Category: Theatre
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5 things the new Burlesque musical needs to give us
The iconic cult classic Christina Aguilera and Cher film “Burlesque” is soon to be a stage musical, premiering at Manchester’s Opera House in June 2024! But what do we want from it? Here’s 5 things at least…
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Mingyu Lin: “Worth” – A Milestone for ESEA Representation in Regional Theatre
Joanne Yuen from Voice ESEA, is Tan’s Topics’ first guest writer! She went along to watch the play “Worth”, directed by Mingyu Lin and written by Joanne Lau, and even had a chat with Mingyu! Read more here.
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Theatre: The King and I – from Yellowface to top Asian representation in musical theatre
Roger & Hammerstein’s musical “The King and I” is one of very few shows with a majority ESEA/Asian cast after decades of questionable casting. But what next for these talented ethnic minority actors when so few characters seem to call for people like them?
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Asian representation vs. the Model Minority Myth and the media
ESEA (East and Southeast Asian) representation has slowly improved in the US over the years, but still needs major improvement in the UK. How can this be turned around so Model Minority and other stereotypical characters and storylines are challenged and avoided, giving ESEA talent and creatives the opportunities to…
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World Theatre Day: 18 musicals on Tan’s Topics – RANKED
If you follow me here at Tan’s Topics, you will know I am an avid theatre fan, especially musical theatre. For this year’s World Theatre Day (27th March annually), I have decided to rank all the musicals I have so far reviewed or mentioned in some capacity in this one…
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Theatre: “Mamma Mia!” Where is the diversity?
“Mamma Mia!” is one of the world’s most popular musicals, but it’s sadly also known as one of the least diverse when it comes to casting. How can this be turned around, following in the first steps of many other shows but also helping to change the world of the…
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Theatre Review: The Mousetrap (70th anniversary tour)
It’s been going strong for 70 years, had nearly 29,000 performances and more than 10 million audience members, so why hadn’t I seen Agatha Christie’s murder mystery play “The Mousetrap” before? But more importantly, what did I think of it? Read my review of it here.
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Theatre Review: The Lion King in Manchester
Its animated film is one of the high-grossing of all-time, but the stage adaptation of “The Lion King” is the highest-grossing and the second most-watched musical of all time. Now the global phenomenon is finally touring the UK again after years of anticipation. Read my full review of this roaring…
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Theatre Review: Dreamgirls
“Dreamgirls” stands as not just one of my favourite shows of all time, it stands as one of the most soulful, dazzling and popular musicals of all time, transcending people of all races and all types of music tastes. Read my full review of the show (my second time seeing…
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Theatre Review: Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch
One of the most iconic Disney villains of all time, Ursula the sea witch, finally gets to tell us her side of the story in this funny and filthy musical parody by Fat Rascal Theatre.
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