Saturday, 13th May 2023 at Leeds Playhouse ⭐️⭐️⭐️ John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, once a GCSE text staple (remember the spoilers helpfully left behind in the margins by the outgoing Year 11 students?), is currently finishing up its tour at Leeds Playhouse. Following an unlikely pairing of itinerant workers during the Great Depression, this... Continue Reading →
Interview: Set and Costume Designer Max Johns Talks “Lord of the Flies”
March 2023 Theatre designer Max Johns has numerous credits to his name, including ground-breaking work for the Royal Court, the Almeida, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre of Scotland. Now, he’s working with Leeds Playhouse to create an astonishing monochrome island for its vivid new retelling of “Lord of the Flies” (18 March... Continue Reading →
Interview: Amy Leach Talks “Lord of the Flies” at Leeds Playhouse
This island belongs to all of us. Some stories linger forever in our memories. Perhaps it’s because we read them as a child, or studied them at school, or saw something in one of the characters that so strongly reflected our own morals, dreams and aspirations that they remained with us forever as fictional shadows.... Continue Reading →
Review: Les Misérables (Touring)
Tuesday 29th November 2022 at Leeds Grand Theatre. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ It’s always a bit nerve-racking, seeing a bona fide sensation with the kind of reputation that Les Misérables has for the first time. The songs of this show have somehow found their way into the psyche - whether from tongue-in-cheek cameos in sitcoms or as a... Continue Reading →
Review: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory The Musical at Leeds Playhouse
Friday 25th November 2022 at Leeds Playhouse. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ When a show features “Pure Imagination” as its musical heart-stone, the production itself must surely match the description, and Leeds Playhouse delivers the goods with plenty of spectacle, heart and a lovely cast in their production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory The Musical. As one of... Continue Reading →
Review: Fisherman’s Friends The Musical (Touring)
Wednesday 9th November 2022 at Leeds Grand Theatre. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you’re a fan of any kind of foot-stomping, roof-raising, mood-lifting choral singing, you’ll love Fisherman’s Friends The Musical. Packed to the gunnels with snatches or full length ditties and sea shanties, this show offers a two in one: an engaging story of love and loss... Continue Reading →
Review: South Pacific (Touring)
Tuesday 1st November 2022 at Leeds Grand Theatre ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ In a time of so many exciting adaptations and daring modernisations of classics, this production of South Pacific from director Daniel Evans is a shining example of how the “golden oldies” can maintain their appeal without very much tinkering at all. Set on a South Pacific... Continue Reading →
Review: The Importance of Being Earnest (Touring)
Monday 12th September 2022 at Leeds Playhouse. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Any mention of The Importance of Being Earnest is often sure to evoke a dramatic exclamation of “A HANDBAG?!”. At long last I know why, and it doesn’t disappoint. Considered a classic of Oscar Wilde’s catalogue, the play certainly receives great treatment here thanks to a brilliant... Continue Reading →
Review: Derren Brown’s Showman (Tour)
Tuesday 23rd August 2022 at Leeds Grand Theatre and Opera House. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Derren Brown’s Showman is certainly one of the most aptly named shows out there. Brown is many things on stage: storyteller, comedian, illusionist, mentalist - he is a gifted entertainer and his showmanship delivers an impressively captivating few hours. If you’ve seen any... Continue Reading →
Review: Jersey Boys (Tour)
Wednesday 27th July 2022 at Leeds Grand Theatre and Opera House. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Jersey Boys is ultimately a cracking hit parade celebrating one of the best singing groups of the 1960’s: The Four Seasons. It’s a lively, sharply delivered show which offers comedy and drama as bookends to a fantastic catalogue of toe tapping classics. We... Continue Reading →