Yorkshire cyclist, Beryl Burton (1937-1996), has a strong claim to being the greatest sporting hero Great Britain has ever produced and yet, as Kimberley Sykes’s production of Maxine Peake’s biographical piece makes us painfully aware, she remains...
Shakespeare’s play ‘As You Like It’ ends with the wedding of four couples, including Rosalind and Orlando, with the ceremony overseen by the God of Marriage, Hymen. But how do you go about depicting a god onstage? The answer for the Royal...
Director, Kimberley Sykes talks about her playful and passionate version of Shakespeare’s much-loved romantic comedy, As You Like It. What has influenced your thinking around the production? Kimberley: “I think a big thing which has influenced...
It is easy to feel jaded as a reviewer, particularly when a play you’ve seen countless times pops up again on the season brochure. When it comes to refreshing an old favourite, star casting works. In Manchester we’ve recently seen Jodie Prenger...
Every now and again an event comes along that stops you dead in your tracks. It either shifts your perception of what you thought was true; or reminds you that you’ve taken something for granted for too long. On this night, in Manchester, that event...
This year, HOME’S Orbit Festival explores the ‘prevailing divide’ between people and how it can be conquered. I doubt that there’s a show in the programme that could be more joyfully effective at bringing an audience together than Paul O’Donnell’s...
In 2012, comedian Laurence Clark starred in BBC1’s documentary ‘We Won’t Drop the Baby’ which followed his family’s journey as they welcomed their second child into the world. The worldwide response was unprecedented and among the uplifting and...
I was so looking forward to Macbeth at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre. A female, Lucy Ellinson, was going to be playing the lead, and I thought that this would provide an exciting perspective on the play. I have seen many productions of...
Having heard so many accolades used to describe the work of the Candoco Dance Company and their world class choreography, not to mention the praises following that BBC Strictly performance, it was no surprise that they were opening this year’s Sick...
9 to 5 the Musical tells the story of three workmates pushed to boiling point by their sexist and egotistical boss. A 9 to 5 film or production would not be complete without our irrepressible Dolly Parton herself and we are treated to a visual link...