93 stories by "Not Exactly Billington"
Frantic Assembly's production of Anna Jordan's play The Unreturning about three different men returning from (or amidst) war is a startling delve into the pull and promise of home, and the l…
How far would you go to achieve domestic perfection? What even is domestic perfection? Is our happiness shaped by or confounded by traditional gender roles? These are the questions Laura Wad…
For three years, #ReadaPlayaWeek was a, well, weekly feature of our blog. Starting out as a way to familiarise myself more with the canon, long-established and establishment writers were a r…
Katori Hall teams up once again with director James Dacre to present the extraordinary Our Lady of Kibeho, a study on belief that is at once universal and deeply personal, while also scrutin…
Anaïs Mitchell has instigated something special, and I hope, and expect, Hadestown to evolve further throughout the years, as each new version creates its own musical and mythological tra…
"The inheritance of wisdom, community and self" " Matthew Lopez. Each year, around March, I think of a brilliant way to start the Best of the Year list. Each year, around December, I forget …
This year, after a reported £3.6 million refurbishment at Leicester's Haymarket Theatre, it has reopened. Sandi Toksvig's new version of Treasure Island, directed by Matthew Forbes, is it…
From catchy tunes and magical turns to a solid moral lesson for kiddies to learn, Suba Das has created a joyous show in The Cat in the Hat, I urge, families, friends and theatre-lovers to go.
With White Christmas, Curve has yet again produced a classy production filled with yuletide magic and enough fluffy escapism to warm hearts on these cold winter nights.
Now, Laurence Connor and James Powell's new production of Les Misérables (seen on Broadway a few years ago) gives Les Mis a fresh look which will assure its longevity.
The night before Dr Martin Luther King Jr's assassination on the balcony outside of his Memphis motel room, Katori Hall's play The Mountaintop takes us inside Room 306 where he was staying.
Having come to Rock of Ages with no prior reference other than the 2012 film version (mostly memorable for featuring a surprisingly entertaining performance from Tom Cruise) I was, let's say…
A Very Very Very Dark Matter lacks the coherence and pleasing culmination of the playwright's other works. Despite the 'upbeat ending', this play displays none of Martin McDonagh's trademark…
The Madness of George III offers a great part for an actor, one which Mark Gatiss relishes. His vocal and physical tics are memorable, while never reducing mental illness to a series of quir…
To say Calendar Girls The Musical is celebratory seems cliché, yet there's no better description; Calendar Girls is an unashamed celebration of love, life, and community (and cake!).
Overall, Cilla the Musical is a watchable and well-produced show. On the other hand, I think there's possibly a more interesting story in there.
Bourne's Swan Lake is timeless, this production as fresh as ever, while a company that embodies a tireless amount verve, ingenuity, precision and emotion ensure this is a revival to be unive…
Despite a lack of connection, The Wipers Times celebrates a great, previously untold story, about war, journalism, tenacity, and the need for humour in difficult times.
The Lovely Bones is one of the best plays I've seen this year. In fact, Melly Still's vital production is the best page to stage adaptation I've seen since Curious Incident.
In Bill Buckhurst's production of Sweet Charity we benefit from the delicate balance between the seediness of the New York backstreets with the technicolor of Charity's blithe daydreams.
Whatever criticisms people may have of McDonagh, his neat plotting and big jokes are enough to entice people not usually interested in theatre. It may be Aidan Turner drawing the crowds in, …
Exit the King's interest in the crumbling of a kingdom is relevant, and I found its musings on death " and Anthony Ward's visual representation of this " emotionally affecting.
By turns cynical, touching and with a rogue twinkle in its eye, Allelujah! doesn't set the stage alight, and as both a black comedy and state-of-the-nation play it feels underpowered, but Be…
Claire van Kampen's decision to eschew gimmick/concept is a bold statement in a production of Othello that generously places the focus firmly on plot and character, and pays dividends for it.
Like America promises so much to Henry Lehman when he stands on the dock side, The Lehman Trilogy at the National Theatre promised so much as well.