Welcome to the next in a series celebrating female colleagues who engage with theatre as critics, reviewers, bloggers or content creators. I am using ‘theatre’ to encompass all live arts performances, and ‘reviewer’ to cover all those who add commentary on what they see.
The master list is at: https://loureviews.blog/spotlight-on-female-theatre-reviewers-bloggers-critics-and-content-creators/
If you would like to be profiled as part of this project, please get in touch.
Today, I turn my attention to Lisa Martland, founder and editor of Musical Theatre Review (MTR).
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to be writing or creating content about theatre?
I’m the founder and editor of the website Musical Theatre Review (MTR). From a relatively young age, both writing and theatre were big passions.
My father, who also became a journalist late in his career, was hugely knowledgeable about the Great American Songbook and musicals, both classic and contemporary. His enthusiasm was infectious, so it wasn’t long before I was learning all about Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Rodgers and Hart/Hammerstein, Sondheim, etc.
I was also fortunate that we lived in London and both my parents took me to the theatre often. I mentioned to my dad that when I left a show, I felt compelled to write about how I felt. He told me that some people did that kind of thing for a living (!), so I began to find out more about pursuing a career in journalism.
While pursuing a degree in English and Film Studies, I became a member of the student newspaper team, where I wrote theatre reviews. I then did a postgrad course in journalism.
My first job was as a staff writer on a caravan magazine, would you believe, but my big break came when I became a sub editor at The Stage Newspaper. That was the beginning of me professionally writing content about theatre.
If you have your own platform, when did it start and how did you come up with the name? If you write for one or many platforms, which was the first and how did you become involved with it?
Musical Theatre Review started in 2013. It was born out of a great magazine called Musical Stages, edited by a lovely lady called Lynda Trapnell. She wasn’t available to continue the mag so myself and three others decided to try and continue it as a digital mag with a website on the side.
I suppose we felt the name very much described the focus of the project, although we do news and features/interviews too.
We also had a tagline, ‘Onstage, Backstage, Worldwide’, indicating that we wanted to cover industry stories that threw the spotlight on practitioners as well as performers, and that we hoped to cover shows beyond the UK, in Europe and on Broadway etc.
It soon became clear that it made more sense for Musical Theatre Review to purely exist as a website. The other three members of the original team decided to move on to other things, but I was passionate about pursuing the project and making it a success.
I was helped by the ten years I had spent working on staff at The Stage Newspaper from 1991 to 2001, as sub editor, chief sub editor, deputy editor and reviewer.
So, when I got in contact with PRs, they knew I already had a background in that world. I had also specialised in musical theatre and cabaret when writing for the newspaper.
What kind of shows do you cover, and in which geographical areas?
We pride ourselves on covering as much musical theatre as we can across the UK: West End, London Fringe, regional in-house productions, and tours.
When we can, we review openings in Europe, particularly in Paris, and in New York. Musical theatre obviously comes in many forms as well, so we are open-minded about also covering dramas where music plays an integral role.
We also love reviewing cabaret shows. I am so grateful to the extremely talented group of writers who contribute to the site and support my vision. The site couldn’t have continued for over a decade without them.
How would you describe yourself (reviewer, critic, content creator, YouTuber, influencer, other)?Â
I suppose I would describe myself as an editor, writer and reviewer. That’s my training and what I always pursued as a career, although I’ve done my best to keep up with all the developments in social media.
I think it’s the brilliant members of my team who take charge of the MTR Instagram and TikTok accounts that would be described as content creators.
Why do you continue to engage with theatre?
Two of my main passions that have driven me both personally and professionally have been writing and theatre. It feels like a gift and a privilege to be able to so frequently combine them.
But on a personal note, theatre really is my happy place. It’s storytelling, whatever the genre, at its very best. It entertains, it transports you to another world, it educates, it connects you with whatever is happening in the world, it helps you become the person you aspire to be. It fires your imagination. There’s no other art form like it.
What’s the one thing that would make the theatre reviewing/content creating space easier for you personally, and/or for your platform?
To be honest, there’s not masses I would change. I do like it when PRs schedule several press nights for reviewers and don’t just invite people on opening nights.
I love attending on a first night, but I do like the flexibility of having a choice. My husband and I are carers for my son, who has special needs, so this approach makes life easier logistically and gives me a little more time to refine my copy. I suppose the only other irritation sometimes is when MTR gets looked over for invites to launches or press nights, especially when it’s a musical, and we have such a captive audience who love that genre.
But fortunately, after 13 years of hard work, that doesn’t happen very much nowadays. Plus, I appreciate that there are oodles of people queueing up for invites nowadays, and everyone deserves a chance to have access.Â
Do you have a favourite show – and any you particularly dislike(d)?
I’m often asked what my favourite show is, and I find it an impossible question. I pride myself on being open-minded, and I’m always keen to hear new work. I listen to different cast recordings all the time.
I suppose, for sentimental reasons, I would have to say Oklahoma!, not because I think it’s the best show I’ve ever seen, but because it was the first West End show my dad took me to in 1980.
It was the start of a relationship with musical theatre that changed everything that followed.
I always try to find positives in any show I see, so it’s hard to pick out one that I really disliked. I suppose in recent times, I might say Opening Night in 2024.
It wasn’t the performances, but the whole premise seemed rather overindulgent and pretentious. If a show doesn’t have any heart, any emotional resonance, it can lose me quite quickly.
There’s also a couple of Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals which have a massive following that I struggle to connect with, such as Cats and Starlight Express.
The theatre commentary space is wide and diverse – is there any other female reviewer/content creator you would recommend, and why?
Some of the people I would mention are acquaintances/friends, so I suppose I might be a little biased, but I always seek out Marianka Swain’s reviews for London Theatre and The Telegraph (lately she has been writing lots of features for show programmes too).
I’ve also been impressed by the flair with which Olivia Rook edits all things London Theatre, both online and for the monthly magazine. Honorary mentions would go to Lizzie Loveridge (TheatreVibe), Julia Rank (Julia’s Theatre Musings on Substack) and Rachel Agyefron (Rachel Reviewed).
And there are my talented female colleagues at Musical Theatre Review, of course, including my news editor, Angela Thomas and Edinburgh Editor Fiona Orr.
On the blogging/vlogging front, Hannah Lowther always really impresses me, as does Marina Holmes, who covers launches and galas for MTR; she is an absolute star.
I would also like to give a special mention to a great champion of theatre, Terri Paddock. After co-founding WhatsOnStage and making it a huge success, she created the websites MyTheatreMates.com and StageFaves.com, which is when I worked with her.
I have been rather inspired by her knowledge, expertise, focus and work ethic. I learnt a great deal from her. Do check out her post-show Q&As, which often pop up on the London Fringe; they are first class.
What’s the biggest change you have noticed in the theatre space since you started contributing to it?
I am old enough to remember a time before the internet – yes, I am that old – so the move over to all things digital must be the biggest change I have witnessed.
I remember when the production photographer for The Stage used to have to courier his prints over to the office, and then we had to scan them in, and I had to go to a typesetter to sign off pages!!
So, print gave me my start in theatre journalism, but it is my website that has allowed me to continue as an editor and writer in an ever-changing industry. Since MTR was founded in 2013, there has been an explosion of websites, blogs and vlogs covering theatre in London and across the UK, and that’s before we even discuss the impact of social media.
If I’m honest, there have probably been moments of insecurity when I have worried that MTR wouldn’t be able to stand out from the crowd. But I think the project’s USP remains; it exists as an online publication packed with quality writing and constructive criticism, and everyone involved is passionate about musical theatre and championing new writing alongside the big blockbuster shows.
I also love how democratic the field of theatre content has become. When I first started, reviewing was dominated by white middle-class men of a certain age. I’m not suggesting they weren’t excellent, knowledgeable writers, but there was a distinct lack of diversity and inclusivity. I’m so pleased that the landscape is so different now.
And which social networks are you most active on? If you are not on any, what is your opinion of their place in theatre reviewing/content creation?
My activity on social media is mostly via Musical Theatre Review, which has a presence on most platforms. My focus is commissioning content for the website, plus editing the news, features and reviews that come in. I am very fortunate that I have a couple of colleagues who take charge of the Instagram and TikTok accounts.
I think in many ways social networks can be positive, they can promote talent, give artists a form of expression that would have never existed before, open a window to theatre internationally, and promote work of all shapes and sizes. Plus, they can just be entertaining!
However, there is obviously a negative side to such an open forum. It means that anyone can be a critic, however toxic or unkind their opinions are. There’s a minority of people who seem to believe they are entitled to direct access to performers and practitioners via social media or even at the stage door. If their favourite artists put their well-being first, they end up being criticised on a public forum.
We buy tickets to see a show, not to a private meet and greet afterwards, unless that is sold as part of a VIP package. The most important thing of all is to be kind, and that’s all there is to it.
Can you pinpoint one of your best reviews, features, or videos?
It’s hard to pick one thing, but I suppose my coverage of relaxed theatre performances before they were such a common event is something I am proud of.
Those performances mean so much to families like mine who would never be able to take their children to the theatre without them.
https://musicaltheatrereview.com/the-lion-king-autism-friendly-way/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzScWwWpFsY
I’m also very proud of any work I have done to promote new work as well as the interviews I did when I was at The Stage with so many legendary songwriters, including Jerry Herman, Cy Coleman, William Finn and many more.
How can people contact you who want to promote a show?
My email is lisa@musicaltheatrereview.com.
Thanks, Lisa!