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

Production images of Jack Baldwin, Laurence Pears and Charlie Ives, rehearsal image of Charlie Richards. in 1993, Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park was the peak of technical achievement in movie making, crammed full of special effects and action sequences beyond much of what had been seen before. Now, with such advances in technology, it would be easy to look back at it and call it basic in comparison, and most would probably agree with you. But that basic-ness here lights a

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

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

Worth the wait?   Sometimes, no matter how big a fan you are of something, there can be a part of that something that simply escapes you, and it can take some time to find it. As you may be aware, I am a huge fan of all thing’s mischief theatre, and I’ve seen a lot of it. The Play That Goes Wrong (23 times and counting), The Comedy About A Bank Robbery, Magic Goes Wrong, Groan Ups, Good Luck Studio and Mischief Movie Night. But there has been one Mischief Theatre production t

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

‘This is not fiction’. This is the phrase that covers the posters for ‘I, Daniel Blake’, the new stage adaptation of Ken Loach’s 2016 film of the same title. When the film, which depicts the life of Dan as he battles against the state, jumping through hoops as he is declared fit to work against doctor’s orders, was released it was commented upon in the house of commons, where politicians declared it a work of fiction. But in today’s world, where there are more food banks than

When it comes to stage productions, taking a classic story and giving it a twist is hardly something new, from ‘Unexpected Twist’ and ‘Bleak Expectations’, to Say It Again Sorry’s fringe hit ‘The Importance of being… Earnest’ to name but a few. And now here we are with the Olivier Award winning ‘Pride & Prejudice* (*Sort of), a show that takes the classic Jane Austen story, throws it into the mixing pot and tops it up with dashes of Six, lashes of Jukebox musical fun and even

Growing up, I think it’s safe to assume that most children stumbled across at least one Roald Dahl story. Tales that oozed with magic, cheekiness, mystery and everyone, be that child or adult, ultimately getting what they deserved. The Twits, George’s Marvellous Medicine, James and the Giant Peach, the list could go on and on, but over the years a few of these classic stories have leapt from the pages onto our stages, with the biggest hits being Matilda and Charlie and the Ch

Please note - The photographs in this review feature the original cast, not the cast that are currently starring in the production It isn’t uncommon for stage productions these days to have had other lives before they even reach the stage itself, with screen to stage adaptations becoming increasingly popular and the idea of audience members having some idea of what to expect helping to put bums on seats. In the case of this particular production, it was Deborah Moggach’s 2004

Up and down the country, from the glittering West End to our much-loved regional theatres, stages are a new constant revolve. One show out, one show in, and the cycle starts again. But, nevertheless, some productions stick around a little bit longer, a year here maybe, a 3 three stint there? It’s pretty common, but what is more uncommon is that sometimes a show can run and run, the revolving door of change nowhere to be seen. The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, and for

It’s not very often that the vast majority of the people in a room together can admit that they’ve had the same or even very similar experiences, it’s not very often that the vast majority of audience members for the same production can watch and say that they’ve been there, they know those feelings, they can relate. But here we are, it happened. After all, no matter what someone has gone on to do with their lives, they can all say the same thing. They all went to school, the

Okay, hands up in the air, time for some honesty. I did not know anything about ‘The Ocean At The End Of The Lane’ before I was kindly invited to the press night of the stage adaptation at Theatre Royal Plymouth. Beyond the knowledge of it being based on a novel by Neil Gaiman (Good Omens, Stardust, Coraline), I knew nothing of the plot, and made the decision not to look it up before going to see the show. Because, after all, sometimes going into something blind can be worth

What makes a show a musical and what makes a show a play with music. It’s a thin line and one that many shows walk like a tightrope, especially when said show is about a musical act itself. ‘The Commitments’, currently touring the UK, walks this line, balancing music with story in a humorous and believable tale of a band trying to make it big. Based on the Roddy Doyle book, ‘The Commitments’ tells the tale of a group growing up in Dublin in the 1980’s, brought together by you

These days jukebox musicals, seen as guaranteed crowd pleasers, are commonplace up and down the country, entertaining those visiting the glittering west end and sending audiences flocking to their regional theatres in their droves. These popular shows often rely heavily on a singer/group’s most well-known hits, the types of songs that have theatregoers proclaiming, ‘hey I know this one’ and sending them home with a tune stuck in their heads, but sometimes a show can deep dive

Catchy songs, custard pies and peddle cars, ‘Bugsy Malone’ is a classic. Seen as a gangster movie for kids, it takes us back to 1920’s New York, when Speakeasy’s were all the rage and gang warfare was rife. The popular 1976 film saw the entire cast consist of children, playing adult roles with their singing voices dubbed by adults, so how exactly does that transfer to the stage. Directed by Sean Holmes and choreographed by Drew McOnie, this Lyric Hammersmith production of ‘Bu

Pictures in this review may not feature the 2022 touring cast I feel the need to start this review with a little bit of truth about me. I will willingly put my hands up and say that I have never got Shakespeare, I have always struggled with it as a whole. I was never really shown it at school, other than that modern retelling of ‘Romeo & Juliet’. But other than that, I had to sit and read it and be expected to understand it and the whole act of having it drilled into me made