Monthly Archives: July 2013

Seven Spanish brothers, flamenco dancers, who are also musicians, put on a 90-minute showcase for a one night stand. The performance is full of macho energy, strutting, arrogant in-your-face egoism and loud amplified drumming of feet. They dance to loud … Continue reading →

40 years ago Maggie Smith and Robert Stephens appeared in Noel Coward’s comedy. Now their son, Toby Stephens, is acting opposite Anna Chancellor in the roles created by Coward and Gertrude Lawrence in 1930 and so rooted in their personalities … Continue reading →

Actresses have rightly been complaining that there are not enough roles for them and Ed Hall’s all-male Propeller came in for some flack last year precisely because it is an all-male company. When an actress plays the great Shakespearean female … Continue reading →

One way to make Shakespeare’s comedy more tolerable for modern audiences has always been to have Kate and Petruchio fall in love on sight. Nothing like that happens here. Dan Wheeler’s wildcat Kate, in Ed Hall’s all-male production for Propeller, … Continue reading →

Roald Dahl was one of the most successful writers for children ever. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, published in 1964, has sold 13.7 million copies and been translated into 32 languages. Like so many of Dahl’s stories, it was lambasted … Continue reading →

August Wilson drama is part of a ten play cycle chronicling the American black man’s experience in the 20th century, with one play for each decade. I much admired the play, the performances and Paulette Randall’s production when it was … Continue reading →

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a mini-series on British television is the best place to see Jane Austen’s novels. Simon Reade’s adaptation is very serviceable. Deborah Bruce’s pretty production, on a revolving stage, is aimed at family audiences … Continue reading →

Peter Ustinov thought it was his best play. Few would agree. At its premiere in 1951 the critics found it to be dull and longwinded and the public stayed away. Sixty odd years later it is still long-winded and dull. … Continue reading →