20 stories by "Robin Duke"
The Lowther Pavilion, Lytham: For its winter debut here, Polka Dot Pantomimes is clearly out to make an impression with a slick production thankfully trimmed of several stock-in trade cliche…
Charter Theatre, Preston: At this time last year the future of professional pantomime in Preston looked bleak with a question mark over the city's municipal Guild Hall complex.
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The Dukes, Lancaster: Oldham-born and Glossop-based writer Ian Kershaw has an ear for the vernacular and an eye for the slightly ridiculous - which is just as well in this irreverent upendin…
The Dukes, Lancaster: Some 84 years since Ernest Hemingway's powerful story of love against all odds and the brutality of warfare made its Broadway debut, his iconic novel has finally b…
The Arena, Pleasure Beach, Blackpool: In its 77 year-history (give or take the occasional hiatus) the annual ice extravaganza at Blackpool Pleasure Beach has seen some seismic changes.
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Williamson Park, Lancaster: The annual productions in this superb park attract up to 500 people nightly from across the country.
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The Globe, Blackpool Pleasure Beach: If imitation truly is the sincerest form of flattery, Frank Sinatra would more than likely have been very flattered indeed by this near-as-dammit 40th an…
The Dukes, Lancaster: In these days of selfies and social networking it's difficult to imagine just how astonishing the achievements of pioneering film makers Sagar Mitchell and James K…
The Dukes, Lancaster: Writer Deborah McAndrew skilfully captures the language and logic of the period with this play which takes its title from a line in Philip Larkin's poem MCMXIV - a…
The Dukes, Lancaster: Little would Charles Dickens have realised when he created his seasonal morality tale what a Pandora's box of interpretations he had opened up.
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The Dukes, Lancaster: Fat, as Susie Orbach has been telling us since 1978, is a feminist issue - and with size zero actresses and models still attracting more attention (and work) than their…
Williamson Park, Lancaster: They say absence makes the heart grow fonder - which could explain why, after a year's break when finances weighed heavy and The Dukes had to suspend its ann…
Pleasure Beach Ice Arena, Blackpool: From its fast-moving and shocking pink opening to its similarly speedy and, yes, very pink finale, the latest edition of what claims to be the world'…
Blackpool Grand Theatre general manager and chief executive Neil Thomson is leaving after almost 40 years association with the venue. Thomson shocked staff by revealing he would be standing …
Grand, Blackpool: Television soap operas are still a vital breeding ground for pantomime casts and Danny Miller, fresh from Emmerdale, makes a decent debut as a handsome Prince Charming, sho…
Blackpool Tower Circus: This Christmas combination of pantomime and circus seems to come round quicker every year but, since the summer show ended and the winter one began, the orchestra has…
The Dukes, Lancaster: Never afraid to break new ground, this theatre long ago turned its back on traditional festive fare in favour of more adventurous productions. This season it has handed…
Pleasure Beach Globe, Blackpool: These are not the best of times for circuses - and not just because of the vagaries of the British climate.
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The Pleasure Beach Arena, Blackpool: Unlike television's Dancing On Ice, this production does not rely on celebrities. Unlike the touring Disney shows its cast does not have to dress up…
The Dukes, Lancaster: Although instigated by financial cutbacks, the mothballing of this theatre's annual outdoor promenade production probably couldn't have chosen a better (wette…
