How central are Gertrude, Claudius and Polonius to the story of Hamlet? If you remove those adult characters – the prince’s mother, uncle/stepfather and the father of his one-time girlfriend, respectively – and the scenes that revolve around them, what are you left with?
‘Typifies the magic of theatre’: Why the West End’s Life of Pi remains so captivating
Not long left to catch Life of Pi in the West End. If you possibly can, I recommend you beg, borrow or steal to get one of the last remaining tickets – or plan ahead now for the five-time Olivier Award-winning play’s 2023/24 tour.
VIDEOS & PHOTOS: A post-show Q&A for Wickies at the Park Theatre delves into one of Scotland’s most enduring mysteries
For the post-show talk for new play Wickies: The Vanishing Men of Eilean Mor at the Park Theatre I was joined by writer Paul Morrissey and his all-Scottish, three-strong cast: Jamie Quinn, Ewan Stewart and Graeme Dalling.
VIDEO & PHOTOS: Theatre & politics make for a thrilling Triggered post-show Q&A
One of the few things I enjoy even more than theatre is talking politics. So chairing a post-show discussion about a brilliant new political play, written and directed by a Westminster insider and lifelong activist, really is my idea of bliss. At the White Bear Theatre, I got to do just that for Triggered, Emma Burnell’s new play about a fictional deselection of a Labour MP ahead of the 2019 General Election.
VIDEO & PHOTOS: A devilish Q&A with the company of Lazarus Theatre’s Doctor Faustus
What might entice you to sell your soul to the devil? Fame? Riches? Immortality? World peace? A rent-free London flat? Four pints of Guinness? At my post-show Q&A for a production of Doctor Faustus, that was an irresistible question to pose to the company. But before that, we covered much else to do concerning adaptation and the creative process, with a lot of fun and laughter.
VIDEO & PHOTOS: A memorable night of both sadness & celebration with the cast & creatives of Proforca’s Flashbang
The death of Queen Elizabeth II was announced just before my arrival at the Lion & Unicorn Theatre. Like the rest of the country, the theatre staff had been braced for the sad news. So the world premiere of Proforca’s Flashbang was preceded by a public address and collective silence.
VIDEO: Exploring history onstage – The End of the Night writer Ben Brown & journalist Kurt Barling discuss how in Park Q&A
What is theatre’s role in exploring political and historical subjects? What echoes are there with contemporary events in Europe? Could The End of the Night be staged in Germany today – or in Russia? For this post-show discussion, Terri Paddock explores these issues with playwright Ben Brown and the award-winning journalist, author and academic Professor Kurt Barling.
VIDEO: How to do romcom in rhyming couplets? Jo & Sam Find Themselves in Woking post-show Q&A
Meeting the right person and starting a new relationship is hard enough, but when you also have to do it in rhyming couplets while searching for the meaning of your life… in Woking – well, it’s that much more challenging.
VIDEO: How do you gig up your Shakespeare? Wildcard’s Tempest post-show Q&A
Wildcard Theatre promises “Shakespeare like you have never experienced it before”, and they deliver in spades with this new gig-style reinvention of The Tempest in the perfect setting of the Pleasance’s cabaret-configured main house.
VIDEO: Who’s in charge in a toxic teenaged relationship? Bacon post-show Q&A
The spark of an idea for award-winning new two-hander Bacon, now in its extended world premiere season at London’s Finborough Theatre, came when playwright Sophie Swithinbank, then working as a nanny, witnessed a bullying incident between two boys in a park.
VIDEO: How did RuPaul inspire a queer canine cabaret? Dog Show post-show Q&A
The premise for the new show is sillier than ever: set (loosely) at Crappersea Dog Pound, the pooches are putting their best paw forward in preparation for the Annual Rehoming Show. Which of them will find a human to accept them into their home?
VIDEO: Can you spot real vs fake iambic pentameter? Doing Shakepeare post-show Q&A
As much as it was possible for anyone the arts, Northern Comedy Theatre had a very good pandemic. When all performing arts venues closed, rather than wrap up their work, they ramped up.
VIDEO: Did you miss Anton Chekhov’s Vaudevilles? Don’t miss the post-show discussion
While its limited run has now finished at the White Bear Theatre, you can still experience the joy of Anton Chekhov’s Vaudevilles care of MyTheatreMates founder Terri Paddock’s post-show discussion. Maybe another revival is on the cards?
VIDEO: Why does Oscar Wilde’s supernatural tale of Dorian Gray continue to fascinate?
The premise of The Picture of Dorian Gray – a man who stays forever young as a portrait of him locked in his attic ages – has become so much a part of our culture that most people will recognise the reference even if they’ve never read Oscar Wilde’s original 1890 novella or seen any of the myriad stage and screen adaptations since.
‘It was exhilarating’: Disney’s Frozen offers the most perfectly packaged present for all ages
I don’t have children so the 2013 release of Disney’s animated film of Frozen largely passed me by. It wasn’t until a Christmas a couple of years later that I finally saw the film.
Will we see more alternating casts in the future?: Terri Paddock is in the chair for a Lately Q&A at the Lion & Unicorn Theatre
Lately is the third new play premiered by and specially created for new writing company Proforca Theatre to be performed at London’s Lion & Unicorn Theatre. Terri Paddock hosts a Q&A.
Lazarus Theatre returns to Oscar Wilde’s once-banned erotic classic Salome for a third time. Terri Paddock finds out why
How far are you willing to go to get what you most desire? That’s the question at the bloody heart of Salome. And it’s a question that so fascinates Lazarus Theatre that they’re now having a third go at Oscar Wilde’s provocative 1891 tragedy based on the Biblical tale.
‘IF ghosts exist, what are they?’: Video & photos from Terri Paddock’s When Darkness Falls Q&A at the Park Theatre
Five spine-tingling ghost stories are woven into the action on one stormy night in When Darkness Falls, premiering this month at the Park Theatre. All are grounded in folklore from the island of Guernsey, where the play is set and where its co-writer and director Paul Morrissey grew up.
‘A night of numerous show-stopping moments’: Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – London Palladium
When you book to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, you are guaranteed not only a joyful night out at the London Palladium but also a time-travel ticket to your childhood.
Am I a couple of decades too late to sync up with the Be More Chill phenomenon?
Well done to the Be More Chill company. This new musical had just had its successful UK premiere and announced a lengthy extension at The Other Palace when Covid shut it down in March 2020.