UK Regional Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 25

BWW Review: BLOOD WEDDING, Omnibus Theatre
by Gary Naylor - September 21, 2018

Lorca's masterpiece transported and updated to present day London, but retaining its power to shock as it lays bare the souls of men and women....

BWW Review: STEEL, Crucible Studio, Sheffield
by Ruth Deller - September 18, 2018

Chris Bush's new play about women in the Labour party is a must-see....

BWW Review: HENRY V, Tobacco Factory Theatres, Bristol
by Leah Tozer - September 19, 2018

Like the English at Agincourt, Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory aren't unshaken, but they are victorious. Elizabeth Freestone's direction is austere, with the action playing out in a darkly industrial dystopia characterised by Lily Arnold's greyed costumes and frayed edges, steely drama and gravel...

BWW Review: TWELFTH NIGHT, Wilton's Music Hall
by Gary Naylor - September 14, 2018

A spectacular re-imaging of Shakespeare's tale of mistaken identities, cross-dressing and cruelty time-traveled to a speakeasy populated by extraordinary actor-musicians....

BWW Review: WOMEN IN POWER, Nuffield Southampton Theatres
by Jo Fisher - September 14, 2018

Opening with its world premiere at Nuffield Southampton Theatres' City venue, Women in Power gives life to a classic Greek comedy, bringing it into the twenty-first century with music, mayhem and mischevious humour....

BWW Review: HAMILTON (LEWIS) A MUSICAL PARODY, King's Head Theatre
by Gary Naylor - September 07, 2018

This version of the life of Hamilton - not that one, Hamilton (Lewis) - is a lot of fun for anyone in that crossover in the venn diagram for fans of Formula One and Musical Theatre. And, fortunately for the box office, plenty that are not....

BWW Review: HOBSON'S CHOICE, Jack Studio Theatre
by Gary Naylor - September 06, 2018

Hobson's Choice is given a late 50s makeover in this fine revival of a play the themes of which remain as relevant today as ever they were....

BWW Review: THE HABIT OF ART, York Theatre Royal
by Sarah Ryan - September 06, 2018

After opening to critical acclaim in 2009, the Original Theatre Company in collaboration with York Theatre Royal are bringing back Alan Bennett's The Habit of Art in its first revival since the original sell-out run. Centred around a fictional meeting between two of the 20th century's most influenti...

BWW Review: GOD OF CARNAGE, Theatre Royal Bath
by Tim Wright - September 06, 2018

If people really do have layers, then Yasmina Reza's God Of Carnage is 80 minutes of stripping them away. Removing the layers of politeness and civility one by one until you're left with the core, for better or worse....

BWW Review: CATERPILLAR, Theatre503
by Gary Naylor - September 04, 2018

Caterpillar takes us to a seaside town guesthouse within which three dysfunctional people circle each other, troubled and needy....

BWW Review: TAMBURLAINE, Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
by Gary Naylor - August 24, 2018

Christopher Marlowe's tale of relentless, ruthless ambition has a Game of Thrones vibe and a distressingly familiar topicality...

BWW Review: THE MEETING, Chichester Festival Theatre
by Natalie Fordham - July 30, 2018

Charlotte Jones's new play for nearly a decade, The Meeting, is an emotional twister that evokes concerns about female empowerment, treatment of those who are different, and the limitations of religious teachings....

BWW Review: THE RAPE OF LUCRETIA, Arcola Theatre
by Gary Naylor - July 26, 2018

A demanding, but rewarding, production of Britten's opera about ancient Rome, with plenty of lessons for today....

BWW Review: THE WHITE ROSE - THE STORY OF SOPHIE SCHOLL, Brockley Jack Studio Theatre
by Gary Naylor - July 20, 2018

The tragic story of a student resistance group in wartime Munich told with skill and commitment by a talented cast....

BWW Review: SONGS FROM THE SEVEN HILLS, Crucible, Sheffield
by Ruth Deller - July 20, 2018

The annual show from Sheffield People's Theatre is a crowd-pleasing musical about the importance of community and the idea of 'home'....

BWW Review: HAIRSPRAY, Grand Opera House York
by Sarah Ryan - July 17, 2018

Ever since John Waters introduced us to Tracy Turnblad and co in his cult 1988 film, audiences have come to expect big voices, big dance numbers and even bigger hair. Luckily, the 2017/18 touring production of Hairspray delivers in a production that is colourful, energetic and full of soul....

BWW Review: BIRDSONG, Bristol Old Vic
by Leah Tozer - July 11, 2018

Birdsong, based on the book by Sebastian Faulks, is a brutal and beautiful observation of war and remembrance, with this new revival touring in time for the Armistice centenary this November....

BWW Review: SS MENDI: DANCING THE DEATH DRILL, Nuffield Southampton Theatres
by Jo Fisher - July 06, 2018

Premiering at Nuffield Southampton Theatres' City venue, SS Mendi: Dancing the Death Drill resurrects those lost at sea in a little-known wartime tragedy through a cultural feast of powerful theatre, music and song....

BWW Review: SIRENS OF THE SILVER SCREEN, Tabard Theatre
by Gary Naylor - July 05, 2018

A show about Judy, Audrey and Marilyn including songs by the gifted Beth Burrows - but does it tell us anything new?...

BWW Review: LOVE AND INFORMATION, Crucible Studio, Sheffield
by Ruth Deller - July 04, 2018

Big themes play out through dozens of small scenes in this effervescent production of Caryl Churchill's play....

BWW Review: FOR KING AND COUNTRY, Southwark Playhouse
by Gary Naylor - July 03, 2018

Courtroom drama set on the Western Front that doesn't convince in its script and staging but still presses the emotional buttons....

BWW Review: KING THE MUSICAL IN CONCERT, Hackney Empire
by Fiona Scott - July 02, 2018

A diverse cast; a score packed with many musical genres, including rap; and a sung-through treatment of an important period of American history... No, it's not Hamilton, but a superb concert presentation of the late Martin Smith's King The Musical by Hackney Empire and London Musical Theatre Orch...

BWW Review: LA FILLE MAL GARDEE, Bristol Hippodrome
by Leah Tozer - July 05, 2018

Balancing Ashton's charming choreography with bright characterisation and breezy ballon, Birmingham Royal Ballet are absolutely beaming in this most charming of ballets....

BWW Review: MY BEAUTIFUL CIRCUS, Chiswick House and Gardens
by Gary Naylor - June 29, 2018

My Beautiful Circus brings a traditional entertainment to the village green but delivers it with 21st century savvy and morals....

BWW Review: QUARTER LIFE CRISIS, Nuffield Southampton Theatres
by Jo Fisher - June 28, 2018

'Siri, when do I become an adult?' Alicia asks. She is, we are told, a 'hot mess'; a typical twentysomething, a classic millennial, caught somewhere between her days as a student and 'real life'....