Ustinov Studio, Theatre Royal BathHenry Goodman’s powerful performance fills out a sometimes superficial portrait of Lucian Freud as an older manWe are looking at the older Lucian Freud (1…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:04AMFrom Palestine to Aberfan, identity and belonging dominate – alongside Fritz Lang at the circus, existential football and a song for beached whales“That’s not right…” The taxi driv…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:24AMWilliamson Park, LancasterThe setting is inspired, but the adventure has been reduced to a domestic fableNight has fallen. We walk through a wooded glen. Music and birdsong fill the air. Lea…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:12AMCurve, LeicesterSue Townsend’s sly writing is pummelled to fit narrative arcs of love triumphant and ambition realised in this musical adaptationWhat do you ask of a new musical? Attention…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:36AMMick Lally theatre, GalwayA strong three-woman cast struggle to redeem this often bizarre evocation of impoverished Irish lives“Everyone rose to their feet... to applaud... But I could not…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:54AMUpper Campfield Market Hall, ManchesterJane Horrocks stars in a collage of song, history and drama whose most powerful presences are its stage projections“Can you help me a bit?” A spotl…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:12AMTheatre by the Lake, KeswickStrindberg’s passion play remains as resonant today in Howard Brenton’s new translation as it was when first performed in the Paris of 189Times and theatrical…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:42AMNew Vic, Newcastle-under-LymeA cast of eight deftly play a globe’s worth of characters in Laura Eason’s rollicking Jules Verne adaptationLaura Eason’s 2013 adaptation of Around the Wor…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:24AMTheatre Royal, YorkBridget Foreman’s moving, resonant play combines outdoor performance, newsreel footage and a huge local cast to memorable effectOutside York Minster, a pro-democracy dem…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:12AMWest Yorkshire Playhouse, LeedsA compelling coming-of-age story about five hopefuls set to compete in a poetry ‘slam’ competitionSmoke hazes the stage. Close to the audience, five microp…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:48AMPrivate homes in Toxteth, LiverpoolKeith Saha’s drama for the Sgt Pepper anniversary expands on its domestic setting with puppetry and magical realismThe Beatles didn’t just come from Li…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:04AMManchester Royal ExchangeAn irreverent adaptation of Jane Austen’s last novel puts a fun spin on the source material, but fails to honour her characters’ complexitiesTo describe this as …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:04AMMoesgaard Museum, Aarhus, Denmark With its rooftop setting, clashing of swords and larger-than-life characters, this Viking epic is a fitting centrepiece to Aarhus’s European capital of cu…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:54AMCrucible, SheffieldShakespeare is rooted in our era of fake news in artistic director Robert Hastie’s outstanding first production for the CrucibleIf Robert Hastie’s first production as …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:54AMStoryhouse, ChesterA vivid adaptation by Glyn Maxwell of Gay’s 1728 ballad play launches Chester’s exciting new venue“Storytellers build communities... remember the past and imagine th…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:54AMEveryman, LiverpoolLizzie Nunnery’s scathing social commentary with songs carries a powerful message despite some laboured dialoguePolitical shockwaves knock spending. A small business tee…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:18AMRoyal Exchange, ManchesterTwo charming leads fail to plug the holes in a black comedy that replaces dark reality with ersatz whimsyKitty is a telephone sex worker. Jimmy is a regular client …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:02AMChichester Festival theatreRichard Wilson stars as a crusty headmaster in Alan Bennett’s playful but patchy 1968 state-of-the-nation play“An elaborate life support system for the preserv…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:18AMTheatre by the Lake, KeswickNicholas Pierpan’s ambitious drama explores a dark year in the poet’s lifeOn the one hand there is the wonder of a mind that makes the world anew with words; …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:06AMOctagon, BoltonA magnificent Phoebe Pryce in the lead role ensures the 19th-century classic still packs an emotional punch for a modern audienceWhen Acton Bell’s second novel was published…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:48AMWatford Palace theatreThe magic and nuance of the written word are missed in this musical adaptation, despite colourful songs and an inventive setA scaffolding structure rises on the stage, …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:02AMBristol Old VicThe story of an idealistic adult winning over a bunch of disaffected kids is a familiar one, but lifted by its sizzling castJunkyard is a new musical inspired by writer Jack T…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:42AMSherman Cymru, CardiffDespite fresh and lively performances, period language and modern behaviour clash to mixed effect“Fair Verona”, Shakespeare’s setting for the play is, in Kenny Mi…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:06PMOctagon, BoltonDavid Rudkin’s 1972 play about an infertile couple is revived to intimate, funny and touching effectCiaran Bagnall’s set is starkly impersonal in its shiny whiteness and s…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:12AMEveryman, LiverpoolThe classic musical about village custom and community is the perfect choice to launch artistic director Gemma Bodinetz’s new repertory ensembleThe bare stage looks simp…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:42AMCrucible, SheffieldThe drama lacks oomph but sheer exuberance carries this coming-of-age tale by Tom MacRae and Dan Gillespie SellsThe school’s psychometric test identifies 16-year-old Jam…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:36AMNorthern Stage, NewcastleSelma Dimitrijevic’s adaptation, while daring in parts, is ultimately found wantingDr Frankenstein is translated from a he to a she: Victor becomes Victoria. As th…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:36AMBirmingham RepA taut cast makes the most of this 2010 hit comedy, directed by Jeremy Sams in its British premiereIn a loft conversion in Peckham, south London, lecturer Peter (Jamie Glover) …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:48AMBelgrade theatre, CoventryThe ethical dilemmas of international surrogacy are examined in an impressive production that refuses to offer easy answersAbove the stage, on three different level…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:03AMRoyal Exchange, Manchester Kaisa Hammarlund’s portrayal of Neil Simon’s Everywoman strikes a perfect balanceSome people see Neil Simon’s 1966 musical comedy (with lyrics by Dorothy Fie…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:06AMSalisbury PlayhouseFour performers rustle up a bustling parlour show of songs, sketches and magicA Little of What You Fancy, as the queen of the saucy song, Marie Lloyd, used to suggest to h…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:06AM
