Please note that the photographs included in this review are of the 2021 cast After setting sail in its world premiere at The Hall For Cornwall last year, the musical adaptation of hit film Fisherman’s Friends (based on the film of the same name which is in turn based on the real-life story of Port Isaac’s famous shanty band) has returned to the stage, launching its hotly anticipated UK Tour at The Theatre Royal Plymouth. Men of the sea, devoted to their work, their families,

Years on from the success and popularity of shows such as Horrible Histories (still pleasing audiences to this day), the idea of using shows with plenty of music to make education fun, celebrated dramatist Chris Bush and songwriter Miranda Cooper have adapted Kate Pankhurst’s picture book celebrating incredible women for the stage, creating a new girl power musical that both entertains and inspires. Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World (recently seen at the Edinbur

So, it turns out that going wrong isn’t always a bad thing. Who would have thought that a little play about a drama company trying to put on a play when everything that could go wrong does exactly that would become one of the most successful stage comedies around? But here we are. That little show that started its life in a pub theatre is now a huge hit. It’s about to celebrate its eighth birthday and has become the longest running show ever to play in London’s Duchess Theatr

Images not of performances mentioned Over the years, the Edinburgh Fringe has become known for many things; street performers, mad dashes from venue to venue and comedy acts that are simply impossible to resist. Improv comedy has always proved a popular choice at the festival, and some theatre companies have become so well known for it that they are amongst the top choice to see at the fringe. And when it comes to inventing a show on the spot, you can’t go wrong with the Show

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Get Up, Stand Up: The Bob Marley Musical, The Cher Show, and Jersey Boys. It’s safe to say that musicals telling the stories of real-life music stars aren’t exactly in short supply, and you’d be forgiven for wondering if perhaps there wasn’t space for another but with so many music stars out there with a story to tell about what really happened behind the glamour of their careers, it’s not really surprising th

Think of a book club, but it’s play scripts instead of books. That sound’s nice, doesn’t it? Picking up a play and discussing it. If that sounds like something you would enjoy, then Script in Hand is the podcast for you, and that good news is that it is now back for its fourth series, beginning September 1st. Script in Hand, co-founded by friends and theatre directors Lexie Ward and Meg Robinson, launched in April 2020, gaining an international following with each episode foc

‘You can’t please everyone’ It’s a saying that most people have probably heard before, and many people probably do fall into the idea of being a ‘people pleaser’, but is it actually possible to please everyone? Well, that is exactly what Charlie Russell, well known for being a part of the original Mischief Theatre team, set out to do with her debut solo fringe show ‘Charlie Russell Aims To Please’. Taking suggestions from the audience gathered in the small but cosy Pleasance

Over the years, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival has acted as a launchpad for many productions and performers that are now household names with many fringe goers able to say, ‘I was there when’. Looking back to 2009, you may have stumbled across a small show in a small venue called ‘Lights Camera Improvise’, performed by a group called The Scat Pack. And from those humble beginnings, the show has changed name, the company has changed names and it is now one of the best-known com

After a successful limited run in Truro’s Hall for Cornwall last year, the musical adaptation of the film Fisherman’s Friends returns to stage in a couple of weeks, launching its UK Tour at the Theatre Royal Plymouth. Based on the 2019 film of the same title, Fisherman’s Friends tells the story of a group of Cornish Fishermen who are discovered and launched into the limelight for their talent for singing sea shanties. Loosely based on the real-life tale of Port Issacs’s Shant

When it comes to the Edinburgh Fringe, it’s very easy to fall into a hole of not knowing what to expect as there is just so much to see. So many different ideas, new stories, new concepts, it’s all there to see on stages scattered across the city. So, with so much on offer, you’d be forgiven for thinking that something with a familiar title would be a familiar show, a does what it says on the tin kind of situation that you could walk into with at least a rough idea of what is

Springing onto the movie screens in glorious technicolour in 1952 and onto the West End in all dancing, singing spectacular in 1983, ‘Singin’ In The Rain’ is a staple in the world of classic musicals, harking back to the golden age of Hollywood. The story centres around Don Lockwood (played here by Sam Lips), a great star of silent movies in the 1920’s and the challenges faced in the move towards talking pictures. Lockwood is famed for performing alongside fellow star Lina La

Remember, remember, the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason, and plot. I see no reason, that gunpowder treason, should ever be forgot. Touring the country and using some of the most beautiful country estates and houses as their backdrops, theatre company Three Inch Fools are spending the summer bringing two productions to family audiences: Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ and ‘The Gunpowder Plot’ You may think that you know the ins and outs of the gunpowder plot, a group of ca

The show must go on. It’s an age old saying in the world of theatre, and it’s one that celebrates the hard-working individuals who do just that; ensure that the show can indeed go on. Understudies and swings are perhaps among the most needed members of a theatrical company, for they can cover multiple roles and are able to step in at the drop of a hat. That being said, the understudies (for reasons that I will never understand) are sometimes underappreciated, and some people

Tasting notes are strings of adjectives, increasingly precise and sometimes obscure, meant as a sensory examination and evaluation of a drink. More informal, recreational tasting may usually involve a much less analytical process for a more general, personal appreciation (the gill girl, pribblebabble.wordpress.com, 2013). Although usually applying to a drink, in this case wine, the idea of a tasting note can allow be directly applied to day-to-day life and way in which we s

If there is one thing that theatre fans love doing other than actually watching shows, it’s listening to show tunes and after the closure of Encore Radio, us fans have been turning to Magic at the Musicals and Box Office Radio for our fill of musical theatre soundtracks. But there is another option if you are looking for a new radio station to listen too, and that is SoundsofBroadway, run by Connecticut based radio host and theatre critic Stuart Brown. SoundsofBroadway launch

After proving a hit and a star making machine on Broadway, Dreamgirls opened in London’s West End in late 2016, running through to early 2019 and now, after what felt like a long delay due to Covid, the show has hit the road on a UK Tour, bringing the glitz, glamour, and grit of showbusiness in the hard-hitting music industry. Loosely, shall we say inspired, by the story of musical legend Diana Ross and her experiences of the challenging industry, Dreamgirls tells the story o

We are just a week away from the start of the world-famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival, with countless shows preparing to open all over the city. One of these shows is ‘Dear Little Loz’, written by and starring Lauren-Nicole Mayes and directed by Izzy Parriss, a vibrant and poetic solo show that explores the themes of love, identity, and attachment. A disappointing first date leads Loz to question for her view on men and what she believes she needs, wants, and deserves from the

A candlestick, a lead pipe, a rope, a spanner, a revolver, and a dagger. 6 weapons, 6 party invites and a house looked after by a rather strange butler, and this isn’t the start of a weird joke. I'm sure that most people have stumbled across the board game Cluedo at least once in their lives, and many have probably spent hours trying to solve who killed Mr Black and what with. The game proved so popular that it was adapted into a movie called clue, and now that movie has come

After staring in productions such as The Inheritance (Noel Coward Theatre), Beautiful: The Carol King Musical (Aldwych Theatre), West Side Story (Manchester Royal Exchange) and Travels with my Aunt (Chichester Festival Theatre), actor Michael Duke is currently staring as part warrior, part rock star Bob Marley in Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical at the Lyric Theatre in London's glittering West End. I had the opportunity to talk to Michael about what it is like to play

Fresh from graduation at the University of Worcester, all-female absurdist theatre company Expial Atrocious are preparing to take their show ‘Butchered’ up to the world-famous Edinburgh Fringe, alongside other events this year. Another of their productions, ‘Hear, Speak, See’, will be part of the Greater Manchester Fringe’s online festival. I was able to talk to Nic and Ez all about preparing for the festivals and what goes into creating their shows. Could you please tell us