It’s that time of year again – 2023 is rapidly drawing to a close and we’ve finally stopped seeing shows for the year. At Overstudies HQ we’ve seen a total of 46 shows: 44 in the UK, 2 in NYC – and Heathers a total of 9 times collectively. It’s been a great year for discovering new theatre of all forms, seeing shows in their very infancy to the biggest blockbuster theatre the world has to offer. So what made our cut for our favourite moments of 2023?
Bekki’s Top Picks:
Bat Out Of Hell, Peacock Theatre, Holborn
Bat Out Of Hell is one of those shows that I have wanted to see for such a long time that the opportunity to catch the production as it touched down in London early in the year was one I couldn’t pass on. Admittedly, I was incredibly nervous to see the show after so much time building up my expectations and going in with the knowledge that the show had been heavily adapted for a touring production. Would I, someone who holds many of the featured Meatloaf songs so close to my heart, enjoy the show despite its stripped back form?
It’s no surprise that I fell in love with the show. It wasn’t an instant adoration, more like a slow burn over the course of a week where I went from thinking it was an enjoyable experience on the Monday to booking tickets to see the show again on the Saturday because I couldn’t stop thinking about it. While a rock opera jukebox musical is not for everyone, there was something in this show that reminded me why I adore theatre and dance so much and reignited my desire to get back on stage myself. I feel the West End is significantly worse off without a production like this, where the spectacle of dance is placed firmly centre stage, and I can only hope and pray it’s not gone for long.
Listen to our full chat about Bat Out of Hell in our season two episode of the Overstudies podcast.
Diary of a Gay Disaster, Kings Head Theatre, Islington
When thinking about the shows that stood out the most to me in 2023, I’m not exaggerating when I say that Diary of a Gay Disaster was one of the first things that popped into my mind. Performed as part of the MT Pride Lab at the Kings Head Theatre, this hour of theatre has stuck in my mind since I saw it way back in July which is an incredible testament to the whole team involved. Without writing yet another review of the show (you can read the full previous review here), Diary of a Gay Disaster managed to take the ‘coming of age’ musical concept which we are seeing a rise in and turn it into something fresh and unique. It was also so refreshing to see a safe space created for all queer women, playing on queer stereotypes while also celebrating them at the same time.
I personally can’t wait to see where this show goes next, and I’m quite literally begging for a cast recording as soon as physically possible!
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, Broadway
2023 was the year that we finally headed to Broadway, and our first trip as a theatre-loving duo was to the incredible Sweeney Todd in November of this year. One of Sondheim’s more recognisable pieces, the team behind this revival have perfectly blended classical, operatic staging with some wonderful contemporary choreography to create a unique theatre experience. Sweeney Todd admittedly isn’t a show for everyone, bringing a darkness to the stage (both thematically and literally) that almost feels jarring against the camp humour and characterisations, but for me that’s why it works so well.
This was the first Sondheim I had seen with a full-scale production, and demonstrated to me exactly why this man is a legend in the theatre world. Even his most serious of productions still retain that silly sense of humour that makes some of his lesser-known works some of my favourites. I wouldn’t be surprised if when it comes to writing the 2024 theatre wrap up if we don’t have a pro-shot or a West End Transfer confirmed, because it is only a matter of time.
In Dreams, Leeds Playhouse
We are both huge fans of Leeds Playhouse here at Overstudies, having made plenty of visits over the years both together and independently. I don’t think it would be a true reflection of my year in theatre if I didn’t give my favourite regional theatre a shout out – especially when the show is this good!
In Dreams isn’t something we’ve talked about much on our podcast, as unfortunately only one of us managed to catch it before it headed off for a North American premiere in Toronto, but it is one of our highlights this year. Crafted by the minds that brought us & Juliet (with some of the previous cast members to boot) this musical takes the music of Roy Orbison to tell a beautiful story about friendship, grief and connection.
What made this show work for me was the ability of David West Read (Schitt’s Creek, & Juliet) to take a sensitive subject of being faced with a life changing illness and turn it into a perfect balance of funny and poignant, exploring the concept of what it means to be a family – biologically or otherwise. Things have gone quiet around this show since it’s North American premiere, but it is something we hope to see resurface in the future.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow, The Phoenix Theatre, West End
For a show that only opened doors to audiences in November of 2023, The First Shadow has already had more buzz surrounding it than most shows could dream about. The long anticipated prequel to the Stranger Things universe finally arrived in the West End and was an actual shocking last minute addition to my shows of the year. We’re going to be giving it the full Overstudies treatment in our 2024 podcast season, but there was absolutely no way I could leave out this technical masterpiece out of our highlights of 2023.
The First Shadow is a perfect advert for what feats can be achieved on the stage when creatives are given the time, space, and budget to create, and feels less of a promotion of Stranger Things itself than an entryway into the performing arts. From heart-racing suspense to jaw dropping special effects, this is a show that we think deserves so much of the praise it has been receiving even in its early stages of life. I truly believe that if I had seen this show at 16, technical effects and stage production would have quickly become the one thing I wanted to do in life – and I imagine this will tempt a lot of people to take that path now.
Stay tuned to the Overstudies podcast in 2024 for our full review.
Charley’s Top Picks:
Newsies – Troubadour Theatre, Wembley Park
I mean, come on – you didn’t expect me to not feature a show about a strike, right?
Newsies finally came to the West End this year, with a spectacular new production that did not disappoint. Admittedly it wasn’t an instant hit for me, but that was probably down to the disruptive school party present for our first viewing. Nonetheless, the big dance numbers really were a spectacle to behold, with a huge company at the top of their game, all set against Alan Menken’s iconic score.
For me, staging the show in a converted television studio was a stroke of genius, and really helped to bring the production to life. It wasn’t immersive, but certainly was as close as you can get with traditional theatre: dancing in the aisles, catwalks that go through and around the audience, and a zip wire down to stage all kept us on our toes ensuring there was always somewhere to look! Technically, the show ticked all the boxes I loved, whilst the Newsies themselves never missed a beat. A particular highlight for me was also the re-casting of the Brooklyn Newsies and Spot Conlon to be played by the female ensemble; whilst we never got to see them at full strength, this was a nice touch that ensured representation across the company, whilst also reminding all of us that you don’t mess with girl power. Yes of course I made a TikTok whilst I was in Brooklyn.
Listen to our podcast on Newsies here.
Groundhog Day – Old Vic, Waterloo
What would you do if you had to relive the same day over and over again? An unexpected highlight for me was the Groundhog Day revival that played over the Summer. Starring Andy Karl reprising his role as Phil from the original show, the production was another masterclass in technical theatre, with intricate stage direction and lighting cues used to keep us on our toes as Phil appears and disappears to different parts of the stage as we progress through the narrative.
The score is also classic Tim Minchin, and will no doubt be familiar to fans of both his own comedy work and Matilda the Musical. Despite recreating near-identical scenes multiple times throughout the show, it always feels fresh and new with subtle tweaks to the orchestration and staging of each repetition. Hopefully we won’t have to wait another 7 years for the production to return.
Join us for our own Groundhog Day in our season three podcast.
babies – Lyric Theatre, West End
Every now and then we get the opportunity to watch a new musical grow from early workshops to public performances: babies is one of those shows. With a book by Martha Geelan and music and lyrics from Jack Godfrey (you might recognise him from a show we’ve literally never mentioned before, 42 Balloons) I was lucky enough to see an invitation workshop of this show towards the beginning of the year, instantly hooking me in and convincing me of big things to come.
And they did. A semi-staged concert followed in November with a full cast on the big stage. It was interesting to compare the two productions and see how the development process works, as well as to watch as other audience members got the same enjoyment as I did first time round. With a diverse cast and a message that it will always be okay in the end, it’s very much a show to watch for the future. I definitely didn’t have four ‘Hot Dads’ singing into baby bottles on my 2023 bingo card, yet now it’s living rent free in my head.
Catch our season 1 chat with Jack Godfrey here, and hear more about babies in our season 3 episode ‘The Great Teen Musical Debate’.
Miss Saigon – Sheffield Crucible
Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s Miss Saigon will always be a controversial show, and we can’t ignore the fact that even in its newly-revived form it still contains some problematic themes. Nonetheless, Sheffield Theatres’ brand new production – featuring Saigon alumnus Joanna Ampil as a gender-flipped Engineer – goes a long way to fixing most of the issues, creating an incredibly moving experience which refocuses on the music and the story, rather than resorting to million-pound-helicopter gimmicks. A particular highlight for me was the beautiful projections used to set the scene around the thrust stage, relying on a minimal amount of physical props. This was another technical experience at its best, showing that old-school lighting and FX techniques still have a place in modern theatre.
We attended Miss Saigon on press tickets. Read our full review of the Miss Saigon revival here.
Death Note the Musical – Lyric Theatre, West End
Where is the justice in only giving us such a short run of this musical? Following an initial series of sell-out concerts at the Palladium Theatre, further concerts of this anime adaptation were staged at the Lyric Theatre towards the end of the Summer. This grungy, rocky musical is firmly on the ‘must see’ list should (when?) it return to London. With dark themes around death, suicide and more it won’t be to everyone’s taste, but the staging and score – alongside a cast with some of the biggest names in musical theatre – brought the tale to life in a brand new medium. As is so often the case with new shows, I went into Death Note completely blind and came out as a firm fan for life.
Hear more about our thoughts on Death Note in our season three podcast, or check out our season three interview with Joaquin Pedro Valdes, who played Light Yagami.
Honourable Mentions
As much as we were supposed to be limiting ourselves to five shows each, I couldn’t help but shout out a couple more shows that brought me a great deal of joy this year.
We finally said goodbye to Heathers in the West End and on tour, and whilst it might not quite have been the ending many hoped it’s fair to say that without this show there probably wouldn’t be Overstudies. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we get the opportunity to return to Westerberg High.
Perhaps the cheesiest show of the year goes to the We Will Rock You revival at the London Coliseum. Starring writer Ben Elton in the lead role, it quite literally hasn’t aged a day, with the same visuals in all their retro glory still being used as in the previous production – along with several in-jokes and self-references to boot. It wasn’t the best show of the year by a long stretch, but we had too much fun to not give it a shout out.
Finally, we also said goodbye to & Juliet in the West End this year – although it is returning on tour across the UK and Ireland soon. In true Overstudies fashion, though, we couldn’t wait that long, and so hopped on a plane to Broadway to see the show in the Big Apple. It’s a show that means so much on a personal level to both of us, and the West End is truly worse off for not having it.
