One-man play about a sporting great, and a hot topic served cold Adam Riches: Jimmy Summerhall ★★★
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 07:08PMImmigration madness given a panto makeover The starting point of this musical comedy – using a panto format to take a deep dive into the UK's immigration law – comes from such a good pl…
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 09:07PM32-year-old comedian whose set explores race, class and migration becomes first British-Asian to take prize A show about multiculturalism has won best show at the Edinburgh comedy awards. Ah…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:43AMA playwright's guilt, and a playwright's ego Tennessee, Rose Pleasance Dome ★★★ Clare Cockburn's new play posits the notion that all the women in Tennessee Williams' work were inspir…
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 07:25PMWomen in tune, musical improv, and a backstage story Flat & the Curves Pleasance Dome ★★★★ Flat & the Curves – Katy Baker, Charlotte Brooke, Issy Wroe Wright and Arabella…
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 07:43PMGripping one-man play, and Covid revisited Groomed Pleasance Dome ★★★★ “How can a truth be told? How can a secret be spoken?” Patrick Sandford asks in Groomed, his searingly hon…
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 06:33AMSparky adaptation of legal spat “Wagatha Christie” – I salute the bright spark who coined the term – describes, for those who don't follow such fripperies, the social media spat betw…
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 07:36PMGlittery stars and local heroes What joy it is to have pantomime and Christmas shows back with full audiences up and down the country – everything from local shows to star-driven productio…
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 08:48PMJonathan Harvey's (mostly) family-friendly script sparkles When Ian McKellen, one of our greatest Shakespearean actors, gave us his acclaimed Widow Twankey at the Old Vic in 2004, some wonde…
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 08:48PMYoung Latina whose act tackles disability is among the winners at prestigious awards ceremony Both of the top prizes for being funny at the 2022 Edinburgh fringe festival have gone to foreig…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:18PMWar as entertainment, Die Hard as an epic poem, and a potted biography Afghanistan Is Not Funny, Gilded Balloon ★★★★
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 10:54PMA musical whodunnit and an ovine origin story Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder!, Summerhall ★★★★★
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 10:33PM'World king' as a young man; and a comedy legend Les Dawson: Flying High, Assembly George Square ★★★ Any opportunity to watch impressionist Jon Culshaw at work is not to be miss…
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 08:03PMBrexit battle laid bare Few critics become playwrights, but Tim Walker has done just that with Bloody Difficult Women, his debut. It's taking a risk; should any of his less generous critical…
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 07:33AMAustralian plays against type as the baddie There was a time when UK pantomime was heavily populated by Australian soap stars; rather late in the day Jason Donovan – formerly known as Sco…
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 12:42AMShirley Ballas and Scarlett Moffatt are good fun Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells ★★★★
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 06:36AMClive Rowe dons the frocks, while Rob Rinder and Anton Du Beke slap their thighs Jack and the Beanstalk, Hackney Empire ★★★
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 10:06PMPremiere of solo stage production of TS Eliot's work For 75 captivating minutes, Ralph Fiennes digs deep into TS Eliot’s Four Quartets, the poet’s interlinked reflections on time, faith …
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 09:48PMYasmeen Khan's spoof has a big heart Oscar Wilde's fabulous play satirised Victorian England and contained a shedload of quotable quips. Now Yasmeen Khan has written an updated and uprooted …
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 10:48PMFree stream of its first pantomime In a much depleted and truncated pantomime season that withered on the vine, the National Theatre's debut production of Dick Whittington lasted only four p…
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 08:32PMChildren and adults are catered for Cinderella **** I did worry that pantomime – that most audience-driven of theatrical pursuits – might not work through the tube, but Nottingham Play…
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 10:03PMThe Pin sketch duo's assured theatrical debut Ben Ashenden and Alex Owen together form The Pin, a sketch duo who have won much critical acclaim and full houses in the Edinburgh Fringe shows.…
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 09:12PMJamie Kenna brings Brighton favourite to life It’s fitting that there’s another run of Dave Simpson’s terrific play about Brighton’s favourite son, Max Miller (aka The Cheeky Chappi…
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 11:24PMMagnificent backdrop of ruins for fundraiser On a normal bank holiday weekend there would be festival events held in the grounds of Glastonbury Abbey. But in this anything-but-normal year, c…
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 04:18AMLots of bum and poo gags to keep the kids happy In each of its incarnations – books, television series and theatre shows – covering more than 80 titles, Horrible Histories, created by Te…
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 04:18AMNice in-jokes and smart observations about actors A running gag in David Nicholls' novel The Understudy is that its main character is called Steve McQueen. Not that Steve McQueen, the multi…
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 12:12AMImmersion in Georgian court intrigue Les Enfants Terribles is the theatre company behind several interesting immersive projects, including Alice's Adventures Underground and Inside Pussy Rio…
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 03:36AMBen Elton's new comedy is a gagfest What joy it is to welcome this offshoot of the television series to the West End stage – complete with several of that show's cast, plus a few new addit…
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 08:36PMMischief Theatre and Penn & Teller mash-up Mischief Theatre's “Goes Wrong” oeuvre is now well established: broad humour combined with physical comedy and slapstick mishaps. Magic Goe…
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 08:48PMMischief Theatre with another enjoyable farce Mischief Theatre is a wonder of modern commercial theatre. In 2008, group of young actors who had met at drama school started the ensemble – w…
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 09:06PMPurists may quibble at circus-themed show When Qdos brought back pantomime to the Palladium three years ago after an absence of nearly 30 years, it set the bar high with superb production v…
SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 10:18PM
