All stories by Tom Bolton on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

'Always compelling to watch': MEASURE FOR MEASURE " Shakespeare's Globe by Tom Bolton

For her last production at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Blanche McIntyre expertly conjured the life of a city onto a tiny stage. Her Measure for Measure is another city play, but of a very diffe…

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Monday, December 20, 2021

'A triumphant evening': THE COMEDY OF ERRORS " Barbican Centre (RSC) by Tom Bolton

The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare " Barbican Theatre, London Like all theatre companies, the Royal Shakespeare Company has experienced a tough 18 months, so it is fortunate that…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM[SHARE]
Saturday, December 18, 2021

'Michael Pennington's voice is remarkable': THE TEMPEST " Jermyn Street Theatre by Tom Bolton

The Jermyn Street Theatre is a tiny place to stage a play that is more usually seen filling all the space on offer at the RSC or the National Theatre, but the scale gives Tom Littler's produ…

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Wednesday, November 17, 2021

'A well-chosen & beautifully cast pair of plays': FOOTFALLS & ROCKABY " Jermyn Street Theatre by Tom Bolton

In the tiny, pub theatre-esque Jermyn Street Theatre Samuel Beckett's two monologues, Footfalls and Rockaby, exert a powerful hold.

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Saturday, November 6, 2021

'It's hard to take your eyes off Cush Jumbo': HAMLET " Young Vic Theatre by Tom Bolton

Cush Jumbo's Hamlet has been a long time in the making. In fact, what with the pandemic and the Young Vic's long lead times for shows (which allow for some serious forward planning), I booke…

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Thursday, October 28, 2021

'A sad & elegaic play that seems to have gained significance': HOME " Chichester Festival Theatre by Tom Bolton

Although David Storey is a somewhat forgotten writer, wildly successful from the late 1960s to the late '70s as both a playwright and novelist, but then just as suddenly out of fashion, Home…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, October 26, 2021

'Raw history not yet ready to be consigned to the past': THE NORMAL HEART " National Theatre by Tom Bolton

First staged in 1985, just before the AIDS epidemic had fully entered public consciousness, Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart rails against the refusal of US authorities to acknowledge anythin…

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Sunday, October 17, 2021

'A ridiculous " & ridiculously enjoyable " show that boasts the finest score in musicals': ANYTHING GOES by Tom Bolton

As soon as the title number's patter chorus kicks in, there's a smile on every face at the Barbican Centre, where Cole Porter's Broadway classic Anything Goes runs until 6 November 2021.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 10:00AM[SHARE]
Sunday, August 1, 2021

'Charming performers fill the stage heroically': CHANGING DESTINY " Young Vic Theatre by Tom Bolton

The Young Vic is configured in the round for Changing Destiny, Ben Okri's adaptation of a 4,000 year old Egyptian myth.

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Friday, July 30, 2021

'A powerful play from an author we need to hear': LAVA " Bush Theatre by Tom Bolton

The lava in the title of Benedict Lombe's new, fierce, autobiographical play is anger. It flows over the stage, filling the crevasses of the set, and through Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo's sm…

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Wednesday, July 7, 2021

'In most respects a treat to watch': UNDER MILK WOOD " National Theatre by Tom Bolton

The National Theatre's staging of Under Milk Wood is far from the first time Dylan Thomas' poem has been adapted for the stage. It's easy to see the temptation to perform a work so packed wi…

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Friday, June 18, 2021

'One of the most absorbing & significant plays every written': HAPPY DAYS " Riverside Studios by Tom Bolton

Samuel Beckett's Happy Days is, as Lisa Dwan observes, often described as 'the female Hamlet'. Dwan has played every other female Beckett lead but even she was intimidated by a role previous…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 09:00AM[SHARE]
Monday, February 22, 2021

'The writing is nuanced & structured': HYMN " Almeida Theatre (Online review) by Tom Bolton

In an empty Almeida Theatre, two heavyweight actors " Adrian Lester and Danny Sapani " bring serious male energy to Lolita Chakrabati's new play Hymn.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM[SHARE]
Sunday, November 22, 2020

'Powerful, funny & thoroughly engaging': NAKED " Cockpit Theatre (Online review) by Tom Bolton

NAKED is a powerful, funny and thoroughly engaging piece of physical theatre. It is the first show from performers Luke Vincent and Paige-Marie Baker-Carroll of the NAKEDpresents queer colle…

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Wednesday, October 28, 2020

'We are transported somewhere far from Covid': UNCLE VANYA " Harold Pinter Theatre (Screening) by Tom Bolton

Cut off in its prime in March, Ian Rickson's Uncle Vanya returns to us from an empty theatre, filmed for cinema release.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM[SHARE]
Thursday, July 9, 2020

'A remarkable play': LES BLANCS " National Theatre at Home (Online review) by Tom Bolton

The National Theatre's 2016 production of Les Blancs was directed by Yaël Farber and used the full resources of the Olivier stage to transmit its full force.

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Tuesday, June 23, 2020

'A strangely disconcerting play': PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD " Druid Theatre (Online review) by Tom Bolton

The online release of productions from Druid Theatre's 2005 season of JM Synge's complete works is a lockdown boon.

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Tuesday, June 16, 2020

'A powerful picture of a dark day for democracy': THE BATTLE OF THE BEANFIELD " Breach Theatre by Tom Bolton

The Battle of the Beanfield is the first show by Breach Theatre, now known for the excellent It's True, It's True, It's True about Renaissance artist Artemisia Gentileschi.

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Tuesday, June 2, 2020

'It is immediately clear how prescient it was': THIS HOUSE " National Theatre (Online review) by Tom Bolton

The chaos of national politics in the mid-1970s seemed light years away in 2014, but how arrogant that assumption seems now.

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Tuesday, May 19, 2020

'A fascinating body of work': I, Peaseblossom / I, Banquo (Online review) by Tom Bolton

Tim Crouch's series of performances as overlooked characters in Shakespeare is a fascinating body of work. He has been developing these one-man shows (with assistance) for more than 15 years.

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Tuesday, May 5, 2020

'They are the only tangible reminder of experiences that live powerfully in the memory': My collection of 57 years of RSC programmes by Tom Bolton

I have been collecting these for at least 35 years and now have a nearly complete set of post-war programmes from the Stratford theatres (if anyone has a hoard of uber-rare, early programmes…

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Monday, April 20, 2020

'Patsy Ferran is a treat': TREASURE ISLAND " National Theatre (Online review) by Tom Bolton

The excitement still builds on a Thursday night, when many of us sit down to watch theatre as though it was analogue television in the four-channel era.

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Friday, April 3, 2020

'Re-living the past so intensely is eerie': ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS " National Theatre (Online review) by Tom Bolton

After the theatres closed, the National Theatre was quick to announce a free mini-season of online shows from their NT Live broadcasts, which immediately became the only evening bookings in …

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 09:00AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, March 11, 2020

'The evening is enjoyable for its cast': THE CUTTING EDGE " Arcola Theatre by Tom Bolton

Despite the combined skills of its performers, The Cutting Edge lacks pace and drive and the key moment of crisis, which always seems around the corner, never arrives.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Friday, February 21, 2020

'Dramatic & engrossing': THE INCIDENT ROOM " New Diorama Theatre by Tom Bolton

The Incident Room is a multi-layered and satisfying drama, a proper assessment of a story that gripped, terrified and obsessed the nation. This excellent production confronts our dark past h…

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Monday, February 17, 2020

'Cuts to the heart of what it is to have a voice': CINNA " Unicorn Theatre by Tom Bolton

I, Cinna is a small masterpiece of unshowy writing and performance that is some of the best small-scale theatre of its time, equally satisfying to audiences of young people and adults.

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Sunday, February 16, 2020

'Pitch perfect': FAR AWAY " Donmar Warehouse by Tom Bolton

Caryl Churchill wrote Far Away in 2000 and, 20 years on, it feels more current by the moment.

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Wednesday, February 12, 2020

'No lack of inventiveness in the evening': PEOPLE SHOW 137 " Southwark Playhouse by Tom Bolton

The company in People Show 137 has an admirable ability to conjure moments that capture the audience's attention and to deliver about turns that keep the audience intrigued.

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Monday, January 13, 2020

'The simplicity of Rackza's writing is masterful': ANTIGONE " New Diorama Theatre by Tom Bolton

Holy What's version of Antigone is about the two teenage girls at the heart of the play, Antigone herself (Annabel Baldwin) and her sister Ismene (Rachel Hosker).

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Monday, December 9, 2019

'Endlessly fascinating': MEASURE FOR MEASURE " Barbican Theatre by Tom Bolton

Gregory Doran's RSC production of Measure for Measure is a subtle and absorbing account of a play that gets weirder with every viewing.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 09:00AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, November 13, 2019

'Shines a harsh light on contemporary Indian culture': WHEN THE CROWS VISIT " Kiln Theatre by Tom Bolton

When The Crows Visit is a powerful new play, and Indhu Rubasingham's production is a notable success for the Kiln Theatre.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 05:00AM[SHARE]

All that Chat

2025-2026 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 12, 2025: Call Me Izzy - Studio 54
Sep 16, 2025: Art - Music Box Theatre
Oct 08, 2025: Beetlejuice - Palace Theatre
Nov 13, 2025: Oedipus - Studio 54
Nov 16, 2025: Chess - Imperial Theatre
Mar 23, 2026: Giant - Music Box Theatre
Apr 06, 2026: Becky Shaw - Hayes Theater
Apr 16, 2026: Proof - Booth Theatre
Apr 26, 2026: Drama Desk Cut-Off