Turning the clock back to the late 2010s, there was a growing trend of productions drawing inspiration from the world of theatre, creating staging with striking scenic elements that stood apart from their contemporaries and, in some cases, even poaching designers from both the West End and Broadway. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, it felt like this trend lay somewhat dormant. However, in 2026, in arenas up and down the UK, a creative team successfully put together the amalgamation of a one-woman theatre performance and traditional touring production. A performance that ranged from looks that wouldn’t be out of place at a rave or in theatres, complete with a falling chandelier right out of the playbook of The Phantom of the Opera. West End Girl is far from your standard touring production.
The live show sees the singer act out each song in the brutally honest retelling of her marriage breaking down. Before the album’s release, Allen had collaborated with Creative Director Anna Fleischle, discussing how the album could be manifested as a live performance. Fleischle has worked with the singer on several theatre projects. However, with it being eight years since Allen had toured as a singer, a whole new team had to be created to help take the show on the road.
Giles Woodhead assumed the mantle of Production Manager for both the UK and American theatre run. As the production needed to expand for arenas, he took on the title of Tour Manager and brought in Ian Martin as his Production Manager. “Throughout the theatre run, Anna was working on the arena show creative design. As soon as we finished the US leg in San Francisco at the end of April, it was time to start construction on a whole new set for the arena tour,” stated Woodhead. “Although the show follows the same themes in the arenas, it’s a different set. Everything is much bigger, so we went back to square one and engineered a set that could tour for the rest of the year”.
After the pieces were put together in The Backstage Centre, the production hit the road, starting in the Utilita Arena in Newcastle with TPi catching up with the tour on their third night at the AO Arena in Manchester.
Several suppliers from the theatre run were brought back for arenas, including Southby Productions (audio), Colour Sound Experiment (lighting and video), Electric Foundry (scenic lighting), Ox Event House (set), and CSE Crosscom (radios). Transam Trucking (trucking), Phoenix and Megasleepers (buses), Electric Light Studios (cameras) and Popcorn (catering) made up the supplier roster.
“When the arena dates were passed to me, the first thing I did was call every bus company in Europe,” stated Woodhead, as he knew getting confirmation was going to be hard with the tour kicking off during festival season.
Thanks to a few cancellations, Woodhead was able to source enough buses with the combo solution of Phoenix and Megasleepers. He added that building a show in the summer posed challenges. “Look at Manchester tonight – you’ve got us, Take That down the road and Parklife,” Woodhead chuckled.
The TM was excited to bring this unique show to a larger audience. “It’s been great to see the show move into arenas,” he stated. “There are moments in the performances that are really ‘dancey’. On the theatre run, the audience sat down, which was a great experience, but it’s great to see these songs with people able to move, and it’s a great vibe.”
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Words: Stew Hume
Photos: Henry Redcliffe, Si Melber Studio (Images of Anna Fleischle and Gino Green) and TPi
