All stories by Louise Penn on BroadwayStars

Monday, May 31, 2021

‘Has an other-worldly feel’: ECHO / CHAMBER – Brighton Fringe (Online review) ★★★★ by Louise Penn

Echo/Chamber is a clever, creative and thought-provoking work with high production values and strong performances from Oliver McFadden and Isaac Hesketh.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 06:00AM
Sunday, May 30, 2021

‘Listen, taste, watch, smell & touch the world around you’: The You Play: small acts – Written on the Waves (Online review) by Louise Penn

Audio drama small acts is part of 45North’s Written on the Waves series, and the first of the two You Plays.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM
Monday, May 24, 2021

‘We feel the increasing tension’: CUNCH – Written on the Waves (Online review) by Louise Penn

45North’s first series of audio dramas, collated as Written on the Waves, ends with Marika McKennell’s Cunch, a story of two teenage girls who get themselves involved in drug pushing and…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 06:00AM
Sunday, May 23, 2021

‘Lovely, lively celebration’: The Theatre Channel – Episode 6 The Showstoppers (Online review) by Louise Penn

Showstoppers, the most recent episode of the Theatre Channel’s web series is a lovely, lively celebration of the reopening of the West End this week.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 09:00AM
Thursday, May 20, 2021

‘Pulses with music, energy & intrigue’: ROMEO & JULIET Creation Theatre (Online review) by Louise Penn

The unstoppable Creation Theatre has been one of the highlights of digital theatre production during this 14 months of uncertainty, and for their new show they return to the works of William…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM
Tuesday, May 18, 2021

‘Takes affectionate aim at its targets’: THE SHOWSTOPPERS’ ALTERNATIVE EUROVISION (Online review) by Louise Penn

Free to view on YouTube, this edition of The Showstoppers’ Alternative Eurovision for 2021, a week in advance of the main event, proves to be a dramatic sequel to last year’s shenanigans…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 06:00AM
Saturday, May 15, 2021

‘Shifts into a place of great strength & power’: PHEROMONE – LipZinc (Online review) by Louise Penn

A pheromone is a chemical reaction affecting behaviour, which appears in LipZinc’s Pheromone in the person of a woman who causes a revolution at number 19, the home of David and Eva.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 06:00AM
Thursday, May 13, 2021

‘Part dream, part hallucination, part creativity’: Unquiet Slumbers: The Haunting of Emily Brontë – Different Theatre (Online review) by Louise Penn

Currently available to rent on Sweetstream, Different Theatre’s Unquiet Slumbers: The Haunting of Emily Brontë returns to the topic of women of literature in this meeting of minds between…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM
Wednesday, May 12, 2021

‘Stretches what a theatre piece at home can achieve’: AN ACORN – Impel Theatre / Oldham Coliseum (Online review) by Louise Penn

An Acorn by Caridad Svich is a cross-channel co-production between Impel Theatre and the Oldham Coliseum; first performed in 2017 in North America and now reimagined for the digital space.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 06:00AM
Monday, May 10, 2021

‘It’s all appealingly bonkers’: CHATEAU GHOUL – LipService / Oldham Coliseum (Online review) by Louise Penn

Very end of Blackpool Pier or Phoenix Nights, and if you appreciate either you’ll love Lip Service’s clever characterisations, sly digs at the supernatural, and the way Château Ghoul is…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 06:00AM
Sunday, May 9, 2021

‘A richly crafted work in its own right’: NORTH WEST – Camden People’s Theatre (Online review) by Louise Penn

North West, created by Anna Morrissey and Tristan Kajanus, is available in two versions; one online and one a self-guided audio tour with which you can wander the former North Westminster Sc…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM
Saturday, May 8, 2021

‘The wordplay whizzes along’: THE SORROWS OF SATAN (Online review) by Louise Penn

Directed by Adam Lenson, with Molly Lynch as The Woman and Stefan Bednarczyk as the mute accompanist, The Sorrows of Satan takes inspiration from Marie Corelli’s 1895 novel, but moves the …

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 06:00AM
Friday, May 7, 2021

‘It keeps you immersed at all times’: HOUSE MOTHER NORMAL – New Perspectives (Online review) by Louise Penn

New Perspectives and Tim Crouch have transformed novel House Mother Normal into a digital installation for the Brighton Festival which you can explore either in person or on your screens.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM
Thursday, May 6, 2021

‘Intelligent & ambitious’: ROCKY ROAD – Jermyn Street Theatre (Online review) by Louise Penn

A tense, psychological thriller, Shaun McKenna’s new play Rocky Road is a two-hander set across a couple of flats where new tenant Kirsten Foster meets building manager Tyger Drew-Honey. T…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 06:00AM
Tuesday, May 4, 2021

‘This is not just Zoom transferred to the screen’: The F*ck Am I Doing – Cow Collective (Online review) by Louise Penn

The digital revival of The F*ck Am I Doing marks the inaugural production of new writing initiative, The COW Community, founded by recent graduates of the Royal Central School of Speech and …

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 06:00AM
Monday, May 3, 2021

‘Captures all the fun, eyebrow-raising, awkward silences of the beloved song contest’: EUROBEAT: THE PRIDE OF EUROPE – Stream.Theatre by Louise Penn

It’s the merry month of May, which means it is… Eurovision! To celebrate, stream.theatre is hosting a virtual revival of Craig Christie’s witty parody of our country cousins across Eur…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 09:00AM
Sunday, May 2, 2021

‘Fascinated by the script & staging throughout’: BEING MR WICKHAM – Original Theatre Company (Online review) by Louise Penn

Being Mr Wickham is a lovely idea: we are not just seeing the change in Wickham, but in Adrian Lukis portrayal. He clearly has a close affinity with the character and fits back into it perfe…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 09:00AM
Saturday, May 1, 2021

‘Economically written & absolutely truthful’: VESPERTILIO – King’s Head Theatre (Online review) by Louise Penn

Barry McStay’s play Vespertilio, first staged at the Vault Festival in 2019, is a two-hander about bats, vampires, gay life, lies, and displacement.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 06:00AM
Friday, April 30, 2021

‘Lovingly detailed’: THERE’S SOMETHING AMONG US – Chronic Insanity (Online review) by Louise Penn

We are back on the dark side with the latest production from Chronic Insanity’s 12×12 project – There’s Something Among Us starts with the premise of five YouTubers who died in a fire…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 09:00AM
Thursday, April 29, 2021

‘The casting is an absolute master stroke’: CELLS – Metta Theatre (Online review) by Louise Penn

Writer/director P Burton-Morgan and composer Ben Glasstone have developed a pair of characters in Cells who build their stories in song as they see the reflection of self in each other.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 06:00AM
Wednesday, April 28, 2021

‘It’s all about humanity’: SACRAMENT – King’s Head Theatre (Online review) by Louise Penn

Following successful runs at The Theatre Upstairs in Dublin and The Vault Festival, Sacrament now comes to the King’s Head Theatre’s Plays on Film season.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 09:00AM
Monday, April 26, 2021

‘Melodically spot-on & lyrically fun’: I WISH MY LIFE WERE LIKE A MUSICAL – King’s Head Theatre (Online review) by Louise Penn

King’s Head Theatre and Spectacular Music present Alexander S. Bermange’s sparkling musical revue I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical, which heads into London from the Edinburgh Fringe wi…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 06:00AM
Friday, April 23, 2021

‘A place for the performers to explore’: SOFT SESSIONS IN CONCERT – Stream.Theatre (Online review) by Louise Penn

The idea behind YouTube’s series of Soft Sessions, launched last year, is “it’s time to ask the artist what art they want to create”. All six of the performers in this concert have e…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 06:00AM
Wednesday, April 21, 2021

‘Costello is luminous in the title role’: PRIVATE PEACEFUL – Barn Theatre, Cirencester (Online review) by Louise Penn

A co-production from BoxLess Theatre and the Barn Theatre, and adapted from the novel by Michael Morpurgo, Private Peaceful is the story of Private Thomas Peaceful (Emily Costello, the first…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 06:00AM
Tuesday, April 20, 2021

‘Each story is unique, real & thoughtful’: SAFE – Hackney Empire (Online review) by Louise Penn

Safe is a verbatim play created and directed by Alexis Gregory (I reviewed his work previously in Sex/Crime). Previously performed at the Soho Theatre, this is now reimagined for the digital…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM
Saturday, April 17, 2021

‘Engrossing from the first moment’: A SPLINTER OF ICE – Original Theatre Company (Online review) by Louise Penn

A Splinter of Ice is a ‘tell, not show’ play but it is engrossing from the first moment, and the characters feel completely believeable with their moments of resigned boredom, creaks of …

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 09:00AM
Friday, April 16, 2021

‘Constantly surprises with the visuals it gives us’: NO FUTURE – Camden People’s Theatre (Online review) by Louise Penn

The second commission in the Outside the Box series, No Future (written by Adam Welsh) is a multi-dimensional project bridging film, theatre and installation.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 06:00AM
Wednesday, April 14, 2021

‘Brings out the emotional heart of the piece’: ANTIGONE – Brave Mirror Productions (Online review) by Louise Penn

For Bristol-based Brave Mirror Productions, Antigone is adapted and directed by Jamie Saul, performed on Zoom, and edited by Thomas Duggan. The ten-strong cast are led by Gemma Lee (a powerf…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 06:00AM
Tuesday, April 13, 2021

‘Displays a lot of good ideas’: GENERAL SECRETARY – Applecart Arts by Louise Penn

Applecart Arts’ General Secretary is a two-hander written and performed by two undoubtedly intelligent performers, Cassie Symes and Georgina Thomas, also known as Thick ‘n’ Fast. Their…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 09:00AM
Wednesday, April 7, 2021

‘An enjoyable reimagining of this story’: PYGMALION – Talking Gods Festival (Online review) by Louise Penn

All this week, you can find a free premiere each night from Ross McGregor’s Talking Gods series of new plays on the website of theatre company Arrows & Traps, who specialise in classic…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00PM
Monday, April 5, 2021

‘Strangers can share the most profound things’: OPEN MIC – Soho Theatre (Online review) by Louise Penn

This is a curious show: announced as a semi-improvised production with audience participation, Open Mic is streamed live from the Soho Theatre’s Cabaret Space.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 06:00AM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards