Saturday 20th July 2019 at the Grand Theatre and Opera House, York. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Austentatious is improv with a lovely and quirky twist (the clue is in the name). A quick-thinking cast of six take an audience-suggested title of a ‘lost’ or under-appreciated Austen novel and spend an hour and something bringing it into being. Among... Continue Reading →
Monday 8th July 2019 at the Grand Opera House, York. ⭐️⭐️ Thriller Live commendably tries a different tack when it comes to celebrating its source material. Thanks to creator and executive director Adrian Grant, this is no jukebox musical with loose narrative thrown in. Nor is it a jukebox musical with a whackily entertaining plot... Continue Reading →
Monday 20th May 2019 at the Grand Opera House York. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The marketing will proudly tell you that Dame Agatha Christie’s titan of the stage was established in 1952. A quick search tells you it’s been playing in the West End for an unstoppable 66 years. The programme will tell you that Christie is Penguin... Continue Reading →
Tuesday 23rd April 2019 at the Grand Opera House, York. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Rock of Ages. What a half marvellous, half bamboozling mess of a rock devil-may-care extravaganza! By the end of the first act I was mulling over the probability of a ‘this show does not know what the hell it is’ verdict. It seems to... Continue Reading →
Sunday 21st April 2019 at York Grand Theatre and Opera House. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you’re looking for a lively evening of singalong and celebration, Seven Drunken Nights May well be the show for you. Prestige Productions bring to the stage a heartfelt tribute to Ireland’s ‘favourite sons’ which is as loving as it is lively. The... Continue Reading →
Tuesday 12th February 2019 at the Grand Opera House York. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Saturday Night Fever arrives on stages once more, decades after the hit Paramount/RSO film delighted audiences. Robert Stigwood adapts Nick Cohn’s story for the stage in collaboration with Bill Oakes and the musical does a good job of delivering some 70s escapism via the... Continue Reading →
Friday 25th January 2019 at the Grand Theatre and Opera House, York. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Vampires Rock is a whole lot of talent wrapped up in a whole lot of bonkers, self-mocking entertainment. There’s no question about how Creator, writer, director and star Steve Steinman wants his show to be received. In the closing moments, he demands... Continue Reading →
Monday 15th October 2018 at the Grand Opera House, York. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Simon Beaufoy’s play is based on the film (Fox Searchlights Pictures)...which I’ve never seen (I know). My feelings about the show are apparently out of keeping with the general population because I haven’t had the influence of the film guiding me through this production.... Continue Reading →
Tuesday 9th October 2018 at the Grand Opera House, York. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Another film lands on stage with Dirty Dancing, and this show is more of a replica than any of the others I’ve seen. That’s not necessarily a bad thing either - fans of the hit film are likely to enjoy being able to follow... Continue Reading →
