the best and worst of WEST END LIVE 2023 | reviewing every show performance

[@amitmeir8109]

I think the main reason Hamilton went with just KG3 was the fact that West End Live was on the same day as their cast change so they went with just Joel as he is staying for another year

[@MickeyJoTheatre]

You're quite right - I thought about this afterwards!

[@PS-DLMA]

And Trooping of The Colour...would have made it an even easier decision

[@jenicat55]

Totally agree re costumes - this is a huge marketing opportunity so costumes should be the norm. However show t shirts i feel should be the minimum - then its obvious from any photos or videos going round social media who they are. Yes they have the backdrop - but that is always cropped out as people photograph the performers!

[@claireslater5665]

I think the lack of costume early on Saturday is a question of logistics. Do you want the stars to get into full costume and make up 3 or so hours before their matinée performances.. The shows like Les Misérables and Phantom are on later in the day so it makes sense for them to walk from their respective homes to Trafalgar Square in full costume I also think there are copyright issues for the Disney shows: Frozen and the Lion King

[@khrystia98]

Thanks so much for this video for all of us who couldn’t be at West End Live! Given you loved Jamie Muscato’s (incredible) performance so much, I’m just wondering what you thought of Aaron Tveit’s performance in Moulin Rouge when you saw him in New York this year and how they compared / contrasted?

[@theDK468]

he didn’t catch aaron i believe! (but i did, and i stay thinking aaron/ashley are the superior christian/satine)

[@jennys4562]

I agree with what you said about Heathers and Miracle Chance. I recently saw the show with my sister. We are both superfans and this was our first time seeing it, so hopes were high. Everyone in the cast were amazing (especially the understudies who were on that day), but Miracle Chance didn't work for me. She was either acting too much, like she was screaming at times where I thought it was strange, or too little (being extremely monotone). Elliot Parker Davis as JD was a gem and remains one of my favourites, but Miracle Chance was a no for me. I would love for you to see it and give it a review, I am very curious of what you would think. Edit: I guess what I am trying to say is that her performance was very little nuanced and turned Veronica into a very annoying person

[@HiMERU]

totally agree, nothing against her but honestly when i saw the show with miracle chance i felt like veronica was also just..kinda unlikeable? or at least she was to me… the jokes in the og just didnt convert as well imo

[@jennys4562]

@HiMERU yes, I couldn't get myself to like her. Made Veronica very annoying

[@C00kie__]

I only watched Lucie Jones sing "I Dreamed a Dream" in a West End Live video and the X-factor performance, but I have had the option up stuck in my head semi-regularly ever since

[@TheWiseGrif]

Man Mickey, i absolutely can't wait for you to see A Strange Loop...i've rewatched your cast album reaction at least a dozen times, and now you'll finally get to experience the full thing (possibly with some changes since crossing the Atlantic)

[@wonderlandian-geek]

Yes, I am absolutely gonna hyper focus in on one performance that you barely talked about just because it’s my favorite musical, LOL. I honestly don’t feel like “I’m Ready” was a good pick for Death Note in this scenario. Like, yeah, it’s poppy and catchy and will get people to dance, but it’s not really a really good advertisement for whole show. There are only 2-3 songs out of 30 that are like that, the rest of it is way more dramatic and brooding. I get that not the whole cast has been announced yet, so some other good options (“Where is the Justice”, “KIRA”) aren’t feasible, but they have L! They could’ve done “Playing His Game”, which is SUCH a good song, and already one of the most popular ones among the fan base! AND it’s really indicative of what the show is like as a whole! Or if they wanted to include all three actors, do “Stalemate”, just cut out L’s verse at the beginning since there’s no Soichiro for him to interact with. Okay I had more to say on this than I thought, LOL

[@charlie-oc4460]

Surely this event should be ticketed. It's great that it's free but having the event ticketed means there is no disappointed people and keep the numbers under control x

[@joeevans5770]

I love les mis consistency performing the same 3/4 songs every year (I dreamed a dream and on my own are interchangeable

[@Happyhogan]

Wish they did Stars or Javert suicide one year - really throw it around🤣

[@danielrobinson7350]

Glad they went for just one of those rather than a daft mashup of the two that they sometimes go for.

[@IloveHeartlandX]

I went to see Moulin Rouge again because of seeing Jamie Muscato at West End Live, so they definitely did their job there ( saw it on Friday and both his and Melissa James' performances definitely took the show up a level from when I saw it the first time with the OG cast last year, I enjoyed it that time but I really loved it this time). I agree it's a shame they didn't have the costumes though because they are stunning. I agree on the song choice for Cabaret, I get why they might not have wanted to do Cabaret again after doing it last year, but Don't Tell Mama isn't the most crowdpleasing song. Honestly they could have done Mein Herr, Maybe This Time, Money, Wilkommen, any of them I think would have gone down better than what they chose. I was the person who said on Insta that WEL made me want to see Tina! That one was a big surprise to me as it's one of those shows that's been there for a while and I've just never really considered and now I know what I'm missing! They did such a fab job! Operation Mincemeat was a shame, I love that show but I agree on your thoughts with God That's Brilliant, it needs too much context! Born To Lead would have been better, I figured they would pick one of those two and I think they chose the wrong one which is a shame. It was always going to be a little tricky for them though as the songs are so specific and hard to show out of context: the sound issues didn't help either, it was tricky to hear them. So pleased for the cast that they got to go though! Glory Ride I've actually booked for after seeing them at WEL as I enjoyed their songs. I was so glad they got Jocasta Almgill to do There Are Worse Things I Could Do because she was my favourite part of Grease when I saw it last summer. I definitely agree that the jukebox musicals got the biggest crowd reactions, it does help when you already know the songs! Joel as KGIII doing You'll Be Back leading into Trooping The Colour was a genius scheduling move and it was so fun singing along with everyone to that, it was one of the most memorable performances of the day-I know it wouldn't work without the costume but I did feel for him a little in that get up, he must have been boiling!

[@IloveHeartlandX]

Also forgot to shout out Alexia Khadime and Lucy St Louis, they were both phenomenal and if I hadn't already been to see Wicked this year (saw it with Lucie Jones in February) then I would definitely be going back. Was pleased that they did something other than Defying Gravity, I love that song but it was nice to see them showing off other songs from the show!

[@amycarcaterra8177]

Courtney Reed and Casey Cott both performed at Broadway at Bryant Park today promote the new show. Show off their chemistry

[@Happyhogan]

Bttf was my favourite performance So impressed by their 1st cover Biff he was insane and I love Will Haswells Marty - so good it’s his 2nd west end live Shame they don’t wear costumes for so many shows Loved the alternate Christine and Raoul too

[@KAIMAOFFICIAL]

Completely agree with mincemeat! Such an incredible show but All The Ladies would have been an easier sell as it could have stood on its own.. the sound didn’t help either, and these lyrics are so clever we need to hear them!

[@JC-gu3tj]

Yes that’s the song that gets whoops in the theatre too

[@MickeyJoTheatre]

Oh GREAT shout - I hadn't even thought of that one, would have gone down very well!

[@finlaycooper5209]

My main takeaway was unfortunately how same-y lots of the new musicals performing sounded. I won't name names, but I think its disappointing that of the new writing that is coming out of the UK at the moment, so much of it is of a generic 'pop inspired' sound. Would love to see a return of more intricate scores!

[@lmn977]

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Cabaret with the new line-up, if you get the opportunity to see it (I personally haven't found cheap enough tickets yet!) I've been recommending Cabaret to *everyone* on the strength of the incredible original cast-- but I feel like this new MC and Sally might have a significantly different angle

[@LynnHermione]

THEYRE DOING DEATH NOTE IN LONDON OMG how is this the first I hear of it! I love DN, I watched (dont ask how) the Japanese and Korean versions. Please do a review!

[@jarno7546]

So my prediction for next year is that your favourite performance will be Alex Newell singing Independently Owned. 🙏

[@MickeyJoTheatre]

🤞 you and I are MANIFESTING this together!

[@lindakahler4799]

Saw Shucked in previews and said to one of producers Alex Newell was the best.

[@coco604]

YES YES YES YES. I saw shucked in the US only for Alex Newell and omg they exceeded all my expectations. I really liked the whole show but Newell was by far the best part

[@izzy-bx5qz]

in actuality, there were four proud marys!! rachel tucker sang it in her solo set on sunday evening

[@amycarcaterra8177]

Broadway does the same on thursday for 5 weeks with a local tv radio dj. they use the merch t-shirts because it is easier, plus it is also broadway softball at central park so for the show support they will wear their musical team jersey. the cast will sign autographs.

[@Alice-nt4qr]

Been looking forward to this

[@Flash-mv8rn]

i cannot state enough how good the original death note musical was in both japanese and korean! and the english concept album starring jeremy jordan as Light is literally a masterpiece, so i am so excited to see it being performed at the west end and im sooo hoping that this will lead to a full production of the entire show! I will say the two songs chosen to be performed dont do a great job of selling the concept so for anyone who is completely new to death note i would reccomend: Stalemate, Honor Bound, and Secrets & lies but as a short plot summary for anyone interested: its essentially about a serial killer and a detective and the game of cat and mouse they play with the serial killer trying to kill the detective and the detective trying to prove the identity of the killer. with a supernatural element in the form of the murder weapon which is a notebook in which you can write anyones name and they'll die.

[@seanmcgcostumes]

It’s so interesting to hear you call Matilda a “big commercial film” and to call it a “success” because over her in America? It went up on Netflix and was immediately buried and most people don’t even realize that it exists, which is *such* a shame! I had no idea that it was a big thing over there.

[@hannahgreen8999]

I haven't been to West End Live in years as I just can't get there that early to queue but it was great to see your thoughts on it. I've seen a few things off the back of seeing them at West End Live but I wish more of them did it in costume.

[@georgia8671]

What did you think of Minchin? :) I guess he sort of counted as Groundhog Day

[@MickeyJoTheatre]

Thought he was great - funny, engaging and brought fun song choices. I will say it's a shame Groundhog Day consistently avoids presenting something more substantial at these events.

[@EllieC130]

"I know the ensemble harmonies, I'm sure many of us did." Woah just straight going for my throat on that one.

[@AnAverageSortaGuy]

Ngl. I think Maude Apatow and Mason Alexander Park have just watched the Sam Mendes production and went “yep, I’ll do that!” I loved how the previous principals made it their own but even Mason’s intro at the start sounded heavily inspired by Alan Cumming.

[@beek.4860]

Personally I think Mason's overall take on the character is really unique. I might be biased because they did Cabaret at my local regional theatre before making it big, but in my opinion they're one of the few Emcees I've seen who actually DON'T copy Alan Cumming or Joel Grey. Their take feels much more emotionally vulnerable and less overtly sexy than Cumming (lol that's a great phrase to type) while still being sinister and glamorous. But I haven't seen them in London, so who knows!

[@alicerickard4833]

One of the Lady Ms was a second cover! Truly amazing to see Honey Joseph as La Chocolat : )

[@xxtinkerbell91xx]

I didn’t even know Annie get your gun was in westend. Is it still on somewhere as the only place I can see is the palladium which ended over a month ago. Can’t see a performance happening when the show ended the previous month?

[@MickeyJoTheatre]

Not West End - an upcoming regional revival at the Lavender Theatre in Surrey I think?

[@xxtinkerbell91xx]

@@MickeyJoTheatre ahh that makes sense why a London search wasn’t coming up. You’re a star, cheers

[@diabetus_]

honestly, the west end live performance didn't do the heathers cast justice please if you ever get the chance go see miracle as veronica because i honestly believe she's one of, if not the best veronica we've ever had, love your videos as always keep shining 💜✨

[@MickeyJoTheatre]

Thanks for letting me know! Miracle is a brilliant performer so I do hope to get to see her in the show soon!

[@GrubStLodger]

I went to review Tarantino Live this week, the structure is completely incoherent but the scenes themselves are great.

[@annataylorwriterstar]

Not sure if this is somewhere else in the comments or the other shorter video but just for into the 'Six' main theme was sung at West End live 2023 at the end of the Barricade Boys set with 2 of the Six cast (not sure if former or current). So yeah it was sung but it would have been nice during the Six staging as well. Love your content ✨️

[@meganthewriter589]

Most of the shows at West End Live weren't costumed this year and I found it so strange! I was confused on who was who when watching shows I wasn't familiar with and I don't feel it 'sells' your show to not be in costume, at least a little bit. I loved 'Operation Mincemeat' and I had never heard a single second of it before watching the playlist, so I'll definitely try and see it! I loathed 'Heathers' - none of it worked and the actress playing Veronica really struggled, which is a real shame for such a fan favourite. The disco version of 'Heart of Stone', though, was probably the weirdest choice I've ever heard... it is a song that should never have a disco remix, as it takes away the power and meaning of the song entirely. If they wanted an upbeat song, pick Anne of Cleeves' solo! They never perform it and it is such a hype song. Or 'All You Wanna Do', although the context of that song is probably a little dark for West End Live.

[@lindakahler4799]

Had the pleasure of seeing Aaron Tveit sing Roxanne. Big Sting fan but love Aaron's rendition even more

[@ElizabethC109]

I am pretty sure there was a 4th Proud Mary, but I don’t remember who it was.

[@amycarcaterra8177]

Seems like all the Great shows performed on Saturday not Sunday. Trooping of the Colour was the first priority over west end live :( . Too bad saw Jamie & Melissa they had sexy chemistry too bad they didn't sing elephant medley, but he nailed El Tango Roxanne. For the broadway the best chemistry of Christian and Satine is Aaron Tveit & Ashley Loren. Let's see how the chemistry will be with Courtney Reed & Casey Cott.

[@cedgson91]

The Tina one may have persuaded me to see it Didn’t realise how hard hitting the story was until I saw it The end of act 1 broke me Still need to see cabaret I was confused by operation mincemeat performance Wandering whether the song was done out of context 🤔 Loved Lizzie ❤

[@Marculator]

I saw spitting image: idiots assemble and it was actually really good with great songs but pretty much all of the songs would not be able to work at west end live. But it is a hilarious show!

[@blake4604]

Georgina Onuorah blew it out of the water- phenomenal!!

[@Sabrinajaine]

I didn't have much interest in seeing Matilda but Lauren Bryne's performance was incredible

[@Simplenotion]

she opens her mouth and gold comes out...she's spectacular

[@beek.4860]

i was in london in june and saw her! i sobbed through all of "my house."

[@Simplenotion]

@@beek.4860 very jealous

[@thelastsaxtop]

I'm surprised you liked the performance of You'll Be Back. I thought it was very dull for a song that's supposed to be funny and satirical. If Joel moved at all, you couldn't see it on the big screen. Also, having a display of military might over an arts festival seemed incredibly bad taste to me.

[@MickeyJoTheatre]

That's very much the direction of the number, King George barely moves throughout.

[@thelastsaxtop]

@@MickeyJoTheatre Fair enough, although I still reckon it fell quite short of the bar set by Jonathan Groff.

[@amnesiacapothecary]

Please please listen to the full album, the English album from 14 has most of the tracks from the show

[@amnesiacapothecary]

Just realized I never specified, I meant death note lmao

[@joseph.westbury]

My favourites were Les Mis, Heathers, Showstopper, Lucie Jones, Rachel Tucker and Trevor

[@sweigh72]

Wait what Michael Ball missing the opportunity to sing to the Public and be a general lovey …… surly a public enquiry is needed 😮

[@Muswell]

I disagree about the "Ain't Too Proud" set. They did the songs that were popular in the UK. ("Ain't Too Proud" is not a very well-known song in the UK - it didn't make top 20).

[@CecTate-x6r]

❤

[@gstone8255]

I ❤Frozen the Musical ❗️

[@carolinedoherty3169]

Suprised you quickly scanned over the Hamilton performance and how poor it was.

[@amydaskilewicz9076]

Death Note?! A rap??!!

[@livvjanee]

Wasn’t a fan of Six this year tbh!

[@laurenyardley-moore268]

i wanted mincemeat to do all the ladies sooo badly

[@xxtinkerbell91xx]

Last year was the year of understudies, this year is the year of no costumes it seems

[@laurenospina8066]

That Oklahoma revival was sooooo bad. It’s the only show I’ve ever thought was truly terrible

[@samuelblachon95130]

OMG hey

[@maria-madalinaifrim7095]

Where is annie get your gun going to be played? ☺️

[@MickeyJoTheatre]

The Lavender Theatre, a new outdoor venue in Surrey!

[@afroditav]

what about Lucie Jones and the Barricade boys on Sunday?

[@PS-DLMA]

And Rachel Tuckers solo set

[@Vertigotheatre1]

Crazy for You was one of the high points

[@MickeyJoTheatre]

I cannot wait to see it again soon!

[@josephlaufer4154]

MickeyJo. . . how do you do this? I think I give you a title: MickeyJo Theater Master, MJO. Phd. Amazing -- Hugs | Joseph 🦓

[@annabarnes5221]

I think All American Prophet would be a good Book of Mormon one to do for West End Live. You get to showcase your Elder Price, there's a lot of the show's humor but I don't think there's swearing in that number.

[@Vertigotheatre1]

Diva might have been one of the most embarrassing things I think I've ever seen on the stage. The 'singing' the 'dancing', oh lord.

[@ollieacres5736]

why no guys and dolls?

[@beek.4860]

I think they're technically Off-West End.

[@marcuspd7502]

I cannot believe you are criticizing performances at a casual event meant to help sell tickets to help an already struggling industry. Just review actual shows.

[@PS-DLMA]

And he is speaking to how the song choices matter....he is cheering on all performances....

[@sarak.1742]

The point of WEL is to promote theatre, so any show that does not use this opportunity as best as they can will not get a boost in ticket sales. So I think his critique is valid. He also points out several times what a hard gig this as the tech issues cannot be avoided, plus the fact that you are on an outdoor stage not inside a theatre...

[@solitarychele]

He’s a professional theatre critic. He can critique any theatre he wants. Sheesh.

[@marcuspd7502]

@@solitarychele It’s not theatre. It’s a concert presented casually as a gift to fans and to help promote the shows and sell tickets. Sheesh yourself.

[@Muswell]

​@@marcuspd7502 And it's for precisely that reason that the shows presentations, performances & song choices are so important. And MickeyJo is excellent at critiquing them.