Paapa Essiedu and Lennie James deliver stunning performances in a cracking production of Caryl Churchill’s A Number at the Old Vic Theatre.
‘Celebrating the breadth & creativity of the theatre industry’: THE MEANING OF ZONG / AFTERPLAY – BBC Sounds
The Meaning of Zong and Afterplay showcase the power of audio drama to transport an audience’s imagination and to see the familiar a little differently.
With light at the end of the tunnel for live performance and some of our biggest institutions announcing summer programmes at their venues, the BBC’s new Lights Up Festival has arrived at a moment of optimism, not just acting as a reminder of all …
NEWS: Pitlochry Festival Theatre & Royal Lyceum Theatre announce casts for next 3 Sound Stage productions
Pitlochry Festival Theatre and the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh in association with Naked Productions have announced the casts for its three forthcoming Sound Stage plays.
NEWS: Cast announced for West End transfer of The Watsons, Tickets onsale
Initial casting is announced today for the West End transfer of Laura Wade’s The Watsons. Following sold-out seasons at both Chichester Festival Theatre and the Menier Chocolate Factory, the production runs at the Harold Pinter Theatre from 8 May to 26 September 2020, with a press night on 18 May. Tickets are now onsale via MyTheatreMates.
‘Delicious, clever & delectable confection’: THE WATSONS – Menier Chocolate Factory ★★★★★
Like characters in a book who never die, Laura Wade’s The Watsons at the Menier Chocolate Factory deserves to last forever.
‘Fun to watch from start to finish’: THE WATSONS – Menier Chocolate Factory ★★★★★
Laura Wade’s gleeful reimagining of Jane Austen’s unfinished novel in The Watsons is a refreshing tribute to her work and characters.
‘There are some fabulous laughs’: THE WATSONS – Menier Chocolate Factory ★★★★
Thus Andrew Davies sexes up Jane Austen’s Sanditon for ITV with incest, brothels and Theo James leaping on coaches, and up from Chichester, adapted a bit, here’s Laura Wade taking on the earlier Watsons.
‘A quality & innovative piece of theatre’: NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD LIVE! – Pleasance Theatre ★★★★
George A Romero’s 1968 movie Night Of The Living Dead not only unleashed zombies upon an unsuspecting world, but was also one of the first movies to fuse horrific gore with political allegory and just a spattering of satire.
‘There is an ambition & complexity’: THE WRITER – Almeida Theatre
Though it may lose its way, there is an ambition and complexity to The Writer – and an anger – that is worthy of its hype. It probably could have done with a bit more self-awareness, however, but nevertheless, for a few brief moments, I did finally see myself on a stage.
‘Brilliantly acted production’: THE WRITER – Almeida Theatre
The Writer makes a strong case for theatre as a place to debate the most urgent issues of the day and prove that, for some women, experimenting with form is not an option, but a necessity.
‘Only half the production really delivers’: THE WRITER – Almeida Theatre
The Writer is and should be a show that will divide audiences, but while the piece is pointed social commentary, it also has dramatic flaws that start to put out its own fire.
NEWS: Michael Gould, Lara Rossi & Samuel West join the cast of The Writer at the Almeida
Samuel West, Michael Gould and Lara Rossi will join the previously announced Romola Garai in the world premiere of Ella Hickson’s The Writer at the Almeida Theatre, directed by Blanche McIntyre.
JULIUS CAESAR – Sheffield
Robert Hastie’s opening salvo as the new Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres might not immediately quicken the pulse as we’ve hardly been lacking for productions of Julius Caesar. But it is soon apparent that this is a canny director at work
Year in Review: Helen McWilliams’ top 5 touring shows of 2016
Touring productions are the vast majority of shows that I go along to review, so whittling down a shortlist of the top ones from 2016 is no mean feat. The task has been eased somewhat as a few of my personal idols have been treading the boards this year and their appearances were highlights in themselves.
INTERVIEW: Spotlight On… Present Laughter’s Rebecca Johnson
Rebecca Johnson is an actress whose work I was already familiar with, having seen her last Christmas as Mrs Darling in Wendy and Peter Pan at the RSC in Stratford. I rated her performance, then, and she has continued to impress me now that she is starring as Liz Essendine, alongside Samuel West as Garry Essendine, in Noel Coward’s Present Laughter.
INTERVIEW: Spotlight On… Present Laughter’s Daisy Boulton
I am playing Daphne Stillington, a 24-year-old debutante, who has fallen hook, line and sinker for Garry Essendine (played by Samuel West), a hugely successful and famous theatre actor. I am really enjoying the tour – yes! Such a talented and lovely group of actors and company of creative.
NEWS: Brian Cox, Ian McDiarmid, Janet Suzman amongst 60-strong cast for Iliad reading
A company of more than 60 artists will bring The Iliad to life in a durational reading on Friday 14 August 2015. The reading will begin at the British Museum and culminate on the Almeida Theatre stage. The marathon reading is the latest event in the theatre’s Almeida Greeks Festival, which has so far seen Robert Icke’s critically acclaimed production …
My theatre (diversity) diary: Buyer, Lions, Harvey, Stevie and After Electra
At a recent post-show panel I hosted at The Father on the subject of “Women in the Arts”, Act for Change campaigner Stephanie Street shared a statistic that shocked me: currently, according to Stephanie, the average ratio of male to female roles in the West End is 10-1. Could that really be true? Just ten […]
AFTER ELECTRA Tricycle, NW6
A BOHO CLYTEMNESTRA No sooner do we get over Kristin Scott Thomas going murderously nuts as the original Electra at the Old Vic, than along comes April de Angelis with a sly, hilarious, biting and ultimately moving modern take on … Continue reading →