140 stories by "Roger Foss"
A random roll of the dice decides who plays what in the short and sharply observed Parallel, a mini-drama exploring the unsettling
How things have changed since the 1986 premiere of Hugh Whitemore's play based on the life of Alan Turing, pioneering mathematician, war-time
West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds: Developed after a year-long Channel 4 writer's residency at West Yorkshire Playhouse, Zodwa Nyoni's first full-length play opens the new season her…
Crucible, Sheffield: The Crucible's artistic director Daniel Evans appeared as an actor in premiere productions of two of Sarah Kane's plays, which meant discovering their dramatic…
Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool: What's not to like about Willie Russell's Rita? She's only a Liverpudlian hairdresser but she's got a lust for living and a love of learning…
Crucible Theatre, Sheffield: A general election looming; a Labour opposition leader struggling to articulate a convincing narrative; political wonks at campaign HQ desperate to make him elec…
Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester: Watching Rona Munro's new drama about Manchester's Victorian street gangs never feels as if you are slumming it, although it's still an unc…
Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool: First conceived at Liverpool's Royal Court five years ago when Lucky Numbers, his lottery comedy, was playing here, Mike Yeaman's canoe caper has go…
Coliseum Theatre, Oldham: Following the colossal success of The Woman In Black and the recent mini-tour of The Small Hand, this is the third stage adaptation of one of Susan Hill's ghos…
Playhouse Theatre Studio, Liverpool: Inspired by the real race-hate experience of a Zimbabwean family hounded out of a Merseyside estate, writer Keith Saha explores cultural territory that c…
Octagon Theatre, Bolton: Celebrating the centenary year of Arthur Miller's birth without a David Thacker production is hardly worth the candle. The creative synergy of this writer-direc…
The Lowry, Salford: By the end of this year, a top grade in A-level maths may well come in handy for calculating the ever-increasing audience statistics for Marianne Elliott's multi-awa…
Hippodrome, Birmingham: This stupendous production may be a late starter in the festive season schedules but it has got to be the clear frontrunner of this year's panto pack. Michael Ha…
Crucible Theatre Studio, Sheffield: No conventional fairytale princess? A dried pea the size of a gobstopper? A pea-brained king living in a castle created from clutter in a "museum of …
Empire Theatre, Liverpool: If anyone invents a gold standard for pantomime, this show would get close to reaching it. It's not just the dazzling bling of lavish sets and exquisite costu…
Theatre Royal, St Helens: After Kurtis Stacey's Jack slays the Giant and Linda Nolan's Mrs Fleshcreep stops doing the ogre's dirty work and leads the finale with I'm in t…
Southport Theatre and Convention Centre: It's impossible to be caught napping watching this boisterous production written by two experienced creators of television and stage shows for c…
Carriageworks Theatre, Leeds: Some pantomime stars might be lip-syncing songs this year, but there's no fear of miming whenever Jonathan Ansell launches into romantic mode as Prince Val…
Opera House, Manchester: Perhaps it's a sign of the times that pantomime baddies get the best lines. Priscilla Presley, reprising the Wicked Queen after making her stage debut as the va…
Playhouse, Liverpool: The Playhouse has a track record of presenting new adaptations of Moliere farces, but Stephen Sharkey's festive season foray into the ferociously funny extra-marit…
Unity Theatre, Liverpool: A programme note explains how this Action Transport Theatre adaptation of one of Grimm's grimmer folktales employs a 'predominantly emerging cast', a…
West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds: Whatever the merits of the national touring production parked at London's Dominion, this Irving Berlin songfest is approached very differently in Leeds,…
Albert Halls, Bolton: Bolton's Albert Halls may not offer the ideal backstage spec for mounting full-scale theatrical productions. Even so, purveyors of pantomime ought to at least pres…
Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool: The sixth successive Royal Court Christmas show for grown-ups by Fred Lawless takes inspiration from his previous offerings with punning titles such as Scouse…
Octagon Theatre, Bolton: Given that Morgan Lloyd Malcolm's playwriting credits include a clutch of Lyric Hammersmith pantomimes, her new stage version of Lewis Carroll's mad-as-a-h…
