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My Top 5 School Musicals: Crush director Anna Linstrum

Linstrum directs the new musical comedy from the team behind ”Bad Girls the Musical”

Editorial Staff

Anna Linstrum is directing the new musical comedy Crush, written by Maureen Chadwick (Waterloo Road, Footballer’s Wives) and Kath Gotts (Bad Girls The Musical).

Crush is a coming-of-age romp that celebrates schoolgirl friendships and fighting for what you believe in

The show runs at the Belgrade Theatre Coventry until 19 September and then tours to Theatre Royal Brighton (22 – 26 Sept) and Richmond Theatre (29 Sept – 3 Oct). For more information click here.

We caught up with Anna to find out her Top 5 School musicals…

5. Matilda

Matilda
Matilda

I just had to include this as it’s one of the most successful British musicals of the past decade. Plus, the show originated in subsidised theatre: the RSC. Commercial producers are the backbone of the West End, but subsidised theatre also plays a huge part and we all need to champion that.

4. The Boy Friend

This is an adorable pastiche set in the 1920’s in a finishing school in the south of France. It’s everything musicals are allowed to be: absurd and frothy and utterly silly, and it all adds up to an evening of complete delight.

3. Fame

Fame
Fame
© HUGO GLENDINNING

I wanted to follow my dad’s footsteps into theatre from a very young age, so I was fascinated with the TV show. The New York High School for Performing Arts seemed impossibly hip and cool. ‘You want fame? Well fame costs. And right here’s where you start paying. With sweat.’ Miss Grant wasn’t wrong…

2. Grease

If like me you were born in the 1970’s you grew up with this musical, (and had a crush on John Travolta of course). It’ll always be close to my heart, it has a perfectly sweet story, excellent songs and a potent atmosphere. And it started as a theatre show, the film came later – not many people realize that!

The original London cast of Spring Awakening
The original London cast of Spring Awakening

1. Spring Awakening

I saw the original production on Broadway and I was blown away. The thing that amazed me was how brave it was. Who would have thought to turn a Wedekind play into a rock musical?? It has to be number one in my list because it’s groundbreaking, stunning and courageous theatre.