Reader Reviews
Tonight's the Night (Victoria Palace Theatre, West End)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | amazing show, loved it, shame the one on tour now isnt the same cast as loved michael mckell as stoner, it'll be hard to beat him as well as tim howar who is a mini rod himself!! - 86.132.31.8) | 11 Apr 06 |
| OMG! I can't believe that this show has finished. I saw it with my school and thought that it was great. Tim Howar was fantastic as Stuart, & I also thought Tim Funnel and Dianne Picklington were great too. Jeff Bridges was absoloutely fantastic, I also thought that Hannah Waddingham was great as Satan, I had seen her in My Hero and thought she was great. I'm sad it's closed. - 195.92.168.178) | 13 Oct 04 |
| Seeing this show was a major highlight of my trip to London. It is entertaining to the max. The acting and singing by everyone is superb. Rod Stewart's music ROCKS and brought me ultimate joy to see it in the context of this brilliant musical. I loved every minute of it and fell in love with the cast. There is an amazing chemistry amongst the cast and it reaches the audience in an electrifying manner. LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (66.229.124.142) | 07 Oct 04 |
| Wake up people! If you have any appreciation at all of soft to medium- hard rock music, I hope you'll do yourselves a big favor and not let this coming together of marvelous talents and terrific music escape you. I flew from 4000 miles away for the sole purpose of seeing this for the tenth, eleventh and twelfth times. I am over sixty years old, and I cannot recall ever seeing a more entertaining show. If you question this source, look at the 36 reviews before this one; 34 are four or five stars. These superb young entertainers have honed this into something truly special. You have five days left before a VERY long wait for a comparable opportunity. - - Bart Denechaud, Wisconsin, USA - USER: Whatsonstage.com (138.49.216.210) | 05 Oct 04 |
| Lucky for me. I saw Jeff as 'Stoner' and in my humble opinin, I saw the best! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.92.67.75) | 03 Oct 04 |
| Lucky for me. I saw Jeff as 'Stoner' and in my humble opinin, I saw the best! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.92.67.75) | 03 Oct 04 |
| It depends what you want. If you're looking for some mind blowing intellect, forget it. But, if you want a bloody good night out, this is great fun. Fairly loose and cheesy story, but look out for Jeff Edwards,he's the biz. If nothing else, you'll be going home with a grin, and talking like an ageing rocker! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.92.67.75) | 03 Oct 04 |
| Seen it three times so far and going again for the last night. All the cast are great but Michael McKell steals the show as Stoner. Love him to bits!!! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (62.255.64.8) | 30 Sep 04 |
| BRILLIANT , A MUST SEE, ONLY ONE WEEK LEFT GOING AGAIN NEXT WK .BEST IN WEST END. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.93.34.14) | 29 Sep 04 |
| Michael Mckell.. I love you ! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.93.34.14) | 14 Sep 04 |
| Mike McKell as Stoner stole the show. He should have his own show dedicated to the character! The devil was fantastic too...amazing performances all round. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (213.146.157.87) | 14 Sep 04 |
| fantastic show seen some shows in my time but this one beats the lot seen it about a dozen times and never tire of it michael mckell is brilliant love him to death well done ben elton x - USER: Whatsonstage.com (213.1.45.14) | 11 Sep 04 |
| Sorry but very poor. Direction is stilted and although performers are good on the whole, they have little to work with. Maybe it will fare better on tour. But not West End fodder. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (217.42.49.118) | 05 Sep 04 |
| briiLIANT SHOW i REALLY LIKED the set,the garage looked very realistic and me and all my friends during kids week ,really had a good time and everyone at the stage door was really kind and nice and all signed my programme and posed flor photos. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (205.188.117.22) | 27 Aug 04 |
| NOT A SHOW IN TOWN THAT I HAVE SEEN IS AS GOOD AS THIS SHOW I SAW LAST WEEKEND. I REALLY LIKED THE THEATRE TOO,NOT TOO MANY STAIRS LIKE THOSE DUMPS ON SHAFTESBURY AVE HAVE! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (205.188.117.22) | 27 Aug 04 |
| Cath Porter rasping Baby Jane at you is an experience not to be missed,Di Pilkington is very good and sweet,Tim Funnel is excellent,Hannah Waddingham waht a big lass and yes I do think you are sexy SATAN!! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (205.188.117.22) | 27 Aug 04 |
| GRRRRREEEEAAAATTTTT SHOW<|Go see it while u can - USER: Whatsonstage.com (205.188.117.22) | 27 Aug 04 |
| Think you have seen a great show at the Dominion,forget that bunch of understudies that they parade out nightly,TTN is much better and the cast top notch and mamma mia is just amatuer and not worth mentioning. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (205.188.117.22) | 27 Aug 04 |
| Young hearts be free tonight!!when that song started I knew we were in for a great night,think you can normally tell in a few moments if a show is going to be good and none better in town than till hilaroius musical comedy. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (205.188.117.22) | 27 Aug 04 |
| I enjoyed the show even though I was not a fan of Rod's music before that,but the songs are performed to such a high standard I am surprised the man himself has not wanted to make an appearance in the show to sing with such great kids and such a fab band. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (205.188.117.22) | 27 Aug 04 |
| Michael McKell is turning out such great performances as Stoner,has to be seen to be believed,incredible acting and such great comic timing. Miss him at your perill,a disgrace this is coming off so soon ,Billy Elliott is about an exciting as Eltons wig! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (205.188.117.22) | 27 Aug 04 |
| Dianne Pilkington is a sweetheart and what a voice too ,really cracks the air! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (205.188.117.22) | 27 Aug 04 |
| Great show,so upset it is closing and the 17.50 thurs mat was a great idea and pity more theatres dont do it and at least have a decent sized audience for a midweek mat and must be better for the cast too. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (205.188.117.22) | 27 Aug 04 |
| FANTASTIC sHOW,Tim walton was great and Hannah waddingham as satan must have the best voice in the west end!AWESOME STUFF!!! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (205.188.117.22) | 27 Aug 04 |
| The mat yesterday was as great as ever,full cast apart from Tim Howar,but Tim Walton is a pretty good stand in,the hot legs girls were a bit sparse and missed the brilliant Jo Morris first time i had seen the show without her and missed her great dancing. Well I have 4 more shows to go till the end and I will miss this show loads and has made seen other shows now a bit of a let down - USER: Whatsonstage.com (205.188.117.22) | 27 Aug 04 |
| loved it from the beginning to the end, especially "stoner" and the music obviously! thought he made the play! rod was also brilliant and does rod stewarts mannerisms perfectly! watching it again very soon!! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (213.122.71.96) | 24 Aug 04 |
| Seen the show a number of times now and there are very few shows where you can enjoy all the singing, acting and dancing and everytime you see it be in stitches with the comedy. Absoloutly brilliant show and cast. Michael McKell as Stoner made the show for me. Adorable and funny xXx - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.93.34.14) | 22 Aug 04 |
| Despite poor story and vile jokes, cast is brilliant and talented especially Hannah Waddingham as Satan and Michael McKell as Stoner. Darragh O'Leary was superb as Stu. Wonderful sets. Can't wait to see it again. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (62.55.151.51) | 17 Aug 04 |
| Went with low expectations. I agree the comedy sections were often juvenille and rather crass in their content also the storyline was often threadbare and and obstruction to the relentless production line of songs. However the quality of Rods music delivered with such skill and enthusiasm soon made you forget any short comings the overall show might have. Loved it. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (213.38.171.211) | 12 Aug 04 |
| Went with low expectations. I agree the comedy sections were often juvenille and rather crass in their content also the storyline was often threadbare and and obstruction to the relentless production line of songs. However the quality of Rods music delivered with such skill and enthusiasm soon made you forget any short comings the overall show might have. Loved it. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (213.38.171.211) | 12 Aug 04 |
| Michael Mckell is STONER, the star of the show and dont accept ugly understudies!!!! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (64.12.116.14) | 09 Aug 04 |
| Michael Mckellis STONER, the star of the show and dont accept ugly understudies!!!! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (64.12.116.14) | 09 Aug 04 |
| It took a couple of times to get into the groove of the story, but when I did this has become my favorite West End show of all time. Cast is brilliant; story holds together; music is as good as it gets. This is one cast recording I bought with enthusiasm, and love it so much I may buy a backup copy. On a recent London visit, I saw the show three times. I will return in a few weeks and do the same thing again. Only after it goes away will I go back to sampling other shows. Tim Howar is out of this world. Rod must be proud! Guy Denechaud, USA - USER: Whatsonstage.com (64.12.116.14) | 06 Aug 04 |
| We thoroughly enjoyed this show,thanks mainly to the performance of Jeff Edwards understudying the part of Stoner. We found ourselves just waiting for him to come back on stage! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.93.34.14) | 31 Jul 04 |
| The show was absolutely brilliant. All the cast were excellent, especially The Devil and Rods Butler, but the one who totally stole the show was JEFF EDWARDS AS STONER! He was amazing, so cool and funny at the same time, cant stop thinking about him! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.77.84.233) | 28 Jul 04 |
| This is a love it or hate it show. I loved it! Michael McKellar is brilliant, lots of energy put into the routines and some very funny bits too. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (194.106.34.25) | 17 Jul 04 |
| I thought the show was simply stunning. It carried off exactly what it aimed to do, and if you aren't exactly into loud rock shows and sing-along songs, then why see it and slate it after? Tim Hower and Michael McKell have got talent to scream about, and the girls certainly made the most of emotive and raunchy songs. Jeff Edwards was excellent!!! I'd definately go again. Keep up the good work guys!! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.106.166.117) | 09 Jul 04 |
| What a show, it was great from begining to end.. 1st class - USER: Whatsonstage.com (80.177.93.131) | 11 Jun 04 |
| Where are the seats with the poor leg romm? Seats at the rear of the stalls have plenty of leg room.... - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.130.61.8) | 01 Jun 04 |
| Great leg room in the stalls but view is restricted due to shallow decline. Hannah Waddingham is orgasmic.... - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.130.61.8) | 01 Jun 04 |
| Wow went to see this last night, and it was absilutely brilliant! i definitely wanna go and see it again! i was sat on front row and it was ace :D ..Well done to Tim Howar who is sooo talented with a gr8 voice and a gr8 performance! :D again again!! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (212.140.117.220) | 28 May 04 |
| Michael (Stoner) was the real star. He was excellent. Very good show but too loud in parts. Seat leg room was appalling!! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.77.236.143) | 28 May 04 |
| Snotty Theatre Staff Far to may understudies per show,Dianne Pilkington and Tim Howar have missed loads later,stage far too high even when removing Row A as they have the views in the stalls are still poor. The Band is average not a patch on the WWRY band. The understudies who perform alot are a very low standard,apart from Jeff Edwards who has made Stoner his role since Michael McKell took a job and decided to have 4 months off to record a tv show. This show and its like have ruined the west end and one of the reasons tickets are so expensive as Phil McIntyre inc started the trend and dont care what cast the public sees on stage and the rest have followed on with their pricing. TTN or The Rod Stewart Musical Tonights the Night,what a bloody mouthful ,the show should be avoided and let it die a death and not let the rip off merchants get away with it - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.130.78.189) | 27 May 04 |
| Found myself wishing I was on the Tube going home. Felt so sorry for the cast- obviously talented but with rubbish like this to work with? - USER: Whatsonstage.com (216.148.246.90) | 24 May 04 |
| Tonight's the night is a great show! The cast are amazing and perform brilliantly! I would recommend to anyone and everyone to go and see it!!!! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (213.48.46.141) | 17 May 04 |
| Tried to like it..... but really couldn't - USER: Whatsonstage.com (193.39.182.251) | 30 Apr 04 |
| One of those shows which are so stupendously bad you sit there transfixed, gaping in disbelief as the meretricious spectacle unfolds before your eyes. Most of the people near me were enjoying it tremendously, and I can only hope that they won't breed. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.92.168.178) | 28 Apr 04 |
| A frequent West End visitor from midwestern USA, I'll weigh in on the high side of this remarkably polarized collection of TTN reviews. Have seen it 5 times and am booked for the sixth. A wonderful cast, including many lead-level performers in supporting roles, delivers Rod's music beautifully. If you love the music you'll love the show. Special cheers for Tim Howar and Mike McKell who'll be extraordinarily difficult to replace when they move on. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (138.49.216.210) | 19 Mar 04 |
| Very talented cast, Debbie K is great as always. Pitty bout the show. The cast is great and really give it thier all its just a shame they have a lousy product to work with! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.93.34.14) | 02 Mar 04 |
| Why do they insist on WASTING such a talented cast in this manner?! Debbie Kurup, Hannah Waddingham, Tim Howar... only very rarely do such magical performers come together, only to be completely used and abused in this pile of crap! Dreadful. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (82.3.83.148) | 28 Feb 04 |
| i went on the celebrity night a couple of months ago and it was excellent!!! we were only a couple of rows from Rod himself. 5 STAR STUFF! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.135.58.123) | 02 Feb 04 |
| Whole coach load of us (from teenagers to wrinklies)went last week and everyone enjoyed the show as did Ben Elton who was a couple of rows away from us. The last musical we all went to see was Thoroughly Modern Millie which we found very average to say the least, in fact several of our party dozed off! The "critics" hated We Will Rock You when it was first put on, then when the public couldn't get enough it was suddenly excellant. What these people expect to see in a comedy musical about Rod Stewart I just cannot comprehend. Real feel good evening out with some great performaces all round. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (80.225.4.186) | 20 Jan 04 |
| A superb show, would recommend to anyone for a good night out, excellent performance from Michael McKell who plays the part of Stoner. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.102.145.204) | 17 Jan 04 |
| Oh my God - is this what passes for musical theatre nowadays? The only reason I didn't walk out after the first 20 minutes was because I didn't want to leave my friend alone in London! Absolutely ATROCIOUS - and who the hell believes that Rod Stewart is anything but a monument to self-parody? I'm 43 and I can barely remember the days when he made decent records! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.92.168.167) | 18 Dec 03 |
| Can't wait to see it again. Top notch entertainment! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (80.3.0.42) | 07 Dec 03 |
| I went last night and thoroughly enjoyed the show. Thought Stoner was brill, and Tim Hower fantastic. A very good nights entertainment. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (205.173.115.1) | 05 Dec 03 |
| This is no We Will Rock You which is amazing, this is good and I am glad to have seen it but I would not go again. The view from the front 2-3 rows is also appallig and not worth the price of the ticket. I did hear one lady comment after the show that she had not heard any nice songs !! This did make me smile, after all if you go to a show based on Rod Stewart songs then that is what you get and if you don't like Rod Stewart songs.... It is very funny in places and the cast are very good. Worth at least a vist to make up your own mind- good fun anyway - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.135.70.86) | 19 Nov 03 |
| We've only walked out of 3 shows in our lives - this was the fourth. Crippling seats (zero legroom) and a truly awful show - and we've seen We Will Rock You 4 times, so love the genre and are big Ben Elton & Rod Stewart fans. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.128.44.156) | 11 Nov 03 |
| Story was good and jokes really funny - personally I couldn't get enough of it and would happily have sat there for longer. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (212.135.200.5) | 11 Nov 03 |
| Brilliant - you have to go and see if it you like Rod's songs. Enjoyed it from start to finish. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (212.135.200.5) | 11 Nov 03 |
| Thats the trouble with sing alongs they do drown the stage out and they have got awful voices when they're belting it out behind you especially when they 've spent the previous hours in the pub opposite - USER: Whatsonstage.com (132.185.240.14) | 11 Nov 03 |
| This is appalling - for theatre goers who don't know what their looking at and probably don't care as long as it has crass jokes and a bad script. I amsure it will run and run. Ben Elton should be strung up... - USER: Whatsonstage.com (212.18.227.229) | 10 Nov 03 |
| No masterpiece and certainly not the best musical currently in London but it does what it sets out to do well - entertain an audience that seeks nothing more than a good night out. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (80.46.143.163) | 09 Nov 03 |
| APPALLING !!!!!!!!!!!!!! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (213.78.64.76) | 08 Nov 03 |
| The only musical I've ever seen worse than this was the nightmarish Cliff the Musical. Makes We Will Rock You look like a masterpiece. I'm astounded at the waste of talent on display, a really top-notch cast embarrassed by Ben Elton's material. The only one capable of rising above the risible dialogue is Michael McKell's Stoner - and it is all in his delivery. He need only shamble onto the stage to get the biggest laugh. The rest is so so so awful. I hope to God that this is not a success as it will not bode well for the future of musical theatre. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (82.35.62.168) | 08 Nov 03 |
| Thought the gags were really funny myself! You had to pay attention though or you missed a lot - you'd be laughing at one joke and miss the next! Quite raunchy .... the men loved it! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (212.135.200.5) | 06 Nov 03 |
| Thoroughly enjoyed the show - all the cast had excellent voices - re. singing along .... that's what some shows are all about - you hear the songs you love and sing along - nothing wrong with that (as long as you don't drown out the show and have an awful voice!). I'd go and see it again definitely. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (212.135.200.5) | 06 Nov 03 |
| Probably best if you aren't a Rod fan and just want a goodnight out. The boys in the row behind thought it was a singalong night, and the guys on stage were like Pop Idol, 15 minutes of fame ruining someone elses songs. Some of my group really enjoyed it though so perhaps its me! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (132.185.240.14) | 24 Oct 03 |
| Too loud to enjoy the evening. No storyline. Left frustrated. Am I too old for live theatre with 32? - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.168.20.4) | 23 Oct 03 |
| ROD ROCK'S - CERTAINLY NOT. THIS SHOW IS SO BAD IT'S PAINFUL. THE STORYLINE YOU WOULD EXPECT IN A CHILDREN'S SCHOOL PLAY. THE SHOW CONTAINS AN OVERDOSE OF BEN ELTON'S CHEAP GAGS THAT MAKE YOU WANT TO GET SICK (: IF YOU DO GO DONT FORGET TO BRING YOUR LIGHTER FOR "WE ARE SALING" LRYICS ARE SUPPLIED ON THE BOUNCING BALL ON THE SCREEN INCASE YOU FORGET THEM! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (194.216.254.81) | 21 Oct 03 |
| Terrible, truly terrible - I am not sure how Ben Elton can be credited with direction because there was none. This man must never be involved in a musical again. Dreadful sets, lighting, sound, the list is endless - what a waste of a great cast. We really don't need any more of this kind of show in the West End. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (194.216.254.81) | 21 Oct 03 |
| Great show, seat leg room is crap, "Stoner" is the main man - USER: Whatsonstage.com (213.122.75.17) | 19 Oct 03 |
| Another 4 Stars here... agree with comments about the lack of a storyline, but the cast are amazing!! I do feel Hannah Waddingham and Debbie Kurup are very under used, and perhaps Dianne Pilkington over used, but other than that, a very fun night out! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.107.230.187) | 17 Oct 03 |
| The show was fantastic. Don't go if you want a story line. I'm not a big Rod Stewart fan but the sets, actors and music still managed to captivate and enthrall all. Will definitely give Mamma Mia a go!! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (20.138.1.245) | 17 Oct 03 |
| Great show mainly because Hannah Waddingham is bloody fantastic,only gripe is the front row is very restricted for full price,I would say Row F back would be best,but the Rod songs come at you like a steam train and the experience is one not to be missed.Would have been 5 stars if not for the bad view at top price! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.130.134.48) | 17 Oct 03 |
