PLAYS
MUSICALS
OPERAS


THE MIKADO
D'Oyly Carte, Savoy Theatre, London - 2000/01

"Ian Judge directs a show which is better than halfway to the effervescent operetta that The Mikado really is. Tim Goodchild's designs are funnier, more colourful and more sophisticated than you would expect. It's a slick evening with an emphasis on colour and wit: a fizzy tonic with a dash of bitters, and D'Oyly Carte back in its rightful place." - The Times

"Best of all is the sheer wit and exuberance of Ian Judge's fresh-as-paint production, brilliantly designed by Tim Goodchild. Both have recognised the key point that, deep down, The Mikado concerns the British rather than the Japanese... There are winning performances all round... The whole show is a thoroughly English treat." - The Daily Telegraph

"This MIKADO exudes great spirit and Judge has found real humour in it, something not always hitherto present. It comes up so newly-minted and as fresh as paint. It might have been written yesterday." - What’s On

"Ian Judge’s production has a freshness and gaiety that puts many West End musicals to shame. It sends you away a much happier being." - The Guardian





WEST SIDE STORY
Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane - 1994/97

"Judge directs the production with a veracity that is all too rare in music theatre. He establishes, within the bounds of the genre, an emotional reality." - Sydney Telegraph and Mail








SHOW BOAT
Opera North/RSC - 1989/92

"Ian Judge’s production is done with zest and affection: it avoids any pitfalls and potential sentimentality, and makes its effects through honest emotion, fun, wit and with the set-piece love scenes done so lovingly that only the hardest of hearts could fail to find them melting." - Daily Telegraph

"A great and inspiring evening." - The Times


"Exaggerated claims may sometimes be made for SHOW BOAT as a musical but no praise can be too high for Ian Judge’s Opera North-RSC production now installed at the London Palladium. In an age when musicals are full of tinny, underpowered voices it induces a feeling of giddy ecstasy to hear Jerome Kern’s numbers so beautifully sung." - The Guardian

"Director Ian Judge adds genuine sexiness and toughness in order to rid the show of its unfair reputation for a certain slick superficiality. Judge’s production has a robustness and even a raunchiness that makes this sprawling story as fresh today as it ever was." - Daily Express


"Ian Judge’s cunningly paced and stylish production. It’s strengths are dramatic fluidity and considerable musical finesse." - The Times


"Catching the gaudy and resonant diversity of the work with accomplished versatility, Ian Judge’s superlative production makes this SHOW BOAT a show-piece." - Independent







A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC
Chichester Festival Theatre, Piccadilly Theatre, London - 1989/90

"Ian Judge’s production strikes me as infinitely superior to Harold Prince’s 1975 version at the Adelphi. The show emerges as an exhilarating testament to the power of sheer craftsmanship in the musical theatre." - The Guardian

"It was gratifying to be mistakenly credited by a London evening newspaper this week with Ian Judge’s fine production of A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC at the Piccadilly Theatre. I wish that I could claim that." - Ned Sherrin

"Ian Judge’s great success. A superb evening." - Financial Times

"A glittering sophisticated production of a glittering sophisticated musical. Haunting, hilarious, hard edged and brilliant" - Sunday Times





THE WIZARD OF OZ
RSC - 1989/91

"If all Christmas shows were as marvellous as THE WIZARD OF OZ Christmas time wouldn’t be nearly so unbearable. Ian Judge’s production has a magical exuberance and an irresistible story-telling sweep. I was caught up in it from the start." - The Times

"This is as sure-fire, gilt-edged a hit as anything seen this year. It holds the youngsters in thrall and makes adults wish they were children." - Evening Standard





BITTER SWEET
New Sadler’s Wells Opera, Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London 1988

"The production was deft and immaculate and the singing excellent. The set was adroitly contrived so that the transformation scenes practically glided by and when the last cycle was complete it was quite moving. What a wonderful evening! The Master would have been proud of all of them in that cast tonight." - Kenneth Williams Diaries March 10th 1988

"About the staging I have no doubts. Ian Judge’s production is affectionate, unobtrusive and highly accomplished." - The Telegraph

"The whole show, beautifully mounted by Ian Judge is so spotless and well mannered that I hardly dare clear my throat for fear of breaking the magic spell." - The Sunday Express

"The reason why I call Ian Judge’s new production generous-hearted is that this charming dated mixture would be all too easy to mock. But, instead, Judge plays it straight and sincere, unafraid of pathos – and the gamble pays off. The production renders perfectly the sad, restless mood of the piece; that of an eternal twilight." - The Sunday Times





MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG
Bloomsbury Theatre - 1983





Back to top