Caroline Cronin

Four years on from its premiere at the Noel Coward Theatre, 2:22 A Ghost Story continues to unsettle audiences across the UK and internationally. The celebrity casting in this iteration of the UK tour adds a new dynamic in the form of real-life couple Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton.

There’s something quietly powerful about Have You Met Stan?, a new original musical by Bart Thiede, that has just had its final show at the Brighton Fringe. Set within the everyday hum of a pub, this Irish-Polish queer love story has sincerity and charm as it delves into the meet-cute between Seán and Stan and the struggles that unfold.

In Split Ends, writer-performer Claudia Schnier blurs the lines between autobiography and artifice with an intensity that lingers long after the house lights come up. Billed as a part-stand-up, part-puppetry piece, this visceral one-woman show defies easy categorisation—and that’s part of its power.

Wummy is the tale of a wannabe 'yummy-mummy' who is broke, sharing a flat with undesirable housemmates...and absolutely certain she was destined for more. We follow her quest to manifest the dream life - complete with a Chelsea townhouse, doting husband, and of course a bouncing baby - but when the universe throws her a curveball, Wummy is forced to rethink what “having it all” really means.

Brighton Fringe is the perfect breeding ground for improvisational comedy, and there’s plenty of it scattered across the city. At The Quadrant—a venue that has become a staple part of the festival each year—comedian Samantha Day took to the stage to ask one very big question: Which generation is the most unhinged?

In You're So F**king Croydon!, writer-performer Katie Hurley dives headfirst into the question: can where you're from dictate who you become? The result is a riotous, nostalgia-drenched journey through adolescence and early adulthood, brimming with bold energy and brutal honesty.

This new production from director Lucy Bailey is a visual feast of delights. Adapted for the stage by Ken Ludwig in 2017, this is the first time there’s been a UK Tour of the infamous play and Bailey has given it the first-class treatment.

The Rocky Horror Show is a proven worldwide success garnering both critical and commercial acclaim since its debut in 1973.  And happily, this curious cultural phenomenon continues to thrill audiences with the current world tour, directed by Christopher Luscombe.

Ever wondered what went on behind the scenes during the making of Jaws? It’s a well-documented story indeed, but those that aren’t familiar won’t be at a disadvantage when watching The Shark is Broken because it’s a carefully crafted comedy that works effectively as a standalone piece, even without the historical context.

Local Brightonian legend Peter James brings yet another slick adaption of his Roy Grace novella series to the stage on a six-month UK Tour.

A stage adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1930’s spy film (which was in turn was an adaptation of John Buchans novel), The 39 Steps is a madcap dramedy set in 1935 but many of its themes feel relevant today, despite the wacky premise of just four actors playing 139 characters.

Have you ever wished that you could bring your favourite musical composer back from the dead for just one day by means of a spooky musical seance? If so, then Summoning Sondheim is right up your street.

The strapline for Stephanie Ware’s WHOA MAMA! had me intrigued – a one woman comedy about a 40-something woman and her choice to remain childfree. There’s certainly no shortage of rhetoric on this subject, particularly on social media where the childfree “movement” has a real chokehold. But the concept of a clownish comedy that explores the “opinions, arguments and science” behind this choice felt like a fresh take.

Producers Christopher D Clegg and James Drury have had a remarkable journey with Cool Rider, the much-lauded Grease 2 stage adaption. From a supposed ‘one night only show’ back in 2014 at the Lyric Theatre, to record-breaking ticket sales, a flurry of last-minute additional dates, then a return run three months later at the Duchess Theatre…not to mention an original cast recording.

Written by BAFTA Award winners Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, this play can be viewed as a standalone...although if you're a fan of the board game, there are enough in-jokes to keep you satisfied.

This is a gold standard production in every sense of the phrase. It holds up extremely well against the west end production, to which inevitable comparisons will be drawn. Ivano Turco is fourth in a line of iconic Jamies past, and his elegance of movement is what sets him apart from those who stood before him. Turco’s beauty and grace is imbued in every step taken and every note sung, and it takes no time at all to fall in love with him.

2:22 A Ghost Story has made a bit of a mark for itself in its regularly rotating cast – often well-established actors known more widely for their off-stage work. As the show sweeps into its Brighton leg of the tour, the cast du jour boasts Joe Absolom, Charlene Boyd, Nathaniel Curtis and Louisa Lytton.RY at Theatre Royal Brighton?

Whether you're a lifelong mega-fan of Blood Brothers, or have never heard of it, this particular production is so finely curated with accomplished performances that I can't imagine anyone being disappointed.