Gary Naylor - Page 31

Just when the grimness is becoming tiresome, Philip Goodhew's script is transformed by an injection of darkest comedy without ever losing its focus as a searing indictment of modern life.

A little dated for sure, but with enough Ayckbourn (and even a touch of Fawlty Towers) to appeal to 21st century audiences, this is a pleasing, if unchallenging, evening's entertainment.

Eugenius is funny, bursting with great songs and great performances and, if a little overly familiar in terms of plot and characters, forgivably so.

Terry Johnson tells us of his lifelong friendship with Ken Campbell, an eccentric giant of English Theatre, in a funny, poignant and beautifully performed production.

Though Sacha Guitry is largely unknown in the UK, this production weaves five extracts of his plays into a single narrative and shows that the tag of 'The French Noel Coward' was not undeserved.

One for fans of Jane Austen and for anyone who likes to see an intelligent production performed with technical skill and rewarding wit.

A fine production that grapples with the play's tricky structure to bring home Brecht's political points with a relevance for today that can hardly be missed.

Doodle - The Musical starts with an unlikely idea that's spun out for nearly three hours - even some decent songs prove insufficient to rescue its poor script and dull characters.

George Bernard Shaw's Chekhovian black comedy has plenty of political heft, but lacks the dramatic clarity required to engage from first to last.

OperaUpClose condense and update Tchaikovsky's classic tragedy for a new space and a new culture, but never lose sight of its deep set Russian roots.

Gary Naylor looks back on 101 shows reviewed in 2017 and picks the best of the best.

A new musical with plenty of echoes of a very famous one indeed, with strong singing and jaw-dropping puppetry but undermined by a tone that is nether one thing not the other.

The Twilight Zone takes us into the world of early 60s cult science fiction TV in a bold and innovative adaptation that never quite transcends its structural weaknesses.

A straight, gimmick-free production of Julius Caesar that may be as relevant today as at any time in the last 420 years.

Stripped back and startlingly intimate, Puccini's great tunes are given full value by wonderful voices and sensational acting in a production that raises boutique operas to a new level.

Project Polunin is a mixed bag of dance and music, a showcase for the bad boy of ballet, Sergei Polunin, that succeeds intermittently.

The Woman In White has its flaws, but Thom Southerland's production of Andrew Lloyd-Webber's 2004 show delivers plenty to fans of musical theatre.

The genius of Lin-Manuel Miranda's songwriting in Hamilton, exemplified in one song.

The Charles Court Opera Company's eleventh panto continues their tradition of bold re-interpretations and bad jokes.

Privates on Parade is often amusing, but time has not treated its approach to issues kindly, even for those unoffended by the casual racism and misogyny typical of its era.