Crucible, 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 04:06AMDorfman, LondonThe shared indignities of life in temporary accommodation hit home in Alexander Zeldin’s new play at the NationalLove is set in a hostel offering temporary accommodation for…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:06AMCrucible theatre, SheffieldThe songs still hit their mark in Irving Berlin’s musical western, but 1940s stereotyping leaves the show creaking with ageIn this 1946 comic-romantic musical, s…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:12AMLyceum, SheffieldIt's not surprising that when it appeared in 1997 The Full Monty was instantly dubbed a "feelgood" film. Set in the late 1980s, it tells the story of a group of skilled men …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:33AMLiverpool PlayhouseThe Playhouse’s sparkling Edwardian past is brought back to life in Michael Wynne’s fine new playThe star of The Star is the theatre itself. Gertrude Lawrence and Noë…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:24AMGender roles are all at sea and a fox learns a lesson in our pick of Christmas shows in Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Southampton and EdinburghChristmas shows are a fabulous …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:18AMLive theatre, NewcastleShelagh Stephenson’s play about the radical thinker’s stay on Tyneside provides a witty examination of her ideas but not much dramaLike the quilt its female charac…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:54AMJohn Godber mines his own life for this tale set in an NHS at breaking pointWhen John Godber returns to Hull, Hull turns out. From 1984 to 2010, the writer-director’s name was synonymous w…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:31AMNottingham PlayhouseA 1970s-style sexing-up of Thomas Middleton’s 17th-century play fails to throw much new light on the textThomas Middleton’s 17th-century tragedy pivots around the dil…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:42AMWild Woods, BradfordA former M&S food hall is the setting for this imaginative vision of a struggle for survival after a global plagueFreedom Studios specialises in “new plays in unusu…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:42AMTron, GlasgowThe detached acting in Rob Drummond’s horror-flecked melodrama render it less than the sum of its partsSet in a present that could be any time, on a remote Scottish farm that …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:56AMEveryman, LiverpoolShakespeare’s early satire on romance gains little from being transported into the swinging decadeDirector Nick Bagnall and composer James Fortune take Shakespeare’s e…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:06AMAberystwyth Arts Centre, AberystwythThis Welsh/Breton co-production has a fine cast but suffers from prosaic writing and a dramatically challenged translation app“The past is another count…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:08AMRoyal Exchange, ManchesterHeavy-handed direction mars this prize-winning play about the challenges faced by young people at the bottom of the heapKatherine Soper’s Bruntwood prize-winning …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:51AM
