Carmel ThomasonThere are always people who will try to profit from any situation, but whether anyone can truly gain from another’s misfortune is a question that hangs heavily over this anti-war play. When we first meet Mother Courage, she has driven her...
It’s almost twenty years since The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert opened in the cinema, and almost as long ago since I saw it. I don’t remember liking it very much at the time, well not enough to watch again. So, you might...
For feel-good Christmas nostalgia there is no beating White Christmas. Irving Berlin’s musical is a belter in every sense – a heart-warming story packed to the brim with memorable tunes, such as Happy Holiday, Blue Skies, Sisters, How Deep is...
Fairy tales have always had their dark side, but judging from the recent popularity of Harry Potter and the Twilight series it seems these days that children prefer their stories even darker. In this context the Royal Exchange’s new Christmas...
Whoever said school days are the best of your life never lived on the council estate in Lisa Whiteside’s new play, Goldfish. Growing up in 2012 can be tough, and sadly Whiteside’s bleak script paints an all-too-familiar picture for some...
Stars Are Fire may sound a whimsical title, but there is nothing dreamy about this moving new play from Francesca Waite. Here, the emphasis is on both naturalistic performance and dialogue, in a script that deals with heartbreaking circumstances...
If ever there was proof that miracles happen, then it is the tale of Susan Boyle. We all laughed when Susan turned up at Britain’s Got Talent and claimed that she wanted to sing like Elaine Paige. Then she sang, and we had to eat humble pie...
It’s 20 years since Jim Cartwright’s The Rise and Fall of Little Voice was first performed on stage. Unfortunately, despite winning the best comedy at the Laurence Oliver awards that year and going on to become a hit film with Jane...
In recent years we’ve seen many TV shows take to the stage, hoping to cash in on a ready-made fan base. The enjoyment is usually in a nostalgia trip rather than in the merit of the shows themselves, which tend to be a rehash of familiar...
Life was very different in 1968. There was no internet, no mobile phones and The Monkees was staple Saturday night TV. Thank goodness we’re not back there again, as the new musical, Monkee Business constantly reminds us. It’s a joke that is over...