From West Side Story to Wicked: How musicals continue to thrive in the modern age
Popular music has shifted drastically over the years, with each decade having its own unique style and symbolic reflection of the era, but musicals have stood the test of time.
As they originally focused on dance and comedy with standalone performances, the genre has gradually evolved to incorporate more complex plots and characters, which are evident in productions today.
The thrill of a live performance, which includes shared audience reactions, a blend of genres like comedy, drama, and romance, and striking costumes, is still something contemporary audiences are drawn to, writes Music News Blitz’s Emma Corrigan.
10 years of La La Land: How a perfect musical film was created
A movie that achieved huge successes on every front was bound to have brilliant music, but the end product provided by Justin Hurwitz is breathtaking.
With Damien Chazelle as director, fans of music-heavy films were already well aware of his work with Justin Hurwitz from the brilliant 2014 film, Whiplash.
Released in the summer of 2016, La La Land picked up an Academy award for both ‘Best Original Score’ and ‘Best Original Song’ (City of Stars).
The connection between what is shown on screen and what is heard from the score feels perfectly seamless.
Wonderfully orchestrated pieces of music match the vivid and energetic scenes which create some of the finest cinematic experiences in any film, writes Music News Blitz’s Gabriel Mills.
Musicals: Review and FAQ of The Greatest Showman at the Bristol Hippodrome
Music News Blitz writer Chloe Willis saw The Greatest Showman at the Bristol Hippodrome on Wednesday, April 23 - and answers the burning questions of fans of the film and score, as well as providing a review of the world premier.
Les Miserables - A revolutionary musical or empty chairs in empty theatres?
Les Miserables has been my all-time favourite musical from a young age.
I remember back in my first year of secondary school, singing “Do you hear the people sing” as the finale to the school musical, and I was hooked.
The film, featuring Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway, has been watched and rewatched an embarrassingly high number of times to the point where I know the music and the score by heart, a skill I am probably too proud of.
But on the actual musical, incredible.
‘Come Alive’ The Musical review - The Greatest Show or more Barnum Humbug?
After navigating the twists and turns of London’s underground stations - where I may or may not have gotten us lost - my partner, Chloe, and I finally arrived at West Brompton station.
A short three-minute walk brought us to the Empress Museum, the venue for Come Alive, and wow - what an experience.
Having seen a plethora of live performances - from musicals and comedy to concerts and plays - making the following statement isn’t easy. But I stand by it completely:
Review: Back to the Future: The Musical - Time well spent or a waste of time?
It was a sunny Friday evening in March of 2025, when my girlfriend Chloe and I took a trip to the Adelphi Theatre in London, a birthday present from her to me, to see Back to the Future: The Musical and put simply, it did not disappoint.
This was the second time I had seen the show, the first being when it opened in Manchester back in 2020, which is something I do, and will continue to, brag about at every opportunity.
The film itself is my all-time favourite and so when the story was retold in a musical theatre fashion, and as a self-proclaimed ‘thespian’, my dreams came true.
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