Wrongsemble Theatre Company has been going from strength to strength over the past five years and as far as family theatre goes, the work this company creates is pretty special. Offering the best of both worlds, they embrace classic tales and revamp them for modern audiences of all ages, transforming stories we know and love... Continue Reading →
Interview: Oddsocks Productions’ Elli Mackenzie & Andy Barrow
As an outdoor theatre company priding themselves on a party atmosphere and accessible entertainment for all, Oddsocks have been delighting audiences as an independent theatre company for just over 30 years. Their wonderful work bringing Shakespeare’s plays to life in brave and whacky ways places them firmly in my top five theatre companies line-up, so... Continue Reading →
Review: Oliver Twist At Leeds Playhouse
Wednesday 4th March 2020 at Leeds Playhouse (Quarry Theatre). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Oliver Twist has once more found his way back to a stage and Amy Leach directs a brand new Dickens adaptation from Bryony Lavery - one that wholly embraces its gritty and disturbing origins. A co-production of Leeds Playhouse and Ramps on the Moon, this... Continue Reading →
Review: Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) (Touring)
Tuesday 25th February 2020 at Leeds Playhouse (Courtyard). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Not all takes on revered classics are created equal, and the sad truth is that many fall short when it comes to revolutionising or reinvigorating the titans they optimistically take on. On to that precarious theatre scene walks the writer of this piece... With an eyebrow... Continue Reading →
Review: Wrongsemble’s Hansel and Gretel
Saturday 14th December 2019 at Leeds Library. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Wrongsemble continue their winning streak of Children’s theatre shows with Hansel and Gretel. Much like The Princess and the Sprout and Billy Shakes before it, this new show from writer and director Elvi Piper is cleverly constructed with an eye for fun and and delicate moral messaging,... Continue Reading →
Review: It’s True, It’s True, It’s True
Thursday 21st November 2019 at Leeds Playhouse. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ‘... this is the story of how a woman took revenge through her art to become one of the most successful painters of her generation.’ It’s True, It’s True, It’s True tells a tale of old in a dynamic, brilliantly modern production, balancing uncomfortable truths with comic... Continue Reading →
Interview: Emma Rice Talks Musical Production of Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers
Emma Rice’s Wise Children are set to return to York Theatre Royal with their second show this September - a musical adaptation of Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers. Here Rice talks favourite characters, the worrying status of the arts in schools... and her own time in uniform! Which Malory Towers character were you in your schooldays?... Continue Reading →
Interview: Sarah Waters Talks New Production of The Night Watch
Sarah Waters has seen her work successfully adapted for both stage and screen over the years. The love affair between creatives and her best-selling novels continues with the latest adaptation being the upcoming York Theatre Royal & Original Theatre Company production of The Night Watch. Here Waters talks The Night Watch, her love of theatre and... Continue Reading →
Interview: Lou Corben Talks Marvellous Machine’s Orlando
Virginia Woolf’s Orlando gets a revamp in the hands of Marvellous Machine Theatre Company. They’re taking the show to the Camden Fringe playing at Theatro Technis 31 July - 4 August 2019 (tickets here) so I caught up with to talk all things adaptation and Orlando... To begin, tell me a little about the company... Continue Reading →
Interview: Simon Stewart Talks My Other Self: The Evolution of Shakespeare’s Richard III
All or Nothing Theatre Company are heading to the Camden Fringe with a play which looks at one of Shakespeare’s most villainous characters through a very contemporary lens. The shows plays The Cockpit Theatre 19th - 23rd August and you can find tickets here. Ever a fan of Shakespearean shows, I caught up with writer... Continue Reading →