Is a theatre show ever ‘locked down’ or does it develop over time as the cast dig deeper and gain more of an insight into the piece? Theatre practitioners will often tell you that a show is never finished and that it matures over time as the company become more aware of each other’s timing…
There is an odd moment in Cabaret when the audience is uncertain if it should applaud a song or not. It’s no reflection on the cast or the production but rather a deliberate move by the composers to unsettle their audience. Indeed, in Suffolk Young People’s Theatre production of Kander and Ebb’s look at the…
The 11th annual Pulse Fringe Festival is now well underway and, as we approach the middle weekend, it’s a good opportunity to reflect on the first week. During week one, 24 different productions encompassing dance, drama, comedy, and film took place across the Ipswich in a multitude of locations. Some were polished, finished work, others…
What is a theatre review, and what is a theatre critic? They may seem simple questions but topics that seem to be vexing many people at the moment. Is there a difference between a theatre reviewer and a theatre critic? Should reviews only be positive and not cover any negative aspect of a production?…
They say there’s no point in reinventing the wheel but in their adaptation of Charles Dicken’s Great Expectations, English Touring Theatre has succeeded admirably. Great Expectations is a classic rite of passage saga, looking at poverty, class and the desire to escape traditional roles. Tanika Gupta’s reimagining of the tale, moving it from 1840s England…
2011 is going to be a year packed with terrence Rattigan. In the centenary of his birth, theatres up and down the country will be presenting his work in celebration. The first major London revival of the year is also Trevor Nunn’s first offering as part of his residency at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. Set…
Barbershop four part harmony and the battle between Heaven and Hell may seem unlikely bedfellows but the two subjects gel perfectly in musical comedy Barbershopera: Apocalypse No! God has decided that the human race should be wiped from the face of the earth and another species be given the chance to make a better job…
Those living along the east coast often have a love/hate relationship with the North Sea. On one hand it provides a vital source of income, traditionally through fishing but, nowadays, increasingly through tourism. On the other, for every calm there is a storm just around the corner that can easily claim lives. This complex relationship…
You may think you know Classical mythology and the takes on warring gods but, after Pants On Fire’s gloriously witty updating of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, you’ll never be able to look at the tales in the same light again. Transposing the tales to Second World War Britain, complete with cut glass accents, tea dances and air…
The very best theatre transcends age barriers. While WhyThe Lion Danced is on paper a children’s show, it proves to be an engaging and entertaining show for all ages. Young Tom lives in the family Chinese takeaway but struggles to understand some of the customs of his ancestral homeland. As Chinese New Year approaches, the…
The uniquely American phenomenon of Spelling Bees, where students are one by one eliminated as they attempt to spell such words as Weltanschauung seems an unlikely subject for a musical comedy but, in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, the Donmar Warehouse has shown that the comedy works just as well for a UK…
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is arguably Shakespeare’s most adaptable play. Dream’s magical and mythical elements lend themselves to imaginative staging and, in the hands of one of the country’s most imaginative theatre companies, Headlong, the pairing seems ideal. Director Natalie Abrahami has chosen to set the action against an early 1950s Hollywood film set where…
After the glut of Sondheim stagings, concerts and celebrations to mark his 80th birthday last year, Southwark Playhouse has waited until the glut died down to produce Company as their first ever musical. It’s an inspired setting as the bare brick of London Bridge railway arches easily conveys Manhattan loft living. Company really works well…
There is perhaps a danger when going to see a show that has received almost universal rave reviews that the actual product can never quite live up to the hype. Clybourne Park has received a raft of glowing reviews for both its original run at the Royal Court and now for its transfer to the…
2011 seems to be the year for Much Ado About Nothing. The much-publicised David Tennant/Catherine Tate production, the Shakespeare’s Globe staging and, first out of the blocks, the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds. Director Abigail Anderson has embraced the intimacy of the Regency playhouse and produced a chamber version of Shakespeare’s battle of the sexes….
In these times of arts cutbacks and financial woes, the RSC are not stinting on fake blood. There production of Julius Caesar may look traditional but this isn’t a sanitised vision of Rome. Here we get blood and guts by the bucket load. Although set in period there is something strangely topical about this Julius…
How many playwrights does it take to draft a piece on global warming? According to the National Theatre it takes four but sadly Greenland, the end result, is not something any of the quartet will be listing on their greatest achievement lists. There is so much potential here, an emotive topic, first class writers, the…
A bloody massacre has descended on to small town America. A shooting at the local high school has left 16 dead and, as the media frenzy begins, 15-year-old Vernon Gregory Little finds himself at the centre of the storm. His best friend carried out the shootings before turning the gun on himself and, without a…
Theatre at its best stirs the emotions, tugs at the heart strings, and leaves an audience mentally challenged and enriched. Theatre can be engaging and only hit a few of these things but all too rarely you see a play that shakes your very core. Five is one such play. As we reach the 66th anniversary…
It is a welcoming trend to see local companies tackling new musical material. Sure, classics such as The Sound of Music and Oklahoma! have their place but there is a wealth of new material out there that deserves to be seen. Jason Robert Brown’s The Last 5 Years is one such jewel. A one-act, two-hander…
King Lear is giving Hamlet a run for its money as play of the moment right now. We’ve have a rush of Danish princes and now it’s the turn of mad Monarchs as a raft of Lears take to the stage. Much like the Hamlet productions it is unfair to compare wildly different interpretations, how…
You don’t go to a Caryl Churchill for an easy ride. Her trademark is to use complex structure and dialogue that require an audience to work to follow plot and character. Her 1994 piece The Skriker is perhaps one of her most surreal works. Outwardly it seems that a malevolent spirit is causing havoc with…
Sir Peter Hall’s 80th birthday present from the National Theatre was the opportunity to direct his Daughter Rebecca in Twelfth Night. It’s a piece Hall has visited four times in his long career but in this production more than ever he focuses on the text over staging. Staged on an almost bare stage in the…
After the success of her previous works Rabbit and Tribes, a new play by Nina Raine was always going to be something of a theatrical event. Add in that she is also directing and making her debut at Hampstead Theatre and the expectation grows. Sadly, and perhaps because of the anticipation, her latest offering Tiger…
Despite what TV shows such as Friends would have us believe, life for 30-something American’s doesn’t always end happily ever after. Gina Gionfriddo’s Becky Shaw arrives at Islington’s Almeida Theatre after success off-Broadway, and while the comedy may be American it transfers well to a UK audience. Here is the ultimate case of happy families…
For the last 25years the RSC has been reaping financial rewards from the commercial success of Les Miserables. While never going to be on this scale, Matilda could prove to be an equally rewarding production as its life beyond Stratford seems assured. Matilda A Musical may be aimed fairly and squarely at the Festive family…
Ok, the fact that the Christmas tree was decorated with bacon should have been a sign that Get Santa! wasn’t going to be your normal traditional Christmas show. Given that it’s being staged at the Royal Court and written by an author better known for his hard-hitting works it shouldn’t be a surprise that, while…
So we’ve had the look back at the 2010 theatrical year and, as we move in to 2011, what are our hopes for the New Year? Here’s a list of resolutions that one can only hope venues, producers and fellow theatregoers stick to in 2011. In no particular order here are the pet hates from…
Peter Pan On Ice is a strange hybrid of ballet, drama, circus and, of course, ice dance. It’s miles away from the traditional pantomime but, as arctic conditions sweep the country, it seems remarkably appropriate. JM Barrie’s classic tale of the boy who never grew up is turned into an ice ballet by a troupe…
Pantomime is a uniquely British phenomenon that often confuses tourists. You can see why, men dressed as women, principle ‘boys’ and audience heckles all contrary to usual theatrical etiquette. Perhaps Potted Panto should be compulsory viewing for all tourists in this festive season as within its jam packed 95 minutes of manic mayhem it also…
Reviewing a show by young people is always a potential minefield. If you go for the ‘aaahh factor’ you run the risk of being accused of being patronising and if you review as a professional adult show you risk getting accused of being hard-nosed and unsympathetic. So it is something of a tightrope walk reviewing…
From a director who is know for his hi-tech productions, Rupert Goold’s RSC production of Romeo and Juliet is strangely traditional. Well traditional with a twist. For this is a Romeo and Juliet for our times, while the ensemble are in period dress our lead protaganists are in modern dress, Romeo on a guided tour…
What was once seen as the young upstart of panto land is now 10 years old. The New Wolsey Theatre’s Rock ‘n’ Roll panto takes traditional panto tales and adds in a group of versatile actor musicians and a smattering of classic rock and pop numbers. This year it’s the turn of Jack And The…
In these times of fiscal prudence and a national obsession with glamour and celebrity, a tale of temptation by the twin evils of gold and glamour is strangely topical. Mother Goose is the panto for our times and, in the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds production, it’s never been better. Fairy Fortuna and Demon Discordo…
It is now 40 years since Jenny Agutter waved her red bloomers on screen to stop a rail disaster. As well as the classic film, Edith Nesbit’s novel has been immortalised on TV and stage but now we get offered the stage musical version of The Railway Children. It seems a natural choice, Nesbit’s tale…
Eastern Angles can always be relied on to turn the traditional Christmas show on its head and, on this occasion, it’s a case of ‘In Cod We Trust’. Gills Around The Green, Julian Harries’ and Pat Whymark’s 12th festive offering for Eastern Angles is a fishy affair. It’s the usual surreal offering so any attempt…
It has been a vintage year for Tennessee Williams. His early Spring Storm revived in a stunning production at the Royal & Derngate Northampton and then the National Theatre and now his first major commercial success receives a touching revival at the Young Vic. It is an immensely personal show, perhaps Williams’s most autobiographical, echoing…
As unemployment continues to cast a spectre over many and the ideal of job security with a job for life becomes increasingly rare, Arthur Miller’s Death Of A Salesman has never been more timely. As Willie Loman faces unemployment after 34 years working for the same company, his life begins to unravel. Ghosts of the…
In a rare outing, Alan Bennett’s epic play The Madness Of George III is currently touring the country but the only madness that sticks in one’s memory is that of the show’s designers. The wig designer, for example, seems to have raided a fancy dress shop to come up with tonsorial topiary that resembles an…
A caveat first – this review is based only on Act 1. It is extremely rare that I leave a production midway through a performance but, sadly, this production joins those ranks. A stage adaptation of Bram Stoker’s supernatural thriller should be dark, full of other-worldly elements and chills. Sadly Sell A Door Theatre Company’s…
In 1949, George Orwell’s bleak vision of the state control in the 1980s seemed almost unthinkable. In his vision of 1984, government spin, PR speak, and CCTV surveillance would become prevalent, now while thinks haven’t become as dark as his novel envisaged many of his predictions were uncannily accurate. It makes the piece timely and…
These days we’re used to the image of National Lottery winners collecting a huge cheque but, in the 1960s, attention was focused on the Saturday football results rather than lottery numbers. The chance of matching eight score draws kept many hopes alive. When impoverished Yorkshire couple Keeith and Viv Nicholson win £152,319 on the Pools…
The second of the Donmar Warehouse’s concert celebrations for Sondheim’s 80th birthday turns attention to his 1970 score Company. This one was a hit for the Donmar back in 1995 and as with last weeks Merrily We Roll Along features many of the cast of that production. Also like Merrily Company is not your traditional linear…
As the country struggles with financial hardships it’s a timely revival for the National Theatre of Ena Lamont Stewart’s look at the 1930s depression. Set in a rundown Glasgow tenement, life is tough for the Morrison family. Eleven family members are crammed in the tiny, dank, dark kitchen and bedroom set up. Dad is out…
What does community actually mean? Does your nationality reflect the country you live in, the country you were born in, or even the country your parents were born in? Based on interviews with residents of Peterborough, Eastern Angles’ latest production, Lincoln Road, attempts to tackle these questions. Author Danusia Iwaszko takes this look at multicultural…
Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X, two giants of the American civil rights movement held radically different approaches to the cause. Their beliefs and methods differed wildly but both were working towards a common goal. Jeff Stetson’s play The Meeting imagines what would have happened had the two met to discuss their beliefs. It…
The phrase Jukebox musical has become something of a derogatory term, for every hit such as Mama Mia there is a Desperately Seeking Susan or All The Fun of The Fair. The source material helps, if your songs are story lead there’s obviously a much stronger chance of them working in a dramatic format. Even…
Tell Me On A Sunday has gone through many revisions over the years, and the current touring version is classed by Andrew Lloyd Webber as the ‘definitive’ version. Now the composer should know best but it is hard to see his reasoning. Back in 2003 he made a similar proclamation when Denise Van Outen took…
Stephen Sondheim’s birthday celebrations continue with the much-anticipated Donmar Warehouse concert revivals of two of their many associations with the composer. Next week sees two concert performances of Company but first up it’s the turn of Merrily We Roll Along. For many this is one of Sondheim’s ‘problem’ scores, closing on Broadway just 16 performances…
On the surface life is all happy families in the Crompton house in Bolton. Run with military precision by patriarch Rafe it’s a home where financial prudence is key, a rule not helped when Mother is not good with figures and a chain of borrowing causes many a headache. Scratch the surface though and there are tensions just waiting…
Stephen Sondheim’s Passion is perhaps one of his more complex works, a deeply dark tale with no conventional numbers, it is not an easy viewing. As part of its birthday tribute to the octogenarian composer, the Donmar Warehouse turns out a ravishing production. Given the intimate nature of the score, it works well as a…
Given the glut of Danish princes theatres have experienced recently, it is difficult not to compare one Hamlet against another. Obviously each production is a stand alone product and therefore any comparison is perhaps unfair. The latest entry into the Hamlet market is John Simm, taking to the Sheffield Crucible stage in his first Shakespearian…
Horror is a tough act to pull off on stage; for every Woman in Black there is a damp squib such as Ghost Stories (still somehow managing to pull them into the Duke of Yorks). While the movie horror genre seems to go from strength to strength, the theatre is still struggling to follow suit….
After the epic War Horse, Handspring Puppet Company return to the National Theatre with a much more intimate, and deeply personal offering. Or You Could Kiss Me turns from the equine to the human, following the story of how two of the founder members of the company met and fell in love. Alongside the autobiographical…
John Steinbeck’s classic Of Mice And Men may now be over 70 years old but is still as fresh and gripping today as when first penned. It’s one of those rare pieces that works equally well as a book, film or stage play and Serendipity Theatre Company’s latest offering brings this potent mix of human…
Enlightenment – a. The act or a means of enlightening or b. The state of being enlightened. Sadly Edward Hall’s debut as Artistic Director of Hampstead Theatre does neither. Shelagh Stephenson’s latest play Enlightenment kicks of Hall’s tenure at Swiss Cottage. Billed as a physiological thriller it looks good on paper; parents struggling to come…
Is Hamlet overload syndrome a recognised theatrical disease? Tennant. Law, Simms, Kinnear and soon to be Sheen all taking on the great Dane. David Tennant may have garned the most column inches, despite missing a large chunk of his London transfer but Rory Kinnear now stakes his claim as one of our leading stage actors….
Who do you think you are? No, not the popular BBC genealogy programme but what could easily be the subtitle for Carol Churchill’s The Number. Churchill’s two-hander looks at the impact when a son confronts his father after he discovers that far from being unique he is actually one of ‘A number’ of clones. How…
As Nigeria celebrates 50 years of independence, Eastern Angles turn their attention from rural East Anglia to Africa in Palm Wine & Stout, a Nigerian coming of age story. A young mixed race British man, Taiye, and his mother are on a journey to Nigeria to meet Taiye’s father and trace his Nigerian ancestry. It’s…
You have to admire the bravery of the folk at the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds. When you have the only surviving Regency playhouse in the country, the last thing you would normally do is start altering the fabric of the building, removing seats and making the auditorium into ‘theatre in the round’. Before the…
There are several things that strike you when revisiting Les Miserables as part of its 25th Anniversary production but the overriding thought is how this show has not only finally come of age but is also intrinsically linked to age and ageing. How many of those who saw the original production in those early days…
School-days are supposedly the happiest days of our lives and, for those of us who left school far too many years ago to recall, still provide some vivid memories. Despite changes in fashions and teaching practices, the same character traits still inhabit our classrooms. The bullies, the nerdy, the under-achievers, the ones lacking self confidence…
You’d have thought with public confidence in MPs at an all time low with tales of floating duck houses, employment of illegal immigrants and second home flipping, any comedy based on the political machine would seem tame in comparison. Alan Jay and Jonathan Lynn’s stage update of the classic TV series Yes, Prime Minsister, now…
After his huge hit with Hair, Galt McDermott turned his attention from the Vietnam war to the Second World War and a musical adaptation of William Saroyan’s novel The Human Comedy. It was a flop on Broadway, closing within a couple of weeks in the 1980s. A brave choice then for the Young Vic to…
Some plays are forever linked to a certain performer; others remembered for an immortal line. The Importance of Being Earnest faces a double challenge, forever associated with Dame Edith Evans and her formidable delivery of the ‘A handbag?’ line. It features in the subconscious so much that it’s almost possible to hear an audience’s intake…
We’ve all been there, sitting at a wedding reception listening to a never ending speech thanking a cast of thousands. Market research supremo Frances is now going through just that inner hell, the problem being it’s her brand new husband making the speech. If That’s All There Is follows a surreal journey of the wedding…
An unusual start but let me first declare a tinted view for this production. As someone who was injured in an IRA attack, any play that examines the Troubles was going to touch a raw nerve. Richard Bean’s new play, The Big Fellah, spans nearly 40 years of the American-Irish relationship with the IRA –…
While for a time musical theatre went through the ‘bigger is better’ phase, recent productions have shown that small can be equally beautiful. Playing at the tiny Union Theatre in Southwark, The Remains of The Day turns out to be a charming musical piece. Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel of English country house repressed emotions, immortalised in…
It’s a brave move to stage a piece of aerial circus work outside in September. A last minute change, from the New Wolsey Theatre stage to outside on their terrace, adds an element of risk to Ockham’s Razor’s The Mill. This being a show you wouldn’t want to perform in the wind or rain, seeing…
Comedy partnerships that last a quarter of a century are few and far between but, for Sue Ryding and Maggie Fox, their comedic duo Lip Service is still going strong after 25 years. Lip Service Best Bits, a celebration of some of their finest shows is the theatrical equivalent of a TV clip show, quickfire…
As the recent productions of Spring Storm and Beyond The Horizon show, first works by well known authors often give a fascinating insight into how a writers own distinctive voices developed. The Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds production of Michael Frayn’s first published play, The Two Of Us, also shows a writer finding his voice for the stage, but unlike…
It has been something of a year for long overdue UK premiers of work by classic American authors. The National has had a huge hit with Tennessee Williams’ Spring Storm and now we get a rare premiere of a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. Their version of State Fair was written for the big screen and…
The Bard has been a bit like buses lately, a glut of Hamlets (Tennant, Law, Simms and Kinnear) followed by a rush of King Lears. Sir Ian Mckellen gave us his Lear a couple of years ago, Sir Derek Jacobi is about to play the role at the Donmar and currently at the RSC Greg…
The theatre summer school model is always going to be a challenge, rehearsing and staging a full blown musical in just two weeks. Now in its eighth year, the Spa Pavilion Felixstowe’s Summer Youth Project is one of the region’s most established projects. This year turning its attention to the stage adaptation of the 1980s…
A three hour plus play spanning the 1960s to the 2520s is never going to be easy work, and while Earthquakes in London is not perfect it gets pretty darn close. It ia brave, epic and full of theatrical invention. Mike Bartlett has crafted a grand saga that sweeps across the years but also manages…
Cole Porter’s classic Kiss Me Kate is a bit like a vintage wine, despite its age it still feels as fresh and hilarious today. It may have been written in 1948 but is still ranks as one of Porter’s finest works. It is also deceptively complex, despite the superficial light and frothy appearance. The lyrics…
So the London love affair with Stephen Sondheim continues, with a gloriously ravishing prom dedicated to the Maestro. Tickets were snapped up within a couple of hours of going on sale and queues for day prom tickets began in the early hours of the morning so there was a huge sense of anticipation in the…
Life is bleak in the desolate farm house in rural Ireland, its cold, its damp and for Maureen and her mother Mag, any glimpse of happiness is one to be grabbed. The only problem is both are too busy fighting the other to notice. Martin McDonagh’s Beauty Queen of Leenane is receiving a much overdue…
At once both classical and immediate, Moira Buffini’s new play, Welcome To Thebes, is a shining example of what the National Theatre does best. The fact that this epic play, with a large cast and impressive staging features as part of the £10 Travelex season, also show what can be done with an imaginative take…
There’s something ‘State of The Nation’ like about Henry V, the rousing speeches, the overtly patriotic call to arms, and the distillation of what actually it is to be British. It makes it one of Shakespeare’s most adaptable and accessible plays. Perhaps it also says much about the British psyche, with audiences willing to brave…
Bigger is not always better. Back in the 1980s Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Aspects Of Love grew into a major, technology packed, mega musical at the Prince of Wales. Perhaps it was a symptom of the time when helicopters, falling chandeliers and trains were the in fashion of musical theatre. Although having a successful run and…
Danton’s Death has a reputation for being long, wordy, and not easily accessible unless you are up-to-speed on the political backdrop of the French Revolution. Yet it seems to be a perennial favourite with the National Theatre, now staging their third production of Georg Büchner epic. With the Donmar’s Michael Grandage making his NT directorial…
Unplanned trips to free performances can be a hit and miss affair but in this case proves worth taking a chance. As part of the National Theatre’s Watch This Space Festival, acrobatic dance company Mimbre have taken up a week’s residence in the outdoor Theatre Square. Sprung is one of a number of pieces the…
One man, a bare stage and 20 minutes. A challenge for any author to manage to convey a coherent story under this extremes but even more challenging when you are also the actor. So one has to admire Mark Ravenhill for attempting just this with his monologue The Experiment. This is one of those performances…
In their first full scale musical, Traflagar Studios are giving Wolfboy, a hit from last years’ Edinburgh fringe its West End debut. Though given the backing track is pre recorded you do wonder if the Musicians Union would agree this is a full scale musical. It’s a dark, disturbing piece, but then again any show…
There is always a danger when a show’s publicity machine has ramped up the hype to such a level that expectations will not be met. Ghost Stories advertising material boldly carries a health warning about the show’s extreme terror and advises those of a nervous disposition to stay away. This pre-show tension is further enhanced…
There’s a marked contrast between last week’s offering as part of the new Wolsey Theatre’s Open season and this. Last week Gallery Players offered a moving contemporary musical Rent, while this week Appeal Theatre company head back to the 1950s for the classic The Pyjama Game. Famously filmed with Dorris Day and recently revived on…
Much has been made of the fact that The Late Middle Classes is indeed late coming into the West End, having been bumped first time around in favour of Boyband The Musical (anyone actually admit to remembering that show?). Does it deserve a West End run – well possibly although this production does make a…
A good measure of the success of any Shakespeare production is a glance around the auditorium to watch the faces of any children in the audience. This A Midsummer Night’s Dream had the rapt attention from all ages from small children to more senior members of the audience. Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre touring version of The…
Over the years Gallery Players have never been afraid of tackling challenging pieces but even then tackling Jonathan Larson’s rock musical Rent was an ambitious leap. Thankfully it’s a leap worth taking and turns out to be a highlight of the theatrical year. Larson’s update on La Boheme follows a year in the life of…
A sense of belonging is a powerful driving force and is at the heart of Eastern Angles latest site specific production Bentwater Roads. The company the ‘Hush House’ on the former cold war Bentwaters air base, a building that was used to test engines on A10 tank buster planes. It proves to be a wonderful…
With no previews, no press night, and no charge for tickets, the Young Vic and Headlong’s co production of Elektra was intriguing. As this was free would it be a cheap and cheerful production? No, in fact it turns out to be a fully realised, visually impressive and beautifully acted production worthy of a long…
It was George Washington’s favourite play and possibly the first Broadway Musical so The Poor Soldier comes with a strong pedigree, so why is this possibly the first professional production in a couple of hundred years? Presented as part of the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds’ Restoring The Repertoire initiative to resurrect classics of Georgian…
Having never seen the film it is based upon it is impossible to say how the stage version compares but as the only authorised adaptation of one of Ingmar Bergman’s films, Through A Glass Darkly holds a unique place in theatrical history. Now receiving its World Premiere at the Almeida Theatre, Jenny Worton’s adaptation brings…
It’s apparently taken 16 years since her last performance there for the Norwich Playhouse to ask Maria Friedman back to perform again, but it is worth the wait as she delights the audience with a combination of her one woman cabaret shows. The West End and Broadway star has won acclaim for her solo shows…
Having already been awed by Laurie Sansom’s production of Spring Storm, it’s pair, Beyond The Horizon, had high expectations to live up to. This early Eugene O’Neill however more than comfortably steps up to the mark, although comfortable viewing it is not. O’Neill was never one to cast a rosy tint over life and Beyond…
After watching or should that be enduring Paradise Found there is one question that just screams at you; WHY? On paper it all looks so good, take Broadway Directing Royalty Hal Prince and Susan Stroman; add in some Broadway musical theatre legends and stage the show at the hit factory that is the Menier and…
The dispossessed spirits of Hinge and Bracket have crossed the Severn Bridge into Wales and the result is a drug fuelled, piano toting, cardy wearing example of care in the community gone horribly wrong! Sue is a (wo)man on the edge and in taking to her piano she takes us on an hour long musical…
A National Theatre of Greece and Cyprus Theatre Organisation production in association with British Theatre company Imitating the dog performed in French – confused? Tales from the Bar of Lost Souls is visually impressive but somewhat confusing. Using a mix of film, mime and a French soundtrack to follow the life of a dying man…
A National Theatre of Greece and Cyprus Theatre Organisation production in association with British Theatre company Imitating the dog performed in French – confused? Tales from the Bar of Lost Souls is visually impressive but somewhat confusing. Using a mix of film, mime and a French soundtrack to follow the life of a dying man…
If you go down to the woods, sorry basement of the Spiral Car Park, you’re in for a big surprise. Walking down the deserted underground car park at night howls of wolves echo through the lot and strange faces peer through fire escape doors. On arrival in the deepest section of the car park some…
If you go down to the woods, sorry basement of the Spiral Car Park, you’re in for a big surprise. Walking down the deserted underground car park at night howls of wolves echo through the lot and strange faces peer through fire escape doors. On arrival in the deepest section of the car park some…
Ok, so I’ve long waited for a theatre to be brave enough to stage the whole August Wilson play cycle, so was thankful that the Young Vic have staged one of the ten plays. Joe Turner’s Come And Gone, the second of his decade-by-decade plays looking at black American life, is set in a 1911…
Ok, so I’ve long waited for a theatre to be brave enough to stage the whole August Wilson play cycle, so was thankful that the Young Vic have staged one of the ten plays. Joe Turner’s Come And Gone, the second of his decade-by-decade plays looking at black American life, is set in a 1911…
Well it’s a first for me, a Christian comedy sketch show on the Ten Commandments –the Pulse Fringe Festival certainly offers a variety! Performed by the group Four Monks and A Nun (though strangely only performed by three ‘monks’ and a ‘nun’). Yazz Fetto, Kevin Moore, Shaninga and Helen Marasha take us on a comic…
Well it’s a first for me, a Christian comedy sketch show on the Ten Commandments –the Pulse Fringe Festival certainly offers a variety! Performed by the group Four Monks and A Nun (though strangely only performed by three ‘monks’ and a ‘nun’). Yazz Fetto, Kevin Moore, Shaninga and Helen Marasha take us on a comic…
When at the end of a show all you can hear is a minute of audience quietly sobbing you know you’ve just watched something special. Everything Must Go or The Voluntary Attempt to Overcome Unnecessary Obstacles is a deeply personal, deeply moving and utterly gripping examination of a father and daughters love. Through a seamless…
When at the end of a show all you can hear is a minute of audience quietly sobbing you know you’ve just watched something special. Everything Must Go or The Voluntary Attempt to Overcome Unnecessary Obstacles is a deeply personal, deeply moving and utterly gripping examination of a father and daughters love. Through a seamless…
It is always a dilemma how to review a work in progress, especially one in the early stages of development. You can’t really critique the staging or performances and the script you hear now is likely to change considerably by the time the production process is completed. It is with this dilemma in mind that…
It is always a dilemma how to review a work in progress, especially one in the early stages of development. You can’t really critique the staging or performances and the script you hear now is likely to change considerably by the time the production process is completed. It is with this dilemma in mind that…
Arriving at the Ipswich Council Chamber audience members are handed a white forensic suit to wear and a pair of paint covered goggles. So Reykjavik isn’t going to be your traditional theatre experience. Nor is it a play about the banking crisis or Eyjafjallajokull, but a powerful and emotional exploration of love and memory. This…
Arriving at the Ipswich Council Chamber audience members are handed a white forensic suit to wear and a pair of paint covered goggles. So Reykjavik isn’t going to be your traditional theatre experience. Nor is it a play about the banking crisis or Eyjafjallajokull, but a powerful and emotional exploration of love and memory. This…
Sitting in the lofty height of the back of the Olivier Circle for London Assurance a Sondheim song kept running though my head. ‘A weekend in the country’ could have easily been written about this period romp. In its first major revival for many a year, Nick Hytner has called on some of the National…
Sitting in the lofty height of the back of the Olivier Circle for London Assurance a Sondheim song kept running though my head. ‘A weekend in the country’ could have easily been written about this period romp. In its first major revival for many a year, Nick Hytner has called on some of the National…
Well after a few hours sleep I haven’t calmed down. Where to start? Well just because you can doesn’t mean you should. This offensive, obscene and badly conceived piece ranks as the worst show I’ve ever endured. Last night’s second Pulse Fringe offering was the excruciating debacle Sex Idiot by Bryony Kimmings, billed as a…
Well after a few hours sleep I haven’t calmed down. Where to start? Well just because you can doesn’t mean you should. This offensive, obscene and badly conceived piece ranks as the worst show I’ve ever endured. Last night’s second Pulse Fringe offering was the excruciating debacle Sex Idiot by Bryony Kimmings, billed as a…
One of the joys of drama is that it can be both therapeutic and educational. In Between The Cracks elements of both are there; a collaboration between The Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds and Suffolk Mind and shaped by those with experience of Borderline Personality Disorder. Given the potential it is therefore a shame that…
One of the joys of drama is that it can be both therapeutic and educational. In Between The Cracks elements of both are there; a collaboration between The Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds and Suffolk Mind and shaped by those with experience of Borderline Personality Disorder. Given the potential it is therefore a shame that…
Theatre is in many ways like cooking; bring a range of disparate ingredients together to create something sublime. Miss one ingredient out or use an inferior ingredient and the result suffers. It’s a analogy that holds true for Up On The Roof, the 1987 ‘musical’ currently being revived at The New Wolsey. The recipe looks,…
Theatre is in many ways like cooking; bring a range of disparate ingredients together to create something sublime. Miss one ingredient out or use an inferior ingredient and the result suffers. It’s a analogy that holds true for Up On The Roof, the 1987 ‘musical’ currently being revived at The New Wolsey. The recipe looks,…
With the televised leader’s debates currently generating huge public interest, it is an interesting time to examine the relationship between the state and television news. How is journalistic freedom compromised if you find yourself working for a state controlled television station? That’s the starting premise of Serge Cartwright’s debut play at the HighTide Festival. Drawing…
With the televised leader’s debates currently generating huge public interest, it is an interesting time to examine the relationship between the state and television news. How is journalistic freedom compromised if you find yourself working for a state controlled television station? That’s the starting premise of Serge Cartwright’s debut play at the HighTide Festival. Drawing…
Post apocalyptic drama has been a staple for many writers over the years but Beth Steel’s stunning debut play Ditch can claim space among the best of them. Some never explained catastrophe (global warming?) has befallen civilisation with most of the country left under water. The Government has collapsed and a group of surviors have taken…
Post apocalyptic drama has been a staple for many writers over the years but Beth Steel’s stunning debut play Ditch can claim space among the best of them. Some never explained catastrophe (global warming?) has befallen civilisation with most of the country left under water. The Government has collapsed and a group of surviors have taken…
It’s an inspired piece of casting. Cast a son of Birmingham who made his name playing a much loved TV character in the 70s and 80s to play an equally loved Birmingham born TV comic and actor of the 50s and 60s. Paul Henry may have become a household name playing Benny in Crossroads (the…
It’s an inspired piece of casting. Cast a son of Birmingham who made his name playing a much loved TV character in the 70s and 80s to play an equally loved Birmingham born TV comic and actor of the 50s and 60s. Paul Henry may have become a household name playing Benny in Crossroads (the…
It was the second night in a row for Jacobean plays and not a situation that was approached with whole hearted joy. When the news that it was a complex story spread over 3 hours the heart sank even further. Thomas Middleton’s work is perhaps less well known than the work of his contemporaries but…
It was the second night in a row for Jacobean plays and not a situation that was approached with whole hearted joy. When the news that it was a complex story spread over 3 hours the heart sank even further. Thomas Middleton’s work is perhaps less well known than the work of his contemporaries but…
So a moral dilemma, young people are the future of theatre and so any production that manages to get twenty 15-20yr olds onstage in a Restoration comedy should be applauded. What to do then when the production just fails to work? Give an honest review that reflects my opinion or make allowances based (patronisingly?) on…
So a moral dilemma, young people are the future of theatre and so any production that manages to get twenty 15-20yr olds onstage in a Restoration comedy should be applauded. What to do then when the production just fails to work? Give an honest review that reflects my opinion or make allowances based (patronisingly?) on…
An espionage thriller that starts off at a church fete with a cross dressed fortune teller is always going to be a bit of a surreal evening and The Ministry of Fear – a stage adaptation of Graeme Greene’s novel by Theatre Alibi does take some unexpected turns. Set in the Second World War it’s a…
An espionage thriller that starts off at a church fete with a cross dressed fortune teller is always going to be a bit of a surreal evening and The Ministry of Fear – a stage adaptation of Graeme Greene’s novel by Theatre Alibi does take some unexpected turns. Set in the Second World War it’s a…
It’s one of the most hotly anticipated shows in years, has received just as much coverage for the negative reviews online as for the show itself and has split critics down the middle. Andrew Lloyd Webber himself has gone on record to say that people should wait a month before seeing a new musical so…
It’s one of the most hotly anticipated shows in years, has received just as much coverage for the negative reviews online as for the show itself and has split critics down the middle. Andrew Lloyd Webber himself has gone on record to say that people should wait a month before seeing a new musical so…
Before Northern Rock, RBS and the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the financial markets were shocked by the 2001 collapse of Enron, the golden boy of the USA Energy Market. The rise and the spectacular fall of Enron has now been turned into one of the hottest tickets in town in a new play by Lucy…
Before Northern Rock, RBS and the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the financial markets were shocked by the 2001 collapse of Enron, the golden boy of the USA Energy Market. The rise and the spectacular fall of Enron has now been turned into one of the hottest tickets in town in a new play by Lucy…
The Jekyll and Hyde tale is well known, a monster transformed out from a well respected individual – and an apt way to start this review of European Arts Company and Rhonda Cynon Taf Theatres touring production. What the company manage to do is turn a classic tale into a monster creation all of its…
The Jekyll and Hyde tale is well known, a monster transformed out from a well respected individual – and an apt way to start this review of European Arts Company and Rhonda Cynon Taf Theatres touring production. What the company manage to do is turn a classic tale into a monster creation all of its…
When first produced Alan Bennett’s Enjoy was a rare flop. It marched back into the West End last year with a record breaking advance but still received what can best be described as ‘mixed’ reviews from the National Press. Many of the critics seemed to take issue with the fact that for them this wasn’t…
When first produced Alan Bennett’s Enjoy was a rare flop. It marched back into the West End last year with a record breaking advance but still received what can best be described as ‘mixed’ reviews from the National Press. Many of the critics seemed to take issue with the fact that for them this wasn’t…
Gallery Players have long had a tradition of presenting new work and with Adam Gwon’s musical Ordinary Days they manage to trump the National Theatre. Adam Gwon is one of America’s up and coming musical composers and if this piece is anything to go by is surely a front runner to succeed Stephen Sondheim when…
Gallery Players have long had a tradition of presenting new work and with Adam Gwon’s musical Ordinary Days they manage to trump the National Theatre. Adam Gwon is one of America’s up and coming musical composers and if this piece is anything to go by is surely a front runner to succeed Stephen Sondheim when…
Its 3am in the morning and two middle aged work colleagues have stumbled into bed together in a small, cramped New York apartment. Diner cook Johnny has fallen in love with waitress Frankie but she is more cautious, not even sure she wants to see him again. As dawn slowly breaks will their love blossom…
Its 3am in the morning and two middle aged work colleagues have stumbled into bed together in a small, cramped New York apartment. Diner cook Johnny has fallen in love with waitress Frankie but she is more cautious, not even sure she wants to see him again. As dawn slowly breaks will their love blossom…
There are not many Shakespeare plays I haven’t seen over the years but for some reason Measure for Measure has escaped me – until now that is. In his first Shakespearian production as Artistic Director of the Almeida Theatre, Michael Attenborough tackles what is seen as one of The Bard’s ‘problem plays’. It may be…
There are not many Shakespeare plays I haven’t seen over the years but for some reason Measure for Measure has escaped me – until now that is. In his first Shakespearian production as Artistic Director of the Almeida Theatre, Michael Attenborough tackles what is seen as one of The Bard’s ‘problem plays’. It may be…
Like many I studied Cider With Rosie at High School and, while the basic premise sticks in my mind, it is with shame I have to admit I haven’t picked up the book since. Now having seen the marvellous Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds production I am inspired to dig out a copy and re-read…
Like many I studied Cider With Rosie at High School and, while the basic premise sticks in my mind, it is with shame I have to admit I haven’t picked up the book since. Now having seen the marvellous Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds production I am inspired to dig out a copy and re-read…
There are some shows that should just be put down to experience and never spoken of again – Forever In Your Debt is one of those shows – we shall mention it here but lets never speak of it again. It’s hard to describe exactly what Forever In Your Debt is or, to be precise,…
There are some shows that should just be put down to experience and never spoken of again – Forever In Your Debt is one of those shows – we shall mention it here but lets never speak of it again. It’s hard to describe exactly what Forever In Your Debt is or, to be precise,…
For only the 2nd time in their history, Eastern Angles have staged an ‘off the shelf’ play instead of one especially commissioned for them and it turns out to be a poor decision. Instead of a locally inspired play we are transported to a Greek island and a widow’s journey back to her birthplace. On…
For only the 2nd time in their history, Eastern Angles have staged an ‘off the shelf’ play instead of one especially commissioned for them and it turns out to be a poor decision. Instead of a locally inspired play we are transported to a Greek island and a widow’s journey back to her birthplace. On…
An oversight I know but lets start with a confession – I have never seen Sweet Charity on stage or on film. I blame having to light a rendition of Rhythm Of Life at college that left me in a cold sweat. So it was into the dark at the Chocolate Factory for their latest…
An oversight I know but lets start with a confession – I have never seen Sweet Charity on stage or on film. I blame having to light a rendition of Rhythm Of Life at college that left me in a cold sweat. So it was into the dark at the Chocolate Factory for their latest…
Well theatre professionals see Macbeth as a cursed play so its brave of the RSC to stage a new sequel of the dreaded Scottish Play. It turns out however to be a brave and bold move, in David Griegs’ epic Dunsinane they have found a play that not only adds something to the Bards original…
Well theatre professionals see Macbeth as a cursed play so its brave of the RSC to stage a new sequel of the dreaded Scottish Play. It turns out however to be a brave and bold move, in David Griegs’ epic Dunsinane they have found a play that not only adds something to the Bards original…
There is often a suspicion that there is more interesting drama backstage than onstage in many productions and in Michael Fryan’s classic comedy Noises Off the backstage drama is certainly more watchable than the terrible production of ‘Nothing On’ that the company are desperately trying to tour to the poor unsuspecting theatre going public.For anyone…
There is often a suspicion that there is more interesting drama backstage than onstage in many productions and in Michael Fryan’s classic comedy Noises Off the backstage drama is certainly more watchable than the terrible production of ‘Nothing On’ that the company are desperately trying to tour to the poor unsuspecting theatre going public.For anyone…
It’s always good to support young, up and coming, writers and so its a trip to the National to support some whipper snapper called Stephen Sondheim! Seriously though its hard to believe that the maestro is 80 years old this year and shows no signs of retiring. There are few people that can truly be…
It’s always good to support young, up and coming, writers and so its a trip to the National to support some whipper snapper called Stephen Sondheim! Seriously though its hard to believe that the maestro is 80 years old this year and shows no signs of retiring. There are few people that can truly be…
The nemonic Every Good Boy Deserves Favour is ingraned into the minds of any music student but in Tom Stoppards collaboration with Andre Preven the phrase takes on a wider metaphor. A play for actors and orchestra sees a full size symphony orchestra fill the stage while two political prisoners are ‘imprisoned’ in a mental…
The nemonic Every Good Boy Deserves Favour is ingraned into the minds of any music student but in Tom Stoppards collaboration with Andre Preven the phrase takes on a wider metaphor. A play for actors and orchestra sees a full size symphony orchestra fill the stage while two political prisoners are ‘imprisoned’ in a mental…
It sounds like a made up event – Hans Christian Andersen arrives as an unexpected guest at Charles Dickens’ Kent home but this isn’t one of those ‘6 people you invite to your dinner party’ fantasies, it actually happened. Andersen’s English – Out of Joint Theatre Company’s latest touring production focuses on this unlikely meeting…
It sounds like a made up event – Hans Christian Andersen arrives as an unexpected guest at Charles Dickens’ Kent home but this isn’t one of those ‘6 people you invite to your dinner party’ fantasies, it actually happened. Andersen’s English – Out of Joint Theatre Company’s latest touring production focuses on this unlikely meeting…
There is always a danger in adapting classic novels for the stage that the audience will have such a strong vision of the novel in their mind that any stage adaptation will fail to live up to that image. When the novel has been filmed on numerous occasions the problem is compounded. It is against…
There is always a danger in adapting classic novels for the stage that the audience will have such a strong vision of the novel in their mind that any stage adaptation will fail to live up to that image. When the novel has been filmed on numerous occasions the problem is compounded. It is against…
Ok – just to protect me from Sam Jackson’s lawyers let me say from the outset this review is not linked or authorised by anyone connected with The Lord of The Rings – better to be safe than sorry. Given the epic scale of the books and the subsequent films how do you condense these…
Ok – just to protect me from Sam Jackson’s lawyers let me say from the outset this review is not linked or authorised by anyone connected with The Lord of The Rings – better to be safe than sorry. Given the epic scale of the books and the subsequent films how do you condense these…
Gavin Robertson has created a whole new theatrical genre – geek theatre. Outside of a Sci Fi Convention never has there been a auditorium buzzing with comments about the obelisk on stage during the preset being of the wrong proportions. Its one of those shows – if you spend far to many hours in front…
Gavin Robertson has created a whole new theatrical genre – geek theatre. Outside of a Sci Fi Convention never has there been a auditorium buzzing with comments about the obelisk on stage during the preset being of the wrong proportions. Its one of those shows – if you spend far to many hours in front…
There are some moments in theatre when you just have to take a chance. A £10 ticket offer on Facebook for top price seats was just one of the moments. A family show by the RSC at the end of January not a must see but reviews outstanding and a bargain ticket so why not….
There are some moments in theatre when you just have to take a chance. A £10 ticket offer on Facebook for top price seats was just one of the moments. A family show by the RSC at the end of January not a must see but reviews outstanding and a bargain ticket so why not….
A new Alan Bennett play for the National Theatre is always guaranteed to get bums on seats and The Habit of Art is no exception – all performances sold out shortly after going on sale. So is this likely to be another History Boys? Unlikely but that doesnt mean its bad, Bennet has to have…
A new Alan Bennett play for the National Theatre is always guaranteed to get bums on seats and The Habit of Art is no exception – all performances sold out shortly after going on sale. So is this likely to be another History Boys? Unlikely but that doesnt mean its bad, Bennet has to have…
Darth Vader does Tennessee Williams screamed the headlines as the sell out Broadway all black production of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof hit London. And yes as soon as James Earl Jones opens his mouth it is clear the voice of the Sith Lord has indeed landed, but that’s were any resemblance to Star…
Darth Vader does Tennessee Williams screamed the headlines as the sell out Broadway all black production of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof hit London. And yes as soon as James Earl Jones opens his mouth it is clear the voice of the Sith Lord has indeed landed, but that’s were any resemblance to Star…
For those whose only theatre experience in Southwark entails just The Globe or Chocolate Factory should head to the arches under London Bridge Station and The Southwark Playhouse. Sheridan’s Rivals is not an immediate choice for a sell out show on a cold Wed January evening but perhaps thanks to a certain Celia Imrie being…
For those whose only theatre experience in Southwark entails just The Globe or Chocolate Factory should head to the arches under London Bridge Station and The Southwark Playhouse. Sheridan’s Rivals is not an immediate choice for a sell out show on a cold Wed January evening but perhaps thanks to a certain Celia Imrie being…
As one of the few people on the planet who has never seen the Hitchcock film version of Rope this was one with no preconceived expectations. The intimate space of the Almeida Theatre in Islington has been transformed for this production into ‘theatre in the round’ – well more octagonal than round but you get…