UK REGIONAL THEATER REVIEWS

Some highlights of the last year and some optimism for an uncertain future...

Play Inside’s Love, Conditionally ­– a new, immersive, series of short (around 15 minutes) audio recordings made in the UK and Palestine ­– is made with interactive listeners in mind....

Were you one of the lucky few who managed to bag a ticket for the one-night-only, star-studded gala revue, StephenSondheim’s Old Friends, on May 3, 2022?...

As households around the country begin to plan their festive feasts, the delightful Mill at Sonning in Berkshire already has theirs well in hand. ...

Launching its latest UK tour, Wicked is casting its magical spell on audiences once again. The enchantment begins at the Edinburgh Playhouse, with a glorious 5-week run from Thursday, 7th December 2023, to Sunday, 14th January 2024, at this iconic Scottish theatre. This essential musical provides an...

Family show retains enough edge to honour its sources, providing thrills and spectacle and that wonderful, wonderful score...

As someone who moved to the UK last year, I’m still getting used to the tradition of pantomimes but have fallen in love with their boundless energy and cheesy jokes. Recently, I attended a 10:30 AM performance of Dick Whittington at the Arts Centre Hounslow, where I was one of two adults who was n...

Adapted by Emily Burns, the production sees the story transported to modern day. Excellently designed and featuring an incredible cast who keep the story moving quickly from scene to scene, it is a unique and innovative interpretation of the play that keeps you engaged from start to finish....

Newbury's pantomime is an all-singing, all-dancing show that will keep viewers of all ages smiling and laughing throughout...

Seven pantos performed in the space of 70 minutes – it seems impossible… right? Oh no it isn’t!...

It just wouldn’t be the festive season without The Liverpool Everyman Rock ‘n’ Roll Pantomime - and it’s easy to see why this beloved show has audiences returning year after year....

It’s that time of year - and Liverpool’s Royal Court are back with their latest festive production, The Scouse Dick Whittington....

My friend and I both said the same thing at the same time as we left the Boilershop after seeing South African Cellist, Abel Selaocoe. This was 'that might have been the best gig I’ve ever been to'. That might not be a very journalism-y thing to say (well, neither is “journalism-y”,) but it su...

Created by award-winning writer Emma-Louise Howell as part of the Mercury’s playwriting programme in 2021, I Really Do Think This Will Change Your Life is a bold new solo performance now making its professional debut at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester....

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 ...

With the AI (artificial intelligence) summit at Bletchley Park this week, Machinal at the Ustinov Studio, Theatre Royal Bath, couldn’t be more timely....

Cowbois might sound like a reboot of Sister Act but there is far more going under the satin bonnets. Gunslinger Jack Cannon (Vinnie Heaven) arrives in a small Wild West-era outpost, handsome by appearance, fearsome by reputation and with a bounty of 200 dollars on their head. The town is populated o...

Society places a huge amount of pressure on mothers to be perfect, so it's a joy to see this new musical that reassures mums that their best is good enough. With a book and lyrics by Emily Beecher, who developed the show after her own diagnosis of postnatal depression, this production is produced, d...

All aboard for a new rendering of The Girl on the Train at Salisbury Playhouse, with clever background projection to lift a journey that doesn’t quite make its connection....

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 Ly...

Samuel Collings, from Hammersmith in West London, is one of the UK’s most versatile actors and can be found on stage, screen, radio and voicing audiobooks. He spoke with BroadwayWorld about his journey into acting, being part of a 'perfect couple' and the relvance of the story today....

Few venue openings have been as much-anticipated as that of Aviva Studios. With around £100m of public funding and £35m just from the naming rights, its opening production from Factory International was announced over a year ago: Free Your Mind would be “a large-scale immersive performance based...

If the multi award-winning TV drama Succession taught us anything, it’s that no one can take Brian Cox’s place. Fans of the Scottish actor will be pleased to know that he commands centre stage – with Logan Roy-esque verve – in Trevor Nunn’s The Score, a new play by actor-playwright OIiver ...

Joe Calarco’s electrifying interpretation of the legendary star-crossed lovers is nothing short of excellence. While mainly recited in its original Shakespearean form, Calarco brings a fresh take on the tragedy, through a modern setting and intertwining of a queer narrative....

It may be old enough to collect its state pension, but this classic play still has much to say about life as it's lived today...