{"id":279549,"date":"2025-07-21T08:57:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-21T08:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/279549\/"},"modified":"2025-07-21T08:57:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T08:57:09","slug":"sing-street-reviews-lyric-hammersmith-london","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/279549\/","title":{"rendered":"Sing Street reviews \u2013 Lyric Hammersmith London"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reviews are out for new musical Sing Street<\/strong><\/a> at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre in London.<\/p>\n

Check out what the critics thought of Sing Street, including The Times and TimeOut, with further reviews to be added.<\/p>\n

Sing Street is now playing at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre in London, until 23 August 2025.<\/p>\n

The musical is based on the 2016 coming-of-age movie by John Carney<\/strong> (Begin Again, Once), and produced by James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli<\/strong>. The 80s new wave score is by Gary Clark<\/strong> (Danny Wilson), and written by Tony Award-winner Enda Walsh<\/strong> (Once) and directed by Tony Award-winner Rebecca Taichman<\/strong> (Indecent).<\/p>\n

The cast of Sing Street stars Adam Hunter<\/a><\/strong> as Brendan, Sheridan Townsley<\/a><\/strong> as Conor and Grace Collender<\/a><\/strong> as Raphina, with Tateyana Arutura<\/strong> as Anne, Harry Curley<\/strong> as Kevin, Jenny Fitzpatrick<\/strong> as Sandra, Indiana Hawkes<\/strong> as Gary, Cameron Hogan<\/strong> as Darren, Lloyd Hutchinson<\/strong> as Brother Baxter, Lucianne McEvoy<\/strong> as Penny, Jesse Nyakudya<\/strong> as Eamon, Lochlann \u00d3 Mear\u00e1in<\/strong> as Robert, Matthew Philp<\/strong> as Declan, Seb Robinson<\/strong> as Larry, and Jack James Ryan<\/strong> as Barry.<\/p>\n

The show is set in Dublin in 1982, and sixteen-year-old Conor can\u2019t catch a break. His parents are fighting, his brother won\u2019t leave the house and he\u2019s not fitting in at his new Catholic school. Enter Raphina, a mysterious girl who\u2019s too cool for school and on the lookout for a modelling job. In an effort to impress, Conor hires her to star in a music video for his band. Only problem is he doesn\u2019t have a band. Yet.<\/p>\n

Joining Rebecca Taichman in the Sing Street creative team are: Choreography by Sonya Tayeh, Set Design by Bob Crowley, Lighting Design by Natasha Katz, Music Supervision by Peter Gordeno, Video Design by Luke Halls, Costume Design by Lisa Zinni, Wigs, Hair & Make-Up Design by Helen Keane, Musical Direction by Nick J Barstow, Casting by Stuart Burt CDG, Orchestrations & Arrangements by Gary Clark & Pete Gordeno, Choreography Re-Staged by Mia DeWeese & Camden Gonzales, Associate Director Nicholai La Barrie and Dialect & Voice Coach Hazel Holder.<\/p>\n

Sing Street is now playing at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre until 23 August 2025.<\/p>\n

Book Sing Street tickets<\/a> at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre in London<\/strong><\/p>\n

What are the critics saying about Sing Street?<\/p>\n

What’s On Stage<\/p>\n

\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n

“Lights up the London stage”<\/strong><\/p>\n

“The giddy possibilities of youth, the transformative power of art and the rebellious appeal of rock music crash resoundingly together in this gritty, wondrous musical several years in the making.”<\/p>\n

“It shares the same working class Dublin setting as Once, but the shadow of The Commitments also hangs over this tale of kids in the 1980s forming a band as a way of escaping challenging personal circumstances.”<\/p>\n

“Sheridan Townsley in a stunning professional debut”<\/p>\n

“So far, so sweet, but Enda Walsh\u2019s book \u2013 punchy, hilarious, occasionally absolutely devastating \u2013 has multiple colours and layers”<\/p>\n

“Grace Collender is extraordinary”<\/p>\n

“Townsley is equally astounding, charting the journey from gauche schoolboy to androgynously sexy rock god with total conviction.”<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s a show that celebrates great music, the importance of human connection, the thirst to broaden one\u2019s horizons, and the hopeful, exultant swagger of youth. A thumping great night out.”<\/p>\n

Alun Hood, What’s On Stage<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Read the review<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

The Evening Standard<\/p>\n

\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n

“The level of musicianship is incredible”<\/strong><\/p>\n

“This adaptation of the film set in Dublin in the 80s is an exuberant coming-of-age musical with a talented young ensemble”<\/p>\n

“There\u2019s a fittingly lo-fi, \u201clet\u2019s do the show right here\u201d vibe to this charming musical.”<\/p>\n

“A talented young ensemble of multi-instrumentalist actors \u2013 many of them recent graduates or still in education \u2013 is led by Sheridan Townsley, making a charismatic stage debut as our hero Conor.”<\/p>\n

“… the new and original 80s-style pop songs \u2013 by Carney and Gary Clark, who also does the orchestration and arrangement here \u2013 are irresistibly catchy and uplifting. And Rebecca Taichman\u2019s staging has an exuberant energy all its own.”<\/p>\n

“The teenage thrill of performing music live on stage and the camaraderie of being in a band has an authentic tang. This delightful show has the energy and immediacy of your favourite band\u2019s first gig.”<\/p>\n

Nick Curtis, The Evening Standard<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Read the review<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/a> <\/p>\n

More reviews by Nick Curtis<\/p>\n

<\/a> <\/p>\n

More The Evening Standard reviews<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

The Guardian<\/p>\n

\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n

“Uplifting songs and strong voices lift 80s Dublin-set musical”<\/strong><\/p>\n

“The stage version of John Carney\u2019s film stays bright-eyed despite the darker turns in this tale of teenage pop, poverty and fractious families”<\/p>\n

“This stage adaptation of John Carney\u2019s 2016 film is an exemplar of the \u201cuplifting\u201d musical, puppyishly so.”<\/p>\n

“… it seems at pains to stay bright-eyed, heartwarming, no matter the darker turns of its story. This is its undoing, in some ways.”<\/p>\n

“… the production is staged in an exuberant if strange in-between register which mixes the naturalism of the coming-of-age film with break-outs into musical expressionism and kinetic projections that fizz around the stage.”<\/p>\n

“It works better in the second half, which opens with a full-on gig in which we become a stadium-style audience. But Enda Walsh\u2019s script remains spare and thuddingly simplistic in its story”<\/p>\n

“Emotion is eked out by the end, although the show drags its feet to get there. Ultimately, it is gig theatre, with a vacuum in-between its uplifting songs.”<\/p>\n

Arifa Akbar, The Guardian<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Read the review<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/a> <\/p>\n

More reviews by Arifa Akbar<\/p>\n

<\/a> <\/p>\n

More The Guardian reviews<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

The Times<\/p>\n

\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n

“Is Sing Street a first post-Bond hit for Barbara Broccoli?”<\/strong><\/p>\n

“A lively cast and catchy Eighties soundtrack create an entertaining, if slightly uneven, show about a young band\u2019s journey from ramshackle to slick”<\/p>\n

“What it has going for it is a lively and slick young cast who all play their own instruments. What\u2019s more it has a set of songs by Gary Clark and Carney that, as one teenage boy says to the schoolmate who has supposedly just written it, sound like stuff \u201cyou\u2019d actually listen to\u201d.”<\/p>\n

“… when the show ends with a triumphant school concert, there is nothing counterfeit about the joy it engenders in the theatre. There\u2019s so much to like in Sing Street. Its storytelling is too broad to suck you in fully, though.”<\/p>\n

“… could this be a second Once for Broccoli and co? I don\u2019t think I\u2019d put my billions in it without one last overhaul of the storytelling. But it\u2019s an entertaining evening. And when it\u2019s in full fake Eighties flight, Sing Street is a delight.”<\/p>\n

Dominic Maxwell, The Times<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Read the review<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/a> <\/p>\n

More reviews by Dominic Maxwell<\/p>\n

<\/a> <\/p>\n

More The Times reviews<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

TimeOut<\/p>\n

\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n

“The writers of smash musical \u2018Once\u2019 reunite for a sweet musical about a schoolboy who forms a band to escape depressing \u201980s Dublin”<\/strong><\/p>\n

“This sparky indie musical about a lonely Irish schoolboy who forms a band as a means to escape a drab \u201980s Dublin adolescence is a charming affair.”<\/p>\n

“My gut instinct is that Rebecca Taichman\u2019s production is a bit too all over the shop to really take off in the same way as Once did, but it\u2019s an enjoyably lo-fi clutter, a show that seesaws between kitchen sink bleakness and joyfully preposterous singing sequences with total earnestness.”<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s all very breathless and winsome: Sheridan Townsley\u2019s Conor is the right mix of cocky and vulnerable \u2013 just like a proper rock star! \u2013 and Hunter offers a poignant turn as Brendan”<\/p>\n

“It could be better. The music is weirdly inconsistent.”<\/p>\n

“A very likeable little musical, even if it currently has more of the air of a fondly regarded provincial indie band than a globe conquering rock legend.”<\/p>\n

Andrzej Lukowski, TimeOut<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Read the review<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/a> <\/p>\n

More reviews by Andrzej Lukowski<\/p>\n

<\/a> <\/p>\n

More TimeOut reviews<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

The Independent<\/p>\n

\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n

“New musical Sing Street is an exhaustingly brainless extension of the hit film”<\/strong><\/p>\n

“The songs might be fun but there are no biting insights to be had in this flimsy revamp of John Carney\u2019s 2016 movie”<\/p>\n

“New musical Sing Street might be set in Eighties Dublin, but you\u2019re not getting any biting insights into a vanished Ireland here.”<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s nominally written by seasoned Irish playwright Enda Walsh (Lazarus), but there\u2019s not much of his writing talent on display here. Instead, the story feels like a flimsy extension of the 2016 film”<\/p>\n

“Initially at least, director Rebecca Taichman\u2019s production has enough sass and conviction to style out this oh-too-predictable story.”<\/p>\n

“\u201cBeautiful Disguise\u201d is a Kate Bush-style emotional outpouring that\u2019s stunningly rendered in Collender\u2019s haunting performance. Nevertheless, as the energy dips in the second act, the story\u2019s flaws show.”<\/p>\n

Alice Saville, The Independent<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Read the review<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/a> <\/p>\n

More reviews by Alice Saville<\/p>\n

<\/a> <\/p>\n

More The Independent reviews<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Average Rating: 3.3 Stars<\/b> based on 6 reviews<\/p>\n

CriticScore: 67 based on 6 reviews<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Sing Street<\/p>\n

Lyric Hammersmith,\u00a0London<\/p>\n

Book tickets<\/p>\n

<\/a> <\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcf7\u00a0Main photo: Sing Street at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre London. Sheridan Townsley & Grace Collender. Photo by Manuel Harlan<\/p>\n

Related News<\/p>\n

More ><\/p>\n

<\/a> Latest News<\/p>\n

More ><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Reviews are out for new musical Sing Street at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre in London. Check out what…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":279550,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7757],"tags":[105281,86850,748,105282,393,105283,105284,4884,105285,257,105286,105287,105288,105289,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-279549","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-london","8":"tag-adam-hunter","9":"tag-barbara-broccoli","10":"tag-britain","11":"tag-enda-walsh","12":"tag-england","13":"tag-gary-clark","14":"tag-grace-collender","15":"tag-great-britain","16":"tag-john-carney","17":"tag-london","18":"tag-lyric-hammersmith","19":"tag-rebecca-taichman","20":"tag-sheridan-townsley","21":"tag-sing-street","22":"tag-uk","23":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114890397741455480","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=279549"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279549\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/279550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=279549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=279549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=279549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}