Category: Theatre

Articles Culture News Originals Theatre West End

Stage version of Fawlty Towers is an exercise in nostalgia – review

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We weren’t entirely sure what to expect from the stage show of Fawlty Towers – would it simply be a nostalgic evening of lighthearted entertainment, drawing sketches from the short-lived but enduringly-popular 1970s TV series? Or would it contain some surprises? Would there be an attempt to modernise the material for a world that’s very different from when the pilot episode aired some 50 years ago? This play very much is an exercise in nostalgia. If you’re a fan of the TV show, you’ll know what to expect – a…

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Articles Culture News Originals Theatre West End

People, Places and Things is theatre at its absolute best – review

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It’s been a while since People, Places and Things last graced our stages: Duncan Macmillan’s drama originally debuted at the National Theatre back in 2015, winning rave reviews and earning Denise Gough an Olivier Award. Macmillan and Gough have reunited with director Jeremy Herrin to revive the play at London’s Trafalgar Theatre, which opened this week and is playing through to 10th August. We’ll say this right away: it’s absolutely brilliant – rarely does theatre feel this important. An urgent consideration of rehab, we meet Gough playing the role of…

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Articles Culture LGBTQ+ Theatre News Originals Shakespeare Theatre

New production of Twelfth Night is a delightfully camp and queer retelling – review

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We’re big fans of the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park – on a warm evening there’s something quite magical about watching the play unfold against a beautiful sunset. On press night we had perfect conditions – which, sadly, can’t be guaranteed every night – and we had an enchanting evening with this newly-imagined, and delightfully camp and queer, version of Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night, directed by Owen Horsley. For those unfamiliar, Twelfth Night is a comedy about mistaken identity: Viola (Evelyn Miller) and her twin brother Sebastian (Andro Cowperthwaite)…

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Articles Culture News Originals Theatre West End

The Cherry Orchard is a bold contemporary take on classic play – review

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Chekhov is one of the great playwrights and there have been a number of his plays revived and reimagined recently on London’s West End. Last year we caught the radical one-man Vanya starring Andrew Scott; the year before we reviewed a minimalist The Seagull, starring Emilia Clarke. Opening this week at The Donmar Warehouse is a bold, contemporary take on The Cherry Orchard – this is a radical new version by director Benedict Andrews. It’s not trying to be traditional: actors use their own accents; wear modern (and quite awful)…

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Articles Culture National Theatre News Originals Theatre

Underdog: The Other Other Brontë is a surprisingly funny look at the sisters’ lives – review

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We’re big fans of the Dorfman Theatre – the smallest of three spaces within London’s National Theatre, it regularly hosts some exciting new plays. Underdog: The Other Other Brontë opened earlier in April and is another fresh and inventive original play: written by Sarah Gordon, it tells the story of the three Brontë sisters – Charlotte (Gemma Whelan), Emily (Adele James) and Anne (Rhiannon Clements) and their brother Branwell (James Phoon). Directed by Natalie Ibu, it moves at a punchy pace, with two acts of about an hour each. Stylistically…

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Articles Culture LGBTQ+ Theatre News Originals The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert Theatre West End

Priscilla the Party! is a high-camp, feel-good night out – review

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Ah, Priscilla – a film many of us will have fond memories of, and indeed may well have been a formative moment in many a queer person’s youth. There already exists a stage show, which some will have experienced a while ago, and this new immersive production – Priscilla the Party! – is based on that, but with an updated selection of songs. It’s opened at London’s new HERE at Outernet venue and will be playing all summer. It’s an immersive experience in the same way that Guys & Dolls…

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Articles Culture News Originals The Old Vic Theatre Videos

Astonishing performance from Rosie Sheehy makes revival of Machinal a captivating watch – review

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We’ll say this right away – Machinal is not an easy watch. In fact, it’s one of the most unnerving plays we’ve seen. Ever. This is largely due to the subject matter: it’s loosely based on the trial of Ruth Snyder, who murdered her husband and was sentenced to death. A photo of her in the electric chair was published on front pages across the USA the morning after her execution, making her a household name at the time. Playwright Sophie Treadwell attended the trial in 1927 although did not…

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Articles Culture News Originals Shakespeare Sir Ian McKellen Theatre West End

Ian McKellen is a delight in Robert Icke’s modern adaptation of Henry IV – review

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Given that Sir Ian McKellen is one of the great Shakespearean actors, it’s perhaps surprising that he’s never taken on the role of Falstaff, one of Shakespeare’s best-loved anti-heroes. Until now, that is: in Player Kings, Robert Icke’s modern-dress adaptation of Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, we see Sir Ian – in an amusingly silly fat suit – take on the comic relief role. He’s an entertaining counterfoil to the more serious Prince Hal, played brilliantly by the excellent Toheeb Jimoh. Player Kings is two plays in one and,…

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Articles Culture Football News Originals Theatre West End

Red Pitch is an impressive piece of new writing with some great acting – review

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Tyrell Williams’ debut play, Red Pitch, previously ran at the Bush Theatre and earned an enviable number of rave reviews, picking up a series of new writing awards along the way. This week it made its West End debut at the @sohoplace theatre and it’s refreshingly different from anything else playing in central London right now. It’s about football – which, we’ve found, generally makes for pretty compelling theatre, given the game tends to be quite dramatic anyway (especially all the behind-the-scenes shenanigans). Red Pitch tells the story of three…

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Articles Culture Music Musical Theatre News Olivier Awards Originals Theatre

Olivier-winning musical Standing at the Sky’s Edge makes triumphant West End debut – review

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We’re already big fans of Standing at the Sky’s Edge – we caught the previous run at the National Theatre just over a year ago and awarded it a perfect score, describing it as “bold, beautiful and brilliant”. It went on to win last year’s Olivier Award for Best New Musical – deservedly so – and this week it has made its West End debut. With songs penned by former Pulp guitarist Richard Hawley and a hilariously witty booked written by Chris Bush, we’re pleased to report that this transfer…

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