As Resident Artists at The Lowry, there was clearly a celebration going on for the premiere of Company Chameleon’s new show, Beauty of the Beast. I must admit that I found both the idea and the title unappealing. The theme of the show is about male...
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a musical that audiences never tire of seeing, no matter how many times it tours, and I count myself in that. There’s good reason for its enduring popularity – the story, taken from the Bible’s book of...
It’s hard to imagine that the first ever production of Swan Lake was panned by critics for its poor choreography. More than 135 years later, it is now the world’s most popular ballet and its swan maidens have become iconic representations of the...
If you ever question why Samuel Beckett is one of the greatest dramatists of the twentieth century, seeing Not I, Footfalls and Rockaby, may help quell any doubt. These are three very short plays which, when run together as in this production from...
If ever you need reminding of the joy of live entertainment, take a child to see In the Night Garden Live, the staged version of the CBeebies children’s TV show. As a first experience of theatre for little ones, it is a wonderful introduction. And...
As Leeds prepares for the grand start of the Tour de France in a couple of weeks, Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield pays a tribute, of sorts, to the great sporting event. I say, ‘of sorts’, because while there is a definite reverence for the...
Happy Days may be billed as a new musical, but there’s no disguising it’s the chance of a trip down memory lane that’s bringing in the crowds. Nostalgia is the name of the game, and it scores here on two levels – first for...
Recreating a national treasure on stage is a tough call for any actor. So much so, that when Bob Golding took on the challenge of a one-man play about Eric Morecambe’s life, his success has meant it is now almost impossible to imagine the show...
In the past 30 years Cirque du Soleil has changed the face of circus worldwide, from a fun family show to a sophisticated art form, packed with thrills and feats of acrobatics far and beyond what appear humanly possible. A big top tent is...
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...
Carmel Thomason