Comedian Jim Daly is preparing to bring his show ‘Jim Daly: Football and Fatherhood’ to the Edinburgh Fringe this summer, and in the words of Edinburgh legend Kevin Day, he is ‘living proof that very nice people can be very funny’. Using the one thing he knows best, a football match, as the framework, the show sees Jim take audiences through his first two years of fatherhood with gentle jokes, songs and stories. Described as ‘Hilarious!’ by SportBible and ‘very, very funny!’

Yorkshire lesbian Jessica Rowbottom is the sole member of The Bleeding Obvious, a one women show that describes her own coming out experience through original songs and tales. Described by Get in Her Ears as 'An LGBTQ+ driven musical trinket box' and 'very controversial, with a bit of fun added in' by Kai Kaiama at Trans Radio Uk, Jessica recounts reactions from family and friends, dating, growing up and many other issues. Running at Udderbelly Bristo Square Edinburgh for 8 p

With ‘a strong script and riveting performance by Mabel Thomas’ (Fringe Biscuit), Sugar was an online hit of last year’s Edinburgh Fringe, and this year will be heading to the festival in the flesh. Written and performed by Mabel Thomas, Sugar is an exploration into what it means to win and an interrogation into where and when women learn the art of self-exploitation in today’s world ‘where Louis Vuitton makes dog leashes and sex work is just clicks away’. The story follows M

Jukebox musicals, love them or hate them, have been around for quite some time and won’t be going anywhere any time soon. Mamma Mia, The Band, Sunshine on Leith, The Bodyguard and &Juliet are just some examples of shows based around the catalogues of popular artists from ABBA to The Proclaimers and whilst you may think that Jukebox musicals cater for the party audience, the light-hearted night out that doesn’t take itself too seriously, but Jim Steinman’s Bat out of Hell, ins

Most people have a favourite movie, favourite tv show, something to watch that they never tire of, and most theatre fans have their favourite show that just keeps tempting them back over and over again. And with whatever it is that you watch repeatedly, be a tv show, a film or a theatrical production, there always seems to be the same sort of questions asked. ‘How can you watch it over and over without getting bored?’, ‘How can you still find it funny or entertaining when you

In the dying days of World War II, a meeting takes place between two men who were unlikely to ever cross paths, Norbert Masur, a representative of the World Jewish Congress and Heinrich Himmler, a prominent Nazi. ‘The End of the Night’ by Ben Brown and directed by Alan Scrachan tells the tale of this meeting, how Himmler’s trusted physiotherapist Felix Kersten made it all happen, and how it saved thousands of lives. Masur (played by Ben Caplan) believes that, with Hitler in h

With the world-famous Edinburgh Fringe less than a month away, performers from all over are preparing to bring their shows to festival goers and entertain the masses. I spoke to a pair of such performers, Daniel Stanger-Cornwall, and James Hawley, who form the double act ‘2 Mouthed Men’ all about their show and about bringing it up to Edinburgh as the organisers prepare for a return to pre-pandemic Fringe festivities. So, what is 2 Mouthed Men? Could you please tell us about

‘Returning for yet another calamitous run! We can’t believe it either’ Mischief Comedy has achieved global fame for their unique brand of slapstick, wordplay, and improvisation, bringing their comedic talents to stages and screens all over the world much to the delight of their fans. It’s hard to believe that such success started from humble beginnings, runs at the Edinburgh Fringe and a small stage production in a pub theatre in London, but here we are. That original show th

Cher is an icon of the pop fame, that cannot be denied, and like many other famous faces of music such as Tina and Frankie Valli, she is the latest of a long line of world-famous talent to have their story brought to life on the stage in an all singing, all dancing jukebox musical. She may have found super stardom in The Sonny and Cher Show, becoming half of an iconic double act but this production is all about her. The Cher Show follows the star’s journey from her teenage ye

‘What happens what the things we covet hide us from ourselves?’ That is a question that is asked in ‘Breathless’, a new play by Plymouth Laureate of Words Laura Horton. This funny, honest and stylist piece explores the act of hoarding, balancing between the joy of it and the addiction and shame that can come with it in a story about trying to escape from a world that you’ve spent a lifetime building. Based on the real-life experiences of clothes hoarding by Horton, ‘Breathle

Right, let’s start this with everything out in the open. If you were to have a scroll back through this site, you would find that I have seen and reviewed Mischief Theatre’s ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ on a fair few occasions already, and therefore, I have to admit that this stage comedy is a very firm favourite of mine. I have a huge soft spot for it, it is a show that I can just keep going back to again and again, and it will always make me laugh. I love everything that Mis

When it comes to musicals, some are just more well known than others and if you were to ask someone who perhaps isn’t as knowledgable on the subject as you and me, they would still probably be able to name a few and one of those would most probably be Les Miserables. This famous show has celebrated many a birthday, and is only a few years away from the landmark age of 40. It’s been seen by millions all over the world and it is still has loved as it was when it first opened. T

Grief is a powerful thing. It comes to us all at some point in our lives and everyone reacts to it in a different way, it affects everyone in a different way and learning how to handle it can be a long and difficult journey. For some people, finding a method of handling grief can lead them down different paths and this is something that is explored in great detail in Liz Richardson’s SWIM, a solo performance as part of the Theatre Royal Plymouth’s Solo Voices. We are introduc

When it comes to making people laugh, there is one theatre company that we are incredibly fortunate to have in our lives that we can rely on to raise the giggles and leave us smiling like overexcited Cheshire cats and that is Mischief Theatre. The team behind such hits as ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ and BBC Television show ‘The Goes Wrong Show’, to name but a few, never seem to run out of new ideas and new ways of making us laugh, with a multitude of new shows and projects hav

‘Do you think you could live without a face?’ A strange question, you could say, but one that sends Chris White down a path of exploration, misunderstanding and spirally down towards a society that is falling apart at the seams. Facial, written and performed by Chris White, is part of the Theatre Royal Plymouth’s Solo Voices season, taking place in the Drum Theatre. It features Chris telling a dark and twisted story using poetry and comedy exploring the ideas of what could ha

(Please note, the photographs in this review may not feature some of the cast members mentioned) #Pressreview - gifted After such a long period of no theatre or live music to capture the attention and imagination of young people, it is really no surprise to see the Theatre Royal Plymouth stuffed full to the rafters with happy audience members for the opening night of The School of Rock. Performing at venues up and down the country in its first, and majorly delayed (thanks cov

After starting life as a short performance in a school, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Tim Rice’s ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has gone from strength to strength and many a theatre fan now sees it as a classic. Over the years, productions of this sung through Bible story stage adaptation have bounced through the West End, over Broadway and all over the country in UK Tours, and in 2019 it returned to the home of variety, The London Palladium, in a sparkling new prod

They say that three is the magic number, and for Disney, three is the number spreading magic all over the glittering West End with The Lion King, Mary Poppins, and now Frozen delighting audiences of all ages. Over the years, Disney theatrical have pushed the boundaries of what can be done on stage when it comes to special effects, with The Lion King leading the way in terms of puppetry and Mary Poppins proving to be a shining example of special effects, but when it comes to F

When it comes to funny theatre here in the UK, there is one comedy that certainly know what they are doing and that is Mischief Comedy, the masterminds behind such hits as Magic Goes Wrong, the BBC Television series The Goes Wrong Show and of course The Play That Goes Wrong. This award-winning comedy has called London’s Duchess Theatre home for the last 7 years, and it’s still going strong, still making audiences of all ages laugh themselves silly. Speaking from experience, I

With the West End open again (thank goodness) and many a theatre fan more than ready to return to auditoriums, jukebox musicals are proving to be as popular as ever and if you fancy going to see a show full of songs that you know then London has plenty to offer. Mamma Mia is still going strong having just celebrated its 23rd birthday, with Tina: The Tina Turner Musical and &Juliet also pulling in the crowds. And now another joins the West End jukebox line up, lighting up the