June 2020 Just in the nick of time, I’m marking the last few hours of Pride Month with a look at some of the best examples of theatre productions celebrating and exploring LGBTQ+ stories, characters, history and culture. From accosting social commentary to joyous sequin-clad drag queens to moving takes on body dysmorphia and transgender... Continue Reading →
Interview: Vamos Theatre’s Rachael Savage
Vamos Theatre is the UK's leading full mask company. Founded in 2006 by Artistic Director Rachael Savage, the company create work which goes straight to the hearts of audiences, beautifully balancing the light with the dark to tackle complex subject matter in accessible ways - and all while showcasing the fantastic craft of mask theatre.... Continue Reading →
Interview: 20 Questions with Wrongsemble’s Elvi Piper
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: Skin and Bone Theatre’s Jake Francis Talks All Things Filth & Theatre
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 →