The London Palladium — Attraction in London

Go West & Johnny Hates Jazz – London Palladium – A Personal Love Letter to the 80s

What. A. Night. WOW! Last night at the London Palladium was pure 80s magic – a time-traveling, heart-thumping, memory-soaked joyride back to the golden age of pop! ✨📻🎶

Johnny Hates Jazz kicked things off in serious style – Clark Datchler still sounding as smooth as ever! 🎤🔥 Shattered Dreams 💔 Turn Back the Clock ⏰ – every note hit deep. These songs weren’t just hits – they were radio staples – and I should know… they were on heavy rotation across so many of the stations I had the honour of managing over my 30+ years in radio! 🎙️📡

They defined a sound – glossy, emotional, intelligent pop that connected with listeners instantly. Every time I heard those opening bars, I knew the phones would light up! ☎️💡

And let’s talk about the orchestra – WOW! 🎻✨ They added such a rich, cinematic layer to the night. Every arrangement felt bigger, more dramatic – like the songs had grown up with us and were now being presented in full technicolour. The strings especially gave the classics an emotional punch that sent chills. Goosebumps moment after moment!

Then… it was Go West time – and my heart just soared! 💥💓 Even with their usual drummer Richie off sick 🥁❌, they absolutely smashed it! That signature Go West sound – lush synths 🎹, powerhouse vocals 🎶, unforgettable hooks – just filled the Palladium with joy!

Peter Cox – LEGEND – commanded the stage like the icon he is. 👑 That voice!! Still rich, still flawless, still 100% Peter Cox. 🕺🎤

Every track was a flashback to radio’s golden hours – We Close Our Eyes 👀 Call Me ☎️ King of Wishful Thinking 👑💭 – songs that opened city drivetime shows and made listeners turn up the volume and sing along in traffic jams! 🚗🎵💃

This wasn’t just a show for me – it was a celebration of a career, a love letter to the artists who gave us the soundtrack to our lives. 📻❤️

30+ years in the industry… and nights like these remind me why I never stopped loving it.

Thank you Go West, Johnny Hates Jazz, and that phenomenal orchestra – you brought it all back and then some!

#80sForever ✨ #GoWest 🎶 #JohnnyHatesJazz 💔 #LondonPalladium 🎭 #RadioLegend 🎙️ #ShatteredDreams 💔 #PeterCox 👑 #TurnBackTheClock ⏰ #PopIcons 🌟 #GoldenEraOfRadio 📡 #LiveMusicMagic 🎻 #OrchestraVibes 🎼...

My friend and I went to attend the evening performing of Joseph And The Amazing Technicoloured Dreamcoat on Fri 3rd Sept 2021. When we arrived there was a long queue which we were told was for the Grand Circle so we were in the correct line. Once we got near the front, we had our bags checked and the lady scanned our tickets, I told her I had my NHS Covid Status paper but she didn't ask to see it nor scan it. However I dare say if you didn't have something you could easily be caught out and that's not just this venue, it depends how strict they are and if they really need to check Covid vaccination status or a Negative test result.

Anyway we proceeded in and made our way up the flight of several stairs - Good workout lol! At the top we showed our tickets and the staircase to the seats is VERY STEEP so held the handrail as we made our way to the front row, Row A of the Grand Circle. It says the view is obstructed by the rail but its not really. You just lean forward or look through the gap. Leg space is very limited so not recommended for anyone who is tall or may find it uncomfortable having limited space.

The show was incredible. I had a lot of fun singing to the old classics - Any Dream Will Do, Close Every Door To Me, and much more. The cast are amazing and I loved the colourful costumes. The time seemed to roll by so quickly. Alexandra Burke as Narrator was spectacular, she has an incredible voice and lots of charisma. Jason Donovan as Pharaoh was also a nice surprise and had us in stitches.

Even though we were high up, we had a good view and incredible memorable evening. Programmes are only £6. It gives you a little background into the making of the show, the costumes and set as well as background information on the cast performers.

I would definitely recommend going to see a show here as no matter where you are, you will definitely get a good view.

We did wait by the stage door exit but a security guard came and bellowed that on the door clearly stated no selfies/autographs and strictly only families of children/cast members were allowed and that he recognised faces of who should be there so on that note we left but we had a wonderful evening. A very...

In the grand tradition of reimaginings, the current production of Evita at the London Palladium trades theatrical gravitas for concert-style bravado—a choice both dazzling and, at times, disheartening.

Let’s be clear: the talent is undeniable. The ensemble delivers choreography that crackles with kinetic energy, and musically, it’s a feast. The orchestra swells, the vocals soar, and the score—Lloyd Webber’s most impassioned—still seduces. But Evita is not just a song cycle; it is a story. And here, unfortunately, the storytelling is left mostly in the wings.

What unfolds is more dance spectacle than dramatic arc, more Vogue runway than political opera. The staging is minimalist to the point of austerity—bare bones that do little to anchor us in the volatile glamour of Perón-era Argentina. One might have expected visual decadence or even theatrical wit; instead, we get concert lighting and what amounts to a very expensive front-row ticket to an elevated music video.

The most bewildering creative choice? The production’s signature moment—Don’t Cry for Me Argentina—was performed not to the audience inside the Palladium, but to the street from a balcony above, leaving us, the paying patrons (at £146 a seat, no less), watching via video. One might call it postmodern. One might also call it maddening.

Costuming offered no reprieve. In a role once immortalized by silk-swathed divas and Dior-like silhouettes, our Eva spent most of the evening in stylized underwear. Call it an aesthetic choice, or perhaps a statement on the emperor’s (or first lady’s) new clothes—but it did little to honor the fierce elegance of Argentina’s most controversial icon.

This Evita is a mood piece: sexy, loud, and curiously detached. It delivers power and polish—but leaves poignancy, character, and theatrical intimacy in the dust. For those seeking a moving portrait of a complex woman, this production skirts the surface. For those chasing a high-voltage night of musical spectacle, it may just deliver.

But please—next time—give Evita her stage. And...