All stories by Rev Stan on BroadwayStars

Saturday, August 8, 2020

’An extraordinary piece of storytelling’: BLINDNESS – Donmar Warehouse ★★★★★ by Rev Stan

Blindness is adapted by Simon Stephens from a novel by José Saramago and tells the story of an epidemic in which people suddenly go blind.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM
Sunday, June 28, 2020

‘A powerful exploration of Covid-19 & racism’: WE R NOT VIRUS – Omnibus Theatre (Online review) by Rev Stan

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, hate crime targeted at East and South-East Asians has tripled. We R Not Virus is a series of monologues, films and poetry responding to that.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 07:00AM
Wednesday, June 17, 2020

‘It’s important to remain positive’: Brixton House’s Owen Calvert-Lyons on the future of fringe theatre post lockdown by Rev Stan

Head of theatre and artist development at Brixton House (formally Ovalhouse*) Owen Calvert-Lyons talks about life during the lockdown, the post-Covid future for fringe theatre and streaming.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 06:00AM
Saturday, June 13, 2020

11 actresses I’d love to see onstage more often post-lockdown by Rev Stan

While there might not be quite as many meaty stage roles for actresses as there are actors (is that changing?), the plethora of acting talent I've seen over the past 10 years made this quite…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 07:00AM
Tuesday, June 2, 2020

After Matt Smith & Claire Foy in Lungs, here are 5 more plays perfect for the social distance treatment by Rev Stan

The idea of re-performing Lungs while the actors safely socially distance got me thinking about other plays which have been performed over the past year or two that could be similarly revive…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 07:30AM
Wednesday, May 20, 2020

‘A vivid kaleidoscope of culture & thinking’: BARBER SHOP CHRONICLES – National Theatre ★★★★★ (Online review) by Rev Stan

You can't beat the experience of sitting in a theatre watching a live performance, but one of the lockdown-positives is a chance to watch stuff I sadly missed and Barber Shop Chronicles is o…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 09:00AM
Monday, May 18, 2020

10 plays that, in hindsight, feel strangely appropriate for lockdown during a pandemic by Rev Stan

The coronavirus pandemic and lockdown has thrown a whole new light on certain plays, the ones about isolation, loneliness and surreal landscapes.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 05:00AM
Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The best play I’ve seen for each of the past 10 years (aka the agony-to-choose list) by Rev Stan

Not to let a decade of theatre bloggery go by without marking the occasion, to kick things off, I've compiled a list of my favourite play for each year I've been blogging. It has been fun re…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 05:00AM
Friday, April 24, 2020

‘You genuinely feel part of a shared experience’: THE TEMPEST – Creation Theatre (Online review) by Rev Stan

'We' the audience help with sound effects or stand-in for mysterious creatures or provide props but if you don't want to get involved it is easy to 'sit out' and just watch. The interaction …

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 09:00AM
Thursday, April 16, 2020

‘Proper stagecraft can be achieved even within the confines of a small screen’: Interview with Creation Theatre’s Lucy Askew by Rev Stan

Creation Theatre this month invited audiences to watch an interactive, virtual version of Shakespeare's The Tempest - from the safety of their sofa.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 05:00AM
Tuesday, March 31, 2020

‘Truly beautiful, stunning & mesmerising to watch’: BALLETBOYZ: DELUXE – Sadler’s Wells (Online Review) ★★★★ by Rev Stan

Last year I was introduced to the BalletBoyz and their show Them/Us moved me to tears. I was looking forward to their new show Deluxe which, fortunately, was filmed before theatres closed an…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 07:00AM
Tuesday, February 25, 2020

‘Mixes sharp wit & clever satire with utter silliness & slapstick’: UPSTART CROW – West End ★★★★★ by Rev Stan

It doesn’t matter if you've never seen Ben Elton’s TV comedy series Upstart Crow (I hadn’t) as the stage play is a stand-alone piece

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 07:00AM
Monday, February 10, 2020

‘It is Cumming’s performance which you are drawn to’: ENDGAME – Old Vic ★★★★ by Rev Stan

It is stuffed dogs, ladders and individual performances in Endgame which stay with me rather than anything more philosophical about the human condition.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM
Friday, February 7, 2020

‘Meaty, emotional & funny play’: ALBION – Almeida Theatre ★★★★ by Rev Stan

Albion is a meaty, emotional and funny play with a superb Victoria Hamilton drawing out the complexity of Audrey, even if you don't feel sorry for her.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 05:00AM
Tuesday, January 28, 2020

‘Drama is somewhat lacking’: THE SUNSET LIMITED – Boulevard Theatre ★★★ by Rev Stan

Cormac McCarthy isn’t known for cheery topics as anyone who has sat through (or read) The Road will testify and his play The Sunset Limited is no exception.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM
Saturday, January 25, 2020

‘Funny, haunting, moving & strangely uplifting’: YOU STUPID DARKNESS! – Southwark Playhouse ★★★★ by Rev Stan

Given everything that is going on in the world politically and environmentally You Stupid Darkness! feels like it has captured the mood, the battle to stay cheerful and hopeful when everythi…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM
Monday, January 13, 2020

‘Emotionally vivid’: Lullabies for the Lost – Old Red Lion Theatre by Rev Stan

Lullabies For the Lost is one of two plays by Rosalind Blessed about mental health that are being performed in rep at the Old Red Lion.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 07:00AM
Thursday, January 9, 2020

‘The atmosphere was one of unalloyed fun’: LEXICON – Roundhouse ★★★★ by Rev Stan

While I’ve seen circus shows with more thrilling moments, the air of carefree fun and mischief in Lexicon made me laugh out loud and put a smile on my face.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 05:00AM
Thursday, January 2, 2020

‘Enjoyable & gripping production’: THE DUCHESS OF MALFI – Almeida Theatre ★★★★ by Rev Stan

A magnetic stage presence, Lydia Wilson is a strong woman in The Duchess Of Malfi, clever, kind, stoic and justifiably angry. It makes her an all the more tragic figure.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 09:00AM
Saturday, December 28, 2019

10 plays from the past 10 years that stand out by Rev Stan

Here is a snapshot of my favourite theatre from the past 10 years, the plays that stand out most in my memory, the ones I talk about if people ask.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 07:00AM
Monday, December 16, 2019

‘Thought-provoking, challenging, gripping & entertaining’: A KIND OF PEOPLE – Royal Court Theatre ★★★★★ by Rev Stan

While A Kind of People generates a lot of laughter it is nonetheless an uncompromising reflection of modern British society that sometimes makes for uncomfortable viewing.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 07:00AM
Friday, December 13, 2019

‘Fun & clever dark comedy’: TEENAGE DICK – Donmar Warehouse ★★★★★ by Rev Stan

Teenage Dick is one of those play titles you have to be careful mentioning or googling, a bit like Cock at the Royal Court – but it is wholly appropriate for Mike Lew’s play.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 09:00AM
Sunday, December 8, 2019

‘The beauty and rawness of it pull you in’: CYRANO DE BERGERAC – West End ★★★★★ by Rev Stan

The beauty and rawness of Cyrano de Bergerac pull you in and envelopes you and the performances combined with the tragedy of the story haunted me for days.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 07:00AM
Saturday, November 23, 2019

‘I loved the cheekiness of its approach’: LAND WITHOUT DREAMS – Gate Theatre ★★★ by Rev Stan

Land Without Dreams at the Gate Theatre is a surreal, existential meta ‘drama’ created by Danish company Fix & Foxy.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 09:00AM
Thursday, November 21, 2019

‘It is theatre that sends a powerful message’: QUEENS OF SHEBA – Touring ★★★★★ by Rev Stan

Queens of Sheba is a play of contrasts it is angry and joyous, fun and sad, quietly contemplative and in your face loud.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 09:00AM
Monday, November 18, 2019

‘Great, grown-up entertainment’: LA CLIQUE – Leicester Square Spiegeltent ★★★★ by Rev Stan

There is a festive start to the La Clique cabaret of song and acrobatic show but naturally, it is ironic. This is the church of misfits and weirdos where difference is celebrated in a decade…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 05:00AM
Thursday, October 24, 2019

‘So pitch black that you struggle to see where the laughs are’: VASSA – Almeida Theatre ★★★ by Rev Stan

Vassa, adapted from Maxim Gorky’s original by Mike Bartlett, is a pitch-black comedy rather than a farce, so pitch black that you struggle to see where the laughs are.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 05:00AM
Thursday, October 10, 2019

‘Comedy doesn’t always stick’: THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT – West End ★★★ by Rev Stan

Sean Foley’s adaptation of the 1950s Ealing comedy The Man In The White Suit stars Stephen Mangan as clever but hapless scientist Sidney and Kara Tointon as Daphne, a posh, mill owner's da…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 05:00AM
Wednesday, October 9, 2019

‘It swells your heart & breaks it’: A DAY IN THE DEATH OF JOE EGG – Trafalgar Studios ★★★★ by Rev Stan

Peter Nichols’ 1967 comedy A Day In The Death of Joe Egg demonstrates both how far we’ve come in our treatment of and attitudes towards disability but equally how the moral dilemmas and …

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 07:00AM
Tuesday, October 8, 2019

‘A slow build to an explosive picture’: MASTER HAROLD & THE BOYS – National Theatre ★★★★ by Rev Stan

Master Harold & The Boys is a play about lessons and devastating loss, about how you can't dance around injustice and its impact.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM
Monday, September 23, 2019

‘Cruttenden’s performance is one of subtle conflict’: BLACK CHIFFON – Park Theatre ★★★★ by Rev Stan

Black Chiffon is an interesting play, slowly building enough psychological intrigue and drama to keep you hooked.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM

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