2018 has given me a grand total of 110 productions to mull over to find the best of the theatre that I’ve managed to cram into the last year. There were countless shows I was desperate to see and I know a whole bunch of them have inspired great hype, rave reviews and must-see lists.... Continue Reading →
Saturday 17th March 2018 at York Theatre Royal. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Hot Coals Theatre bring a unique combination of gross grubbiness and heart to the land of Children’s Theatre with their production of Finders Keepers. Set on a junkyard where father and daughter live with and in squalor but not without fun, the pair find themselves caring... Continue Reading →
Saturday 10th February at Trafalgar Studios, London. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 Walking through the corridors to Studio One at Trafalgar Studios, we are greeted with an extension of Set Designer Jon Bausor’s work on the stage; walls dripping in blood, fading circus posters and curling bunting only just clinging to the walls... All serve to create an instantaneous... 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 →
Saturday 13th January, 2018 at the National Theatre. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The National Theatre’s production of Pinocchio, complete with selected songs from the Disney film (Leigh Harline, Ned Washington and Paul J.Smith) features some wonderful puppetry, theatrical illusions and some sweet moments of heart and humour. While this is by no means a staging of the Disney... Continue Reading →
Wednesday 6th December 2017 at West Yorkshire Playhouse. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ As Professor Kirke tells our child protagonists; the mind should be like a parachute in order to function: open, and this spectacular production of C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe glorifies exactly that, taking the audience on an adventure of pure fantasy. West... Continue Reading →
Saturday 18th November 2017 at Liverpool Empire Theatre. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ War Horse is the epitome of emotive puppetry; delicate, nuanced and full of character. The animals of this production are stunning. A National Theatre production which has seen enormous success since its conception, this play based on Michael Morpurgo's novel and adapted for the stage by... Continue Reading →
Friday 3rd November 2017 at Leeds Carriageworks (Studio). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Odd Doll's Seaside Terror is a fantastic take on the farcical nature of 1970s horror tropes and the decaying interest in seaside holidays. We are transported to Southpaw, a once loved but now run-down seaside town which harbours a decidedly disquieting ice cream man who delights... Continue Reading →
Thursday 28th September 2017 at Leeds Carriageworks. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx's Avenue Q is famed for its devilish take on children's puppetry and Diva Productions definitely deliver the laughs with their take on the show. With book by Jeff Whitty, Avenue Q boasts quick fire comedy, visual gags and a delightfully warped take... Continue Reading →
