★★★★

“Musical director Scott Hayes’ arrangements are powerful, lush and choral, and are ready to waltz straight into the Albert Hall”

Just as Charing Cross Hospital bears no geographical resemblance to Charing Cross itself, Brick Lane Music Hall is considerably more than a stone’s throw away from Brick Lane. Somewhere near London City Airport lies St Mark’s Church, tucked between a flyover and something else urban and concrete; its Victorian gothic beauty shining out like a guiding star on Christmas Eve. Walking through its hallowed doors is like stepping into Christmas. And stepping back in time.

Brick Lane Music Hall’s Christmas production, hosted by the insanely charismatic (or charismatically insane) Vincent Hayes, has become a long-standing highlight of London’s festive calendar. And this year’s show is no exception, combining traditional entertainment with rich slices of fresh innuendo, magical music and dollops of cheesy fun. Hayes is a master of the craft, his skill sharpened by a long-standing passion for music hall dating back to opening his original venue (in Brick Lane) back in 1992 with the support of stars including Danny La Rue and Barbara Windsor. Thirty-three years later he’s still going strong, and a few hours spent in his – and his friends – glittering company shows you why. Hayes comes armed with a sharp mind, coupled with a warm and quick-witted banter that immediately puts his audience at ease. Scripted jokes jostle for place among the ad libs as he chats to us like old mates.

We are encouraged to sing along, although there are times when we prefer to sit back and relish the variety of talent and virtuosity assembled on the stage. Guest singer Andrew Robley croons a jolly ‘Holly Dolly Christmas’ before launching into a moving version of the David Essex festive favourite, ‘A Winter’s Tale’. The show morphs into a music hall, carol service hybrid as he is joined by Ronnie Scott regular William Byrne, along with Lucy Reed, Samantha McNeil, Jake Lawrence and Charlotte Fage; members of the Brick Lane Music Hall Company. Many a time we wonder how a sextet can produce a nine-part harmony. Musical director Scott Hayes’ arrangements are powerful, lush and choral, and are ready to waltz straight into the Albert Hall.

Vincent Hayes knows when to puncture the atmosphere with humour, notably with a falsetto version of ‘The Snowman’, as though his lungs are filled with a few canisters of helium. Later he shows us – along with partner in crime Robley – what really lies under a choirmaster’s cassock during a hilarious routine. The humour is perfectly pitched, and blends in with his heartfelt soliloquies and the rousing musical highlights. By Royal appointment, Victoria Yellop commands the stage with her violin, recreating Christmas at Balmoral with Scottish jigs and reels, before delivering a moving ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’, and then joining in with the other performers.

An extended interval allows us to mingle and enjoy the seasonal refreshment. This show was a matinee, and the afternoon tea is highly recommended – a three-tiered platter of sandwiches, scones and mince pies with free-flowing cups of ‘proper’ tea; strong and traditional. You can indulge as much as you want: the energy that bounces off the stage in the second act will burn off the calories as fast as the glorious harmonies will wash them down. A selection-box, mash-up of Christmas hits precedes a ‘Country Christmas’ routine which, in turn, precedes a music-from-the-movies moment. And so it goes; medley after medley, right up to the joyous finale of ‘White Christmas’; the whole company in white and gold, Yellop’s violin cutting through the lush chorale arrangement, and Hayes dressed as our fairy godmother. We don’t need his wand (ooer missus) to be touched by the magic of Christmas. It’s here, in Brick Lane Music Hall, served up on a platter. It’s all in title of the show: “The Magic of Christmas”. The season has truly begun.

RIDE THE CYCLONE

Southwark Playhouse Elephant

★★★★

“You come away feeling slightly giddy, but feeling good”

With the proliferation of new musicals roller coasting into theatreland, you’d think it hard to find an original subject to base one around. Currently, there seem to be two ways to go; either you can dredge up an old, safe favourite or else take the quirky route and think outside the box. Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell are obviously advocates of the latter. Six teenagers who die in a freak accident on a fairground ride is an unlikely starting point. A hard sell perhaps? “Ride the Cyclone” first appeared on the Canadian fringe in 2009, before heading Off-Broadway, via Chicago, a few years later. It has taken nearly ten years for it to cross the pond for its European premiere in London but, like those long, concertina queues we used to find ourselves in for the latest fairground attraction, it has been worth the wait.

The musical begins with a mysterious and headless girl circling the stage, singing a short song, dreaming of life. Cut to the even more mysterious ‘The Amazing Karnak’ (Edward Wu), a mechanical fortune teller, watching from on high. He is able to predict the exact moment and method of a person’s death. Even his own – which is very imminent, despite him already being in the afterlife (we can overlook this minor quibble) preparing himself to introduce the perished teenagers. Karnak has a game for them. Each will be given the chance to tell their story, in song, to win the chance to return to life. What follows is a cycle of song and monologue that occasionally baffles but always delights with its mix of absurdist humour, candid insight, bizarre ideas, emotional honesty and musical virtuosity. Irreverently frivolous one moment, genuinely heartfelt the next. Admittedly it borders on the saccharine at times, but the writers’ sharp knife always cuts through it in time.

Wu’s Karnak holds the fort like a camp and deadpan Greek God. First up is Ocean, played with real zest by Baylie Carson. Satirically self-important, she still manages to get the others’ backs up, especially best friend Constance (Robyn Gilbertson). We have to wait a while for Constance’s song – ‘Jawbreaker/Sugar Cloud’ – during which Gilbertson truly shines, revealing a deeper character than one who lost her virginity ‘just to get it out of the way’. A highlight of the show is ‘Noel’s Lament’, a gorgeous cabaret pastiche performed by Damon Gould with expert dancing and a velvet voice as he dreams of being a French prostitute. The eclectic quality of the musical numbers is demonstrated when Bartek Kraszewski’s Mischa brilliantly launches into a gangsta rap number complete with a flourish of breakdancing, while Grace Galloway’s headless girl lends her gorgeous operatic soprano to ‘The Ballad of Jane Doe’; a stunning waltz number that induces goosebumps. Then there is Ricky, whose dream of becoming an intergalactic saviour of sexy cat women (don’t ask) is brought to life in song; stunningly performed by Jack Maverick.

Director Lizzi Gee amazingly manages to bring cohesion to this disparate and totally bizarre concoction of life stories. Her choreography is meticulous, adapting itself to each and every genre and musical style seamlessly. There are moments when the inter-song monologues outstay their welcome, but the overall ride still remains on the peaks rather than the troughs. Musical Director Ben McQuigg’s five-piece band mixes power with clarity, and embraces the variety of the repertoire with panache. Every cast member has the vocal, movement and acting skills to tackle the material, making this eccentric show appear to be the most natural and obvious idea for a musical imaginable.

It is a thrilling ride, one which has that sense of danger even though you want to laugh out loud, right up to its upbeat finale. You come away feeling slightly giddy, but feeling good. Against all better judgement you find yourself wanting to join the queue again for another go.

THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS

Brick Lane Music Hall

★★★★

“Musical director Scott Hayes’ arrangements are powerful, lush and choral, and are ready to waltz straight into the Albert Hall”

THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS

Brick Lane Music Hall

Reviewed on 22nd November 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Lucy Hayes

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THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS

THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS

THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS

RIDE THE CYCLONE

Southwark Playhouse Elephant

★★★★

“You come away feeling slightly giddy, but feeling good”

RIDE THE CYCLONE

Southwark Playhouse Elephant

Reviewed on 19th November 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Danny Kaan

Recently reviewed at Southwark Playhouse venues:

RIDE THE CYCLONE

RIDE THE CYCLONE

RIDE THE CYCLONE

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