Category Theatre Reviews

In a spirited musical tribute, Vika Bull celebrates the life and legacy of the rhythm and blues singer Etta James in AT LAST – THE ETTA JAMES STORY

Residing outside the typical jazz image, Etta James’ gritty-voiced renditions are credited with helping bridge the gap between blues music and rock and roll. Her raw energy and feisty attitude were reflected in the soulful collection of classics she left behind, carrying a distinctly deep voice that harboured lovesick songs.

AT LAST – THE ETTA JAM...

The cast of MURDER, SHE DIDN’T WRITE. Photo Credit: Jamie Corbin

MURDER, SHE DIDN’T WRITE is a pacy, funny, unpredictable hour of murderous fun

There’s always a risk with improv shows, especially ones that rely on audience suggestions, that you could end up with a hit or miss show...

CLOD ENSEMBLE: PLACEBO. Photo Credit: Camilla Greenwell

Infectious movement becomes the medicine in this catchy dance experiment – or is it just another placebo?

The placebo effect is defined as being the positive outcome of using a fake drug or treatment, which has no actual beneficial properties other than the patient’s own beliefs that it does.

In a clever and somewhat manipulative way, director Suzy Willson recreates this process by using interdisciplinary dance performances on the stage t...

The cast of MACBETH UK and Ireland tour. Photo Credit: BrinkhoffMogenburg

Rufus Norris’ post-apocalyptic MACBETH is visually striking but doesn’t quite translate as well as hoped

When Rufus Norris’ MACBETH opened at the National Theatre back in March 2018, it was met with mixed reviews from the critics. Despite playing to sell-out crowds at the Olivier Theatre, the production earned a miserly one-star review from WhatsOnStage and just two stars from The Guardian and The Telegraph...

MACBETH at National Theatre, London. Photo: Brinkhoff and Moegenburg

Director Rufus Norris talks about taking his epic and visually daring production of MACBETH out on tour

Following its sell-out run at London’s National Theatre in March, Rufus Norris takes his epic and visually daring production of MACBETH out on UK tour, opening at Salford’s The Lowry this week.

Set in a barbaric world afflicted by a bloody civil war, Norris’ production of MACBETH sees Shakespeare’s complex characters pro...

Revelling in the era of big hair, shoulder pads, power ballads and rock gods, ROCK OF AGES may be cheesy as hell but it knows it

With hit seasons on Broadway, London’s West End and Las Vegas, rock musical ROCK OF AGES makes a welcome return to Manchester’s Opera House this week for an outrageous night of rock ‘n’ roll debauchery.

Set in the 1980s, ROCK OF AGES tells the story of small town girl Sherrie and city boy Drew, who meet on the Sunset Strip while pursuing their Hollywood dreams...

Jade Anouka as Margaret of Anjou in QUEEN MARGARET. Photo Credit: Johan Persson

Blending authentic Shakespearean text with newly crafted dialogue, Jeanie O’Hare’s QUEEN MARGARET is an ambitious and modern exploration of the War of the Roses

It’s been a long journey for Jeanie O’Hare to bring QUEEN MARGARET to the stage...

The cast of House of Blakewell’s THOR AND LOKI. Photo Credit: Geraint Lewis

House of Blakewell’s THOR AND LOKI is a camp, comedic and a completely bonkers romp through the Nine Realms

Fresh from their run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, House of Blakewell bring their new musical comedy THOR AND LOKI to Salford’s The Lowry.

As Thor (Harry Blake) approaches his 34 birthday, the God of Thunder is having an identity crisis...

The cast of OTHELLOMACBETH at HOME, Manchester. Photo Credit: Helen Murray

OTHELLOMACBETH offers a unique retelling of two of Shakespeare’s most brutal plays, highlighting the perspective of the female characters in a very modern way

As the Royal Exchange plays host to QUEEN MARGARET, a new play about Margaret of Anjou taken from Shakespeare’s original text, HOME, in collaboration with Lyric Hammersmith, go one step further by merging two classic Shakespeare texts into one with OTHELLOMACBETH...

The cast of MATILDA THE MUSICAL UK Tour. Photo Credit: Manuel Harlan

With its witty gags, jaw-dropping magic tricks, fabulous songs and dazzling sets, MATILDA THE MUSICAL is pure theatrical gold

When West End fixture MATILDA THE MUSICAL announced it was embarking on its first UK national tour, my popularity went through the roof. I was suddenly bombarded with a flurry of text messages and endless requests to be my ‘plus one’ to press night...