Can-Can! - The Union Theatre - ★★★★ - Until March 9, 2019


A frothy mix of Victorian melodrama, Belle Epoque personalities and eclectic music, this production is a light, but satisfying musical pastry. The book loosely based on a drama by Sir Arthur Wing Pinero transports his story to the colourful era of France before World War I. It is updated to reflect some modern themes and to bring new life to a simple plot. As part of the "Enemies of the People" series we get a lighter, but still trenchant skewering of hypocrisy that brings relevance to the piece. Kathy Peacock's Jane Avril was a delight, and the re-imagining of La Goulue and her story by Phil Willmott and PK Taylor brought a touching and contemporary angle to the show. For us, the star of the night was the Can-can. Congrats, Adam Haigh. Some amazing work in a very confined space. Can-can! does does. See it. See it.

Reviewed by J.C.

 Our Score:  ☆☆☆☆ 

Want to save on tickets? See our Tips page.

 WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE:
Feb 6 - Mar 9, 2019
Tue - Sat: 7:30 pm, Sat & Sun: 2:30 pm
The Union Theatre
Nearest tube: Southwark
http://uniontheatre.biz/can-can.html
Map & Location: 229 Union St, London SE1 0LR, UK

Most Popular

ABBA Voyage ★★★★★ ABBA Arena, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park | Extended Run

Image
When great music from the past meets mind boggling technology from the future, the result is ABBA Voyage . This is a concert like no other. In a purpose built arena designed specifically for the show, massive high resolution LED screens, advanced lighting, and surround sound are used to create a fully immersive ABBA concert experience. Although the group’s last appearance in London was at Wembley Arena in 1979, they return technologically in this extraordinary production. These are not holograms or AI generated performances. This is a meticulously animated concert based on real performances by the band themselves. To achieve this effect, the group came together and re-performed their music using motion capture technology. They partnered with top visual effects experts to digitally recreate their younger selves. While the show includes a live band and backup singers, the Agnetha, Björn, Benny, and Anni-Frid seen on stage appear every bit as real as their original counterparts. One quick...
Full Details »

Now You See Me Live ★★★★ London Coliseum | Jul 31 - Sep 6, 2026

Image
Now You See Me , the 2013 heist thriller about four illusionists known as the Four Horsemen, combined magic, mystery and action as its central characters staged elaborate robberies under the cover of spectacular live performances. The film has now inspired a stage show that brings together some of the world's leading magicians. They include French illusionist Enzo Weyne, who specialises in large-scale illusions, Italian escape artist Andrew Basso, inspired by Harry Houdini, Canadian magician Gabriella Lester, whose act combines sleight of hand and escapes, and British mentalist Matthew Pomeroy, known for mind reading and interactive performances. In a production showcasing the breadth of modern magic, this world-class quartet is joined by Britain's Got Talent performers Eden Choi and Rafferty Coope, alongside hypnotist Fraser Penman. Aimed at audiences aged five and above, Now You See Me makes for a thoroughly enjoyable family outing, while delivering enough skill, spectacle ...
Full Details »

Summer Exhibition 2026 ★★★★ Royal Academy of Arts | Jun 16 - Aug 23, 2026

Image
The theme of the 258th Summer Exhibition, “Interconnectedness,” makes tracing links between the works on display both a fascinating and at times overwhelming experience. While this year’s works on view appear to contain less overt political commentary and fewer instances of humour than is often typical of such events, both are still present in striking moments. Tim Shaw’s powerful portrayal of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Pin It On Them (Associated Artwork From the Installation: Shut It Piggy) (555) can be juxtaposed with the playful absurdity of Joey Rutherford’s Pickle With a Pearl Earring (1110) , reminding viewers of the range of tones running through the exhibition. Alongside these, there are the usual charming animal representations, including our favourite, the highly realistic cat in Thus Regard Palmerston (793) , as well as the standard attempts to shock and provoke, such as Tracey Emin’s There Is An End To Everything (674) . The collection continues to move between cur...
Full Details »

St. Martin in-the-fields: Lunchtime Concerts ★★★★ FREE

Image
Maybe the best musical value in London. The lunchtime concerts at St. Martin's are always a wonderful way to escape the hustle and bustle that is London and the sensory overload that is Trafalgar Square. This is a beautiful setting with great acoustics, and a church pew hard enough to make sure you don't nod off. Reviewed by J.C.  Our score:    ☆☆☆☆  WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE: Mon & Fri: 1 pm - 1:45 pm ( occasionally Tues & Thurs)  St. Martin in-the-fields, Trafalgar Square Nearest tube: Charing Cross https://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/whats-on
Full Details »

Here Comes J. Edgar! A Comedy Musical ★★★★ King's Head Theatre | Jul 10 - Aug 16, 2026

Image
In 1994, writer Harry Shearer, best known for The Simpsons and This Is Spinal Tap , joined forces with Tom Leopold of Cheers and Seinfeld to create a radio satire about J. Edgar Hoover, the controversial director of the FBI for almost fifty years. Hoover became notorious for allegedly blackmailing successive presidents to secure his position, refusing to investigate organised crime in the United States, and relentlessly cultivating his own public image. Behind the façade of the fearless crime-fighting anti-communist crusader, however, lay a secret life, including a long-term relationship with fellow FBI agent Clyde Tolson and the enduring stories surrounding the famous photograph of Hoover in drag. Hoover was also a gambler associated with various mobsters. This is material ripe for satire, and Shearer and Leopold have the impeccable comic credentials to tackle it. For Here Comes J. Edgar! A Comedy Musical  they are joined by the award-winning composer Peter Matz, whose score pl...
Full Details »

Cats ★★★★ Regent's Park Open Air Theatre | Jul 25 - Sep 19, 2026

Image
T. S. Eliot's whimsical poetry collection Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats was published in 1939. More than four decades later, Andrew Lloyd Webber transformed most of its poems into Cats , which premiered in 1981 and became a theatrical phenomenon, running for 21 years in the West End and 18 on Broadway. Eliot's poems introduce an eccentric gallery of feline characters including Jennyanydots, The Rum Tum Tugger, Bustopher Jones, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, Gus the Theatre Cat, Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat, Growltiger, Macavity and Mr Mistoffelees. Lloyd Webber and director Trevor Nunn fashioned a slender narrative around them, introducing the outcast Grizabella, who does not appear in Eliot's collection, and giving her the now iconic song "Memory." The story centres on the annual Jellicle Ball, where the elderly Old Deuteronomy gathers the tribe to celebrate each cat through song and dance before choosing one to be reborn into a new Jellicle life. Narr...
Full Details »

Richard Dadd: Beyond Bedlam ★★★★ Royal Academy of Arts | Jul 25 - Oct 25, 2026

Image
The story of Richard Dadd (1817–1886) is one of the most extraordinary and tragic in British art. A prodigiously talented painter whose gifts were recognised from an early age, Dadd’s promising career was shattered by a psychotic episode in which he murdered his father. He spent the remainder of his life in asylums, where, remarkably, he continued to draw and paint, producing some of the most intricate and imaginative works of the Victorian era. For too long, Dadd has been defined by the shocking act that led to his confinement. The great achievement of this exhibition, his first major survey since the 1970s, is to redirect attention to what matters most: the art itself. Dadd is best known for his intricate fairy paintings, populated by mythical creatures, spirits and fantastical landscapes. His masterpiece, The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke , the result of almost nine years' work, remains one of the most astonishing achievements of Victorian painting. Its miniature world of fairies...
Full Details »

Midnight at the Never Get ★★★★ Menier Chocolate Factory | Until September 12, 2026

Image
Midnight at the Never Get is set in 1960s New York and tells the story of a singer and composer who fall in love and create a cabaret act together. It is a time when homosexuality is criminalised and gay bars are routinely raided by the police. When Trevor (Ben Platt) and Arthur (Gregor Milne) decide not to alter the pronouns in their love songs, they effectively consign themselves to performing in back-room venues such as Greenwich Village's The Never Get rather than pursuing mainstream success. Mark Sonnenblick has written a show that captures this dark chapter in LGBTQ+ history with sensitivity and warmth, accompanied by a score that is steeped in the traditions of the Great American Songbook. The ballads are deeply affecting; the comic numbers are clever and catchy. The melodies are memorable, and the lyrics are literate. The book is full of heart, and at its centre is a love story that feels entirely convincing. Equally compelling is the show's exploration of the politica...
Full Details »

The Divine Mrs S ★★★ Hampstead Theatre | Mar 22 - Apr 27, 2024

Image
Sarah Siddons was the most influential actress of her day. She was famed for her portrayal of Lady Macbeth and has been credited with the creation of the modern notion of celebrity. Borrowing an epithet most often associated with Sarah Bernhardt, playwright April De Angelis contrasts how Mrs Siddons is celebrated on stage but is confined by both her gender and her marital status when off. She is patronised by her actor/manager brother and her money is taken by her estranged and philandering husband. In the theatre, Siddons may experience power over her audience, but in real life she is subject to the patriarchal hierarchy of her time. This point is made obviously and repeatedly throughout the play which presents the great tragedienne's life in an almost farcical style. While the show exists in a historical context it is not bound, linguistically or factually, by that reality. The plot and characters recall a Regency comedy. They are representations of types, bearing little relation...
Full Details »

Death Note: The Musical ★★★★ Barbican Theatre | Jul 30 - Sep 12, 2026

Image
Calling all manga mavens and animé aficionados! Death Note returns in a full-scale production, pitting Light and L against each other on a spectacular set designed by Jon Bausor. Following successful runs in Japan and Korea, and a London concert version in 2023, the production arrives with two new numbers written especially for it. The story of a schoolboy and a super sleuth locked in a battle of wits after the former discovers a notebook that allows him to kill anyone whose name he writes in it has been streamlined from its original manga version, but the essentials remain. Questions of law versus justice, whether the ends can ever justify the means, and the corrupting influence of power are deftly woven into the cat-and-mouse game between the two protagonists. All this unfolds against the existential questions raised by the shinigami, or death gods, and their intervention in human affairs. The absorbing story moves at a brisk pace, while Frank Wildhorn’s score brings considerable de...
Full Details »

The City Life Magazine | Reviews & Ratings