There’s a sense of electricity in the air at the exhibition, different to the rest of the museum. A glittering sequined sign greets you at the door, and it feels fittingly glitzy for an exhibition filled to the brim with musical theatre objects. All around me are lively conversations about musicals seen and loved in the past, and people call out to each other, ‘Look! There’s Moulin Rouge!’

The exhibition itself is an exploration of the history and present day of musical theatre, showcasing a collection of 100 objects from many revered musicals. It’s a cavernous space with pitch black walls and spotlights pointed at dozens of objects, replicating the sense of being in the audience at the theatre. The result is an Aladdin’s cave of treasures, including costumes, design sketches, sheet music, programmes and more.

Catherine of Aragon's costume from SIX the musical. Photos from the V&A museum. 

You are astonishingly close to the objects in the display cases, enough that I can see the black masking tape holding together Elaine Paige’s well-worn shoes, worn for her role in Cats in 1981; and the lace front edge of Danny La Rue’s wig in the 1984 Hello Dolly! revival.

Around every corner stands a mannequin in an iconic costume, posed as if ready to perform at any given moment. Sarabi from The Lion King stands guard at the door, and Jamie from Everybody’s Talking about Jamie poses in heels, with a single sassy hand on his hip. Catherine of Aragon’s costume from SIX the Musical is breath-taking up close, laden with thousands of tiny sparkling jewels, alongside a matching headband made of golden spikes.

The exhibition has three rooms, and follows a thematic rather than chronological theme. It’s a multi-sensory experience, as whilst you browse the displays, a 10 minute audio track filled with interviews, song snippets, and sound effects plays on a loop in two of the rooms. The third room is dedicated entirely to a large screen playing V&A archive footage, with snippets ranging from Theatre Royal Drury Lane’s My Fair Lady in 2002, to the 2021 production of Spring Awakening at the Almeida Theatre.

The exhibition is definitely family friendly, but doesn’t feel juvenile. In the Musical Treasures Family Trail free booklet, there’s a list of objects to find around the exhibit – including Frozen the Musical’s toy Olaf. Although children hoping to see their favourite animated Disney character, might be slightly terrified by the creepy puppet version on display.

Another treasure hunt of sorts can be played by spotting the miniature figurines placed across the whole exhibit. A tiny man with an even tinier paintbrush paints the welcome sign, and another miniscule woman styles a set of wigs on three teeny mannequin heads. It’s a nod to those working behind the scenes of musical theatre, a hint to the crux of the exhibition as a whole.

The V&A is lifting the stage curtains and showing visitors a welcome glimpse backstage at their favourite musicals, from conception to current day. My favourite display in the entire exhibition is their interactive Deputy Stage Manager desk, tucked into the corner of the third exhibition room. The control booth is complete with headphones with a steady stream of radio chatter, and three screens – displaying the show’s script to follow, a view of the stage from the wings, and a split view of the conductor, stage, and props table. It’s an immersive experience, where you can test to see if you have the skills to call a live musical, and very entertaining.

It's an engaging reminder to any musical theatre fan of the scale of modern theatre productions, and the sheer amount of many people involved behind the curtain to produce what we see on stage – from writers, to musicians, to props makers.

The Re:Imagining Musicals exhibition is a free exhibition, located in the Theatre and Performance section of the V&A museum in South Kensington. It’s on now until Monday, 27 November 2023.

Check out our brand new title, Musicals Magazine, which is on sale from TODAY. For more details visit www.MusicalsMagazine.com.