Category Theatre Reviews

Fresh, inventive and heart-warming, Jessica Swale’s bold adaption of THE JUNGLE BOOK brings Rudyard Kipling’s classic bang up-to-date

Forget Disney, there is a new THE JUNGLE BOOK in town and boy does it swagger and swing.

Based on the Rudyard Kipling family classic, THE JUNGLE BOOK tells the coming-of-age story of Mowgli, a man cub raised by wolves in the jungle...

Witty, unpredictable and atmospheric, TEDDY is an exciting and fresh take on the birth of rock ‘n’ roll

Tristan Bernays and Dougal Irvine’s award-winning 1950s musical TEDDY may turn the clock back 60 odd years or so but this innovative production is ahead of its time in so many other ways.

Set in the aftermath of the Blitz, TEDDY tells the story of two teenagers, Teddy and Josie, desperately seeking solace in rock ‘n’ roll in a post war Britain...

Big, bold and bright, FLASHDANCE boasts all the pulling power of the original film

Dust off the legwarmers and grab those hair crimpers, the eighties are back in all of their neon tinted glory as FLASHDANCE heads to town.

Based on the 1983 Oscar-winning film starring Jennifer Beals and Michael Nouri, FLASHDANCE tells the story of 18-year-old Alex Owens, a steel worker by day and ‘flashdancer’ by night...

Inventive, moving and nostalgic, Kneehigh’s production of BRIEF ENCOUNTER is a witty and sympathetic homage to Coward’s timeless love story

Bringing a classic movie to life on stage is always a tricky endeavour, especially one as much loved as BRIEF ENCOUNTER. So when Kneehigh’s Emma Rice decided to take on the mammoth task of bringing Noel Coward’s timeless classic to life, it made sense for her to incorporate David Lean’s iconic film into the live action performance.

Based on the f...

The cast of DANCING BEAR. Photo Credit: Matt Tullett

Straddling the line between sombre and lighthearted, DANCING BEAR is a powerful and intimate piece

“Life is too serious to be taken seriously.” You might expect more comedy from a play that apparently takes this approach but aside from a few humorous lines, this show is anything but comedic...

Craig Warner strips back Patricia Highsmith’s 1950 thriller STRANGERS ON A TRAIN to focus on the mystery, psychological drama and dark wit of the piece

It takes a brave man to take on an Alfred Hitchcock thriller which is probably why Craig Warner decided to opt for a slightly different approach with his stage adaption of STRANGERS ON A TRAIN.

Reworking Patricia Highsmith’s 1950 novel, Warner’s taut and effective production chooses to draw out the mystery, psychological drama and dark wit o...

NINA – A STORY ABOUT ME AND NINA SIMONE is a searing and soulful piece of theatre from Josette Bushell-Mingo

Having previously toured in the UK and Sweden in 2017, the British Arts Council has supported a returning 2018 UK tour of NINA – A STORY ABOUT ME AND NINA SIMONE, a hard hitting one woman show strengthened with an incredibly talented three piece Jazz band underscoring the piece.

Josette Bushell-Mingo is a UK London born actress now based in Sweden...

Paapa Essiedu in the title role of RSC’s touring production of HAMLET. Photo: Manuel Harlan (c) RSC

Simon Godwin’s stirring interpretation of HAMLET takes Shakespeare’s dark tragedy and thrusts it into the light

Following its critically acclaimed run in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2016, the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) finally takes its landmark production of HAMLET out on tour.

Written by William Shakespeare, HAMLET tells the story of Prince Hamlet who is visited by the ghost of his father to ...

This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub

Sex sells, as Wendy Salisbury’s bestselling memoirs The Toyboy Diaries clearly demonstrates. When the glamorous grandmother released her tales of love, lust and very young men back in 2009, the book became an international best seller, spurning a sequel, and now, a brand new British musical.

Charting the hilarious and sometimes heart-breaking sagas of mid-life dating, The ToyBoy Diaries follows twice-divorced Lily who inadvertently finds ...

Haunting, captivating and poignantly moving, Conor McPherson’s THE WEIR has lost none of its power

When Conor McPherson’s THE WEIR first opened at The Royal Court in 1997, it took the theatre world by storm. Originally set to run for just three weeks to an audience of 60 people a night, the play quickly transferred to the West End, as well as Broadway, winning a host of awards along the way including an Olivier Award for Best New Play...