Titanic The Musical sailed its way into Blackpool and what a show it was. I have to say that the 11 Academy Award-winning worldwide film directed by James Cameron is a huge favourite of mine and I have lost count of the number of times that I have seen it.
News, Reviews and Features
These are all of our in-house news and features as well as syndicated article excerpts from our 45+ theatre bloggers. You can also access All Our Mates' Posts in comprehensive list form and view individual author pages.
NEWS: Peter Pruyn brings his autobiographical play Up: One Man’s Journey to Feminism across the pond to the London Fringe
What does it take for a man to become a feminist – and why does it matter? In seven diverse and poignant vignettes from his own life, Peter Pruyn (pronounced “prine”), an American trauma therapist who works with female survivors, takes the audience on his journey in Up: One Man’s Journey To Feminism on the afternoons of 31 March and 1, 2, 7 and 9 April 2023 at London’s Hen & Chickens Theatre.
‘Too messy to fulfil its ambition’: BLACK SUPERHERO – Royal Court Theatre
In Olivier Award-nominated actor and activist Danny Lee Wynter’s Royal Court debut, the attractively titled Black Superhero, the ambitious theme of black queerness is explored through the conceit of hero worship in a show whose cast is led by the author.
‘Shiny, colourful & entertaining’: WINNIE THE POOH: THE MUSICAL – Riverside Studios ★★★★
Deep in the Hundred Acre Wood, just off the Hammersmith Bridge, Pooh Bear goes on search of some ‘hunny’ and has a host of adventures with his friends in Winnie the Pooh: The Musical at Riverside Studios. Heading across the pond for a musical extravaganza created by Jonathan Rockefeller, we follow Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, Kanga, Roo, Rabbit and Owl in a technically-slick show for little ones.
‘Anne Reid does an uncanny turn’: MARJORIE PRIME – Menier Chocolate Factory
Artificial intelligence and robotics have long been a boon to us ethical-scifi buffs, films like AI and I, Robot mercifully saving us from rocket ships and aliens called Xzxvyvrgg. In Jordan Harrison’s play Marjorie Prime at the Menier Chocolate Factory it is inner space – and a recognisable world – which gets invaded by parasitic cyberthink.
‘It’s brilliant to see underrepresented voices brought to life’: ALFIE’S FIRST FIGHT – Touring
Oliver Sykes’ debut children’s novel is inspired by growing up as a keen amateur boxer in a single parent family on the breadline. Having long been a passionate advocate for underrepresented voices, Sykes brings his own personal experiences to the page in Alfie’s First Fight, which promises to be a cross between Jacqueline Wilson and Rocky Balboa.
‘The cast is clearly having a (disco) ball’: THE WAY OLD FRIENDS DO – Touring
Expertly directed by the ever dependable Mark Gatiss, The Way Old Friends Do at the Park Theatre is a surprising delight which does what it says on the tin, and then a bit more.
‘It was crying out to be turned into a big, silly, glittery musical’: Felix Hagan & Zoë Roberts on the West End transfer of Operation Mincemeat
Recently crowned winners of the Best Musical Production at the Off West End Awards, SpitLip is set to move their hit show Operation Mincemeat to the West End for a limited run this spring; they take over at the Fortune Theatre, following The Woman In Black‘s haunting 33-year run.
REVIEW ROUND-UP: Bad Cinderella at the Imperial Theatre, New York
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Bad Cinderella has now officially opened on Broadway, Love London Love Culture’s Emma Clarendon finds out what critics have had to say about it…
‘Celebrating its 80th birthday with an update’: THE GOOD PERSON OF SZECHWAN – Sheffield & Touring ★★★★
Originally written in 1941 by Bertolt Brecht, The Good Person of Szechwan was first performed in 1943 – and this year celebrates its 80th birthday with an update by Nina Segal.
‘It’s definitely nostalgic & energetic’: Eugenius! – Turbine Theatre
After a London Palladium concert and subsequent runs at The Other Palace, the comic book tale of Eugenius! has been on the radar of many theatre lovers, and fans were thrilled to hear of the show’s reworked return at the Turbine Theatre. The sweet characters and over the top tale are back like before, but somewhere along the way, the musical has lost some of the sparkle and infectious joy that previously made it such a charming production.
‘A haunting story told in a magical way’: FURTHER THAN THE FURTHEST THING – Young Vic Theatre
Empathetic revival of Zinnie Harris’s 2000 play about a lost world and small island longings
The post Further Than the Furthest Thing, Young Vic appeared first on Aleks Sierz.
‘Sets a crisp pace & witty tone’: BLACK SUPERHERO – Royal Court Theatre
“I’m holding out for a hero” is Bonnie Tyler’s famous song, and it could be the theme tune for David (Danny Lee Wynter) in Black Superhero. He’s long held a torch for friend King (Dyllón Burnside), who is playing superhero Craw in a low-brow movie franchise.
‘A celebration of hard won opportunity that must never be torn away’: WALDO’S CIRCUS OF MAGIC & TERROR – Touring
Waldo’s Circus of Magic and Terror is advertised as a new musical, and it does have songs in, but it also has much more. To me, it feels like a play with music, dance, creative access design, and circus acrobatics mixed together. And the combination is very effective. The show is powerful, with funny moments, beautiful moments, and devastatingly sad moments as it reminds us of terrible things that have happened to people who are considered ‘different’ through history.
‘An often thrilling production’: DANCE OF DEATH – Coronet Theatre
Usually, European productions find a home at the Barbican but The National Theatre of Norway has gone west to Notting Hill for the UK transfer of Dance of Death performed in the original Norwegian with English surtitles. This often thrilling production that explores the melodrama and violence in a 25-year marriage is compelling stuff, demonstrating how to make 120-year-old material feel brand new.
FROM DOWN UNDER – & Juliet in Melbourne
A breathless, rollicking rush of a feel good musical comedy, & Juliet makes its Australian premiere in killer form, with a peak Australian cast of fantabulous powerhouse artists.
‘A dazzling, excoriating new version’: ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF AN ANARCHIST – Lyric Hammersmith ★★★★★
Daniel Rigby won a BAFTA for his portrayal of the beloved comedian Eric Morecambe in a 2011 TV film. The spirit of Morecambe – endearing, absurd, inspired, with a slight edge of danger – permeates Rigby’s performance in this savagely brilliant reinvention of Dario Fo and Franca Rame’s police corruption satire Accidental Death Of An Anarchist at the Lyric Hammersmith.
New post-show Q&A: Terri Paddock digs out her platforms for a chat with The Way Old Friends Do cast & creatives at the Park Theatre
Calling all ABBA and new writing fans! I’m delighted to return to the Park Theatre for the premiere of The Way Old Friends Do, written by and starring Ian Hallard and directed by Mark Gatiss.
‘Visceral, animalistic & strange’: MACBETH – Southwark Playhouse
It is an unusual Macbeth that comes to life with the Porter’s scene, the play’s disconcerting post-murder comic interlude – even more so when it is performed without words. Dale Wylde’s mimed scene is a weird and captivating interlude. It encapsulates the strengths and weaknesses of Flabbergast Theatre’s version at Southwark Playhouse.
NEWS: Test your nerve in the thrilling site-responsive experience Facts not Opinions’: Stretched to the Limit
Step back in time and enter the world’s first Victorian Testing and Experimenting Works on London’s Bankside for an evocative and surreal new site-responsive performance. Expect to be tested to your limits during Illuminate Productions’ ‘Facts not Opinions’: Stretched to the Limit.