I was so shocked that our Fair and Balanced King gave a show one star, I absolutely HAD to watch this IMMEDIATELY.

A one-star review from Mickey-Jo? Consider me very intrigued.

"Big picture issues, everyone was a lunatic." - Me describing any random day in my life.

Off topic but I like the longer hair look!

babe wake up a one star Mickey jo theatre review just dropped

I can appreciate how creative a camera on stage can be but also it feels like the creatives are forgetting that people going to see a play or musical don’t necessary want to watch something via a screen.

I know giving such low star reviews can feel really disheartening, but as a viewer I really appreciate the honesty and the authenticity you bring to every review whether its positive or negative. It really goes to show that you are a trustworthy source of knowledge and critique in my opinion - not just one of those people who gives glowing review after glowing review to ensure they can keep being invited to things for free. We really appreciate you Mickey! 😊

My exact reaction to this thumbnail was "ooh a show I was thinking about going to see that a reviewer is calling terrible? Colour me intrigued."

To answer your question, the video effect you were referring to is called "Optical Feedback" (or "Video Feedback"). It is the visual equivalent of the feedback you get when holding a microphone in front of the speaker. Optical feedback was used extensively in music videos of the 1970s and 80s - Bohemian Rhapsody being a prime example. It was also a common visual effect in low-budget sci-fi TV shows like Doctor Who and Star Trek. 🙂

When Mickey Jo struggles to find something good to say about your show, it's time to reevaluate your life choices.

I had to read the programme to find out that the Directors wife (Amy Lennox) actually had a name! -_-

Ooooooooo, seeing one star for the review makes me so curious because i feel like you rarely go that low...time to watch the video

One star is generous - saw it during previews, i'm not exaggerating that during the interval the entire first two rows of the upper circle were all discussing if they should return for the second act. The staging was terrible - if felt like we had paid to watch a rubbish student film being recorded. The actors were playing to the cameras, not the audience - including many scenes (inc. the writer's big ballad) which were performed to the side of the stage, out of sight of the audience so they can belt into the camera with the right background. Sheridan survives the show, but couldn't rescue it - it was poorly conceived from the very start.

Hi I met you today at Wild about you and you were so lovely so thank you for making it such a special experience (I also met the cast which was incredible)

Mickey: Do you know the John Cassavette’s film, Opening Night, with Jenna Rowland? It’s one of my favorite films and when I heard Van Hove was directing this stage production, I knew it wouldn’t work. I highly recommend you watching the film because it goes into the psychological complexity of the main character and the “opening night” is hysterical! I think your giving a review about the movie and comparing it to the current production would be interesting.

I don’t think I’ve ever clicked so fast to see your thoughts on this! After that first impressions video, I knew you would show no mercy!

The image/mirror repetition is called mise-em-abyme!! Same as the end of the title number for Sunset Boulevard

Would love a follow up where you go through some of the press reviews because I've seen everything from 1 to 5 stars, would be cool to hear your thoughts!!

Saw it in previews, totally confused with the whole production. Cast were great especially with the material they were given. Saw people walk out! Even Benjamin Walker made an ad lib line to the audience which was the only good bit of the show. One Star is all it deserved and that was only because the actors were good. Well done in your review totally accurate in ALL areas.

Hoping you make another visit to NYC soon! I’m going at the end of May and have tickets for Merrily but would love to hear your thoughts on all of the new shows opening😍

It sounds like this show has large storyline and tone parallels to All About Eve, recently directed by van Hove in London. Troubled Broadway actress surrounded by unsupportive men, an obsessed young fan, scenes in the dressing room mirror, projections above. Surprising to me that Mickey never mentions this.

I adore this review 🤣 This review has amused me so much, I now have a slight soft spot for Opening Night for inspiring this review 🤣💜

Omg I was just about to leave a comment on your previous video asking if you’ve watched the show and would review it, cause I saw so many negative commentary about it on my TikTok feed. Great timing.

i've never clicked so quickly!! amazing review as always - but what is with the lens flare on the sides of the video? its suuuuuper distracting

Thank you for the sanity, Mickey-Jo. The reviews have me feeling as if I saw a different show. I can't believe the fawning. Hair looks great by the way.

Wonderful review. Fascinating to watch you expertly, plainly and fairly dissect a dissatisfying evening of theatre. I have always admired your work and the fact that you have invented yourself into such a credible voice. Thanks and more power to you Mr. Jo Theatre.

My boyfriend and I shared too many knowing looks during this show…. After reading in the program that the playwright in the film was 65 years old I feel like there was a massive part of the plot missed by casting an actor who is at most 10 years older than Sheridan if not the same age. All that said that actor, Sarah Hughes, gave my favourite performance in the show.

I saw the stage show this afternoon and loved it! Watch the 1977 film version for some context before going and you'll understand the creative approach and multiple layers of this captivating story. Don't assume the critics are always right - support the arts, see it and decide for yourselves.

Thank you for your honesty! We need critical voices who are constructive but also fair-minded, and who are willing to say it when a show is not good. Not every show deserves a rave, and it's a relief to hear this. Honestly? As a singer myself, I know that not every singing performance I give is great. Sometimes I REALLY suck, and I would rather that people are as honest with me as I am with myself. I know when I am giving my all - and also when I have bombed, or I just have not been at my best. I wish we could all be more honest in our views on the art we consume! Thanks.

This was the first musical that I watched thinking: why are these people singing...and also :why is everyone having a meltdown...and what's happening...Everyone was so unlikable...it's such a shame because the cast was amazing and I even really enjoyed the staging...and somewhat the last scene which demonstrated how good this should have been

Glad to hear they have changed it so Shira Haas *walks* off after the car crash, because when we saw it in previews she crawled off, presumably she was meant to dramatically disappear - but everyone could see her, which was hilarious. As for the rest of it - a confusing, self-indulgent, pseudo-intellectual mess. I just felt bad for the actors saddled with it.

Omg thank god, i saw this show on maybe the 3rd preview and left feeling completely insane myself lol

You hit the nail on the head. I saw it on the 3rd night of previews and hoped some serious edits and rewrites would save the show, but it was honestly too much of a mess to fix. Wouldn't it be amazing if indepent reviewers like you could sit in on rehearsals and provide the kind of feedback you've given here?! I was shocked that nobody associated in creating this show had put their hand up and said WTF is this? To be honest, I just felt bad for the extremely talented cast. They surely noticed the lack of standing ovation and the empty seats in the audience for the second half. I stuck with it until the end, but so many people called it quits at the intermission. So yes - it's frustrating for tother shows that derserve to be showing in the West End, and frustrating for me that I had to pay West End prices for a ticket. Sheridan Smith, Nicola Hughes, Amy Lennox and Shira Haas are clearly phenomenal talents and I was embarssed for them having to chew their way through this material every night.

Oh no! Haven't watched it yet but Im a fan of Rufus so I was looking forward to new music from him for this!

Pleeeease do a review roundup about this I am so curious to know what other critics said/if anyone liked it

Love, love this review!! You made me laugh out loud - which apparently various audience members did for all of the wrong reasons!!!

In all seriousness, you really give me hope for your generation, as you wrote about feelings, connections, depth, and so much more. You even felt for the actors in this show being trapped with inadequate scripts. You are really great. I think I will watch the movie. I'm 72 and new movies often feel "flat" and emotionless to me.

I saw an early preview, I hear they'd cut 20 mins by show lock so I assumed it'd be a lot tighter, more cohesive etc but couldn't see how they could fix some vital elements which I thought were truly awful and nonsensical. I completely agree with your review. I was frustrated by how ridiculous/silly/poorly written so much of it was and as a theatre performer and creative infuriated by how much truly good new innovative work there is that will never get a chance to receive even a fraction of a huge budget like this. It absolutely feels like a film set, the action is set on Broadway so the use of the live camera on an obviously West End street is just stupid, the live/recorded action was out of sync when I saw it, the music was stylistically confusing and neither supported or drove the narrative. The Pet Shop Boys moment was beyond cringe. The Guardian has given it 4*s... I'm glad for Sheridan Smith as she's a great actress. The cast are all great, well, the actors that are actually used. It's not that I 'didn't get it' it's that it was unforgivably poorly written and under developed.

Not sure what to do now as I have tickets for it. Really wanted to see Sheridan Smith in a show and was sad I didn't get to see Shirley Valentine.

I was in London a week ago and realised on the last day that there was something on with Hadley Fraser in it, so I was sad I noticed to late, because I think he's fantastic. Hearing this, maybe this was in fact for the best 😅

Oh no! Not Rufus Wainwright musical so bad it gets a one star review! I listened to Rufus a lot growing up because of my parents so his music is very nostalgic to me ( although for some reason “cigarettes and chocolate milk” always scared me). I trust your judgment though mickyjo as a theatre critic that it’s bad but it makes me sad because I love Rufus’s music for how theatrical it sounds. Maybe next time Rufus works on a musical it will be better!🤞

I thought it was just me. Sheridan Smith fans will love her on stage. But it just felt like ivo van hove took bits from other plays, put some songs and let the improvs run wild

Never clicked so fast...

See the show this week. I bought the tickets before the show was previewed but i was aware of the reviews. Went with a open mind but sadly you are correct. The show doesn't work and i didn't enjoy it at all so i am not surprised it has been pulled.

I’ve got a soft spot for this show; it’s definitely an acquired taste. Honestly, it might just be my own personal brand of entertainment. I have a thing for unconventional, boundary-pushing theater directors-like Ivo Van Hove, who really embodies that spirit.

Andrew Lloyd Webber has a similarly oversized ego, and Cinderella is another show that is very much a product of big names on an ego trip, especially after it went over to broadway. I think you're absolutely right, big name doesn't guarantee good quality, and there are a lot of terrific shows that aren't being given the chance to shine because nobody has heard of them. I'm hoping against hope that the success of shows like Operation Mincemeat, Standing At The Sky's Edge, Two Strangers, etc, can prove a turning point in how we look for occupants for west end theatres, because the status of a director, writer or composer, or even cast, shouldn't dictate whether or not a show is afforded space in a major London theatre, especially if it's one that's completely untested and nobody knows whether it's any good. It was refreshing to see the Tammy Faye musical play in a theatre like the Almeida, a show with a pretty huge creative team, and performers like Katie Brayben and Andrew Rannells in the cast, you would expect that to play somewhere like the Lyric or the Apollo, but the producers were sensible and started off small, and it was a huge success, sold out completely. Same with Next To Normal, even though that show was only really well known to the hardcore theatre kids, and not necessarily to the casual fan. I doubt I will make the trip to see this show, because the thing I hate more than anything in theatre is when a producer, director or writer leads with a sense of imperiousness and entitlement when trying to put on a new show, instead of approaching with artistic integrity and humility.

Completely agree with all of this. A hot mess. I left in the interval, offended that this was given such a plum venue on such weak material, and wishing I could get a 'time refund'

Did you see Ivo Van Hove's All About Eve? This sounds like almost a duplication of the on stage camera usage in that, which was fairly new then, I think one of the first shows to do it, but equally didn't really work. The story/characterisation/misogyny also seem very similar. When they did the facing the back camera on the mirror shot they even added an age progression aspect to the video to show Gillian Anderson's character's insecurity about her age.

See the movie with Gena Rowlands, there isn’t a superlative that describes the scope of her talent.

The hairrrr is so good

What intrigues me is that I've seen the registration of the "original" Dutch version of this that was made almost 20 years ago. It wasn't a musical then but same director and, as from what I can tell/remember a very similar scenography too? I wonder what went wrong because as far as I know it was pretty well received back then. It might be that the camera work was super innovative back then while nowadays it's kinda overdone?

In honor of the closing announcement, finally treating myself to this review

SO glad I didn’t rush in to buy a ticket when this was first announced 😅

Based on the Gena Rowland's film of the same name from 1977. It would be interesting to watch the film perhaps?

Damn Mickey Jo! Your look tonight is on point and fantastic! You look like a runway model! You should start doing style breakdown videos.

I had tickets to see it very early on in previews, but then I lucked into a ticket to see Totoro again on the same night. Oh well, I thought, I’ll have plenty of time to see Opening Night in the future. Now I wonder if I dodged a bullet there.

I've seen the show twice & it's fabulous. Stellar cast, with Sheridan Smith absolutely brilliant👌🏻

I saw an opera here in Canada (called Hadrian) with the music written by Rufus Wainwright. For a person whose songwriting l enjoy, it's disappointing to see him miss the mark again for a score. Is this a limited run? I've heard a lot about it and l wonder how long it will last.

Oh dear we have tickets for this weekend matinee .sounds terrible .. Hope Sheridan will at least be in it and not an understudy . Saw her in Shirley Valentine and that’s why I booked this show . Great review thank you . Looking forward to the west end transfer of my current fave show Two Strangers carry a cake across New York next week … and to your review of that 😊

I thought this might be good because of Rufus (and I've watched that Olivier/Cabaret video of Amy Lennox so many times), but had to pour some tea and be seated when I saw that one ⭐ Just searching a little on Twitter, I can see you're not alone in your review!

Hey, are you going to do a review of the new Jamie tour cast? Kevin Clifton's vocals are my Roman Empire.

A long time hater of Ivo Van Hove’s work, the first minute of this review made me feel so seen.

Now would be a great time for Noises Off to do another run

Now I can't wait to see it!!!

Ivo is so hit or miss. I find myself thinking about his absolutely insane staging of Rent in 2000 often, his Toneelgroep Amsterdam work has been deeply influential to many of my favorite Theatre Artists working today. But it feels like he gets VERY into one or two big ideas when he produces internationally, and it becomes a rot at the conceptual level. I think his production of A View from the Bridge was strong, but everything else in at least the last decade is either conceptually interesting with deep structural flaws or unbalanced to the point of utter collapse.

Great in depth review and shocked to hear such a negative review from Mickey Jo. Was curious about this show - definitely not going now

I knew when it was announced that this show would be extremely devisive. Glad I hadn't already booked

Oh no I’m seeing this Saturday 😅

I saw it on Friday March 10th and agree with everything you have said. I left the theatre thinking what have i just watched i travelled 3000km to see this drivel. Sheridan Smith is brilliant and really hope she gets the Olivier for Shirley Valentine which she was fabulous.

Oooft I won’t be paying this show a visit 😬 Well at least you had cheese on hand to save the evening🙏🥳🧀

"Mickey Jo" and "one-star review" Those words... is it possible to use them together in a sentence like that?

So I take it I shouldn’t waste my money then. Wondering if this will even last until July.

Do shows ever close early because of bad reviews? I'm booked right near the end of the run and having read and heard all sorts about it I'd be quite happy if my tickets got cancelled rather than me having to make the decision whether to go or not. I booked because it was Sheridan but doesn't sound like even she can save it.

I have no interest in the theatre. I don't know anyone you talk about on this channel. But I really enjoy watching people talk about the things they love, and so I like listening to you break down plays or niche theater drama.

I was so fast to click on this because is so rare to see a one star review. I will opt not to ask about where to find a cast album as per usual as the music doesn’t sound too good.

Great video and completely agree. I hated it too and when i came home i actually thought.. was that the point? Are we suposed to be disgusted by everything in this as this is what people are like now? But overall .. i really thought for me it was boarderline cringe. Next time please dont use that lense flair effect or lense .. its so distracting during the video.

Very entertaining (unlike the play, it seems!). BTW, you're getting some odd vignetting in this vlog - akin to lens flare as your hand and the play programme move to the edge of the field. 'Hope you don't mind my pointing it out. 😉😄

Happy World Theatre Day indeed 😉

Love the Cassavetes movie this is adapted from, not sure why someone would watch it and think it would make a good musical. It’s honestly weirdly appropriate that the play based on a movie about a disaster of a play is a disaster of a play.

I’m seeing this in a few days and now I’m intrigued and honestly I don’t know anything about the show, I’m only going along with a friend

Mickey-Jo, is it so bad that it almost plays with the form - extends the envelope, if you will - of badness?

I just hope that Sheridan doesn't take the press reviews personally. (They are not, it's the material / direction) After such a great reception in Shirley Valentine this is a shame.

Oh this gonna be JUICY

Wow, that's a brutal review. I am seeing this on 4/12. Now I have no expectation going in. So much so I'm actually thinking about eating the ticket and find something else to watch instead.

My reactions immediately following seeing this show First Act: I have impeccable taste, and I like to practice it on the deserving… for better and for worse I have plenty of words. But I’m gonna use most of them to continue my own discussion over WhatsApp with my own lead actor and director. Boredom is a nice break from all that, though. I will say, I am missing the misogyny (of the play itself) I was promised by a certain male critic currently juggling Olivier winners and jet-setting off the Broadway again. Second act: Well dang it, I’m a sucker for blurring the lines of where different levels of overlapping and shifting meta begins and ends. I love that about Theatre. And I’m also a sucker for making statements on there not being a point where the show stops and the world begins (though that very koom by ya (I have no idea how to spell that), high school musical number at the end made the opposite statement. And yet, that stupid number still made me sentimental about my craft. I seem to lack the drive others have had in reviewing this musical. The video aspect made sense with the themes of the show. The music provided for some noteworthy performances that shouldn’t be overlooked. Oh sure I have my own critiques: unnecessary scenes, subjects that I think have been overdone, but I also stand my ground in saving my breath (and resting my callused thumbs) for the either the disastrous or the extraordinary.

oh my god he’s directing the LITTLE LIFE MOVIE that’s gonna be taaasstelesss omfg

I went to see this last night based on this review to see for myself... yes, very baffling.

"we have everything we need to make this work" 😂

Saw it yesterday and I'm just very 'meh' on it. I was honestly hoping to either hate or love it and either would have been fine but it didn't spark a lot in me. I'm super glad it exists though. I like it when people take big swings in theatre even if they don't land because people taking big swings can potentially embolden others to be bold and hopefully that boldness will lead to another great hit. Edit: why was Sheridan's head mic practically on the bridge of her nose while everyone else's was just under the hairline? 😂

Never heard of the show but had click when I saw the review was one star

So my bf actually invested in this show and we attended opening night. we also watched the movie, probably the worst movie i've seen, but i at least went in knowing exactly what was happening. I gotta say, i enjoyed this show. granted, anything would have been better from the movie and lord knows the plot is.....different lol. plus i LOVED the documentary interpretation. were there odd moments? yes. did most of the music feel like it belongs in a different show? yes. did the fight scene with Nancy rock my world? absolutely lol.

Thank you. You've saved me money and time. I'll go to see an off west end production instead

Thoughts on the rumors this show may close early due to people walking out or falling asleep during the performance.

Four people in my row of 7 left at interval 😂

I think that's the most dejected "Oh my God hey" I've ever heard. It almost sounds like a cry for help 😔

The very fast and loose use of cameras makes me think they took their inspiration from the US version of the office. Where the hole documentary premise really isn't paid attention to or acknowledged for a lot of that show.

Has anyone seen both the film and the show? I was going to watch the film but I'm unsure now

I fell asleep for most of the first half- so learned a bit of the plot here 😂

See how you describe the characters sounds super interesting to me. I nearly slept through motive and cue. These sound like compelling characters. Not being perceived as old and fetishizing youth is a huge part of the struggle of womenhood to the point where we dehumanize other women and girls. Even if I didn’t think her melt down and drinking and such was appropriate for that issue, well obviously it is to her. And that’s real because she feels it. I just wrote a character that includes a lot of myself for a fringe show (Pen Marks debuting in April at Wandsworth fringe) and the actress playing her described her as crazy. And I’m like um from my own experience I think she’s just a normal woman. And yes there is a difference when it’s a man writing it but a man writing REAL women and men acting like they actually do isn’t necessarily masoganistic. It could be, I haven’t seen the show

Every show has some fans, I'm not surprised that even bad shows get a little love. That being said: Who among us doesn't enjoy a bad review more than a good one?