Blogs about Theatre

Four years ago this production was supposed to happen – the pandemic happened instead. On the occasion of Alan Ayckbourn’s 85th birthday, however, I thought it was high time that I reshared my thoughts about …

Text of the day: “Look ’em in the eye, as if you’ve done nought wrong, which you haven’t. Ignore any children. You can’t win with kids. Don’t get involved in a conversation with a child. …

Can experimental theatre survive the decades? This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Forced Entertainment theatre company, whose mission is summarized (by themselves) as “tearing up the rulebook”. It is also the 50th anniversary …

Scottish Ballet to premiere Mary, Queen of Scots ballet at EIF 2025 Scottish Ballet is adding a new full-length narrative ballet about Mary, Queen of Scots to its repertoire, with a premiere at next summer’s …

Click to buy the book'My spoken material is about the facts of life,' I was explaining to the Mother Superior. 'I've been asking people what they were told, how they were told it and did …

While the original ‘story’ has been in the headlines for some time, the Horizon Post Office Scandal caught the public’s imagination following the televised drama on British TV (Mr Bates vs The Post Office) in …

Review from: Imperial Theatre, New York; 8th October 2024 Based on Sara Gruen’s novel of the same name, the musical[…] The post ‘Water for Elephants’, book by Rick Elice, Music and Lyrics by PigPen Theatre …

Considered one of Shakespeare’s ‘problem plays,’ All’s Well That Ends Well joins Measure for Measure, The Taming of the Shrew and The Merchant of Venice in requiring contemporary directors and performers to engage with the …

Content warning: Toto Kerblammo! includes themes of grief, neglect, mental health issues and removal from the care of a parent. It is aimed at ages 9+ but could hit quite close to home for children …

Dodie Smith’s story 101 Dalmatians has endured over the past 70 years, first appearing as a serial entitled The Great Dog Robbery in Woman’s Day magazine in 1956, to the beloved 1961 Disney animated adaptation …

Oscar Gough & Ellie Spooner in the Welkin © Craig Fuller Lucy Kirkwood’s The Welkin quickly established itself as one of the great plays of the 21st century. Touching upon classic cornerstones Twelve Angry Men …

Just as Wicked (the first movie of two, based on the musical) premieres in cinemas (22 Nov), this film looks at the story behind how the world of Oz came to the musical stage. Looking …

Quirky, original, and sweetly adorable, new musical Maybe Happy Ending is a magical journey of love and wonder that gamely sees the very best in our throwaway world of consumer convenience. With a lineage tracing …

“It’s all just a matter of time…” Into the sea of films adapted into musicals bobs a mysterious-looking bottle, sealed with a cork: it’s the West End transfer of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button …

NOW That’s What I Call a Musical was reviewed at Milton Keynes Theatre. The tour continues until 12 April 2025. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ NOW That’s What I Call a …

In 1983 Roald Dahl reviewed Tony Clifton’s picture book God Cried about the 1982 Lebanon War. In the review Dahl says of the Israelis “Never before in the history of man has a race of …

For the second week in a row Phill and I went to a show we'd had tickets to for over a year, and after that wait we can now definitively say that Elton John (music,) …

by Diana Miranda Incomplete, written by Rebecca Mason and directed by Amalia Kontesi, is an introspective exploration of lost love and missed chances. The drama follows Phil and Louise, who, after decades of separation, find …

'This is dreadful,' the old man sat next to me said rudely during Oedipus at the Wyndhams Theatre. I vigorously ignored him. It wasn't dreadful, far from it. In fact, I was gripped by Robert …

BST Hyde Park just announced an exciting 2025 lineup, with Olivia Rodrigo taking the spotlight on June 27 for her biggest UK show yet. With three GRAMMYs and a string of hits since her debut …