Part of Birmingham Rep’s 2024 season, this marks the UK premiere for this new musical, previously staged in San Diego under the title Bhangin’ It, with a few updates and rewrites, Bhangra Nation is an explosive celebration of cultural pride and community that will leave audiences buzzing, and likely with a new appreciation for the … More BHANGRA NATION – REVIEW – BIRMINGHAM REP
Ira Levin’s Death Trap holds the record for the longest-running comedy thriller on Broadway, opening in 1978 and running for four years. The play is meta, utilising the subject of a play within a play. Sidney Bruhl (Nick Waring) a successful playwright, is struggling to write his next hit, and he jokes to his wife … More DEATH TRAP – REVIEW – THE MILL AT SONNING
In the 70 years since her untimely death, the First Lady of Argentina, Eva Perón has become a conflicting figure of history, beloved by many and similarly scorned by the rest. The musical biopic of her life by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice began life in 1976 and has since then gone through numerous … More EVITA – REVIEW – LEICESTER CURVE
High Society centres around wealthy socialite Tracy who is to be married the next day to George. Her ex-husband Dexter appears and disrupts the proceedings. Cole Porter’s score is upbeat and jazzy, the show borrows songs from his previous productions and slots them in, but at times the songs make little sense to what is … More HIGH SOCIETY – REVIEW – MILL AT SONNING
A near-perfect production that is electrifying, fun, and modern. Romeo & Juliet is director Nicholai La Barrie’s Royal Exchange debut, and it is a daunting venture. With Shakespeare, the difficulty is freshening the text and its themes; any Shakespearean production must justify its revival. While many people cite universal themes, exemplary dramatic narratives, and heritage … More ROMEO & JULIET – REVIEW – ROYAL EXCHANGE THEATRE
The stage is suitably spooky with the heavy haze of dry ice and rumbling soundtrack, swallowed up into the shadowy rafters of the erstwhile St Mary’s Church space, now the Colchester Arts Centre, the host venue of writer/director Noah Alfred Pantano’s 2023 Fringe entry. The air is thick with disquiet and threat of menace even … More STANDING ON A NAIL: A QUEER HORROR STORY – REVIEW – COLCHESTER FRINGE
Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations has been adapted by Tanika Gupta and is directed by Pooja Ghai, in this co-production between the Royal Exchange Theatre and Tamasha. Dickens’s classic story of a working-class boy becoming a gentleman still resonates today. Pip’s longing to move beyond his station, Miss Havisham’s desire for revenge against the men who have wronged … More GREAT EXPECTATIONS – REVIEW – ROYAL EXCHANGE MANCHESTER
This little-known musical comedy is utterly captivating from start to finish, performed flawlessly by its talented cast of four. A delightful gem you certainly don’t want to miss! I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change is “the second longest-running off-Broadway musical in theatre history” and has been performed extensively worldwide and translated into seventeen different languages, … More I LOVE YOU, YOU’RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE – REVIEW – THE OLD JOINT STOCK
Hairspray is a feel-good musical with a lot of heart, and the production at Kilworth House Theatre is thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. The set design, by Paul Farnsworth, for this open-air marquee theatre is stunning, with stylish pastels everywhere, retro signage, and cool polka dot-esque dividers that transition us through the daydreamy Baltimore … More HAIRSPRAY – REVIEW – KILWORTH HOUSE THEATRE
Sammy Trotman’s comical vulnerability sparks a gritty conversation about mental health. Produced by Covered in Jam and with packed-out performances at Rotunda Theatre’s Squeak as part of Brighton Fringe, That’s Not My Name aims to commentate on mental health whilst distancing itself from the clinical cruelty of psychiatric therapies. Having begun writing this blend of … More THAT’S NOT MY NAME – REVIEW – BRIGHTON FRINGE
Gypsy is a musical fable with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Jule Styne, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The show is loosely based upon the memoir of striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee, focusing on her upbringing by her show business-obsessed mother Rose. The musical first premiered in 1959 on Broadway and is largely … More GYPSY – REVIEW – MILL AT SONNING
Hilarious and shocking in equal measure, Godz makes for a very unique night out! Created by Head First Acrobats, a performance company from Melbourne, and having already won a plethora of fringe awards in 2022, Godz has landed at Brighton Fringe in the Brighton Spiegeltent with thrilling acrobatic performances. The show focuses on four notable … More GODZ – REVIEW – BRIGHTON FRINGE
Bizarre and hilarious – Experiment Human welcomes you for a night like no other. To be honest, when I found out I was going to be watching a show centred around the idea of an alien species kidnapping Benedict Cumberbatch I wasn’t really sure what I was letting myself in for. Experiment Human is brought … More EXPERIMENT HUMAN – REVIEW – BRIGHTON FRINGE
Shakespeare’s First Folio, a collection of 36 of his much-loved plays, was first published 400 years ago. This European premiere tells the story of how a small group of the King’s Men decided to undertake the enormous task of protecting Shakespeare’s legacy, in a poignant yet uproariously witty production of Lauren Gunderson’s award-winning play. The … More THE BOOK OF WILL – REVIEW – THE OCTAGON, BOLTON
Richly intoxicating and darkly amusing; Blue Blood is a classic ‘eat the rich’ theatrical delight. Brought to Brighton Fringe ahead of its run in London, Blue Devil Productions presents the delightfully morbid story of a sociopathic killer; hellbent on earning the fortune and dukedom of his estranged family. Starring the wonderful performance of Maximus Polling … More BLUE BLOOD – REVIEW – BRIGHTON FRINGE
Brought to you by All Day Breakfast theatre, comes a show that looks into a not too distant future when humanity’s survival relies on a group of scientists travelling through portals in search of another world that humanity can escape to after destroying Earth. The show follows the adventures of Dolores, Dan, and Nick; two … More DAYS ARE REALLY LONG BUT YEARS GO SO QUICK – REVIEW – BRIGHTON FRINGE
Beautifully human and emotional: Unwanted Objects voices a unique perspective on the items that we carry throughout our lives. Performed by creative duo David Head and Matt Glover, with only a guitar and a limited set, the story relies fully on your imagination and your acceptance of the whimsical tales that are told. The show … More UNWANTED OBJECTS – BRIGHTON FRINGE
Performing in the Brighton Spiegeltent as part of the Brighton Fringe 2023, The Hairy Godmothers Inc present Dizney In Drag: Once Upon A Parody. Hailing from Perth, The Hairy Godmothers Inc is a diverse group of drag performers aiming to help you relive some of your childhood nostalgia, with parodied versions of some of the … More DIZNEY IN DRAG: ONCE UPON A PARODY – REVIEW – BRIGHTON FRINGE
It hits you with a bang – loud and shocking – as the demure, frightened maid Nelly (Giulia Innocenti) is interrogated from a loud menacing tannoy under harsh lighting about ‘The Monster!’ This is in sharp contrast to the delightful bucolic bird song greeting you as you enter the venue. She is frightened, yet still … More WUTHERING HEIGHTS – REVIEW – ROYAL & DERNGATE
Noël Coward’s Hay Fever first premiered in 1925 at the Ambassadors Theatre, to favourable reviews. The play is silly, comedic, and farcical, set over three acts we follow the Bliss family as they each entertain their guests. Michael Holt’s set aptly demonstrates the 1920s, with blueish green walls, bordered with white, and leopard print tablecloth, … More HAY FEVER – REVIEW – MILL AT SONNING
