Monthly Archives: May 2015

Michael Frayn’s latest work is described as an evening of short entertainments. Revues are tricky and by their very nature are liable to be hit and miss. Most of the sketches go on far too long; and 32 items, most … Continue reading →

When Thomas Middleton’s play premiered in 1605 it was acted by children. Were they as crude as the actors are in Sean Foley’s touring production, updated to the 1950’s for the Royal Shakespeare Company? The text is one vulgar innuendo … Continue reading →

The actual building is transformed completely, following a £20 million redevelopment. The beautiful Victorian auditorium, built in 1895 by Thomas Matcham, Britain’s foremost theatre architect, fortunately, remains intact. The opening production, directed by Sean Holmes, wittily choreographed by Drew McOwnie … Continue reading →

Caryl Churchill’s epic, revived to coincide with the General Election and given an epic production by Lindsey Turner at the National Theatre, takes place during the 1640s in England, a time of social and political upheaval in the immediate aftermath … Continue reading →

William Ivory’s mini-drama is inspired by his father and is a tribute to the men of Bomber Command who died and survived World War 2. The setting is an old people’s home. There are just two characters: a grouchy, bitter, … Continue reading →

Jean Christophe Maillot’s lively, classical-contemporary version of Shakespeare for Les Ballets de Monte Carlo views the familiar story in a series of flashbacks and freeze-frames through the eyes of the guilt-ridden and distraught Friar Lawrence, who was responsible for the … Continue reading →

Everything’s coming up roses for Imelda Staunton who is playing one of music theatre’s great dramatic roles. Arthur Laurents’ book, a satire on tacky vaudeville and sordid burlesque, is based on the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the celebrated American … Continue reading →

Eugene O’Neill’s sole comedy, written during the Great Depression in 1933, looks back to the turn of the century and is nostalgic for the idyllic childhood he never had. It would be fascinating to see it acted in tandem with … Continue reading →