Gay London Life | November '26 Edition - Magazine - Page 28
Life of a Luvvie with Thomas Magill
It’s rare these days that I am ever totally surprised, shocked or
flabbergasted by something on stage. Whether it’s fringe or a big
budget west-end musical, I can normally find the positives in a
production, but it has been a long time since I was utterly blown away
by the shear brilliance of a story, concept or staging.
Well, it happened last week. Whilst nursing a stinking cold, I dragged my
ass along to the Other Palace Theatre in Victoria to see Garry Starr: Classic
Penguins, and my goodness what a night was had!! I went alone, because I
didn’t think it was worth asking a mate to join me for this 1 hour 5-minute one
man show. Now, I’m literally telling everyone about the extraordinary merits,
wit and genius of this production. So, the story goes, that semi naked Damien
Warren-Smith and his chaotic alter ego Garry Starr work through the entire
Penguin Classic collection of books. He is kitted out in no more than a ruff,
tailcoat, and a pair of orange flippers - basically because he IS the penguin.
I don’t want to give too much away, but nudity, laughter, intelligence and lots
of great audience participation ensues. It’s a show that puts camp no holds
barred humour at its heart and is told by Starr with tongue firmly in cheek. The
show is on until the beginning of January.
I also got to meet a true legend last month. Don Black is best known for writing
some of the greatest songs ever penned. From ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ and
‘Love Changes Everything’ to the
Eastenders theme tune Black has
had a career spanning 60 years.
His latest show From the Heart
opened at the Garrick Theatre for a
super short run starring the Olivier
nominated Frances Mayli McCann
alongside Shona McGarty, Caroline
O’Connor, and the fabulous Clive
With Shanay Holmes, Co-creator of Musical Con
Rowe. As well as seeing the show
itself, the cast had a little intimate gig
before opening night for a select
group of theatre people and I was
lucky enough to be invited. It was
there where I met and chatted to
Don about the show and his career.
With Don Black - musical genius
He’s still as passionate and excited
to see this reworked version of From the Heart back to the stage as he was when
it was first shown back in 2025. I’ve no doubt it has enough credibility and backing
for a longer run and perhaps even a tour in the coming years.
In my last column I reminded you all about Musical Con. The annual
cosplay celebration of all things musical theatre at the Excel is two full-on days
of magical theatre fun. Like last year I had a blast and met some exceptional
people who had made such an effort dressing up in their favourite west-end
characters. It was also an honour to see Anthony Rapp and Fredi WalkerBrowne from the original cast of Rent perform in London as the show marks
its 30th anniversary. Both actors had flown in from Broadway especially for
the gathering and so it was a once in a lifetime opportunity for most of us to
see these legends in action. I can promise you this moment was not lost on
me! I also got to spend some time with our own leading lady and co-creator of
Musical Con Shanay Holmes for an interview I did for BBC London. She is so
passionate about the event and reminded us of all about its power and ability to
create a safe space and community for so many likeminded people.
Apart from panto season, which is about to kick off, there are a few other
shows I can’t wait to see this month. Most notable is Pride the Musical as
it transfers to the Bridge Theatre in London Bridge. It opens on the 12th of
November and stars an authentic Welsh/London cast including the brilliant
and notable Samuel Barnett as Jonathan and Jhon Lumsden as Mark Ashton,
the formidable, Northern Irish leader of the campaign. Not to be missed if you
call yourself a gay. For now, I’m off to get ready for a whole host of camp, rude
naughtiest they call panto!
@thomasmagill1
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