Category Theatre Reviews

The cast of Matthew Bourne’s ROMEO AND JULIET. Photo Credit: Johan Persson

Effectively playing with light and shadow, Matthew Bourne’s ROMEO AND JULIET is a passionate and contemporary re-imagining of Shakespeare’s classic love story

Sir Matthew Bourne’s ROMEO AND JULIET is an interesting reimagining of the bard’s iconic love story. Set in an institute, the staging portrays somewhat of an asylum with its Victorian tiled white walls and bright lights...

The cast in THE BOOK OF MORMON UK Tour. Photo Credit: Paul Coltas

Profane, offensive yet side-splittingly funny, THE BOOK OF MORMON is worth the hype, its buoyant and infectious score paying homage to the golden age of Broadway

When the producers behind THE BOOK OF MORMON announced their first UK tour was to open at Manchester’s Palace Theatre, my popularity went through the roof...

The cast of THE EXONERATED at Hope Mill Theatre. Photo Credit: Shay Rowan

Blending live theatre with filmed footage, THE EXONERATED is a powerful and poignant piece about the American criminal justice system gone wrong

Imagine being accused of a crime you didn’t commit. Now imagine being sentenced to death for that crime, left to rot on death row as you desperately wait a reprieve which may never come...

Bolton’s Albert Hall’s grand Victorian setting brings to life Oscar Wilde’s sensational and lavish comedy THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST

Oscar Wilde’s farcical masterpiece THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST is brought to life in the beautiful Albert Halls whilst the Bolton Octagon undergoes renovation in preparation for its 50th anniversary.

The stunning architecture provides an apt atmosphere for the play, given its high-class tone and protagonists...

Tony Jayawardena as Hari Hobson in HOBSON’S CHOICE. Photo Credit: Marc Brenner

Tanika Gupta breathes new life into Harold Brighouse’s classic comedy HOBSON’S CHOICE in this sharp and witty Ugandan-Asian adaptation

HOBSON’S CHOICE has become a bit of a fixture in theatrical repertoire. Since its premiere in 1915, the classic comedy has been revived and reimagined many times, with adaptions for film, TV and even a ballet...

Camp, cheesy and full of fun, CLUB TROPICANA THE MUSICAL is the 1980s answer to LOVE ISLAND

Ever since I saw George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley live it up in the so-called ‘Club Tropicana’, I’ve wanted to go. After all, this is a place where drinks are free and there’s fun and sunshine enough for everyone. So when the producers of hit UK tour HAIRSPRAY decided to make a brand-new 80s musical inspired by the Wham! hit, I was naturally in.

Set at the vibrant Club Tropicana Hotel in Majo...

Original London Cast of LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE. Photo Credit: Manuel Harlan

James Lapine and William Finn’s stage adaption of LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE may not boast the charm or warmth of the original film but a strong cast performance help pull it through

I’ve never seen the 2006 film LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE but I’m reliably informed that it’s a sad, sweet and strange film that is worth revisiting time and time again...

Northern Ballet deliver a new and fresh twist to a classical ballet with THE GREAT GATSBY

The Great Gatsby. F. Scott Fitzgerald. A story a majority of us know and love. The classic American novel about the mysterious millionaire who has an affinity for lavish parties and good-looking women. Set in the 1920s, Gatsby’s exotic lifestyle is twisted by his loneliness, obsession and pre-war time memories and lest we not forget, the ever-dazzling Daisy Buchanan.

Northern Ballet take to the stage i...

Simeon Truby, Linford Jonhson, Robert Wade & Matt Rixon in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. © Nobby Clark

Northern Broadsides’ MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING is a parade of good humour, joy, deceit and forgiveness wrapped up in a Britain facing war

This Northern Broadsides production is Conrad Nelson’s last directorial role for the company, and he has done well to bring out the comedy and the tragedy of Shakespeare’s play, by interspersing 1940s world war songs and dances with the complex language of Shakespe...

Drawing on every emotion to produce a profoundly moving yet hilarious two-hander, EDUCATING RITA feels as fresh, vibrant and relevant today as it did nearly 40 years ago

It’s fair to say that Willy Russell has a knack for creating human stories. From BLOOD BROTHERS and SHIRLEY VALENTINE to OUR DAY OUT and STAGS AND HENS, his plays just seem to strike a chord no matter what their age, as David Pugh & Dafydd Rogers and Theatre by the Lake’s latest touring version of EDUCATING RITA deftly demo...