David Greig’s much-lauded mountaineering survival story fails to reach the dizzy heights.
‘Lays down its comedy with a thud’: CYRANO – Bristol ★★★
It’s only when the location moves to the battlefield and the production is allowed to breathe and the poetry to sing that this production of Cyrano finally begins to come into its own.
‘It’s impossible to not be won over’: PRIDE & PREJUDICE* (*SORT OF) – Bristol ★★★★
Much like Six, that pushes King Henry to the sidelines to place the spotlight on his long-suffering wives, here the Bennett sisters get to take complete ownership of the stage and the story they tell in Pride and Prejudice* (*Sort Of).
‘Awash with beautifully heightened language’: UNICORNS, ALMOST – Bristol ★★★
It may not be a piece that shakes you, but in bringing the words of Keith Douglas to its audience, Sheers has proved a willing literary executor.
REVIEW ROUND-UP: Peter Pan at Troubadour White City Theatre
Sally Cookson’s National Theatre and Bristol Old Vic production of JM Barrie’s classic story Peter Pan officially opens the Troubadour White City Theatre, where it’s booking until 27 October 2019. Love London Love Culture rounds up the reviews.
‘Charming but old-fashioned’: MALORY TOWERS – Touring ★★★
The Malory Towers company deserves great plaudits for putting their all into such a high-intensity show; it’s a charming piece but one that undoubtedly feels like minor-key Rice.
NEWS: Sally Cookson’s Peter Pan will open at the Troubadour White City in July 2019
Sally Cookson’s retelling of Peter Pan by JM Barrie will open at new West London venue, Troubadour White City Theatre, on 20 July 2019 and run through to 27 October, with a press performance on 27 July.
‘It shows how integration can help lift artistry’: IN THE WILLOWS – Touring ★★★★
Who could have predicted that Kenneth Grahame’s genteel Edwardian tale about riverbanks and hot buttered toast would translate so well to Metta Theatre’s grime infused retelling? I went in sceptical; I came out converted by one of the freshest, most original pieces of theatre I’ve seen this year.
NEWS: Tom Morris’ production of Touching the Void receives West End transfer
Tom Morris’ production of Touching the Void will open in the West End at the Duke of York’s Theatre, previewing from 9 November 2019 for a strictly limited season with an opening night of 14 November.
‘The kind of work that should open some doors’: BARBER SHOP CHRONICLES – Touring ★★★★
Theatre is tackling a constant diversity issue, a key component being how to attract an audience that rarely feels the theatre is open to them. Barber Shop Chronicles is the kind of work that should open some doors.
‘Geographical & emotional odyssey’: BARBER SHOP CHRONICLES – Touring
Barber Shop Chronicles is a bold and inexorable march towards changing the way we share stories, shifting the mainstream narrative and dealing with both joy and pain in equal measure.
‘It produces a thrilling effect’: EQUUS – Touring ★★★★
Arousing and disturbing in equal measures, English Touring Theatre’s production of Equus stirs the senses as much as engages the brain.
NEWS: Emma Rice follows Wise Children with Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers adaptation
Following the success of Wise Children, Emma Rice will adapt and direct Malory Towers, based on Enid Blyton’s classic children’s novels.
‘A bewitching, bewildering work from one of Britain’s foremost physical theatre companies’: INSTITUTE – Bristol Old Vic ★★★
Many of us will be all too aware of the 9-to-5 drudge that office life can encompass. Yet in Gecko’s Institute, the office becomes a place of both dream and nightmare.
FEATURED SHOW: Check out the ★★★★ reviews for Headlong’s ‘heart-stopping’ Richard III at Alexandra Palace
“Thrilling”, “illuminating” & “excellent” – Headlong’s new production of Richard III has impressed critics in both Bristol, where it opened earlier this month, and at Alexandra Palace, where it continues until 31 March. Take a look at the fantastic reviews we’ve gathered together, then book your tickets!
‘Deserves to be seen far & wide’: RICHARD III – London & Touring ★★★★★
Truly great acting is rare to see on stages these days, the type that elevates good work into a higher form of art. Yet right now at Bristol Old Vic, Tom Mothersdale’s Tricky Dicky, Richard III, is music, verse and sculpture of the highest order.
PRODUCTION IMAGES: Step into the dark, reflective world of Headlong’s Richard III
Mirrors, mist and paper crowns – the world of Headlong’s Richard III looks dark, Gothic and ominous. Check out these stunning production shots from the touring production’s run at Bristol Old Vic, then book your tickets for its run at London’s Alexandra Palace!
BEHIND THE SCENES: Discover more about the restoration of Alexandra Palace’s Victorian theatre before the arrival of Richard III
Alexandra Palace Theatre, which hosts Richard III from 13 to 31 March 2019, entertained audiences of thousands during its Victorian heyday, but has been closed to the public for 80 years. Thankfully it is open once more and co-producing the Shakespearean classic. Take a look at the fascinating restoration process.
GALLERY: Peek into rehearsals for Headlong & Alexandra Palace’s exciting new version of Richard III
Crowns, contortion and the most neatly arranged mood wall you’re ever likely to see – take a look into rehearsals for Richard III, then book your tickets to see it as it comes to the newly restored Alexandra Palace Theatre from 13 to 31 March 2019!
‘You can’t help falling in love with it’: PRINCESS & THE HUSTLER – Touring ★★★★
A few hours before press night, on Valentine’s morning, playwright Chinonyerem Odimba tweeted out that her new play Princess & The Hustler was a love letter to her Bristol, a city she fell in love with 20 years ago.