On World Earth Day today this new piece from the creative collective GymJam, Anthropocene: The Human Era, makes its points in an unusual way.
‘Silly & entertaining’: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST – The Dukes Lancaster (Online review)
This perky and playful version based on Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance of Earnest fromThe Dukes Lancaster is engaging to watch.
NEWS: Royal Shakespeare Company’s summer programme features new outdoor theatre
The Royal Shakespeare Company has released full details of its summer 2021 programme which includes an artists’ impression of the newly conceived Lydia & Manfred Gorvy Garden Theatre.
‘A dark masterpiece’: THE SEPARATION – Living Record Productions (Online review)
The camera can take you to places where the naked eye rarely goes. Like close. Very close. Close up. And then some. This is exemplified by Fraser Watson’s brilliant filming of The Separation, a 17-minute short written by Dan Horrigan and Haven Taranta.
‘Not all subterfuge & double jeopardy’: A SPLINTER OF ICE – Original Theatre Company (Online review)
A Splinter of Ice moves away from a basic biography by mirroring its spy subjects and never allowing the audience to be quite sure which of its many faces is the real one.
‘Costello is luminous in the title role’: PRIVATE PEACEFUL – Barn Theatre, Cirencester (Online review)
A co-production from BoxLess Theatre and the Barn Theatre, and adapted from the novel by Michael Morpurgo, Private Peaceful is the story of Private Thomas Peaceful (Emily Costello, the first female performer to play the role professionally).
‘Significant piece of new theatre writing’: THE MOTHERHOOD PROJECT – BAC (Online review)
The likes of Hannah Khalil, Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, Sarah Niles and Juno Dawson deliver some excellent work in The Motherhood Project.
‘Satirical throughout’: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST – The Dukes Lancaster (Online review)
This re-working of The Importance of Being Earnest is fun, frothy, and at a time when theatres are in the dark, provides a much-needed laugh, and laugh I did.
‘Identifies how so very much is at stake’: LIVING NEWSPAPER #5 – Royal Court Theatre (Online review)
The Royal Court’s Living Newspaper continues with edition #5 which feels a little less reactive to the headlines and a little more reflective on the state of the world as we find it today.
Mark Shenton’s weekly chart of forthcoming theatrical comings & goings has some new entries
This weekly column keeps track of the shows that are coming back, or are newly being announced, as theatres prepare to re-open from next month onwards. It will be updated weekly until such time as it becomes a reality, and from then on will provide a weekly update to that week’s openings and future ones.
‘A fun & imaginative concept’: The Giant Pacific Octopus Maritime School – Written on the Waves (Online review)
Taking the idea of having to adapt to a new world and transforming it into a surreal sci-fi adventure, The Giant Octopus Maritime School is a really interesting concept for the penultimate audio drama in the Written on the Waves project.
‘Leanne Best is on exceptionally good form’: HARM – BBC Lights Up Festival (Online review)
Harm by Phoebe Eclair-Powell was due to run at London’s Bush Theatre last spring but has now been remade for the small screen.
‘Economical & punchy’: SMILE – Dundee Rep (Online review)
Smile, Dundee Rep’s football-themed online offering, transfers to the screen to provide a satisfactory record of 2020’s successful play about the legendary Jim McLean.
‘Well worth a watch’: OUTSIDE – Orange Tree Theatre (Online review) ★★★★
Curated by the Orange Tree’s literary associate Guy Jones, Outside also comprises three short plays, this time stories with a theme of connection and hope.
‘Engrossing from the first moment’: A SPLINTER OF ICE – Original Theatre Company (Online review)
A Splinter of Ice is a ‘tell, not show’ play but it is engrossing from the first moment, and the characters feel completely believeable with their moments of resigned boredom, creaks of ageing, and acceptance of the card fate dealt them.
‘The writing rejoices in the sound of the words’: CRUISE – Stream.Theatre (Online review)
Writer/performer Jack Holden’s full on powerhouse performance in Cruise will hold you in awe for 90 minutes.
Putting profits before people? Where is the original Phantom of the Opera we were promised?
When The Phantom of the Opera was unloaded from the Her Majesty’s Theatre last year, it produced the forlorn sight of the original Phantom chandelier resting on the pavement outside the theatre instead of poised over the proscenium from which it famously comes crashing down over the heads of those seated in the stalls.
‘This adaptation is a joy to portray’: Melanie Marshall stars in a new digital production of The Importance of Being Earnest
Actress Melanie Marshall chatted to us about the upcoming digital production of The Importance of Being Earnest – co-produced by the Lawrence Batley Theatre and The Dukes.
‘Constantly surprises with the visuals it gives us’: NO FUTURE – Camden People’s Theatre (Online review)
The second commission in the Outside the Box series, No Future (written by Adam Welsh) is a multi-dimensional project bridging film, theatre and installation.
NEWS: Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2021 show registration set to open in May
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society has announced that show registration for Fringe 2021, taking place from 6-30 August, will open on 5 May.