‘For the first time in forever’   The snow stopped falling, Sven stopped running, the ice melted and Olaf stopped giving out warm hugs, all on 8 th  September 2024 when Disney’s ‘Frozen the Musical’ closed up shop, the winter of Arendale making way for the summer of ancient Greece as Disney’s ‘Hercules’ swept in to take over. It was a surprise, for many, when it was announced that ‘Frozen’ with its ever-growing fan base, world famous musical numbers and globally adored charac

‘It’s time to begin, now count me in’   If the last line of the show’s introduction isn’t enough to indicate what is about to happen, the neon shades of blue and pink and the energy that bounces in the show’s opening moments should throw you head first into the silliness and jukebox fun that is ‘Here and Now’, a musical putting the song stylings of Steps into the spotlight and milking it for all it is worth.   Set in Better Best Bargains, a seaside supermarket, ‘Here and Now’

My ideal has always been to love some one of the name of Ernest. High society, eligible bachelors, different identities for the town and the country, all wrapped up in flowers, flamboyancy and fun. Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Ernest came powering on all cylinders to the National Theatre in 2024, with more flair, more fashion and more love is love than ever before, and after a second run at the Noel Coward Theatre more recently, this production now lands right in our

Old age is something that comes to all of us, no matter how you choose to look at it. You may want to grow old gracefully, or disgracefully, age like fine wine, think of it as 'don't grow up, its a trap', or 'growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional', or you may in fact cling to the idea of hope of being forever young. However you choose to look at aging, it is all explored with comedy, music and heart in 'Forever Young' written by Erik Gedeon, directed by Martin Berr

And take extra care with strangers Even flowers have their dangers And though scary is exciting Nice is different than good. What springs to mind when you think of fairy tales? Be honest here, but I can't imagine that it's dark and at times twisted worlds of the Brothers Grimm, but instead brightly coloured dreamscapes of princesses, talking animals and happily ever afters. The disney-fied versions, if you will. And that's okay, but that isn't what I am going to be talking ab

When you think of the famous playwright Noel Coward, it may be 'Private Lives', 'Hayfever' or 'Blithe Spirit' that spring to mind, or you may take a different approach and think instead of the quirky and quaint theatre that is named after him, but either way, it is probably not 'The Rat Trap'. His very first play, written in 1918 and first staged in 1926, is an exploration of marriage, careers, relationships and ego, that has only been seen twice before in London since its pr

What goes up must come down, and when it comes to Cornley Drama Society when can go right must go wrong. Mischief Comedy have made a name for themselves as the masters of funny, and their flagship show 'The Play That Goes Wrong' has called the Duchess Theatre it's home for the past eleven years, filling the space with laughter, chaos and calamitous silliness eight times a week, with this double role-ing play within a play proving to be a masterclass of all things slapstick hi

Sunday 23rd March 1997, a brand new crime drama premiered on television starring John Nettles and Daniel Casey as two police detectives in the quaint English countryside. Those detectives; Barnaby and Troy. The show; Midsomer Murders. The pilot episode, The Killings at Badger's Drift became the highest rated single drama of 1997, and say they say, the rest is history. Nearly 29 years on, Midsomer Murders remains incredibly popular and is perhaps the epitome of cosy crime thes

Ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma marmalade. Ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma marmalade. Yes, dear reader of my theatrical ramblings, that has been stuck in my head on a pretty much continuous loop since Friday, the day on which I finally got to see one of the worlds most famous bears, Mr Paddington Brown himself. As a long time fan of this little bear from deepest darkest Peru, the excitement levels for this one were sky high, even more so when the way in which he would be portrayed on stage w

It’s like painting the Forth Bridge, as soon as you finish you start again. It’s only been a couple of months since the Piccadilly Hotel closed up shop at the Noel Coward Theatre when ‘The Comedy About Spies’ played its final performance (let’s hope it comes back one day) but it is no rest for the wicked for Mischief Comedy, the masters of funny, as they present their second new production of 2025 ‘Christmas Carol Goes Wrong’.   Having premiered as a BBC Festive special back

75 years ago, the imagination of countless readers was captivated by the creation of Narnia, fresh from the mind of C S Lewis, that invited them through the wardrobe into the land of eternal winter, ruled by the evil White Witch and rescued by four brave children. It is a story that has stood the test of time, and now under the directorship of Mike Fentiman, the stage production of ‘The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe’ continues to enchant both children and adults looking t

Returning once more to Assembly’s Gordan Aikman Theatre, Fringe favourites ‘Murder She Didn’t write’ are back creating murder mysteries, complete with twists, turns, and increasingly ridiculous manners of committing the crime, all on the spot, based entirely on the suggestions of the audience.   Improvised comedy is a big hitting genre at the Edinburgh Fringe, with it feeling as if every other person flyering is inviting you to come and see something made up for one night and

Six people who used to be the best of friends at University, but have subsequently grown apart, are all mysteriously invited to take part in an escape room in the Caves at the Edinburgh Fringe. They used to love solving puzzles together, but no one knows why they are suddenly here to solve one last mystery, or do they?   In ‘Escape Room: The Musical’ by Grown Up Playhouse Productions, we see the six friends, joined by Pierre, an enigmatic French man who doesn’t seem to know w

Back at the Edinburgh Fringe for the fifth time due to phenomenal demand, Say It Again Sorry’s ‘… Earnest?’ Continues to deliver its unique and boldly brave style of interactive theatre where audience interaction is taken to the extreme in an hilarious laugh out loud retelling of Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’.   When the leading man fails to make his appearance as Earnest, leaving Terry as Algernon (Ashley Cavender) and Graham as Lane (Rhys Tees) flummoxed,

Four generations of women gather for the birthday party of great grandmother Eileen in Northern Ireland, sounds simple enough. But with Granddaughter Jenny and her daughter Muireann returning to the home after leaving for London a number of years before, and both Jenny’s husband and father being mysteriously absent from the party, family drama and unfolding secrecy is pushed to the extreme in this tense and thrilling exploration of generational trauma.   ‘Consumed’, written b

You know a show has that perfect balance of high quality goodness, catchy musical numbers, relatability, entertainment, slickness and fun when it entices you back time and time again, and as I made my third annual visit to Alexander S Bermange’s ‘I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical’ I was reminded of what exactly makes this show such a stand out in the hustle and bustle of the Edinburgh Fringe.   ‘I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical’ is a comical and witty observational explora

When pretty much any space could become a performance venue at the Edinburgh Fringe, the imagination is given the freedom to roam, after all, who says a little storage container can’t be an 80,000-seat world class concert venue? Because in the vivid, colourful and all together wonderful imagination of comedian and musical performer Katie Pritchard, that is exactly what Assembly’s Roxy Boxy becomes in her one women show ‘I Kiss The Music’.   In this production, Pritchard is an

There are over 3000 shows playing at the Edinburgh Fringe over the month of August, lots and lots to discover and whilst you may wish to fill your schedule with new things that you have never seen before, sometimes it can feel nice to return to a favourite and make a repeat visit, and that is what I did here.   As an avid fan of those cosy murder mysteries, where you always know that the baddie will be caught and some of the clues stand out like sore thumbs, I couldn’t resist

Henry Cyril Paget, the long forgotten fifth Marquess of Anglesey, written out of history after he died aged just 29 in the 1850s having spent all of his estate’s money staging extravagant plays. His family destroyed any evidence of him, pretended he didn’t exist to bring back their good name, but this production ‘How To Win Against History’ brings Paget’s story back to life with oodles of glitz, glamour and sparkle.   Returning to the fringe after premiering back in 2016, we

Apple versus Microsoft. Jobs versus Gates. A battle for the ages. A musical crammed full of comedy, rivalry and a number of great songs.   The creation of ‘Nerds’ has been a lengthy process, but now running at the Edinburgh Fringe, I can state that the work has been worth it as this new musical shines, boasting a cast featuring west end names, a quirky and comical tale of truth mixed with a fair dose of imagination, and songs that will have you beaming from ear to ear.   Stev