Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman’s Ghost Stories has been entertaining audiences since 2010 both on the stage and in a 2017 film adaptation and this revival at the Ambassadors Theatre is a welcome return.
Mates blogger: Shanine Salmon
Shanine Salmon is one of over 45 theatre bloggers who are part of the MyTheatreMates collective. This page features Shanine's posts on MyTheatreMates. Take a look at our full list of theatre bloggers and our aggregated feed of all our Mates' posts. We’re always looking for new theatre bloggers. Could that be you? Learn about how to join us.
Shanine Salmon was a latecomer to theatre after being seduced by the National Theatre's £5 entry pass tickets and a slight obsession with Alex Jennings. She is sadly no longer eligible for 16-25 theatre tickets but she continues to abuse under 30 offers. There was a market for bringing awareness that London theatre was affordable in an era of £100+ West End tickets – Shanine’s blog, View from the Cheap Seat, launched in April 2016, focuses on productions and theatres that have tickets available for £20 and under. She is also quite opinionated and has views on diversity, pricing, theatre seats and nudity on stage. Her interests include Rocky Horror, gaming, theatre (of course) and she also has her own Etsy shop. Shanine tweets at @Braintree_.
The latest from Shanine on MyTheatreMates
‘Vulnerable & versatile presence’: VELVET – Above the Stag Theatre
Tom Ratcliffe’s one-man show Velvet follows a tributary of the River Weinstein to the English audition scene – a world of bits parts and capricious agents. Essentially, it’s a riff on the old joke, “who do I have to blow to get this job?”
‘Lovely adaptation of a well-loved book’: ANGELA’S ASHES THE MUSICAL – Croydon
In terms of performances and book Angela’s Ashes The Musical is a great show and a lovely adaptation of a well loved book. But less so an exceptional musical.
‘A useful reminder of how we got here & what’s required to fix it’: THE PERMANENT WAY – The Vaults
If the devil is in the detail, David Hare’s old polemic against rail privatisation, Permanent Way, is a satanic ejaculation.
‘An engaging tale told from a single perspective’: WHAT GIRLS ARE MADE OF – Soho Theatre
Cora Bissett’s What Girls Are Made Of is an engaging story, framed – in truth or hope, as one of naivety, overreach and reinvention. But it’s also a tale told from a single perspective;
‘A refreshing tale brilliantly told’: QUEEN OF THE MIST – Charing Cross Theatre
Pint of Wine’s production of Michael John LaChiusa’s Queen of the Mist transfers from the Brockley Jack Studio to the traverse stage of the Charing Cross Theatre, keeping its original cast in tact.
‘Sometimes rhapsodic & always beautiful’: CHIAROSCURO – Bush Theatre
Chiaroscuro succeeds as a celebration of how the lives of different black women are thriving, whatever their sexuality.
‘A guarantee of quality’: THE STRANGE CASE OF JEKYLL & HYDE – Brockley Jack Studio Theatre & Touring
Arrows and Traps’ residency at the Brockley Jack is a guarantee of quality. This new adaptation, from director and writer Ross McGregor, of the classic novel sets the scene in 21st century America; amongst school shootings, right wing rhetoric, sexuality and the science that makes Jekyll & Hyde seem a possibility rather than a fantasy.
‘Unlikely to either open minds or stimulate them’: A VERY EXPENSIVE POISON – Old Vic
Though it’s in places informative, A Very Expensive Poison is a very expensive means of sapping the intrigue and human interest from one man’s inhumane death
‘Charming, witty & high-energy’: MACBETH THE MUSICAL – White Bear Theatre
Hands up if you’ve seen MacBeth. Now keep your hands up if it was a musical version. Now keep them up if it was a musical performed by (what I assume for legal reasons aren’t actually) muppets.
‘Burlesque & circus are a match made in heaven’: ROUGE – Underbelly Festival
Promising ‘a decadent and astonishing blend of sensational acrobatics, soaring aerial trapeze, operatic cabaret and tongue in cheek burlesque’, Rouge transfers to London straight off the back of its UK premiere for Underbelly at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
‘You won’t be disappointed’: CABARET – Touring
What a pleasure to see Rufus Norris’ award winning production of Kander and Ebb’s Cabaret at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley.
‘Family drama that digs deeper’: GO BANG YOUR TAMBOURINE – Finborough Theatre
With Go Bang Your Tambourine, the Finborough Theatre has once more succeeded in digging out a purportedly dated play and bringing it to life in a manner which is faithful to the playwright but does not alienate a modern audience. Kudos to them.
‘The writers & cast are to be commended’: WARHEADS – Park Theatre
I commend the writers Taz Skykar and Ross Berkeley Simpson and the director Toby Clarke of Warheads for attempting to tackle the topic of PTSD for soldiers and how it affects their loved ones.
‘Ned Bennett’s direction is another star of the show’: EQUUS – West End
Ned Bennett’s direction is another star of the show; the relationship between Ira Mandela Siobhan as Nugget, a Chestnut horse who has a close relationship with Strang, is stunning.
‘Has the spirit of Zinn’: THE TIME OF OUR LIES – Park Theatre
Bianca Bagatourian’s script adapts the life and work of Howard Zinn (who passed away in 2010) into this 65-minute long play.
‘Modern, relatable & relevant’: WRATH OF ACHILLES – Union Theatre & Edinburgh
Distilling a significant chunk of Homer’s ancient epic into a fringe-friendly 55 minutes is a huge task, but one which writer Jack Fairey somehow achieves with ease in Wrath of Achilles.
‘An immersive treasure-hunt of a performance’: THE TEMPEST – Oxford
Creation Theatre’s The Tempest is well worth a trek to Oxford, especially for reluctant theatre-goers who might have given up on Shakespeare in the past.
‘The three leads seem to lack chemistry’: THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA – West End
James Macdonald is the latest director to tackle The Night of the Iguana, perhaps best known from its film adaptation starring Richard Burton , Deborah Kerr and Ava Gardner.
‘Sheer exuberance & joy’: YOURS SINCERELY – King’s Head Theatre & Edinburgh ★★★
Yours Sincerely is a coming of age story from Will Jackson (also performing) and Lucy Bird, founders of Quick Duck Theatre, directed by Anna Himali Howard.