Florrie Elizabeth.

I wonder if writer Richard O’Brien expected The Rocky Horror Show to enthral audiences of hundreds more than 45 years after it debuted at the tiny Royal Court in London. Exploring themes of gender identity and sexuality in a tribute to mid-20 th century science fiction, O’Brien’s outrageous and energetic Rocky Horror Show is an immense amount of fun. The show follows the eye-opening encounters of newly engaged couple Brad and Janet, who unintentionally become the guests of a death-defying extravaganza one stormy night. Stephen Webb marvels as scientist Frank-N-Furter, commanding the stage of the tour’s remarkable cast throughout his confident portrayal of the wild Transylvanian transvestite. Philip Franks excels as The Narrator, modernising the 1973 musical with a remark on Brexit proceedings and responding with sharp wit to engagement from the audience, and former Strictly Come Dancing professional Joanne Clifton puts on an equally compelling performance as Janet. Clifton’s...

Full of charm, wit and heartwrenching emotion, the Take That musical is simply divine. The musical follows the lives of a group of 16-year-old schoolgirls who have bonded over their adoration for 'the band'. The girls’ dream becomes reality when they have the opportunity to see the boy band live but tragedy strikes and their friendship breaks apart. 25 years on, a competition win could rekindle the girls once more. Featuring all the Take That classics from ‘Never Forget’ to ‘Rule the World’, this is a musical no 90s fan can miss. www.thebandmusical.com 'The Band' are made up of the five winners from BBC One's Let It Shine AJ Bentley, Nick Carsberg, Curtis T Johns, Yazdan Qafouri and Sario Solomon who make up pop group Five to Five. The sublime quintet is on stage for the majority of the production, touchingly representing the fact that, deep down, the boys are there wherever the girls go. Each performer offers vocals just as strong as the other a...

From the moment the lights come on, it is clear that something is not right in the Manningham household. Set in Victorian Britain, the 1938 Patrick Hamilton play is where the term ‘gaslighting’ originates from- and it does not take long to work out why. Domineering Jack Manningham [Rupert Young] has psychologically manipulated his wife Bella [Kara Tointon] into doubting her sanity, in order to achieve his own aims. When a peculiar retired police officer [Keith Allen] with an acute interest in the life of the Manninghams unexpectedly arrives, this thrilling play truly commences. While the play begins quite slowly, a sudden twist reveals why the time for heavy character development was necessary. Kara Tointon portrays the maddened Bella with credibility and precision.  Her chilling, stilted stage speech contrasts perfectly with the arrogance of Young's patriarchal Jack. That said, for a character of such turbulence in the play, Young’s portrayal of Jack is understated in the first...

If you're one of the literary buffs who has heard of Christopher Marlowe's 'Dr. Faustus', you'd probably be surprised to hear of a theatre production of the play involving full-frontal nudity, rape and a whole lot of bodily fluid. Recently, I watched The Jamie Lloyd Theatre Company's adaptation of the play and, yes, that is exactly what it entailed.  'Dr. Faustus' follows the aspirations of academic Dr. John Faustus, who, in exchange for 24 years of power, wealth and honour, agrees to sign his soul away to the Devil. Lloyd's modern rewrite of the play intelligently mixed old with new; instead of presenting heavy criticism of the Catholic Church, the play focuses on the dark side of celebrity. The titular role of Faustus was performed by none other than Kit Harington (aka Jon Snow of 'Game of Thrones'), who, you'll be pleased to know, was very much alive at the Duke of York's Theatre, London. For those who know the plot of ...

Not many artists can say that they've had five number ones before releasing their debut album but one 25-year-old can. Known for featuring in the song of 2014 ‘Rather Be’, Jess Glynne has come a long way since her rejection from The X-Factor ten years ago. Her album, ‘I Cry When I Laugh’, retains the dance vibes she has become renowned for from her singles, but also experiments with softer sounds, notably on album track ‘Take Me Home’. Citing her influences to include Amy Winehouse, Aretha Franklin and Frank Ocean, the album diverts away from the typical pop regime, with elements of R&B featuring in the tracks. For the album, the London girl palled up with fellow British artist Emeli San d é  t o collaborate on “Saddest Vanilla”- an appropriate name choice for a song so lackadaisical. Despite the docile pace of the song, this track stands out- for all the wrong reasons. I can appreciate the fact that Glynne wanted a mix of tempos on the album but the dreary track merely ...

It was the Friday evening of one of the most stressful weeks I've had in months. There had to be the perfect occasion to celebrate the week coming to an end. And indeed there was. Last Friday, I took a trip up to the brand-spanking new Dorfman Theatre on London's South Bank to new immersive theatrical pieces, Here Lies Love, new to the UK after its triumphant run on Broadway. Produced by legends Fatboy Slim and David Byrne, when I had first read about the piece, I was immediately intrigued and snapped up some tickets. The piece reflects on previous events in the life of the former First Lady of the Philippines, Imelda Markos, from her destitute childhood to life as the First Lady, and then to her ultimate farewell to life in politics. Although I knew to expect to feel involved in the piece, admittedly, I perhaps didn't quite prepare myself for the extent I was to be 'immersed'. My first thought when I walked into the theatre: what on earth have I put myself up...