My Theatre Mates have been collecting official announcements of theatre closures up and down the country in the Twitter thread below and will continue to add updates as they come in.
‘Does exactly what it says on the tin’: CIRQUE BERSERK – Touring ★★★
Newbury-based circus company Cirque Berserk! appears at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre as part of its 2020 tour. The company brands itself as ‘Real Circus made for Theatre’ and it does exactly what it says on the tin.
‘Funny, heart-warming & joyous show’: EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE – Touring ★★★★
A real joy to watch from start to finish. the story behind Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is one of courage against adversity, but one that is full of humour and love too.
‘Enough energy to light Hampton Court for 500 years’: SIX THE MUSICAL – Touring ★★★★
You’ll lose your head over Six The Musical, which is bringing a new audience to the Festival Theatre just a week ahead of the show’s Broadway debut.
‘Its heart is undoubtedly in the right place’: OOR WULLIE – Touring ★★★
Oor Wullie, the touring musical from Selladoor, Dundee Rep and DC Thomson has moments of comic brilliance.
‘Surprising & endlessly entertaining affair’: PRIDE & PREJUDICE* (*SORT OF) – Touring ★★★★
Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) has a superbly wide frame of reference, and which is thought-provoking as well as being sheer good fun.
Ought To Be Clowns’ 10 favourite shows of 2019
Ought To Be Clowns barely saw 250 shows this year, quiet by his standards. And as is the way of these things, here’s a rundown of some of the productions that moved me most…
‘Wants for nothing in terms of spectacle or budget’: THE LION KING – Touring ★★★★
Visually arresting, the touring production of The Lion King which is booked into the Playhouse until March 2020, wants for nothing in terms of spectacle or budget.
FEATURED SHOW: Take a look at the ★★★★ reviews for one-man drama Impact
“Stunningly intelligent,” “captivating and compelling”, “stunningly original” – Check out the reviews from an ealier run of solo drama Impact, which comes to London’s Hen & Chickens theatre this week, then book your tickets now.
‘Deserves to be remembered for years to come’: THE KING & I – Touring ★★★★★
The collective charisma of the cast in a stunning production of The King and I earns a well-deserved standing ovation.
‘As finely-tuned a theatrical machine as you are likely to see’: BARBER SHOP CHRONICLES – Touring ★★★★
There is a winning combination of the playful and the profound in Barber Shop Chronicles which allies serious stagecraft and knowledge to sheer enjoyability.
‘Little in the way of pre-Halloween excitement’: FRANKENSTEIN – Touring
Confused in its execution, this touring version of Frankenstein has high production values but offers a rushed retelling of the story that fails to work in practice.
FEATURED SHOW: Last week to catch ★★★★★ ‘ingenious’ Islander musical
It’s the final week to see Musical Theatre Review award-winning and Offies-nominated new musical Islander. And, after its premiere at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, it’s racked another wave of critical raves in its London transfer to Southwark Playhouse.
‘Class act from start to end’: WHAT’S IN A NAME? – Touring
Jeremy Sams’ translation of Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patellière’s 2010 play Le Prénom, What’s in a Name? proves to be a class act from start to end.
‘I always take the motherly role in whatever cast I’m a part of’: Amanda Bailey on treacle tarts & reprising her role in The Good Scout
Glenn Chandler’s latest Edinburgh Festival hit The Good Scout now transfers to London’s Above the Stag Theatre, and Amanda Bailey is once again relishing being the only woman in the cast and reprising her acclaimed performance as “the epitome of an English mum”. Time to get booking!
‘Remains a vital piece of theatre’: A TASTE OF HONEY – Touring ★★★
Some outstanding performances overcome a series of gimmicky directorial choices in the UK National Theatre’s touring production of A Taste of Honey at the King’s.
‘How can you resist it?’: MAMMA MIA! – Touring ★★★★
It’s not just one of us who was pleased to have Mamma Mia! back on the Edinburgh Playhouse stage – an air of expectation and excitement filled the entire auditorium for the show.
‘Sufficient scares to get the blood pumping’: THE EXORCIST – Touring
The Exorcist is a little flabby, even at a short 100 minute running time, and it never matches the nerve-shredding tension of the movie version, but there are sufficient scares to get the blood pumping.
NEWS: Cast announced for the London transfer of Glenn Chandler’s The Good Scout
Casting is now confirmed for the London transfer of The Good Scout, the latest Glenn Chandler Edinburgh Festival hit to transfer to London’s Above the Stag Theatre. Time to get booking!