Category Theatre Reviews

Norwegian filmmaker Paul Refsdal is no stranger to controversy. The freelance journalist has spent more than three decades covering conflict around the world and his last film, TALIBAN BEHIND THE MASKS, was shot behind enemy lines in Afghanistan. But when Refsdal went to film an airstrike in northern Syria back in 2014, little did he realise that it would be the start of his most controversial project so far.

DUGMA: THE BUTTON is a feature film documentary about a group of suicide bombers worki...

Following their five-star production of HAMLET and sell-out performances of TWELFTH NIGHT, Liverpool’s PurpleCoat make a welcome return to Manchester with their innovative re-imagining of KING LEAR.

Widely considered William Shakespeare’s bleakest tragedy, KING LEAR tells the story of the jealous and ageing King of Britain who greedily divides his kingdom between his three daughters based on who loves him most...

Elliot Levey as Oliver Walzer in THE MIGHTY WALZER at Royal Exchange Theatre. Photo: Jonathan Keenan

THE MIGHTY WALZER is a fresh and modern adaption of a great comic novel

Howard Jacobson’s semi-autobiographical comic novel THE MIGHTY WALZER, has been adapted into a new stage adaptation directed by Jonathan Humphreys.

Written by Jacobson in Australia in the 1990s, THE MIGHTY WALZER is a riotous Manchester tale of growing up, sex and ping pong...

Dark, edgy and surprisingly funny, MILLIONAIRES ANONYMOUS takes a hilarious look at our never-ending lust for the green stuff

This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub. 

It is often said that money doesn’t buy you happiness and if Stewart McDonald’s new comedy play is anything to go by, the proverb certainly appears to be true.

MILLIONAIRES ANONYMOUS tells the story of six lottery winners who have lost their money to drink, drugs, sex and booze...

Olivia Greene as Pamela and Richard Ede as Hannay in THE 39 STEPS. Photo: Dan Tsantilis

Fast-paced, well-polished and sublimely executed, THE 39 STEPS is still in spiffing form

Considering THE 39 STEPS is now in its 10th year, the award-winning production is still in spiffing form. After nine years in London’s West End, Patrick Barlow’s hilarious adaptation is back on tour and is as bonkers and as brilliant as ever.

Inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps [DVD][1939 version starring Ro...

SMTC’s production of ROCK OF AGES entertains but is a little rough-around-the-edges

The tail end of the big, bad 1980s was a time of big bands, big egos and even bigger hair. It was also was the age of the power ballad – those air-guitar anthems that you can’t help but rock along to...

BIRD is an extremely bold play with excellent cast performances

BIRD, the winner of a Judges award in the 2013 Bruntwood Prize for playwriting, premiered at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre last night. Welsh writer Katherine Chandler brings us the story of Ava and Tash, two best friends fighting their way through the care system with only each other as support.

Ava (Georgia Henshaw), about to turn sixteen on the cusp of adulthood and about to become homeless, after three years of seperati...

The Hollywood Special Effects Show is interesting but ultimately fails to match up to its intended audience

If you’ve been to the cinema this year, chances are you saw a film that contained special effects. Almost every modern film features some form of special effects (SFX), whether its make-up prosthetics or CGI graphics. No surprise then that the team behind THE HOLLYWOOD SPECIAL EFFECTS SHOW decided to bring the glitz, glamour and gore of Hollywood to the stage.

THE HOLLYWOOD SPECIAL EFF...

Kit Orton performing as Sir Tom Jones in TOM: THE STORY OF TOM JONES. Image Credit: Simon Gough

TOM is a hip-swinging musical full of heart but ultimately struggles to separate the man from the myth

Since Sir Tom Jones first shot to fame in 1965, the Welsh singer has had sold over 100 million records worldwide, claiming 36 Top 40 hits in the UK and 19 in the US. Surprising then that it’s taken almost 50 years for his inspirational story to be brought to the stage.

TOM: THE STORY OF TOM JONES c...

Compelling, thoughtful and theatrically inventive, THE NIGHT WATCH is a story of illicit love and everyday heroism

Sarah Waters’ captivating novel THE NIGHT WATCH has been adapted for the stage for the first time in a fantastic new production by the Royal Exchange Theatre.

Set in the late 1940s, THE NIGHT WATCH follows the stories of five people recovering from the chaos of war...