London Musicals Ranked (Plus A Show From Liverpool Too!)

I was recently in London and managed twelve musicals in eight days – and believe me, I would have seen more had I could (the lack of Monday matinee was frustrating). The additional purpose of my trip was to attend the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool, and I managed to see a musical while I was there too.

I thought, considering many of these are currently still playing, that it would be fun to rank the musicals I saw from worst to best. Note, none were bad, but something has to come last.

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REVIEW: The Phantom of the Opera

The Phantom of the Opera has come to Melbourne’s State Theatre, The Art Centre – and you’d be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t heard of the Andrew Lloyd Webber classic, let alone someone who didn’t rank it in their top 10 favourite musicals.

Thus, the expectation is higher than your average show. Succeed, and you have a hit on your hands. Fail, and there would be outroar in the streets!

Luckily, the 2022-2023 production falls in the former.

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A Christmas Carol set to have its Australian premiere at Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre in November 2022

Two visionary Tony Award winners — director Matthew Warchus (Matilda the Musical) and playwright Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) — have created a magical new interpretation of Charles Dickens’ timeless story, A Christmas Carol.

Dickens’ 1843 novella tells the story of a selfish and greedy old man, Ebenezer Scrooge, who hates everything related to Christmas. Ultimately a tale of compassion and redemption, after being visited by Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come, Scrooge is changed into a better man.

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Triple Olivier Award-winning West End play EMILIA makes Australian debut at Arts Centre Melbourne

photo credit: Pia Johnson

From the West End to Australia, the ground-breaking triple Olivier Award-winning stage show EMILIA will make its Australian debut at Arts Centre Melbourne from 10 – 27 November.

Inspired by 17th century poet and revolutionist Emilia Bassano – the supposed ‘Dark Lady’ of Shakespeare’s sonnets – the highly lauded show, written by British playwright Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, features a team entirely made up of women and non-binary creatives from diverse cultural backgrounds.

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