Monthly Archives: September 2011

Stephen Poliakoff’s best work has always been on television. Do watch Caught on a Train and The Lost Prince, both available on DVD and excellent entertainment. In his new play, his first in 12 years, three retired primary school teachers … Continue reading →

Theatres today are so fixated with new writing that successful playwrights of the past are too often ignored. Modern theatregoers could be forgiven for thinking that the only plays worth reviving in the second half of the 18th century are … Continue reading →

I don’t know about you but the Brothers Grimm certainly used to scare me stiff when I was a child. Kneehigh, the multi-talented and innovative Cornish ensemble, directed by artistic director Emma Rice, is back on form and offers and … Continue reading →

Steve Thompson’s comedy is – nudge, nudge, wink, wink – fiction inspired by a true story. In 1975 Monty Python’s Flying Circus was to be broadcast for the first time in the US. Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam flew to … Continue reading →

Arnold Wesker’s The Kitchen, premiered in 1959 and set in a busy London restaurant, is a very good example of those slice-of-life dramas which were so popular at the Royal Court and Stratford East in the late 1950’s. John Dexter’s … Continue reading →

Terrence McNally’s book and Lynn Ahrens’s lyrics are based on E L Doctorow’s sprawling novel, a turn-of-the-century ¬epic, covering the years 1895-1915, which traces the lives of three interlocking families: rich Protestant whites, poor Jewish immigrants, and down-trodden blacks. Fictional … Continue reading →

Trevor Nunn’s usual directorial brilliance is not much in evidence and, when Ralph Fiennes is off-stage, and Prospero is off-stage for a lot of the time, things are pretty dull. The spirits are exceptionally twee, the lords are lethargic, the … Continue reading →

In his day Ivor Novello was one of the biggest box office attractions, the epitome of glamour, famous for his beauty and profile. He became a household name when he wrote Keep the Home Fires Burning, one of the most … Continue reading →