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...
There are some things that just have to be seen to be believed and the death defying stunts of Cirque Berserk fall into this category. If I tell you that they have a giant steel hamster wheel in which a motorcyclist rides at all angles before going...
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...
Nothing beats opera for dealing with extremes of emotion, and as themes go they don’t come much darker than the child abuse and murder at the centre of Peter Grimes. Jeffrey Lloyd-Roberts’ Grimes is, on first appearance, an imposing, monstrous...
I must say upfront that Opera della Luna is one of my favourite theatre companies, for the sheer energy, fun and joy its productions bring to the stage. So, the show last night could have gone one of two ways, either I’d be biased and love it...
Bill Kenwright’s production of Evita returns to Manchester for the third time in almost as many years. With repeated runs it is easy for shows to look tired and pared back. But remarkably with this production the new tour has upped its game...
Carmel Thomason