*to date... Remember when going to packed, bustling, lively theatres was a thing? You know, we’d collectively shut out the world with the closing of the doors and the dimming of the lights; we’d spend more than twenty minutes without a phone in hand; we’d let ourselves be completely taken in by the creations of... Continue Reading →
Tuesday 4th February 2020 at Leeds Playhouse. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Absurd anarchy abounds in the best possible way in Kneehigh’s latest offering. All in all this 'promenade musical' and 'sing along satire' is a mixed experience - night club scene, street protest, circus act and avant-garde fearlessness come together to take us on a wild ride of... Continue Reading →
A trip to Manchester is prompting me to write this - I’m off to see The Animals and the Children Took to the Streets for the third time after a gap of around 5 years. Admittedly, I’m irrationally hyped and as I’ve got a few hours to kill (thanks to the unreliability of rail services,... Continue Reading →
Wednesday 31st October 2018 at The Old Vic, London. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Emma Rice’s adaptation of Angela Carter’s Wise Children is both the first production and the inspiration for the name of her brand new company. As a spring board into new territory, Wise Children is by no means the safest choice and is therefore a great... Continue Reading →
Tuesday 20th March 2018 at West Yorkshire Playhouse ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ In many ways, The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk defies description; much like the comical opening exchange points out - a scene which sees our protagonist bombarded with convoluted attempts to describe his work with words; visual art is extremely difficult to capture in this way. Based... Continue Reading →
When I think about the best stage designs I’ve seen, I think of productions both big and small; Matilda, Follies, My Judy Garland Life, War Horse, Finding Joy, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe...the list goes on and on. The ability of good design to capture different worlds, times and moods can make a... Continue Reading →
2017 has given me a grand total of 61 performances to mull over to find the best of the best theatre and shows of the last year. Shows have included: RENT, Frankenstein, Chinese New Year extravaganza, Bianca Del Rio's Not Today Satan, The Commitments, Dreamgirls, Blue Stockings, Wonderland, The Butcher, Rachel Tucker: Live at Zedèl,... Continue Reading →
Wednesday 18th October 2017 at West Yorkshire Playhouse. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Kneehigh's latest venture, a Carl Grose adaptation of Günter Grass' famed surreal novel The Tin Drum, is a whirling frenzy of rage and darkness which centres on the woes of the human condition. Oskar is born to a family caught in the midst of a doomed... Continue Reading →
West Yorkshire Playhouse, Wednesday, 2nd November 2016. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ O Kneehigh, what a wonder you are! Adapted from Michael Morpurgo's children's book by Emma Rice and Morpurgo himself, Kneehigh's '946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips' is a hilarious, moving and thoroughly enchanting story of worlds colliding and the strength of human relationships. It's also a... Continue Reading →
