…escaping to new adventures at curtain up…
Saturday 7th April 2018 at the Palace Theatre, Manchester. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ There’s little to say about Boublil and Schönberg’s Miss Saigon that hasn’t already been said; the consensus has always declared it a supreme theatrical triumph and that is entirely evident in this revival currently touring the UK. What struck me most about this production is... 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 →
National Theatre Live, from The Harold Pinter Theatre. 18th May 2017. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Knock out. Star. Superstar. Electrifying. Scrap the cliches guys; Imelda Staunton's performance in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is of stratospheric brilliance. Edward Albee's play is superbly written and James Macdonald has brought about one hell of an intense and explosive piece of... Continue Reading →
Wednesday 26th April, 2017 at West Yorkshire Playhouse ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 There is a brilliant energy running through this production; the enveloping rowdy scenes of bars and cleverly represented busy streets are joyous to watch purely for the brilliance of the physicality, which is absolutely a winning aspect of this wonderful production. But the surreal energy of... Continue Reading →
Thursday 2nd February, 2017, at Harrogate Theatre. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loosely liken this production from Blackeyed Theatre to watching the metamorphosis of a butterfly, with the first act being the caterpillar to chrysalis and the second being the transformed butterfly. It's very apt for this analogy to have come to mind of course; Frankenstein does follow... Continue Reading →
Saturday 21st January, 2017. St James' Theatre, London. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The reputation and history of this show are well documented, so I won't repeat too much of it here, but suffice to say that this is a musical in a class of its own. Set in the not-so-dreamy side of dreamy New York at the height... Continue Reading →
York Theatre Royal. Tuesday 22nd November, 2016. ⭐️⭐️ This production from Volcano Theatre was hugely ambitious and very modern; as the advertising promised, it was 'a furious two hander' and both Mairi Phillips and Alex Harries, playing all roles, were bursting with energy and grit throughout (which must have been gruelling with such a high... Continue Reading →
West Yorkshire Playhouse, Wednesday, 2nd November 2016. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ O Kneehigh, what a wonder you are! This is a long one folks, it simply cannot be otherwise, so settle in... 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... Continue Reading →
Harlow Carr, Tuesday 12th July 2016. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ With more energy and chaotic brilliance than bottled childhood, OddSocks' rendition of 'Macbeth' was quirky, refreshing and thoroughly off-the-charts bonkers (in the good way). For me, this is how Shakespeare should be tackled for the modern audience; fresh perspectives, lack of restriction and experimental creativity with central ideas.... Continue Reading →
