Monthly Archives: September 2014

Howard Brenton’s new play is about Harold Gillies, a famous plastic surgery pioneer during World War 1, who didn’t just want to heal the bodies of his patients; he wanted to heal their minds and souls as well. Gillies was … Continue reading →

There was a time, not that long ago, when the Lord Chamberlain, who was in charge of the censorship of the stage, ruled no British sovereign could be portrayed on the stage until 100 years after his or her accession. … Continue reading →

An amateur dramatic society is staging an old-fashioned murder mystery. Doors won’t open, mantelpieces break, pictures fall off the wall, ceilings collapse, curtains come down, props get mislaid, actors get knocked out; everything that can go wrong goes wrong. The … Continue reading →

The Bliss family are self-centred egoists and appallingly rude. Unbeknown to each other, all four of them have invited a guest for the weekend. The guests have a rotten time. “You’re the most infuriating set of hypocrites I’ve ever seen,” … Continue reading →

The seven performing artists, graduates of the National Circus School of Montreal, are a talented and likeable troupe. Dexterous, flexible and amicable, they, individually and collectively, do incredible, jaw-dropping, dangerous feats with a light touch and a sense of humour.

On the very first day that Paul Miller took over as artistic director of the Orange Tree Theatre from Sam Walters, he received a letter from the Arts Council saying they would no longer be funding his theatre. It is … Continue reading →

Sam Shepherd’s subject is, as always, the death and betrayal of the American Dream. Austin (Eugene O’Hare) is a screenwriter on the point of having a Hollywood breakthrough when his brother, Lee (Alex Ferns), a rootless loner and petty thief, … Continue reading →

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM is such an obvious choice for a musical that I am surprised it hasn’t been done before. There have been a number of operas, of course, most notably by Henry Purcell, John Frederick Lampe and Benjamin … Continue reading →