Every Britain’s Got Talent hopeful who’s had their dreams shattered by the forked tongue of Simon Cowell need look no further than Florence Foster Jenkins (1868-1944) for comfort. Who cares what the critics may say? Go for it anyway. Or as Florence...
There are so many songs in this production, at times it seems like the characters barely have time to break into dialogue. This frantic take on Shakespeare’s romantic comedy takes a full-throttle approach to adaptation, with gags galore, pratfalls...
For many in the audience at Manchester Opera House this week, the trip to Joseph and his Technicolor Dreamcoat won’t be their first. But don’t pass up a chance to see this tour because you think you know what to expect, because Director Laurence...
It isn’t horror’s job to be kind to you. It goes to the very extremes of negative emotions. Fear and paranoia are in charge of a horror story, and with Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson’s Ghost Stories they have a very tight grip. The premise is that...
It’s arguable that in youth-obsessed culture there’s a distinct lack of older people represented on stage, giving scant roles for those getting on in years. Beckett had some memorable characters and Arnold Wesker made some headway with The Old Ones...
Not every popular novel transfers successfully to the stage. If you want proof, check out this touring production from Simon Friend Entertainment and Josh Andrews. The Girl on the Train is a clunky, lukewarm mess – albeit one with...
‘We’re going to need a bigger boat’. For people of a certain age – reader, include your reviewer in that category – these immortal lines evoke both terror and nostalgic fascination. Looking back to the heady days of 1970’s hot summers it’s...
Cast your mind back to the days before streaming platform playlists. If that’s before your time, the staging will give you a hint. Tom Rogers and Toots Butcher’ set places the action within a big box of blank tapes that frame the stage. Yes, we’re...
The staging is simple: four straight-backed chairs, a backdrop for projections and, overhead, two rows of clothing hung on lines (theatre is a place for costumes and dressing-up, but also, we are reminded, the theatre we are here to pay our respects...
The standing ovation said it all really. I was on my way up anyway, but my nine-year-old positively wrenched me the rest of the way out of my seat at the end of A Christmas Carol The Musical. He’s watched a good bit of theatre over the years, but I...
Carmel Thomason
Dave Porter
Cathy Crabb
Steve Timms
Martin Thomasson
Nic Dowling