All stories by Alfred Hickling on BroadwayStars

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Some Girl I Used to Know – review by Alfred Hickling

West Yorkshire Playhouse, LeedsThis jukebox monologue has Denise van Outen as an Essex-girl-lingerie-designer randomly bursting into the hits of the 80sCharlie Parsons's programme profile st…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:30AM
Wednesday, February 5, 2014

My Judy Garland Life – review by Alfred Hickling

Nottingham PlayhouseThis adaptation of Susie Boyt's memoir veers too far over the rainbow but it's warm-hearted funThe novelist and journalist Susie Boyt once confided to a friend that her g…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:43AM
Monday, February 3, 2014

The Tiger Lillies meet Lulu: the ultimate fallen woman by Alfred Hickling

The trio's cabaret is the stuff of nightmares – so it was only a matter of time before they brought their squeezebox and falsetto to Wedekind's femme fatale, in their new show for Opera No…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:00AM
Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Hobson's Choice – review by Alfred Hickling

Octagon, Bolton This classic comedy about an intemperate northern cobbler is delivered with care, attention and turn-of-the-century styleHarold Brighouse was, by his own admission, "half a h…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:33AM
Monday, January 27, 2014

Musicals we love: Annie by Alfred Hickling

Continuing our series on favourite shows, Alfred Hickling explains why he's a big fan of the little girl who bounces back from hard knocksThere aren't many classic musicals about which I can…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:33AM
Thursday, January 23, 2014

The Life and Loves of a Nobody – review by Alfred Hickling

Crucible, Sheffield Third Angel's exploration of an unremarkable life tests the patience – but its visual payoff is sublimeRachel is a young woman brought up in a Sheffield tower block who…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:16AM
Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Wrong 'Un – review by Alfred Hickling

Lowry, SalfordElla Harris admirably carries a 60-minute, one-woman a cappella musical depicting a young suffragette's journey from Lancashire mill floor to London prisonFormer Chumbawamba gu…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:42AM
Thursday, January 16, 2014

Blink – review by Alfred Hickling

Crucible, SheffieldThe awkward silences here make you wonder what possibilities Harold Pinter might have found in Wi-Fi monitoring technologyConducting one's affairs through Skype, smartphon…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:54AM
Monday, January 6, 2014

Swallows and Amazons – review by Alfred Hickling

Theatre by the Lake, KeswickThis revived adaptation of Arthur Ransome's novel, with music by Neil Hannon, touches the heart without being triteDivine Comedy founder Neil Hannon has done some…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:09AM
Sunday, January 5, 2014

The Jungle Book – review by Alfred Hickling

West Yorkshire Playhouse, LeedsCultural diversity is explored in an adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's classic tale that ultimately descends into pantoThe Jungle Book has been read in a number …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:39AM
Thursday, December 19, 2013

Aladdin and the Twankeys – review by Alfred Hickling

Theatre Royal, YorkBerwick Kaler's script bears scant relation to the original Aladdin story, but this is a hugely entertaining pantomimeIn the distant era that historians of the York pantom…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:46AM
Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Panto dames: still going strong at 70 by Alfred Hickling

At 70, it's time to retire. Oh no it's not, say these two veteran panto dames. What makes them keep putting on the slap and telling the same old jokes?It was an emotional night. "The ca…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:56PM

Edith in the Dark – review by Alfred Hickling

Harrogate theatreThis well-conceived Christmas drama about E Nesbit's dark domestic life is highly original and surprisingly cheerless Though her own marriage was troubled and unhappy, E Nes…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:07PM

Best theatre of 2013, No 10 (joint): Wet House by Alfred Hickling

Paddy Campbell's debut play is a thrillingly funny and painful vision of life in a homeless shelter that allows alcohol. All hail a fine new voice• Read about the other No 10 pick: Paul Br…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:34AM
Thursday, December 12, 2013

Wanted! Robin Hood – review by Alfred Hickling

Lowry, SalfordThis updated classic shoots in all directions but lands a fair number of arrows on targetWho is Robin Hood? The mythic invention of English balladeers? A cartoon fox? An air te…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:31PM
Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Dark Woods, Deep Snow – review by Alfred Hickling

Northern Stage, NewcastleA tear in reality causes all Christmases to come at once in a boldly original if conceptually baffling take on traditional fairytalesWe all know Christmas is a busy …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:10AM
Thursday, December 5, 2013

Jack and the Beanstalk – review by Alfred Hickling

Nottingham PlayhouseIt's business as usual as the Playhouse's most famous dame revels in glitter, gags and a pastiche of Ylvis's The FoxKenneth Alan Taylor first announced that he would step…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:13AM
Wednesday, December 4, 2013

The Flame-Haired Dynamo – review by Alfred Hickling

Hull TruckMick Martin's play about an eBay-addicted, fortysomething dad gets an exuberant production with teenage fantasy flashbacks aplentyFortysomething father of two Chris is out of …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:45AM
Thursday, November 21, 2013

Richard III – review by Alfred Hickling

Theatre Royal, YorkLoveday Ingram's production has its bright moments, but this dogged portrayal of the murdered king limps along"Here pitch our tents, even here in Bosworth field," Richard …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:05AM
Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Suitcase – review by Alfred Hickling

Hull Paragon Station There's plenty of popular wartime tunes to jolly things along, but the individual vignettes can be quite heartbreakingA booklet issued to Jewish refugee children arrivin…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:32PM
Monday, November 18, 2013

Sherlock Holmes and the Speckled Band – review by Alfred Hickling

Treasurer's House, YorkThe great detective operates with a manic intensity in Samuel Wood's bohemian production of this Conan Doyle mysterySherlock Holmes has been ranked as one of the three…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:22PM
Monday, November 11, 2013

In Doggerland – review by Alfred Hickling

Lowry, SalfordThe story of a heart transplant patient who traces her donors avoids sensationalism to become a lyrical study of lossThough still relatively uncommon in the UK, heart transplan…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:10AM
Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Love Your Soldiers – review by Alfred Hickling

Crucible, SheffieldA taut rendering of Robin Hooper's tale of love and betrayal in the armed forces is imbued with a grim realismWhy is there so little contemporary drama about life in the a…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:19AM
Monday, November 4, 2013

The Noise – review by Alfred Hickling

Northern Stage, NewcastleAn island is afflicted by a mysterious noise in this stylish science-fiction thrillerThe island of Whitley, a British crown possession in the south Atlantic, is home…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:21AM
Thursday, October 31, 2013

Can't Stand Up for Falling Down – review by Alfred Hickling

York Theatre RoyalA well-crafted revival of Richard Cameron's breakthrough play brings to life the suffocating fear of domestic violence in a small townRichard Cameron's breakthrough play wa…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:51PM
Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Cooking With Elvis – review by Alfred Hickling

Live Theatre, NewcastleThe Tyneside theatre celebrates its 40th anniversary with an updated revival of Lee Hall's filthy farceNo one would accuse Live Theatre of celebrating its 40th anniver…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:03AM
Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Scrappers – review by Alfred Hickling

Playhouse, LiverpoolDaniel Matthew's tale of life constrained by limited ambition turns on an ability to find the universal within the particularLiverpool Playhouse has an impressive record …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:31PM
Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Laughton – review by Alfred Hickling

Stephen Joseph theatre, ScarboroughCharles Laughton is the subject of this homage showing the actor as a caustic figure attempting to prove his true talentSurprising to consider that both Ca…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:44AM
Monday, October 21, 2013

Edmund the Learned Pig – review by Alfred Hickling

Royal Exchange, ManchesterPlaywright Mike Kenny's latest is a prime porker of a tale about an articulate pig who runs away to the circusThe softest job in British theatre must belong to play…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:17AM
Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Long Day's Journey into Night – review by Alfred Hickling

Octagon, BoltonMoving performances and a brisk production pace bring Eugene O'Neill's study of sickness and addiction to lifeUnder David Thacker's tenure, the Octagon has become the home of …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:19AM
Wednesday, October 9, 2013

The Winter's Tale – review by Alfred Hickling

Crucible, Sheffield Shakespeare's fanciful tale of jealousy and remorse is given a vivid and superbly acted updateThe Winter's Tale is perhaps Shakespeare's ultimate test of an audience's wi…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:50AM

All that Chat

2024-2025 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 05, 2024: Home - Todd Haimes Theatre
Jul 11, 2024: Oh, Mary! - Lyceum Theatre
Jul 30, 2024: Job - Hayes Theater
Sep 12, 2024: The Roommate - Booth Theatre
Nov 14, 2024: Tammy Faye - Palace Theatre
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 17, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 01, 2025: Glengarry Glen Ross
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre
TBA: Titanic