Theatre review: Clueless

If there's a musical theatre assembly line more relentless than the one that produces Strallens, it's the one that adapts classic teen movies for the stage, and the latest is Amy Heckerling (book,) KT Tunstall (music) and Glenn Slater's Clueless, based on Heckerling's 1995 film, itself based loosely on Jane Austen's Emma. Set among the obscenely wealthy and spectacularly un-self-aware teens of Beverly Hills, Cher (Emma Flynn) sees herself as the school's problem-solver and matchmaker, although she's regularly challenged on her supposedly altruistic motives by her ex-stepbrother Josh (Keelan McAuley,) acquired during one of her father's brief marriages. When grungy New Yorker Tai (Romona Lewis-Malley) transfers to the school, Cher and best friend Dionne (Chyna-Rose Frederick) take her on as a project.

Theatre review: Sister Act

I've so far managed to avoid every incarnation of Sister Act The Musical that's run in London, not out of any particular animosity towards it, just because the idea's never really grabbed my interest. I was quite happy to skip the latest production as well, which was originally due to run exactly two years ago, then got postponed again last year. Due to star the source film's leading lady Whoopi Goldberg, it was a hot ticket but I was put off by the idea of the venue. Two years and two reschedules later, Goldberg was no longer available, but to be honest Beverley Knight was a bigger draw for me personally; she leads a cast of big names that include Jennifer Saunders, Keala Settle, Clive Rowe, Lesley Joseph and Lizzie Bea. Alan Menken (music,) Glenn Slater (lyrics,) Bill & Cheri Steinkellner (book) and Douglas Carter Beane's (additional material) musical moves the film's story to 1977, to give the songs disco and Motown influences.

Theatre review: School of Rock

I know it's getting to the point where I'm seeing The Horrors Of This Year in absolutely everything, but you've got to admit there's something very 2016 to a show all about "sticking it to the man" composed by, and making a healthy profit for, the very dictionary definition of The Man. Dr Baron Dame Sir Andrew Lloyd Lord Webber BA (Hons) MEng composes the stage adaptation of the film School of Rock, with lyrics by Glenn Slater and book by Julian "here proles, let me dumb down Shakespeare for you so you don't get drool all over him" Fellowes, just in case the disconnect between subject matter and creative team wasn't surreal enough already. School of Rock is the story of an expensive private school that should be the subject of numerous lawsuits due to its dangerously negligent lack of background checking on potential new staff.