Richard II is one of Shakespeare’s great treats and, for this writer at least, contains some of his most beautiful writing as well as one of the more fascinating storylines in the canon. Somehow though, this is my first experience of seeing it performed live. I’ll confess to having trouble picturing Charles Edwards as Richard. […]
Mack & Mabel @ Chichester Festival Theatre
Mack & Mabel has long been known as a troublesome musical, various reasons have been given for why it has repeatedly failed to secure itself a spot as a permanent favourite of the theatregoing masses. After repeated successes with their big summer musicals, the team at Chichester Festival Theatre are setting out to change that!
King Henry V @ Union Theatre
It has become painfully clear to me in recent years that while I’ve visited the majority of West End theatres, I’ve only really scratched at the surface of London’s ever-vibrant theatrical scene. One venue is repeatedly at the top of peoples lists for atmosphere… indeed when I posted on Facebook that I’d never been Mark […]
Shrek @ The Mayflower, Southampton
Take a blockbuster movie, add a bunch of songs and some sparkly costumes and stick it on a stage… A tried and tested recipe for success and one that seems to be a guarantee of success. It certainly didn’t hurt Shrek when that landed in the West End and tickets flew out of the box […]
Measure For Measure @ Shakespeare’s Globe
Measure For Measure is one of Shakespeare’s problematic plays, a comedy that can be difficult to come to terms with for modern audiences. The mix of bawdy banter and religious fervour is a heady one and Dominic Dromgoole, in his last directorial outing as Artistic Director of Shakespeare’s Globe, gives both sides of the argument […]
The Importance of Being Earnest @ The Mayflower, Southampton
Okay, I’ll admit it, I went to the theatre to see an award-winning actor perform in a way you’d never expect of him… Not Bradley Cooper in the Elephant Man (though I did see that and I enjoyed his performance very much) but David Suchet stepping about as far away from the dapper Belgian detective […]
The Producers @ Mayflower, Southampton
Ah, The Producers. Probably our favourite of the glut of movies turned musicals of the past decade or so. The original production was a wonder of un-pc satire that was far and away the best thing Mel Brooks had turned his hand to in years. More than ten years later and the show is well […]
American Buffalo @ Wyndham’s Theatre
David Mamet is a playwright whose work is easy to appreciate but difficult to love. The complex wordplay is certainly an acquired taste, but when it’s performed well it can fly. Thankfully director Daniel Evans has three excellent performers at his disposal as he takes a look into the writer’s dissection of the rotting underbelly […]
As You Like It @ Shakespeare’s Globe
As You Like It is one of Shakespeare’s most divisive plays, critics and audiences seem to either love or hate it with little middle ground. It seems to be a favourite of Shakespeare’s Globe too, this being their third production in the last six years.
The Rehearsal @ The Minerva, Chichester
60 or so years ago Jean Anouilh’s works were popular enough for the BBC to broadcast a recording of him reading one of his plays in the original French. These days he’s hardly a household name, but he still maintains enough popularity for his work to be readily revisited. Chichester Festival Theatre have regularly produced productions of his […]