Jake Francis is both Artistic Director of Skin and Bone Theatre and sole performer of the company’s fiery debut show, Irvine Welsh’s Filth. I saw the show in its earliest days at the Camden Fringe back in 2017 and gave it a deserved glowing write-up. Since then Jake’s one man hurricane of a show has... Continue Reading →
Interview: Forget About The Dog’s Natalie Rawel & Jordan Larkin
Forget About The Dog topped my round-up list for Best Regional Fringe Production back in 2018 with their thoroughly fantastic production of 100 Ways to Tie a Shoelace so I was very chuffed to finally have a chance to chat about the show and the company last week. A collective of five, Forget About The... Continue Reading →
Interview: Max Vernon Talks Theatre, The View UpStairs & Upcoming Work
Having won over London audiences in style last year with The View UpStairs, Max Vernon can boast success on both sides of the pond. The show premiered off Broadway in 2017 and subsequently enjoyed productions in the US and Australia before landing in London for a run at Soho Theatre. As with previous work KPOP,... 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: Alone in Berlin (Touring)
Friday 6th March 2020 at York Theatre Royal. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Alone in Berlin comes to the stage as Alistair Beaton’s translation and adaptation of Hans Fallada’s 1947 novel Every Man Dies Alone. Set in wartime Berlin as the Gestapo roam the streets with menace, the story is one which builds on details of the life and... 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: The Welkin at the National Theatre
Saturday 22nd February 2020 at the National Theatre, London. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Welkin is a fantastic example of past and present colliding, offering harsh realities, intelligent light relief and dramatic revelations to leave craters in the stage. Educating and entertaining as much as it interrogates and grips, Lucy Kirkwood’s new play presents us with riveting shifting... Continue Reading →
Review: Crongton Knights (Touring)
Wednesday 26th February at York Theatre Royal. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Based on Alex Wheatle’s novel and adapted here by Emteaz Hussain, Crongton Knights is a refreshing piece spotlighting young voices and experiences. The production looks at everything from the classic glorification of friendships to gender politics and the dangerous situations which can so easily sneak up on... Continue Reading →
Interview: Ollie Norton-Smith Talks Our Man in Havana & Speed Dial
Spies Like Us are bringing not one but two pieces to the 2020 Vault Festival. One - Our Man in Havana - is a fully fledged production which has already gained significant recognition and the other - Speed Dial - is a work in progress. With both arriving on the Vault scene between 3-7th March... Continue Reading →
Review: Seeds (Touring)
Monday 23rd February 2020 at Leeds Playhouse (Bramall Rock Void). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Evelyn (Judith Jacob) is lighting candles on a Birthday cake when a ring of the doorbell brings Jackie (Penny Layden) out from the cold and into the fire as it were, placing her centre stage in a living room which periodically doubles as courtroom. ... Continue Reading →