REVIEW: The Girl Who Fell (Trafalgar Studios) ★★★★
Sarah Rutherford’s new play The Girl Who Fell tackles grief and guilt with sensitivity and humour in this darkly funny production, that mixes raw emotion with laugh out loud jokes. Claire Goose is grieving mother Thea whose teenage daughter, Sam, committed suicide after a video of her hair being cut in punishment went viral. As […]
REVIEW: Motown the Musical (Sunderland Empire) ★★★★
I arrived at Sunderland Empire expecting to see a tribute concert to the many glorious songs produced on the Motown label. However I was delighted to find that it is actually the Berry Gordy story – which might not be a dynamic name for a musical but it is a very compelling tale. Gordy started […]
REVIEW: The Female Edit: Mother? (The Chapel Playhouse) ★★★★
The Female Edit: Mother? is a new show produced, directed, written, and performed by women at the Chapel Playhouse. Curated by Lucy McCabe & Deborah Wastell from The Female Edit, a creative collective formed in 2018, aiming to contribute to the conversation about gender equality through creative work. The show is a collection of short pieces […]
REVIEW: LAST ORDERS: THE HAUNTING OF THE OLD RED LION (Old Red Lion Theatre) ★★★
The Old Red Lion Theatre in Islington has been one of London’s leading fringe venues for more than seventy years, playing home to an eclectic mix of works. But in this latest entertaining (if rather uneven) production, the venue itself falls under the spotlight, along with those that have frequented the pub that has been […]
REVIEW: FAST (Park Theatre) ★★
I always enjoy a visit to the Park Theatre in Finsbury Park. It has a lovely atmosphere and presents a great range of productions which always have interesting staging. There are two theatres – the main Park200 downstairs and Park90 (a tiny space upstairs that is often used for new or experimental writing). As one […]
REVIEW: HAUNTED (Asylum Chapel) ★★★★
We are sat in the chilled air of the Asylum Chapel, bathed in darkness with our heads aloft, admiring the spectacular stained-glass windows and distressed interiors (this is certainly an apt location for a haunting) when in stumbles a terrified-looking man (Steve Fitzgerald) in search of his sister. He discloses that his family has been […]
REVIEW: ANNIE (Sunderland Empire) ★★★★
It was seeing Annie in the early 80’s that instilled in me a lifelong love of theatre, so I was very excited to be seeing the show at Sunderland Empire this week. It’s 1933, America is in the midst of a depression and little orphan Annie (Kiana Dumbuya, Mia Lakha and Ava Smith sharing […]
REVIEW: PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT (New Wimbledon Theatre) ★★★★★
The iconic musical, Priscilla Queen of the Desert opened at the New Wimbledon Theatre this week bringing sassiness, vibrance and colour. With strong performances and smiles throughout the audience, this show is definitely not a drag. Although many people will remember the 2009 West End show, this is a brand-new production by Mark Goucher in […]
REVIEW: GHOST STORIES (Ambassadors Theatre) ★★★★
Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman’s Ghost Stories opened at the Liverpool Playhouse in 2010 before transferring to the Lyric Hammersmith and Duke of York’s Theatre in London’s West End, where it ran for over a year. The play was so successful, it was re-mounted at the Arts Theatre in February of 2014 running until January […]
REVIEW: WE ANCHOR IN HOPE (The Bunker) ★★
Pubs used to be the centre of communities all around the country. A place of refuge, a place to forget your troubles and drown your sorrows and a place where regulars formed bonds. All over the country, pubs are closing as the economics have deteriorated from drinking and smoking laws, conversion to upmarket gastro pubs […]