Gabrielle Brooks on Mlima’s Tale, reviews of Next to Normal and A Mirror: The Evening Standard Theatre Podcast

The question is, can a writer write about writing without being annoying?
Brandon Grace and Gabrielle Brooks
Marc Brenner

Olivier-nominated Gabrielle Brooks joins us from the Kiln Theatre to talk about her role in Mlima’s Tale by Lynn Nottage – and the “magic” of how the production brings an elephant to life in this heartbreaking story about the ivory trade. She tells us about going from Grange Hill to performing in the West End’s biggest musicals and about her recent turn as Bob Marley’s wife Rita in Get Up, Stand Up! Plus much more…

For our first review, it’s Next to Normal at the Donmar Warehouse. This musical, which deals with issues of mental illness and was a smash hit on Broadway, stars Caissie Levy – the original Elsa in Frozen on stage – and Jamie Parker; you can hear his interview with us on an earlier edition of the podcast, when he starred in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (listen here).

We’re also reviewing A Mirror at the Almeida. This knotty, tricksy tale by Sam Holcroft about writing, oppression and artistic censorship stars Jonny Lee Miller, Top Boy’s Micheal Ward and Sex Education’s Tanya Reynolds. And it certainly caused some division between our reviewers.

Finally, we discuss London Theatre Week 2023, and given the chance of grabbing cheap tickets what we want to see and what we think you should see, plus the nominations for the Stage Debut Awards are out… So join us once again for your weekly guide on what’s big in London theatre.

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