Lorraine Hansberry’s play Les Blancs is vividly and powerfully brought to life in Yaël Farber‘s atmospheric production.
‘Sharply funny & sweetly touching’: NIGEL SLATER’S TOAST (Online review)
Hot on the heels of their starry audio version of The Understudy, Lawrence Batley Theatre has now released an audio version of Toast to the digital space following a successful tour last year.
When I saw this show live at The Other Palace, I was str…
‘A sheer spectacle with plenty of energy & passion’: CELTIC TIGER – The Shows Must Go On! (Online review)
This 2005 production of Celtic Tiger directed, produced and choreographed by Michael Flatley has some interesting concepts – but put together comes across as an incoherent show.
‘It is emotional to watch from start to finish’: HAMILTON – Disney Plus (Online review) ★★★★★
Spectacularly unique and filled with passion, this filmed version of the hit Broadway musical Hamilton is exquisite to watch – no matter how many times you have seen it.
‘Beautifully done, if you don’t find that sort of thing unbearable’: LOVE LETTERS AT HOME – Fuel Theatre (Online review)
Love Letters At Home takes the well-worn Our Tune concept from the old days and uses it to develop a show where, no matter what’s going on and whether we are together and apart, it is always 14 February.
Tories announce a £100 million bailout… for zoos!
No news of government help for theatre as Tories announce a £100 million bailout… for zoos! Yes, that’s right. You couldn’t make it up!
Measuring love: Rent is a musical of not just a generation but of a pandemic
Rent recently marked its 24th anniversary since its Broadway opening. Every year I try to write something. This year, in particular, it seemed important to.
‘A courtroom setting gets round socially distanced difficulties’: THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS – Guildford Shakespeare Company (Online review)
Guildford Shakespeare Company first performed their adaptation of Kenneth Grahame’s classic in 2015. After a successful series of Zoom murder mystery evenings, they decided to recreate their hit family production.
‘A quick diversion at just 11.5 minutes’: LAG – A ZOOMSICAL COMEDY (Online review)
At just eleven and a half minutes, this satirical musical by Haddon Kime is a quick diversion on YouTube from the Atlanta-based company Out of Hand.
‘Hearing others cheering, clapping & laughing transports you into a new realm’: TWELFTH NIGHT – The Maltings Theatre (Online review)
Shakespeare. Theatre. Press Nights. These are all concepts we are familiar with, but in this unprecedented time of COVID-19 lockdown, for a moment we were unsure how theatre would survive.
‘This is a play that certainly repays interest’: JANE CLEGG – Finborough Theatre
A rediscovered Edwardian problem play gives a clear picture of marriage and morals in a bygone era.
‘A delightful two hours of comedy, love & misunderstandings’: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, Bridge Theatre ★★★★★ (Online review)
Enhancing the magic and dreamy qualities of the play, Nicholas Hytner’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a delightful two hours of comedy, love and misunderstandings.
Are the OnComms the template for theatrical awards in ‘the new normal’?
The current circumstances mean that there are questions about whether there will even be a usual theatre awards season next winter/spring, especially as there may, ostensibly, be little to give awards for. However, one scheme has stepped blinking into the light.
How important is theatre photography to the success of a show?
Theatre photography is one of the most important ways to promote a new production and simultaneously one of the elements audiences – and probably most creatives – actively think least about.
‘An entertaining & fresh take on Shakespeare’s canon’: BARD FROM THE BARN – Barn Theatre (Online review)
The Barn Theatre in Cirencester has built on its broadcast earlier in lockdown of Henry V to develop a sequence of thirty-five monologues from Shakespeare’s plays.
Series one begins with the theatre itself and a stirring speech from Henry V, but as …
‘Distinct voices ably portrayed’: THE MIKVAH PROJECT – Orange Tree Theatre (Radio review)
The Mikvah Project by Josh Azouz had originally got quite a way into its run at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond before lockdown took place.
‘Charmingly quirky’: Amélie The Musical ★★★★★ (Album review)
This charmingly quirky musical is captured wonderfully on this newly released cast recording.
‘A powerful exploration of Covid-19 & racism’: WE R NOT VIRUS – Omnibus Theatre (Online review)
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, hate crime targeted at East and South-East Asians has tripled. We R Not Virus is a series of monologues, films and poetry responding to that.
Please help, Oliver Dowden: Theatres are on their knees
I’m sharing the message that I’ve sent to Oliver Dowden, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS).
Large West End production compan…
‘Never less than arresting’: SHOE LADY – Royal Court Theatre (Radio review)
BBC Radio’s Lockdown Theatre Festival, curated by Bertie Carvel, highlights productions cut short by broadcasting them with the original casts, albeit in an audio format only.