to enlighten on such a tricky subject.

Hanna enters, in widow’s black, and is immediately surrounded by every male in the place, all eager to monopolise her and her millions.  She deftly fields them all: she’s only here on a brief visit, she has to fly back to Sicily tomorrow.  When they each start to declare that suddenly they have business in Sicily too, she shrugs her shoulders and invites them all to visit her in her villa.

And then Danilo appears, and it’s instantly clear that he’s magnetically attractive – and, though they try to hide it, that both he and Hanna can’t forget their past.  They have several magnificent quarrels, both publicly and when they are momentarily left alone: she rages that she will never trust him, while he asserts that he will never say to her “I love you”.  

Mr and Mrs Kromov burst in on the couple, she protesting her innocence in the face of accusations that she’s having an affair.  He brandishes a fan, on which a message of love has been written, declaring that it’s proof of her affair – but it’s not hers, it’s Valentina’s, with de Rossillon’s message of love.  Kromov shows it to Don Zeta, who promises to find its owner and gently reprimand them – unaware that it’s his wife’s…

In Sicily, everyone is letting their hair down at Hanna’s splendid villa.  Plots and counterplots swirl and thicken, culminating in what seems to be Hanna’s betrayal of Danilo – she is discovered in a private room with de Rossillon. Unaware that Hanna has substituted for Valentina, who was saying a final goodbye to the Frenchman, he is broken-hearted.  He leaves immediately for New York and his favourite haunt – Maxim’s club, where the dancing girls will console him.  Hanna realises that he still loves her, and sets off after him.

in Maxim’s in New York, all present are having a gloriously abandoned time.  Valentina, an ex- chorus girl has joined her friends in a special number which reminds Don Zeta of how they first met.  Danilo arrives, roaring drunk, and demands that Hanna break off her engagement to Camille.  She tells him she was only pretending, to protect someone else: he tells her of Don Zeta’s plan to bring her money into the Family.  She asks him to tell her how he really feels – he can’t, thinking she will think he’s only after her fortune.

The Don finally discovers that it’s his wife’s fan which has the love message on it: he falls into a towering rage.  He refuses to listen to Valentina, and declares he will divorce her and marry Hanna himself.  When he learns that the terms of Hanna’s husband’s will means she will lose every cent if she remarries, he is stymied.  Danilo seizes his chance, asks Hanna to marry him, and is accepted – only to learn that the will also states the fortune will pass immediately to Hanna’s new husband!

Camille rushes in, declaring his passionate love for Valentina.  The Don’s rage threatens the Frenchman’s life – but Valentina intervenes, demanding that Zeta listen to the message she wrote for Camille on her fan.   She is a loyal wife, and will never leave her husband, who envelops her in a loving embrace.  Camille quietly leaves, and slowly so does everyone else, leaving Hanna and Danilo to savour their newly-found happiness.

This co-production was a joy to watch and, I reckon, for the performers too.  It’s wonderful to see ‘serious’ singers allowed to loosen their metaphorical corsets and have fun on stage.  I am in admiration of their ability to launch from speaking straight into song [a chat in the interval with the chief voice coach confirmed that a lot of work had been done to make this seem effortless] – not the easiest of things to do, especially while maintaining pretty respectable American, Italian, French and other assorted accents!

The sets were superb – the Manhattan apartment was simply glorious, the Sicilian villa’s exterior very atmospheric, and the entr’acte transformation to Maxim’s club was both very clever and a wonderfully choreographed piece of work.  The costumes were a riot of colour, and I had serious envy of the wonderful pinstriped suits so many of the men were wearing.  The complex choreography throughout was subtly designed to make it appear totally random, and the lighting enhanced the fluctuating moods throughout.  

The performances of both principals and chorus throughout were outstanding – as always, it’s a joy to watch a chorus of individuals rather than a flock of sheep!  Everyone on stage is worthy of mention, as are all the musicians in the pit and the wonderful Maestro Stewie who keeps them all in order…  I was aware at times that the orchestra – particularly the brass – were so enthusiastic that they drowned some of the singers: but others had absolutely no problem riding on top of the waves of sound.  I also had some reservations about the choice of setting which, through brilliantly creative, for me jarred against the lushly melting melodies and harmonies of the score.  This was particularly obvious to me in the first act: it was still present in the second, but I was enjoying the drama so much it became of less importance.  I guess even mobsters have their softer side, don’t they?

Many of the cast were ‘old favourites’, some of whom have been seen recently, others of whom were returning after some time.  Of the former, Henry Waddington stood out as the distinctly larger-than-life Don Zeta, even when dressed for the beach, while among the latter his sidekick – Matthew Kellett’s Nicky Negus – was simply superb: accent and body language spot on.  

But for me the star of the show was Alex Otterburn’s Danilo – the most gorgeous voice you can imagine, making me wonder how on earth Hanna could have resisted its allure for a single moment.  Imagine my delight when I realised that the last time I saw Alex, he completely stole the show as Eddy in Mark Turnage’s Greek, which I’d gone to rather reluctantly and by which I’d been utterly bowled over.   As one of Scottish Opera’s emerging artists, he was already quite obviously going places – I’m simply delighted that he’s come back to the company, and hope that we’ll be seeing more of him in Scotland very soon.

Scottish Opera presents The Merry Widow, Festival Theatre, Edinburgh Runs until 

Saturday 7th June, for more information go to: https://www.capitaltheatres.com/shows/the-merry-widow/

The production will tour to His Majesty’s Theatre Aberdeen and Opera Holland Park London more information available from: https://www.scottishopera.org.uk/shows/the-merry-widow/