We are used to fairy tales wrapping up with the big white wedding, the smiles and the happily ever after, but have you ever given any thought to what happens next to the people left behind? But, here we are with Apparently Ugly, a musical for families and fairy tale fans. Cinderella is married now, away from the home where she was the servant, and left her stepsisters, Agnes and Olga bickering over the brides bouquet. What are they to do now that their sister is gone, especia

Ben Stone is a detective inspector, praised, celebrated, young and at the top of his game. But he’s ready to leave it all behind, much to the shock of his friends and family. As they gather for his murder mystery themed 25th birthday party, the candles are not the only things getting snuffed out. Ben suspects that someone in his circle is lying, and plots to stage his own murder to find the foe, but a black out, a brief moment, and Ben is dead for real in the chair. The third

Cinderella, Belle, Ariel, Mulan, Moana, Aurora, Anna and Elsa. All princesses who have had their story told, their songs heard and their happily ever afters granted. But what about the princes? Or, in particular, Prince Charming, left to be a side character with barely any voice and barely any chance of ever being listened too? Well, this Prince Charming has had enough of that nonsense and he’s taking matters into his own hands, with the help of a magical genie of the lamp. G

Little orphan Annie famously sings her heart out with 'The sun will come out tomorrow', and here we are in a heatwave where we can currently say with some certainty that the sun indeed will come out tomorrow. But the soaring temperatures have not put the stoppers on the UK Tour of the classic musical Annie, roaring into the Theatre Royal Plymouth and plunging us into Christmas time in New York City 1933. The city continues to feel the effects of the Stock Market crash, with t

The French Revolution has began, a reign of terror after the creation of the first republic and Madame La Guillotine is being kept busy beheading aristos much to the delight of those fighters manning the barricades. But lurking in the shadows, hidden by genius guises and armed with a witty, quick thinking brain, is a secretive man, a vigilante of sorts, sneaking in and helping aristocrats escape France before their necks lie on the block, leaving nothing behind him to trace b

A storm can begin at the flap of a wing; the tiniest mite packs the mightiest sting. No, this isn’t Matilda the musical, but instead a quote to illustrate a greater point about how one action, big or small, can ripple, grow, explode even, and change the lives of multiple people forever. Especially if that one single action is one single punch. Written by James Graham, Punch tells the real-life stories of both Jacob Dunne and James Hodgkinson, the thrower and the recipie

Albert Cabbage wants to make the best Spy movie ever, but there’s a problem, and it isn’t just that he has much bigger ideas then the writer. They haven’t got the budget to make a movie. So, what can they do? Well, of course, they can stage their spy epic as a play instead! What matter way to bring in the investors, especially man from Hollywood, Gary. But the leading lady is refusing the wear the blonde wig, the leading man is a no show, and the stuntman has realised he’s go

A painting goes missing during an auction at a grand manor house. The Lord and Lady of the house are desperate for the piece to be returned, the guests are intervening, the maid is the font of all knowledge when it comes to household gossip, and the gardeners, well they just live in their own little world. It is up to Detective Stuart Pidcock and his sidekick Dusty Wills, who used to be a criminal himself, to solve the puzzle of the missing painting. ‘A Shoddy Detective and

Friends, Seinfeld, Frasier, some of the most popular 90’s sitcoms that are still known and loved today, and for Mates Improv, the perfect inspiration for an incredibly funny hour of silliness back at the Edinburgh fringe after previous successful seasons. There are a lot of choice at the fringe if you want to see something improvised, and these groups of talented performers have to do something to make themselves stand out from the crowd, and a small team of three performers

Originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869, Louisa May Alcott’s ‘Little Women’ has been enchanting and captivating readers and audiences of both stage and screen for many years (the first film adaptation came in silent form in 1917, five short years after it first came to the stage on Broadway). It is a story of four sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March, and their journey from childhood to adulthood, balancing poverty, love, loss and personal growth as they each try

Since its publication on this day in 1813, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice has had countless stage and screen adaptations and has gained international recognition as one of the most famous love stories around. In today’s modern age, you may call it a will they, won’t they tale of mismatched lovers with its settings of grand country estates, beautiful period costuming and its tale of dropping one’s own pride and not being too judgemental of others. Over the years, its popula

Chocolate box cottages, rolling green fields, viewpoints out to the sea and little spaces buried into hillsides, the glow of bedroom windows the only light in dark cold evenings. That’s the image of Devon that is painted to many, but what sits beneath that perfect ideal? Villages where teenagers are left with little to do, their limited resources leading them to experiment with alcohol, drugs and loud, wild parties, small places with big skies where they are often forgotten.

The Orient Express, the train described as ‘Poetry on Wheels’ is stuck in a snow drift, trapping its passengers in a cold, dark claustrophobic warren of narrow corridors and sliding doors. The conductor is trying to contact a rescue team, the train company manager is trying to keep spirits high, and a world-famous detective is trying his best to keep his head down and get to London in a hurried response to an emergency telegram. But when a passenger is found brutally murdered

20 years ago, Alan Bennett’s ‘The History Boys’ opened at the National Theatre, and a classic was born. The show become a launch pad to stardom for many of its original cast members including Dominic Cooper, James Cordon, Sacha Dharwan, Russell Tovey, Jamie Parker, Andrew Knott and Samuel Barnett, whilst, in its own right, became famous for being a stark look at the education system through the positives and negatives of examinations and knowledge for knowledge’s sake. 20 y

True stories from history are no strangers to be worked upon and adapted for the stage, inspiring countless new stories along the way and we love to see it. Anne Bonney and Mary Read, two famous female pirates whose stories have been a topic of conversation and speculation for many years, are the main inspiration of new musical ‘Tit Swingers’ by Le Gasp Productions. With the title based on the idea that both Bonny and Read fought off their enemies whilst bare breasted, the

In a world where acceptance, understanding and kindness seems to be dwindling, a musical that tells the story of a young man trying to be their truest self, set against a backdrop of inner-city Sheffield, where inclusivity is in short supply, is as important as ever. Based on the BBC3 documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16, ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’ tells the story of Jamie New, ‘the boy so nice he came out twice’. Unlike his Year 11 classmates who dream of popstar sup

Agatha Christie. A mere mention of the name is enough to draw images of mystery, deception, distrust, and puzzles. To be able to construct a mystery in such a way as Christie is perhaps the dream of many a writer now, for not many could piece together a puzzle so intricate and clever that it keeps you guessing until the dying moments of the story itself. Her classic tale ‘The Mousetrap’ is the longest running play in West End history, but that, of course, isn’t her only hit.

On the stage at least, you would be forgiven for immediately thinking pantomime when you hear the show title ‘Aladdin’. Up and down the country, every festive season, the story of street rat Aladdin, his genie and the magical carpet is performed to eager panto goers, ready to cheer the hero and boo the villain, but let’s step away from that. Because this isn’t panto, this is a Disney Theatrical production to the highest degree. Large cast with a larger set, beautiful costumes

Livestream - Gifted I’ve seen quite a few pantomimes over the years, and if I’m being honest, I’d gotten quite used to the formula; a classic fairytale, in most cases, the princess and the prince, a dame, the clumsy always the bridesmaid never the bride best friend and the villain. It’s something that we are used to, families go into a pantomime knowing what to expect, and sometimes, these classic pantos can, in my opinion, feel a little tired. Jokes can feel overused, and a

Rodgers and Hammerstein, a double act famed for the role that they played in the world of musical theatre. Oklahoma! Carousel. The Sound of Music. Cinderella. South. Pacific. I could go and on, but I won’t. I just wanted to give you a taste of this team’s catalogue. These musicals are deemed classics, they are loved, adored the world over, timeless. And now out of a UK Tour, another R&H classic is once again charming audiences with its old school style, stunning costumes and