REVIEW: Beauty and the Beast (Kings Head Theatre) ★★★★★
This week, there have been a lot of reviews of pantomime whizzing around. Some have been applauded and some have come under criticism. Natasha Tripney scolded the New Wimbledon’s Jack and the Beanstalk for being “the kind of lazy, going-through-the-motions pantomime that thoughtlessly recycles dated material even though the world has changed.” Although I think […]
REVIEW: PINOCCHIO (National Theatre) ★★★★
Pinocchio is one of those stories that I thought I knew but then realised I really didn’t at all. I knew there was a cricket and a whale and a boy with a nose that grew every time he told a lie but all the other details were a bit fuzzy. This production is written […]
REVIEW: The Very Hungry Caterpillar (The Ambassadors Theatre) ★★★★★
For anyone who doesn’t know (and I imagine that’s a pretty small minority) The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a famous children’s book about a ravenous insect who (SPOILER ALERT) transforms into a beautiful butterfly via several items of foodstuff! This was my first trip to review a piece of theatre with my two children and it […]
REVIEW: THE WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE (Brockley Jack Theatre) ★★★
Joan Aiken’s classic gothic adventure story is a steampunk homage to Victorian literature set in an alternative 1830s “in an England that didn’t exist” where the country has been overrun with wolves following the opening of the Channel Tunnel. Russ Tunney’s stage version was first performed in 2010 by Southampton’s Nuffield Theatre, with several productions […]
REVIEW: Mischief Movie Night (Arts Theatre) ★★★★
Mischief Theatre has pretty much cornered the market with their very British style of comedy. With The Comedy About A Bank Robbery still thrilling audiences in the West End, The Play That Goes Wrong winning prizes on both sides of the pond and a televised version of the new A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong following […]
REVIEW: THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (Her Majesty’s Theatre) ★★★★★
The Phantom of the Opera is one of the worlds longest running musicals, opening in London in 1986 and still going strong today. Based on the novel Le Fantôme de l’Opéra by Gaston Leroux, it is inspired by real events that happened at the Paris Opera in the early nineteenth century. The Phantom of the […]
REVIEW: JACK AND THE BEANSTALK (New Wimbledon Theatre) ★★★★
2017 is certainly an interesting year for Wimbledon Panto. It is the first year that Pantomine giant Qdos Entertainment have taken over producing the annual Panto, so it would make sense for this year’s show to be Jack and the Beanstalk. In a year of firsts, Jack and the Beanstalk marks the first Panto performance […]
REVIEW: DICK WHITTINGTON (London Palladium) ★★★
After last year’s successful panto, Cinderella, the London Palladium this year brings Dick Whittington to the stage with a huge cast of celebrities ranging from Musical Theatre stars Elaine Paige, Gary Wilmot, Charlie Stemp and Emma Williams, to TV Talent Show winners Diversity and Paul Zerdin. Comedian Julian Clary and TV personality Nigel Havers complete the star […]
REVIEW: THE WIZARD OF OZ (Sheffield Crucible) ★★★★
Renowned for their spectacular seasonal musicals, Sheffield Crucible Theatre’s 2017 Christmas show is far from a break in tradition. The Wizard Of Oz is a story that reverberates across generations and is a family favourite loved by everyone and immortalised on film by the wonderful Judy Garland. Whilst keeping the cornerstones of the story, Robert […]
REVIEW: Wish – The Anderson and Petty Holiday Album ★★★★★
It’s that time of the year again! In a musical climate where everything is downloadable with a click, the market is laden in Christmas music. Composers Barry Anderson and Mark Petty bring us Wish – The Anderson and Petty Holiday Album to give us theatre-lovers – and otherwise something to sit up and take notice […]