It is easy to pre-judge 20th Century Boy as a jukebox musical that offers little more than a nostalgia trip to the glam rock era of the early 1970s, but you’d be missing a treat if you do. I admit, initially I fell into that cynical camp. I’ve sat...
It is fantastic that ITV’s Dancing on Ice has sparked a revival of interest in figure skating, and there is no doubt that the full house at The Lowry owes a lot to this TV exposure. But it would be wrong to suggest that Robin Cousins’ Ice is like...
The idea of interpreting Coleridge’s famous poem, ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ as a contemporary circus performance, sounds as bizarre as it does ambitious. Square Peg’s award-winning production is both. The company of seven performers (three...
JB Shorts was initially staged in 2009 as a one-off event of six bite-sized 15 minute new plays by established writers, who work mainly in TV. Now in its 11th season, the format is as fresh and popular as ever, and the team has remained faithful to...
The Diamond Anniversary Tour of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap is already living up to the show’s tradition for longevity. Billed as the first ever UK tour (not counting some regional previews before going into the West End in 1952), the production...
When I think of tap dancing, I picture Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, smart suits, romance, maybe top hats and a cane. Apparently, tap dancing has come a long way since then. And in Tap Factory there is none of the usual gloss of American entertainment...
Is it possible to change the world just by being kind? That is the question Bernadette Russell asks in this quirky, funny and heart-warming show. It’s not an original premise, as she readily admits, but then again the world can never have too...
The Library Theatre has always been recognised for producing exceptional Christmas shows and this one, being the last under the Library Theatre Company banner, held high expectations. It brings together writer Charles Way, who has a long association...
The Chelsea Hotel in New York had a legendary history with a run of guests any five-star hotel would fight over today, although their antics behind closed doors probably less so. In its time it was a hub of artistic talent, housing a stream of...
Matthew Bourne’s imaginative re-interpretation of Swan Lake has wowed audiences for the past 18 years, and this latest tour is no less spectacular. Indeed, the show, with a young Prince being snapped by the paparazzi falling out of nightclubs, seems...
Carmel Thomason