Category Theatre Venues

This review was originally written for The Public Reviews

John Boyne’s best-selling novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas has been adapted for stage in a hard-hitting, powerful and emotional production that is sure to tug on your heart strings.

Seen through the eyes of a nine-year-old, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas tells the heart-wrenching tale of two young boys, Bruno and Shmuel who strike up a forbidden friendship in a German concentration camp...

This review was originally written for The Public Reviews

There have been many interpretations of Swan Lake over the years, but Moscow City Ballet’s latest performance of the famous classical ballet is one of the best.

Swan Lake tells the story of Prince Siegfried and his love for Odette, a beautiful princess turned into a white swan by an evil sorcerer. Under the spell of Von Rothbart, Odette spends her days as a swan, returning to human form at night...

This review was originally written for The Public Reviews

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s musical Oklahoma! may be 67 years old but it’s still as refreshing and thrilling as the day it was written. The award-winning musical has been revived in a brand new touring production directed by Rachel Kavanaugh and it certainly doesn’t disappoint.

Set at the turn of the twentieth century, Oklahoma! tells the story of two young cowboys Curly McLain (Ashley Day) and Will Parker (James O’Connell) who compete...

This review was originally written for The Public Reviews

If the thought of being buried alive fills you with fear, then Dead Simple will scare you to death.

Based on the best-selling novel by Peter James and adapted for stage by Shaun McKenna, Dead Simple is a gripping, chilling thriller about a stag night prank that goes horribly wrong.

The story begins on the eve of Michael Harrison’s (Jamie Lomas) stag night...

This review was originally written for The Public Reviews

More than thirty years after The Bradshaws was first broadcast as a short story on Manchester’s Piccadilly radio station, the fictitious family are still going strong as they embark on a new UK tour called Goosed.

For those who aren’t familiar with the show, The Bradshaws is a fictional family created and voiced by comedian and musician Buzz Hawkins...

This review was originally written for The Public Reviews

Susan Hill’s spine-chilling novel The Mist in the Mirror makes its world premiere at Oldham Coliseum Theatre this month before embarking on a national tour… and it’s not for the faint hearted!

Adapted for stage by Ian Kershaw, The Mist in the Mirror tells the story of intrepid traveller James Monmouth and his pursuit of his childhood hero, the explorer Conrad Vane...

This review was originally written for The Public Reviews

Believe it or not, 30 Million Minutes is actually Dawn French’s first ever solo tour. The Queen of British comedy may have been entertaining audiences since 1982 as one half of successful female double act French and Saunders, but it’s taken 32 years for the award-winning comedienne to take to the stage on a solo tour. Thankfully, she still has what it takes when it comes to making people laugh.

Open, honest and incredibly funny, 30 ...

This review was originally written for The Public Reviews

Dust off your dancing suit and polish up your shoes because Saturday Night Fever is back in town!

Inspired by the 1977 film starring John Travolta, Saturday Night Fever tells the story of Tony Manero (Danny Bayne), a young man with one ambition – to become the disco king. He teams up with Stephanie (Naomi Slights), a young dancer who also dreams of a world beyond Brooklyn, and together they decide to train for a dance competition...

This review was originally written for The Public Reviews

Opera North’s new production of Verdi’s La Traviata may have been 15 years in the making but it’s certainly worth the wait.

Fiercely passionate, profoundly moving and devastatingly tragic, La Traviata is widely considered the most popular opera of all time and is arguably Giuseppe Verdi’s best work. It is based on Alexander Dumas’ autobiographical tale La Dame aux Camelias about his affair with Marie Cuplessis who died aged 23 ...

This review was originally written for The Public Reviews

It’s hard to believe that Al Murray’s The Pub Landlord has been in business for 20 years. Striding about stage with pint-glass in hand and a quarrelsome grin on his face, Murray’s witty, double-edged satire is as fresh as ever, as Britain’s favourite publican embarks on a brand new national tour ‘One Man, One Guvnor’.

The one man, two-hour show sees The Pub Landlord back on a mission to solve the nation’s issues and to build ...