It’s that glorious Gershwin music that carries Crazy For You at Chichester Festival Theatre. Sure, there are some funny lines, and the plot has the classic boy-meets-girl-but-doesn’t-realise-the-moment-is-special trope, but ultimately, it’s the songs and the opportunities for dance that the music provides that lifts this from being a Gershwin greatest hits show to a truly great piece of theatre.
‘Played perfectly’: COPENHAGEN – Mayflower Mast Studios, Southampton ★★★★
If you’ve been starved of productions to make you think, Copenhagen at Mayflower Mast Studios, Southampton is an excellent way to ease yourself back into a stalls seat and re-engage your brain.
‘It’s a blunt force impact of emotion, building to a frenzy’: CRAVE – Chichester Festival Theatre
Crave is a blunt force impact of emotion, building to a frenzy and then, in a little under 50 minutes, it’s over and we leave. The world outside is just the same, but we’re refreshed – a vital dose of theatre to see us through winter months.
You don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone: As theatre has gone out of my life, I’ve missed it more & more
When I want to scream, I go to see live sport. I can shout, scream and roar in support of my teams and vent any emotions that way. When I want to laugh, or smile (or cry), I have always turned to theatre
‘Utterly recognisable & thoroughly fresh’: LES MISERABLES – Touring ★★★★★
Bartlett Sher’s new production of Les Miserables may not have the cosy familiarity of the original Trevor Nunn (I still miss the revolve) but it makes up for that with a relentless energy.
‘Masterful central performances are worth the admission price alone’: MACBETH – Chichester
See this production of Macbeth for those masterful central performances, they’re more than worth the price of admission, even if so much of the rest is “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing!”
‘A recipe for success’: TOWARDS ZERO – Sonning ★★★★
Towards Zero is a play I wasn’t familiar with if I’m honest, but if it isn’t the best known of Agatha Christie’s works, it does have a reputation as the best of her stage adaptations.
‘Engaging & very enjoyable production’: OKLAHOMA! – Chichester ★★★
This year Chichester Festival Theatre is taking on Oklahoma! with their usual mix of respect for the piece and urge to find a new viewpoint on it.
‘A rambunctious, riotous, rebellious bundle of joy’: MATILDA THE MUSICAL – Touring ★★★★
If, like me, you still love to stick your head in a book and long to remember the days you could read for hours unencumbered by the worries of the world then get along and see Matilda The Musical, a kindred spirit’s story writ large across the Southampton stage.
Best of the Blogs: From Brexit via Plenty to A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Amidst editor Lisa Martland’s seven Top Picks from the last week of theatre are Libby Purves’ description of her blissful time at Nicholas Hytner’s immersive production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Bridge Theatre and Aleks Sierz’s thoughts on the Kiln Theatre’s new opening, Samuel Adamson’s take on A Doll’s House in Wife.
‘An impressive cast but lacks direction’: PLENTY – Chichester
We’re told Plenty is viewed as a modern classic. For the life of me I have no idea why and the sterling work of this excellent cast can do nothing to dissuade me.
Best of the Blogs: All My Sons, Rosmersholm, Man Of La Mancha, This Is My Family & more
As part of a new series, our editor Lisa Martland picks out seven of her Top Picks from the last week of theatre (29 April-6 May 2019), ranging from Johnny Fox’s nostalgic return to see All My Sons and Maryam Philpott’s thoughts on the much-anticipated Rosmersholm starring Tom Burke and Hayley Atwell.
‘Hugh Bonneville is utterly compelling & thoroughly engaging’: SHADOWLANDS – Chichester ★★★★
Shadowlands, the William Nicholson play that charts the story of C.S. Lewis’ correspondence-turned-relationship with the American poet Joy Gresham, is such a perfect fit for the Chichester audience it’s almost a surprise it isn’t a regular feature here.
‘Blindsided me with its warmth and sense of fun’: THIS IS MY FAMILY – Chichester ★★★★
This Is My Family is a little gem from Calendar Girls/Neville’s Island writer Tim Firth which blindsided me with its warmth and sense of fun, even when dealing with painful situations.
‘Perfect reimagination’: SWAN LAKE – Touring ★★★★
The most famous aspect of Matthew Bourne’s production of Swan Lake is the replacement of lithe ballerinas with muscular male dancers but this is a much reimagined story and as with all of New Adventures’ productions the mix of recognisable settings, dark imagery and moments of high comedy makes for a thoroughly entertaining evening.
‘As brash, raucous & punchy as you might expect’: AMERICAN IDIOT – Touring ★★★
This new production of American Idiot from Selladoor is as brash, raucous and punchy as you might expect and opens with all guns blazing into the title song. T
‘There’s not a weak link on display’: THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG – Touring ★★★★★
In a wonderful case of life imitating art I have now, at the third time of trying, finally made it along to see The Play That Goes Wrong, a show that has done its best to elude me both in the West End and around the UK.
‘We are in the presence of the queen of insult comedy’: BLAME IT ON BIANCA DEL RIO – Touring ★★★★★
Bianca Del Rio made her name on season six of Ru Paul’s Drag Race nearly five years ago, but she’s been performing for far longer and it shows.
‘You can sit back & smile from ear to ear’: ME AND MY GIRL – Chichester ★★★★★
In Sheffield Daniel Evans made a name for himself with dazzling musicals that were, for all the razzamatazz, full of heart and he’s done the same here, taking a show so familiar and finding a whole new range of nuances within it.
‘You should do everything in your power to see it’: TITANIC THE MUSICAL – Touring ★★★★★
It’s not often you see a touring production greeted with a standing ovation but as one of the many on their feet I can say it was thoroughly deserved for Titanic the Musical. Shows like this simply don’t come around often enough.