UK REGIONAL THEATER REVIEWS

There's a buzz of excitement in the air whenever Kneehigh Theatre are in town; their joyful, anarchic style combined with a strong emphasis on storytelling is popular with all ages. The Cornwall based company go from strength to strength, building international renown at a remarkable pace. With resi...

Nostalgia brought the Palace Theatre to life through the skirt-lifting, tight-jean wearing fervour of Dirty Dancing....

As the celebrations of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death draw to a close, the Birmingham Royal Ballet present the anticipated new creation from David Bintley, The Tempest. The Tempest has fascinated David Bintley for over 20 years. After two decades of research and exploration, he finally...

Gary Naylor sees a brilliantly realised updating of Handel's Xerxes set in the Battle of Britain and featuring an astonishing countertenor voice....

Gary Naylor sees a show that bristles with wit, warmth and wonderful songs and speaks directly to Londoners in 2016....

The English Touring Theatre/Sheffield Theatres adaptation of DH Lawrence's classic is a tender adaptation with an atmospheric soundscape. Even though it contains full-frontal nudity and sexual themes, the production is sensitive rather than shocking....

Gary Naylor sees an award-winning musical that provides few catchy tunes, but revels in a marriage of music and vocals that lays feelings bare and says much about life today....

Gary Naylor sees a play that wears its heart on its sleeve, but suffers as a result of ill-conceived staging and characterisation....

Gary Naylor sees a remarkable tour-de-force that produces the definitive version of a tricky but utterly compelling piece of musical theatre....

The cult musical, Little Shop of Horrors, has long been a favourite amongst cinema and theatre fans alike. Following an unlikely beginning - a low budget Sci-fi B movie shot in just two days - Little Shop of Horrors was turned into a musical by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, turning this quirky part...

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater tour the UK for the first time in 6 years, presented by the amazing Dance Consortium. Hailed by the US Congress as "a vital American cultural ambassador to the world", the company perform original works by the late Alvin Ailey - including his most famous and critic...

Gary Naylor sees a musical packed with agreeable songs but short on characterisation, charm and credibility....

Gary Naylor sees a fine production that will delight fans old and new of Jane Austen's immortal tale of unmarried daughters and their suitors....

Gary Naylor sees a fine tribute to the men of Clapton Orient who went into battle for King and Country 100 years ago....

Gary Naylor sees a play with plenty of emotional torment on display but a dubious political message that sits ill with its venue....

Gary Naylor enjoys a Tennessee Williams play full of sharp dialogue, tenderness and the poignant loss of missed opportunities....

Jamie Wilson and the Leicester Curve's new production of Sister Act contains all of the ingredients for a smash-hit musical: a star director, a celebrity lead, a well-known, beloved story based on a popular film, and a plethora of sequins and catchy tunes.  Based on the 1992 film starring Whoopi...

One of the world's most famous cars has flown into the Birmingham Hippodrome this week, in the form of Ian Fleming's spectacular musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Based on the beloved film of the same name, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang sees struggling inventor Caractacus Potts swept away on an extraordina...

Gary Naylor sees a play that examines suburban alienation in 80's America and the salvation Punk offered - on rollerskates!...

Gary Naylor sees a production that proves that if a script is poor, the play has no chance of success....

Gary Naylor sees an award-winning play from DL Productions that makes its demands on the audience, but provides its rewards too....

Writer Bob Eaton had previous success with 2-Tone Musical Three Minute Heroes at the Belgrade Theatre in 2014. This time, he has put pen to paper to create a musical loosely based on William Shakespeare's Hamlet. Roll Over Beethoven boasts an original rock 'n' roll score against a backdrop of post-w...

Gary Naylor sees another triumphant boutique opera at the genre's spiritual home with all the thrills of operatic voices at close quarters and plenty of laughter and tears too....

Gary Naylor sees a beautifully delivered comedy of manners performed for the first time in almost 90 years....

Gary Naylor sees two short operas from Irrational Theatre that provide wonderful value for money and a fine introduction to the form....