March 2022 Featuring such classics as “Seasons of Love” and “Take Me or Leave Me”, Jonathan Larson’s “Rent” celebrates the grit of the underdog in ways other musicals dream of. Bite My Thumb Theatre are taking their rendition of “Rent” out on tour across March and April, so I caught up with Artistic Director Neil... Continue Reading →
Review: Macbeth (Leeds Playhouse)
Friday 4th March, 2022, at Leeds Playhouse. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ In Shakespeare’s epic tragedy, ambition provides the ultimate downfall for its eponymous tragic hero. In this production though, ambition finds rich rewards, and as with her 2019 Hamlet, this take on Macbeth provides a great example of Director Amy Leach’s impressive talent for staging Shakespeare’s work for... Continue Reading →
Review: The Bone Sparrow
Wednesday 2nd March 2022 at York Theatre Royal. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Zara Fraillon’s novel about a young boy born in an Australian detention centre for refugees has been adapted for the stage by S. Shakthidharan - and it’s an adaptation with a keen sense of its own emotive power. Esther Richardson’s direction of this Pilot Theatre production... Continue Reading →
Interview: Alastair Michael Talks Ransack Theatre’s “Catching Comets”
February 2022 Ransack Theatre’s “Catching Comets” is a “multi-dimensional genre mashup” which sees a lonely heart find love and action hero status all at once. Promising honesty and laughter through an ambitious merging of rom-com and action, the play offers up an exploration of love, vulnerability and the impact of notions of masculinity. “Catching Comets”... Continue Reading →
Interview: Ore Oduba Talks “The Rocky Horror Show”
February 2022 Cult classic “The Rocky Horror Show” is set to return to The Grand Opera House, York from 14-19 March 2022. Here, Simon Button chats to this tour’s Brad: Ore Oduba… As lockdown eases and theatres begin reopening, Ore Oduba believes The Rocky Horror Show is just the tonic audiences around the country are... Continue Reading →
Interview: Nicole Acquah Talks Award-Nominated Play “Sankofa”
February 2022 san - to return ko - to go fa - to fetch Nicole Acquah’s award-nominated play, “Sankofa”, weaves together live music, storytelling, and traditional pottery to explore legacy, heritage, and what it means to belong as part of the African diaspora. The play will take to the stage at The Bread and Roses... Continue Reading →
Interview: Tom Foreman Talks New Play “Swell”
February 2022 Following on from the success of “Big Boys”, the latest new work from Tom Foreman is “Swell” - a climate-conscious drama based on real events which follows siblings in a town decommissioned due to rising sea levels. The play runs at The Lion and Unicorn Theatre from 8-12 February, so I caught up... Continue Reading →
Interview: HandleBards AD Tom Dixon Talks Shaking Up Shakespeare
February 2022 The playfully irreverent HandleBards travel the land armed with lively, comic takes on Shakespeare’s plays, bringing the funny to plays in which we might least expect to find it. This inventive troupe are currently bringing a comic take on “Macbeth” to audiences, touring it until March 9th, before taking on “Twelfth Night” until... Continue Reading →
Interview: Zana Fraillon, S.Shakthidharan & Esther Richardson Talk “The Bone Sparrow”
January 2022 Published in 2016, Zana Fraillon’s The Bone Sparrow tells the story of Subhi, a young Rohingya boy who has spent his entire life inside an Australian detention camp. His world has been shaped by fences, but in his imagination he is free. The book was shortlisted for both the Carnegie Award and the... Continue Reading →
Interview: Gary Morecambe Talks “Eric and Ern”
January 2022 The much-celebrated and multi award-winning Morecambe and Wise remain beloved titans of the British comedy scene. Now, 81 years after the original double act started out, Ian Ashpitel and Jonty Stephens are honouring the pair with the concert-style show Eric and Ern. It’s a show with a journey beginning in 2002 with a... Continue Reading →