Alan Bennett writes that “I’ve always had a soft spot for George III”, for no better reason than that he had studied the monarch’s reign at secondary school and then again at uni.
‘A towering central performance by Mark Gatiss’: THE MADNESS OF GEORGE III – Nottingham Playhouse (Online review)
An excellent production of a modern classic with a towering central performance: Alan Bennett’s early 1990s play examines public versus private monarchical concerns at the end of the 18th century in the latest stream from National Theatre At Home.
‘You gain in a proximity to the action denied even to the front row’: NT Live screening – The Madness of King George III
The revival of Alan Bennett’s 1991 classic The Madness of King George III at Nottingham Playhouse couldn’t then be more relevant, a play that speaks to our interest in the people who govern us as well as concerns about fitness to rule, mental health and its treatment.
CD REVIEW: Twelfth Night (RSC 2017) – Music & Speeches
I was glad to see the RSC’s recent Twelfth Night (starring Adrian Edmondson and Kara Tointon) has become part of its CD collection, saving several musical performances and songs for eternity
A CHRISTMAS CAROL – Stratford-upon-Avon (RSC) ★★★★
This year’s seasonal offering in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre is a grand affair as David Edgar (it was he who famously adapted Dickens’ Nicholas Nickleby for the company back in 1980) tackles A Christmas Carol.
NELL GWYNN – Touring
A musical about Nell Gwynn, when ‘orange’ is notoriously the most difficult word with which to rhyme? Sounds a tough prospect. As it happens, this isn’t strictly a musical, it’s a comedy with music. It’s also a drama with music.
THE RIVALS – Bristol & touring
First performed in 1775, The Rivals is still standing the test of time, it seems, and never more evident than with this production at the glorious Bristol Old Vic. The eloquent dialogue (written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan) mingled with a few cheeky modern slants, made for an extremely entertaining and wondrous evening at the theatre.