Review: A SONG FOR ELLA GREY, Liverpool Playhouse Theatre
by Sarah OHara - March 18, 2024
Pilot Theatre, the company behind the critically acclaimed Noughts & Crosses, return with their latest production, A Song For Ella Grey, which is a unique and engaging retelling of the ancient Orpheus Myth....
Review: RICHARD, MY RICHARD, Shakespeare North Playhouse
by Sarah OHara - March 13, 2024
One of the best plays you will see this year, Richard, My Richard is an outstanding first production from Philipa Gregory....
Review: BEN & IMO, Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
by Kat Mokrynski - March 11, 2024
Written by Mark Ravenhill and directed by Erica Whyman, Ben & Imo tells the story of the composition of Benjamin Britten’s (Samuel Barnett) Gloriana with musical assistant Imogen Holst (Victoria Yeates) over a period of nine months in the coast town of Aldeburgh. The play is based on Ravenhill’s BBC...
Review: A FAMILY BUSINESS, Omnibus Theatre
by Kit Bromovsky - February 26, 2024
In a world shadowed by the persistent threat of nuclear war, A Family Business presented by China Plate and Staatstheater Mainz, delivers a poignant and immersive exploration of the human narrative behind the struggle for nuclear disarmament. ...
Review: DISCO PIGS, Alphabetti Theatre
by Bryony Rae Taylor - February 22, 2024
Enda Walsh’s abrasive, poetic two-hander, Disco Pigs is a bullet-train ride of extremes. Two 17-year-olds, Pig (Ben Gettins) and Runt (Amy McAllister) are best friends born just seconds apart in the same hospital. Hurling their angst at each other (and the audience) for just under an hour, the pair ...
Review: U.ME: THE COMPLETE MUSICAL, BBC Sounds
by Cheryl Markosky - February 21, 2024
The Pandemic and its consequences, especially on 20- and 30-somethings, are explored in the BBC's world premiere of U.Me: The Complete Musical....
Review: DEATHTRAP, The Mill at Sonning
by Mica Blackwell - February 19, 2024
From the man behind Rosemary's Baby and The Stepford Wives, Ira Levin's Deathtrap has scared and intrigued audiences since premiering in 1978. One of Broadway’s most successful plays and even spawning a film adaptation, The Mill at Sonning's latest production directed by Tam Williams proves why it s...
Review: HAUNTED SCOUSE, Liverpool's Royal Court
by Sarah OHara - February 19, 2024
Following the success of plays including Yellow Breck Road and Ellen and Rigby, writer Gerry Linford returns to Liverpool’s Royal Court with the heartwarming comedy-drama Haunted Scouse....
Review: HOUDINI'S GREATEST ESCAPE, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre
by Kat Mokrynski - February 16, 2024
Houdini’s Greatest Escape, put on by New Old Friends in association with Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, tells the story of the great escape artists Harry Houdini and his wife, Bess, as they travel to England with the hopes of being invited to perform at King Edward’s Royal Gala. But, things quickly take a t...
Review: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, Royal Shakespeare Theatre
by Kat Mokrynski - February 15, 2024
Eleanor Rhode directs a modern version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, starring Mathew Baynton of Horrible Histories and Ghosts fame as Bottom, the fool who becomes one of several victims of fairy mischief. But, in a delightful twist, the star of the show is Puck, who was played by Premi Tamang due to...
Review: SOMETHING ABOUT GEORGE, Floral Pavilion Theatre
by Sarah OHara - February 05, 2024
Moving, poignant and with timeless classics that will have you singing throughout the night, if I could give more than 5 stars to Something About George, I would. It is a must see....
Review: CAN BEARS SKI?, The Arts Depot
by Christiana Rose - January 23, 2024
Can Bears Ski? explores the experiences of both hearing and Deaf characters and promotes familiarising relevant language such as ‘hearing’, ‘Deaf’, ‘British Sign Language’, ‘fingerspelling’, ‘lipreading’, ‘hearing aid’ – as well as modelling appropriate language and promoting positive representation...
Review: THE DRIFTERS GIRL, Bristol Hippodrome
by Tim Wright - January 11, 2024
It’s hard to tell the entire story of The Drifters. Not least because the group became a revolving door of something like 60 different members over the decades. And therein lies the problem for The Drifters Girl – it tries to take on the whole story, mainly from the perspective of their trailblazing...
Soundtrack Review: THE LITTLE BIG THINGS (ORIGINAL WEST END CAST RECORDING)
by Kerrie Nicholson - January 09, 2024
The way composer and lyricist Nick Butcher and lyricist Tom Ling have approached setting Henry’s story within the musical theatre realm makes for an incredibly exciting journey as a listener...
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Book Review: RUNNING THE ROOM: CONVERSATIONS WITH WOMEN THEATRE DIRECTORS
by Cindy Marcolina - December 27, 2023
Running the Room isn’t a bible nor a manifesto. It doesn’t want to write a set of rules for directing plays, nor it wants to impart a Weltanschauung on how to become a director. It’s a source of inspiration and, more practically, a generous look into the practice of a selected group of people, who j...
Critics' Pick: Gary Naylor's Best of 2023 in Review
by Gary Naylor - December 20, 2023
Some highlights of the last year and some optimism for an uncertain future...
Podcast Review: LOVE, CONDITIONALLY, Play Inside
by Cheryl Markosky - December 19, 2023
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....
Review: STEPHEN SONDHEIM'S OLD FRIENDS: A CELEBRATION, Live at the Sondheim Theatre, Cast Recording
by Cheryl Markosky - December 13, 2023
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?...
Review: HIGH SOCIETY, The Mill At Sonning
by Mickey-Jo Boucher - December 12, 2023
As households around the country begin to plan their festive feasts, the delightful Mill at Sonning in Berkshire already has theirs well in hand. ...
Review: WICKED, Edinburgh Playhouse
by Natalie O'Donoghue - December 13, 2023
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...
Review: OLIVER!, Leeds Playhouse
by Gary Naylor - December 07, 2023
Family show retains enough edge to honour its sources, providing thrills and spectacle and that wonderful, wonderful score...
Review: DICK WHITTINGTON, The Arts Centre Hounslow
by Kat Mokrynski - December 08, 2023
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 not...
Review: MACBETH, The Depot, Liverpool
by Sarah OHara - December 01, 2023
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....
Review: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, Newbury Corn Exchange
by Imogen Usherwood - December 01, 2023
Newbury's pantomime is an all-singing, all-dancing show that will keep viewers of all ages smiling and laughing throughout...
Review: POTTED PANTO, Reading Rep
by Jess Ashley - November 30, 2023
Seven pantos performed in the space of 70 minutes – it seems impossible… right? Oh no it isn’t!...