Matt takes Broadway Breakdown across the pond with a candid, opinionated rundown of his January London theatre trip—covering big-budget spectacle, prestige revivals, crowd-pleasing comedy, and one very lovable bear. From roller-skating Andrew Lloyd Webber excess to a visually inventive Into the Woods and a genuinely joyful new musical, this episode digs into what’s working on the West End right now, what isn’t, and what might (or should) make the leap across the Atlantic.
Important Broadway Breakdown Links
Sondheim. Webber. Koplik: A Birthday Threesome - Link for Tix
Broadway Breakdown Discord Channel
Timestamps
* 00:00–09:30 — Housekeeping & live show announcements; framing the London trip
* 09:30–25:30 — Starlight Express
* Plot refresher and campy, queer-forward energy
* 25:30–45:00 — A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong
* How this version expands the “Goes Wrong” formula
* Comedy structure, recurring gags, and British vs. American humor sensibilities
* 45:00–1:05:00 — The Playboy of the Western World (National Theatre)
* Plot overview and why this “comedy” plays thorny and uneven
* Thoughts on tone, pacing, and adaptation scale
* 1:05:00–1:40:00 — Into the Woods (Bridge Theatre)
* Comparisons to the recent Broadway revival and the original production
* Where spectacle elevates the show—and where transitions slow it down
* 1:40:00–End — Paddington: The Musical
* Why this was Matt’s top show of the trip
Listener discussion questions
* Which of these London productions feels most primed for a Broadway transfer—and what would need to change for it to succeed with U.S. audiences?
* When reviving a well-known musical (Into the Woods, Starlight Express), do you prefer bold reinterpretation or a cleaner, “trust the text” approach?
* Is there a difference between theatre that’s “important” and theatre that’s simply joyful—and do we undervalue the latter?
