Questions concerning who should be permitted to write about certain topics and, more pointedly, which actors should be allowed to play certain roles have become increasingly vexed in recent times. I don’t wish to poke my finger into wounds that are...
Structurally, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof has more than its fair share of problems. As Gore Vidal perceptively noted, the first act should not work: it is long and drawn out and relies heavily on exposition. And at more than three hours long, the play...
Move over Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour and the rest of Henry’s wives – there’s a new queen in town. Cake: the Marie Antoinette Playlist gives the notorious French queen the Six treatment in this gig musical that fuses pop, rap, contemporary ballet...
Who killed Oldham Coliseum? That’s the question many are asking as this historic local theatre closes after over 100 years of business. A theatre which has survived two world wars, a global pandemic, and which helped launch the careers of Stan...
War in Europe, the far right in the streets with their dog whistles, and a sharp rise in anti-Semitism: it’s not hard to see parallels between the inter-war period and today’s political landscape, where Putin invades a neighbouring country on the...
Leos Janacek’s three-act opera, The Cunning Little Vixen, is a peculiar beast – part children’s folk tale, part tragedy, part modestly profound meditation on the cycle of life. It’s a difficult piece to mount successfully, but Opera North’s...
In a time of innovation and reinvention for Birmingham Royal Ballet – with recent announcements of a Black Sabbath ballet and BRB2, a new touring company comprised of ballet graduates – it’s good to see that the company are intent on performing the...
Looking to plan your first trip abroad? If so, then you’ve come to the right place. This guide will help you to make the most out of your experience. When Should You Travel? When it comes to travel, timing is one of the first things that you...
Adopting Audrey (known as Porcupine on the festival circuit) opens with our protagonist, Audrey (played by Jena Malone) laughing. It’s a cold open of sorts. We come back to this moment later in the movie though it doesn’t have the weight or...
At first glance, David Eldridge’s Beginning seems like it would be more suited to an intimate studio theatre than the expansive, in-the-round main stage at the Royal Exchange – a space that has previously played host to revolving catwalks...










