Its been 20 years since a full scale musical has been produced at the Exeter Northcott, but as a producing house it has come back kicking and screaming with a new production of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken's Little Shop of Horrors, a black comedy meets sci-fi meets horror adventure of a blood thirsty plant and its meek shy botanist owner Seymour. And this production fully sells the Northcott as a small but mighty power in musical creation, filling its quaint space with colou

Agatha Christie, the queen of crime as she is known and loved, called the seaside town of Torquay her home and as the area celebrates its annual Agatha Christie festival, it seems most apt that perhaps her most famous whodunnit 'The Mousetrap' was calling the beach side Princess Theatre its home for the week. In the second stop of its 75th anniversary tour, The Mousetrap continues to prove that no one could construct a murder mystery like Christie, and perhaps even now that n

A single figure stands on a lonely bare stage, surrounded by nothing but a simple wire frame bed, a scattering of scratchy sheets and a backdrop of the countryside. But is that backdrop the rolling hills of home, childhood days spent playing in the woods and water, or a daunting danger laden sparsity of no mans land? For young soldier Private Tommo Peaceful, it is both. He’s counting down the hours, spending the night awake and alone as he thinks about his life, looks back on

How far would you go for eternal youth and endless beauty? Is how you look from the outside more important than anything else? Handsome but hedonistic aristocrat Dorian Gray meets an artist enamoured with his beauty, and fearing losing said beauty to age, he makes some strange impulsive wish; for his portrait to age and wither away instead of him. He lives a life of freedom, decadence, and fulfilment, whilst his hidden away portrait ages whilst remembering every sin of the pe

The meaning of Mischief - playful, reckless... But say the word 'Mischief' around a theatre fan and your brain is filled with images of silliness, calamity, clever funny wordplay, things going wrong and the ever growing portfolio of hit productions from one of the most successful and popular theatre companies around. With their flagship show 'The Play That Goes Wrong' having just welcomed its 13th cast, 'The Comedy About Spies' returning to London for a second run, 'Christmas

Whilst it is Agatha Christie who holds the famous title of the Queen of Crime, if the writers of crime dramas and whodunnits is seen as a royal court, then Arthur Conan Doyle would be in high standing. And his most famous creation, the dashing, absurdly intelligent and wickedly unique Sherlock Holmes, is perhaps one of the world’s best-known detectives, able to deduct anything and piece together the most complex of mysteries. Nearly 95 years after Conan Doyle’s death, the sto

‘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’

Having just recently finished their second London run, this time at the Shaftesbury Theatre, Just For One Day The Live Aid Musical may have turned off the lights and put away the hand held microphones for now. But, worry not, it won’t be long until the music starts again and we are once again whipped into a frenzy of song fuelled nostalgia and rallying calls to action as the production prepares to head out on its first UK tour. The tour kicks off in Leicester in March next

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