It is sometimes possible to get a better perspective on a play through experiencing it as a piece of audio drama rather than seeing it live on stage and I found this to be the case with Haunting Julia by Alan Ayckbourn.
‘Demonstrates the power of art to thrill & challenge’: RED – The Shows Must Go On! (Online review)
Red beautifully demonstrates the central thesis that sons must challenge fathers, the old must give way to the new and art and theatre must constantly evolve and change in order to survive – a lesson which has been all too evident as Lockdown2 comes to a close.
‘A performance that burns with anger & emotion’: DEATH OF ENGLAND: DELROY (Online review)
Death Of England: Delroy is by Clint Dyer and Roy Williams and is a response to their own earlier play, simply called Death Of England which played at the National Theatre before Covid hoved into our lives.
‘A feast for the eyes & ears’: USER NOT FOUND – Dante Or Die (Online review)
Dante Or Die’s User Not Found is a stimulating and thoughtful piece which pushes the boundaries of what theatre is and can be.
’It’s best just to throw yourself into the role’: AGENT VENTURE (Online review)
If you’re missing socialising but want something a bit more structured than a straightforward video call, then you will find immersive adventure game Agent Venture a real tonic.
‘A real call to arms’: EMILIA (Online review)
One play I have seen consistently recommended over the last couple of years is Emilia which premiered at The Globe in 2018 and transferred to the West End last year and was awarded three Oliviers.
‘Sparklingly dark world’: THE BEAST WILL RISE 6-10 (Online review)
What really strikes home in The Beast Will Rise series is the sheer range of scenarios which Philip Ridley conjures, all – in one way or another – providing responses to the pandemic, lockdown, survival and mental health.
‘Clever as well as disarming’: FRIGHTENERS – Spontaneous Productions Theatre Company (Online review)
Having had a day to recover (!), I headed back for the second tranche of Frighteners from the Spontaneous Productions Theatre Company, highlighted as part of Scenesaver’s Fright Night programme for Halloween.
‘Novel & engaging show’: THE UNIVERSITY OF WONDER & IMAGINATION – Cahoots NI (Online review)
While University Of Wonder And Imagination is fun it is also educational and provides a stimulating introduction to a number of topics which can be explored further.
‘Paul Kennedy gives a performance of note’: CONTINUITY – Finborough Theatre (Online review)
Continuity is just one of the online plays available from the Finborough Theatre’s repertoire. It is not an easy watch but has many important points to make about political and personal beliefs and is a worthy addition to the theatre’s growing roster of material which challenges and provokes.
‘Demonstrating the power of aural memories’: DIGITAL CARAVAN THEATRE – Series 2 (Online review)
The microplays in the Digital Caravan Theatre Series 2 are full of a richness born out of careful time management giving them a leanness which is sometimes lacking in longer works.
‘Piece after piece remains with you after the performance’: THE NEW TOMORROW – Young Vic (Online review)
Although a rather more muted celebration than originally planned, The New Tomorrow is a powerful acknowledgment of the theatre’s ongoing mission to be a real centre for the community.
‘A thoroughly sobering piece of work’: NO MASKS (Online review)
Back in April, part of Theatre Royal Stratford East’s response to the pandemic was to create a new type of project. They put out a call to key workers in the local community to share their stories via a video wall. Out of some of these writer Rebecca Lenkiewicz and director Nadia Fall have created a series of imagined monologues which have been filmed as No Masks.
‘There are some very funny moments’: DOING THE BOOK CLUB – Northern Comedy Theatre (Online review)
Northern Comedy Theatre has once again brightened up the online drama landscape with Doing The Book Club, the latest in David Spicer’s Doing… series.
‘He roams the stage like a cornered bear growling & spitting with fury’: DEATH OF A HUNTER – Finborough Theatre (Online review)
Edmund Dehn is great in Death of a Hunter as Ernest Hemingway, the role of a 20th century icon who lived and died explosively.
‘We had a great time getting to the solution’: SHERLOCK IN HOMES: MURDER AT THE CIRCUS – Sharp Teeth (Online review)
The pleasure of Sherlock In Homes: Murder at the Circus lies in watching half a dozen brains quickly scramble to come up with answers to what can be some pretty left field questions from the audience,
‘A family drama which transcends its genre’: BURIED CHILD (Online review)
Buried Child is a family drama which transcends its genre and this excellent production enhances its already considerable reputation.
‘Irresistibly charming & life affirming’: ROMANTICS ANONYMOUS – Bristol Old Vic (Online review)
Feelgood musical Romantics Anonymous at Bristol Old Vic certainly works on both the level of a light confection and something more robust for the committed chocolatophile/musicophile.
‘Full of wit, humour & reminiscence’: A MARVELLOUS PARTY (Online review)
A Marvellous Party, commissioned by the Noël Coward Foundation, ostensibly marks the centenary of Coward’s first appearance on stage and has been produced to raise funds for actors on both sides of the Atlantic who are struggling with the effects of the pandemic.
‘Lively, timely & in places hilarious satire’: THE BOSS OF IT ALL – New Perspectives (Online review)
Writer/director Jack McNamara’s clever play The Boss Of It All remorselessly targets the ineptitude of the governing classes and, along the way, takes some delightful pot shots at the pretensions of a certain type of actor.