Tim Wright News

There were more than a few raised eyebrows when the all new Factory Company from Tobacco Factory Theatres announced it's first play would be a Shakespeare. Having moved the acclaimed Shakespeare at The Tobacco Factory company from their usual Spring slot to accommodate its inaugural season, it seemed strange to then open with a Shakespeare- an area that this theatre seemed to have all sewn up. 

How far will powerful men and institutions go to keep their secrets - and who pays the price when they do? Echo Theater Company and Circle X Theatre Co. join forces to present the world premiere of An Undivided Heart by Yusuf Toropov, directed by Chris Fields and running March 16 through April 22 at Atwater Village Theatre. Two pay-what-you-want previews take place on March 14 and March 15.

Families are tricky things. They have the capacity to love and frustrate us like no one else. It is little wonder they provide such a rich vein for dramatists. In Andrew Bovell's Things I Know To Be True we're with the Price family who have four grown up children, all at different stages of flying the nest.

Tim Wright reflects on drama schools charging fees for auditions

I loved Hamilton when I saw it. I paid £57.50 for a seat in the middle of the top tier of the newly refurbed Victoria Palace Theatre. It was pretty expensive, but I made my peace with it. The show was everything I wanted it to be.

BWW reviewer Natalie O'Donoghue shares her list of closed West End shows that she thinks should be revived with a UK tour.

Touring West End shows have a dicey history. They used to have a reputation for being the poorer cousin of their London counterparts, featuring chopped-down sets and losing most of their star casts somewhere by the M25.

The award-winning Echo Theater Company will continue its commitment to original work in the new year, introducing Los Angeles to important, emerging playwrights from across the country.

Created last year under Emma Rice's tenure at Shakespeare's Globe The Little Matchgirl and Other Happier Tales arrives in Bristol after a much heralded run in London.

As the sole pantomime in Bristol, Aladdin (from pantomime giants Qdos Entertainment) has a lot resting on its shoulders for families this festive season. For some, Christmas at the theatre means panto and they're unlikely to feel short changed by this big budget offering.

Stepping into the Tobacco Factory Theatre this Christmas and you're immediately transported to an eerie forest in rural France for a re-telling of this classic French fairy tale.

My name is Matty Butler and I like foxes . We're told the reaction to foxes is often similar to people with Down's syndrome like Matty. Some people think they're cute, some think they shouldn't be there. After the success of previous production Up Down Boy, we're back with Matty and his family but this time Matty is not a boy, but a man. Matty may share many of the best child-like qualities but he's now 29 and wants a boyfriend.

Kneehigh's latest show The Tin Drum defies categorisation. Part love story, part political thriller. Part play, part musical. It is therefore like most Kneehigh work: anarchic. And I think director Mike Shepherd and writer Carl Grose would consider that a job well done. As Grose writes in one memorable song viva la complexity .

People in the grip of an addiction can be difficult to watch but hard to look away from, and so it proves in People Places & Things now on tour after a successful West End stint. Watching the self destructive Emma pull herself apart in order to put herself back together makes for compulsive viewing.

War Horse is nothing short of phenomenon. What started as an unlikely idea in the bowels of the National Theatre has become a worldwide hit. Last night, it celebrated its 10-year anniversary at the Bristol Hippodrome and on this evidence, is as fresh and vibrant as when it first galloped over the NT Olivier stage over a decade ago.

It's nearly that time of year (oh no it's not etc.) where we preview the Christmas theatre offerings across Bristol and Bath. We've got pantos, fairy tales and classic stories a plenty, so grab a mince pie while you ponder what to see this festive period.

There's always a place for upbeat escapism in musical theatre. When times are tough, a few numbers that wriggle their way into your consciousness is a welcome thing.

Myrtle Theatre Company is renowned for its ground-breaking work that is influenced and inspired by the voices in society that often go unheard. In recent times, the company has enjoyed a special relationship with Nathan Bessell- a performer with Down's syndrome who was the star and inspiration for Up Down Boy (which toured and had a stint at the National Theatre) and the upcoming revival of it's sequel Up Down Man.

It's 1982 and Soft Cell is on the radio. The synths play and 'Tainted Love' rings out on this Bradford council estate in Out of Joint's revival of Andrea Dunbar's uncompromising, semi-autobiographical, Rita, Sue and Bob Too.

It's hard to watch Legally Blonde The Musical without becoming at least a little infected with the fluffy American can-do-anything attitude that prevails throughout this fast, frivolous and fun show.