REVIEW: EQUUS (Theatre Royal Stratford East) ★★★★
Peter Shaffer’s 1973 psychological classic is revived by director Ned Bennett in a stripped back and energetic version of Equus, that focuses on the conflict between faith and sex. Gone are the design gimmicks and horse props from previous productions, with the focal point moved firmly onto the narrative and in particular the two lead […]
REVIEW: MATHILDA AND THE ORANGE BALLOON (ArlingtonArtsCentre) ★★★★
Randall de Sève’s book Mathilda and the Orange Ballon has been developed by The DH Ensemble in collaboration with US artist Jess Kaufman into a delightful children’s show for three to eight year olds and their families and is designed to be both interactive and deaf accessible. The result is a charming forty five minutes that […]
REVIEW: A Hundred Words for Snow (Trafalgar Studios) ★★★★★
A Hundred Words For Snow is a coming-of-age story about Aurora – Rory for short (Gemma Barnett), whose Geography teacher father was killed in a hit and run, leaving Rory and her mum confused, angry and thinking about everything that could’ve been. Rory stumbles across her dad’s journal, and finds that he’d been planning a […]
REVIEW: ABIGAIL’S PARTY (Royal & Derngate) ★★★
As Brits, we love awkwardness. That is, we hate it. But in a comic situation, we love it. The Office, Extras, any play by David Hare… something about it makes us inwardly cringe when we watch it. And yet this type of comedy is extremely popular. Abigail’s Party by Mike Leigh is often credited as […]
REVIEW: THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN (Curve) ★★★★
The Girl on the Train visits Curve in Leicester this week, and it’s a thrilling rollercoaster from start to finish. I’ll hold my hand up and admit that I ventured into this performance totally blind, as I must be one of the only people on the planet to have never read the book or watched […]
REVIEW: The Rocky Horror Show (New Victoria Theatre) ★★★★
The Rocky Horror Show is a cult classic, and probably has one of the most dedicated fanbases of any show or film and has been wowing sell-out audiences for more than forty Years around the globe. Now it is the turn of Woking’s New Victoria Theatre to host this show as its rushes along full […]
REVIEW: BAD GIRLS THE MUSICAL (Upstairs at the Gatehouse) ★★
BAD GIRLS the Musical, written by Maureen Chadwick and Ann McManus (writers of the original ITV prison drama) premiered at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in 2006 before a three month run at the Garrick Theatre in London’s West End in 2007. Rachel Hicks, a young new mother, is admitted to G-wing at HMP Larkhall on […]
REVIEW: WHATSONSTAGE AWARDS 2019
There have been many public votes which have proved controversial – Brexit. The American presidency. Will Young vs. Gareth Gates, lest we forget. Thankfully, the WhatsOnStage Awards 2019 provided yet another fantastic evening of embracing the general public’s opinion in having their say on the best of on and off-West End and regional UK theatre. […]
REVIEW: Happy Ever After? (Bunker Theatre) ★★★★
Do you ever wonder what happened after you closed the book of fairytales? WoLab put out a call for pieces from female and non-binary writers for their latest scratch night. The brief was to be no more than 10 minutes long, addressing the ending of a Disney Princess story and questioning if it was indeed […]
REVIEW: The Pirates of Penzance (Wilton’s Music Hall) ★★★★★
Returning to London this spring after its Australian tour, Sasha Regan’s The Pirates of Penzance lays siege to Wilton’s Music Hall, bringing comedy, romance and unending silliness in equal measure. The all-male cast navigates the maritime melodies of Gilbert and Sullivan’s much-loved operetta – fast approaching its 140th anniversary – and takes us on a […]