MUSICAL
The Beautiful Game ★★★
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Lyrics: Ben Elton
Manilla Street Productions, Chapel Off Chapel, until September 29

Australia has proved more receptive than New York to Andrew Lloyd Webber over the last decade.

He chose Melbourne to rework his Phantom sequel, Love Never Dies, in 2011 after slashing reviews on the West End (the London press dubbed it "Paint Never Dries"), and the composer himself was happier with what Simon Phillips' colourful revamp delivered.

An earlier musical, The Beautiful Game, never made it to Broadway either. And you can understand why a show that follows a Belfast high school soccer team as they turn into IRA terrorists might not have appealed after its West End run closed in September 2001.