3 Star Shows

Rosie Holt: The Woman’s Hour

Rosie Holt’s The Woman’s Hour is a satirical amalgamation of characters that provides a commentary on British politics.

Dance of Death

Review
★★★
Richard Beck
London Fringe
The Coronet
22nd Mar, 2023

The Coronet Theatre is once again hosting The National Theatre of Norway, who have arrived with their take on August Strindberg’s dark matrimonial drama Dance of Death.

Family Tree

Our lives are indebted to many people.

Under the Black Rock

Promoted as ‘a twisting and darkly comic thriller’, Under the Black Rock, at the Arcola Theatre, has each of those elements in different measures, but probably doesn’t achiev…

This Bitter Earth

Two main strands are interwoven in Harrison David Rivers’ This Bitter Earth, currently making its UK premiere at the White Bear Theatre, Kennington.

Phaedra

You don’t need to know the story of Phaedra to recognise its origins as Greek mythology.

Escaped Alone & What If If Only

The ladies with their mugs of tea sitting outside a cottage with a fenced-off lawn would have grown up with the song In An English Country Garden, whose tune introduces George Savo…

Notre Dame

Stuart Crowther’s adaptation of Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame is proof that streamed performances can bring the magic of theatre and then some into our homes, diffe…

Have I None

Described by its author as a ‘tragi-farce’, Edward Bond’s Have I None at the Golden Goose Theatre is a blunt dystopian nightmare packed into an energetically angry fifty-five…

The Unfriend

The need to willingly suspend disbelief in order to fully enter into the spirit of a play is sometimes an essential requirement if the potential for enjoyment is not to be lost alt…

On The Ropes

Review
★★★
Richard Beck
West End
Park Theatre
29th Jan, 2023

Scheduled over twelve rounds, On the Ropes at the Park Theatre goes from 7.

Mother Goose - Duke of York's Theatre

Cal McCrystal’s Mother Goose is a self-described silly, fun show with an underlying commentary of failed economic policies that live up to that promise.

Dolly Parton's Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol

Charles Dickens' beloved classic A Christmas Carol takes on a musical country twist as it line dances its way into the Southbank Centre with Dolly Parton’s rendition: Smoky M…

Wickies: The Vanishing Men of Eilean Mor

The creative team behind Wickies: The Vanishing Men of Eilean Mor at the Park Theatre have done an outstanding job on this production.

Keeper Of The Flame

Two main strands run through Keeper of the Flame, written and performed by Rob Adams, a play that fits neatly into the confines of the delightful Bridge House Theatre.

Othello

Do you need to know a play before you see a play?The question came to mind at the opening of what we’re told is a “landmark production” of Othello, now playing at the Nationa…

The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary!

Everything about John Nicholson’s adaptation of Gustave Flaubert’s The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary! at Jermyn Street Theatre has an element of irony to it, but whether tha…

ELF the Musical

Buddy the Elf discovers he is an adopted 'human' baby from New York City and sets off on an adventure to find his biological father who has no idea of his son’s existence…

Innovations Contemporary Dance Platform Autumn 2022

Review
★★★
Stephanie Green
Edinburgh
The Studio
12th Nov, 2022

One of the excitements for an audience is to spot future stars.

Cheer Up Slug

Jamie Patterson (Will) and Charis Murray (Bean) give delightful performances in Cheer Up Slug by Tamsin Rees, the debut production for their company, Shot in the Dark Theatre, at t…

The Yeomen of the Guard

There was a more than usual buzz in the air at the Coliseum in anticipation of ENO’s latest foray into the world of Gilbert & Sullivan with The Yeoman of the Guard.

The Drought

When the waters of the world dry up, who will be left victorious in the aftermath?It has been three months since the water dried up; three months or what seems like a lifetime for …

Navy Blue

Navy Blue, the colour of workers’ overalls is an existential cry of protest, a dance/voice-over/visual performance choreographed by Oona Doherty and cast to Rachmaninov’s Piano…

Mary

Douglas Henshall has wasted no time in returning to the stage after his years in Shetland.

Noises Off

Sardines, Telephones, Tax Avoiders, Axes, Whiskey, Flowers and more Sardines.

Dmitry

In marked contrast to the UK’s recent smooth transition from one monarch to another, the story of Dmitry (Tom Byrne), at the new Marylebone Theatre, tells a woeful tale of power-…

Blues for an Alabama Sky

Are dreams supposed to be ambitions we strive to realise? Or simply ideals meant to be unattainable, existing to help us get through our mundane everyday lives?This seems to be the…

The Crucible

It’s rare for a play’s allegory to be as widely known as its actual story.

Help! We Are Still Alive

There’s an upbeat charm that hangs over Grey Area Theatre’s Help! We Are Still Alive.

Jungle Book reimagined

Breathtaking projections of animation by YeastCulture steal this show and a set which is largely conveyed by lighting.

Long Nights in Paradise

There’s a lot packed in to Long Nights in Paradise, probably too much, but it still makes for an interesting story that explores the ups and downs of life, the building and disin…

The Rest of Our Lives

Human physicality is utterly captivating – it’s why we go to the circus or the cabaret, where narrative and plot take a backseat to simple bodies, and the complex and incredibl…

Searching and Knowing

For an episcopalian minister from California, Joyce Parry Moore’s performance in Searching and Knowing comes as somewhat of a surprise.

The Collie's Shed

There is nothing like a timely reminder from the past.

The Lost Letters

Does it matter that snail mail letters are dying out in our fast moving world? We can now email instead, cutting down fewer trees, so what have we actually lost? Plenty, say Newbur…

Brainstorm

Recent studies in education suggest that the two best ways for students to boost their educational development (by eight months in each case) are immediate feedback from a teacher …

Almost 13

Almost 13 is a highly thoughtful and at times disturbing portrayal of the childhood experiences of a young girl growing up in Brooklyn, New York.

Hot Clown Sex

The Hot Clown Company is a relatively new troupe that set out to blend sketch comedy and physical theatre with a particular emphasis on clowning.

Simply Blue

There is a real physicality in music.

Blood Harmony

Chloe, Maia and Anna are reunited under the most painful of circumstances, the death of their mother.

Sam Nicoresti: Cancel Anti Wokeflake Snow Culture

Zany music and a psychedelic multimedia screen await the audience as we take our seats for Sam Nicoresti’s show Cancel Anti Wokeflake Snow Culture.

Poems on Gender

Nuance is hard to find at the Fringe.

O, for a Muse of Fire: Henry IV 1, Henry IV 2 and Henry V

Shakespeare’s Henry IV and V - two great plays and one that’s a bit of a stinker.

Fitry

Fitry is an intriguing one-man show from Faso Danse Théâtre, Brussels, featuring Serge Aimé Coulibaly as the performer.

X: 1969

Picture this: a musical based on the women of the Manson Family set to the music of Fleetwood Mac.

Don't Say Macbeth

GOYA Theatre Company’s Don’t Say Macbeth is a fast-paced show filled with well-balanced satire that pokes fun at and spoofs the theatre and musical industry.

52 Souls

Chronic Insanity’s 52 Souls is a series of monologues that correspond to each indiviudal playing card (plus one Joker) along the subject of death and mortality, all in an hour.

Double Crossed

Whilst mildly fun, it is odd in this day and age to have any form of pro-police art.

Alternate Endings

The end is nigh.

Ice Age

Ice Age is a life-affirming show celebrating and bringing much-needed visibility to what disabled people can achieve as performers on stage despite being confined to a wheelchair.

Living with Sin

Turning what we know about morality on its head, Gabrielle James and Joshua Newman’s Living With Sin is an interesting twist on the traditionally 'evil' seven deadly sins…

Greg

Greg is Duck in Arms Theatre’s first production.

Vote Macbeth!

An original musical with plenty of spark, Vote Macbeth! aims to present a fresh take on the well-worn story of the Scottish play.

Cherub Spring: A Political Satire

Children, especially toddlers are known to be tyrants.

The Thinking Drinkers Pub Quiz

Before the Thinking Drinkers even begins, the audience experiences a feeling which is very rare at Edinburgh Fringe: ‘This show is value for money!’Provided with a bag containi…

The Masks of Oscar Wilde

Occasionally humorous, this is a well-formed exploration of Wilde’s life, loves and works.

The Girl and Her Balloon

Recalling Banksy’s famous graffiti, originally painted on the side of Waterloo Bridge in 2002, Amy Wakeman’s The Girl and Her Balloon is a similarly ubiquitous depiction of hop…

What Broke David Lynch?

It is difficult to work out exactly who this play is for.

Three Women and Shakespeare's Will

Three Women and Shakespeare’s Will is is a nice little premise for a play.

007 Voices Of Bond

In March 1952, hunched over a typewriter on a semi-circular table in the corner of a Jamaican villa, a man has finally completed his first draft of an espionage novel that would re…

North Star (What I Listened to Instead of My Intuition)

Lori Hamilton's retelling of her eventful life is touching and amusing, despite the whirlwind pacing.

Sylus 2024!

Jeff Ahern’s presidential campaign based on audience suggestions brings an insightful look at the current state of political affairs.

Are You Being Murdered?

People can be sensitive about how they are described.

Chris Hall and Mark Bittlestone: Two Sour Gays

Review
★★★
Kate Nora
Edinburgh Fringe
Just the Tonic at The Grassmarket Centre
18th Aug, 2022

One of the (many) great things about Fringe is that new comics, who don’t yet have an hour’s worth of material, can buddy up to put on a show — Chris Hall and Mark Bittleston…

Attenborough and His Animals

Clownfish Theatre has returned to the Edinburgh Fringe with an updated version of their show which saw sell-out audiences in 2019 as well as similar success in Adelaide.

Joseph Parsons: Equaliser

Swept up by the Lionesses’ historic win at the Euros, I booked to see Joseph Parsons: Equaliser.

Buffy: Revamped

Spike has left Sunnydale for Edinburgh to fulfil an ancient prophecy and the ‘stakes’ have never been higher!When you’re part of a fandom like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, there…

Simon Munnery: Trials and Tribulations

Fringe veteran Simon Munnery once more brings his eclectic mix of props, jokes, sketches, songs, poetry, and storytelling to the stage of The Stand with Trials and Tribulations.

MARVELus: All the MARVEL Movies... Kind Of!

The Just Us League of Javier Jarquin and Gary Tro return with an update of their whistlestop tour of the first 3 Marvel Cinematic Universe phases (somewhat contradicting their titl…

KIN

One of the beautiful things about acrobatics is the way human bodies can collaborate in difficult-to-imagine ways.

CUMTS: SLEEPOVER

Gen Z has arrived.

Ted Hill: All the Presidents Man

Ted Hill is incredibly brave for putting on his show, All The Presidents Man, which in itself is a very clever title.

Leith Social

Leith Social offers a rotation of different comedic, musical and cabaret acts under the roof of The Pitt Street Market, hosted by Cornish comedian Sam Lake.

Garry Starr: Greece Lightning

Despite the hyper atmosphere and start of Garry Starr’s Greece Lightning, there is something vaguely unsettling about the manic nature of the way that Starr approaches this show.

Chelsea Birkby: No More Mr Nice Chelsea

As we enter the venue, Chelsea Birkby is waiting at the entrance with a tray of glasses of water for us because it can get pretty hot inside the room.

The Transfiguration of Mrs Lamen

The story of the theatrical Dame has had many incarnations and they all revolve around a fairly standard trope.

About Us

All of Us is an attack on welfare state reform.

Love Loss & Chianti

Love, Loss and Chianti stages two of Christopher Reid’s poetic works A Scattering and The Song of Lunch, both, as the title suggests, explore the liminal space where love and los…

My (unauthorized) Hallmark Movie Musical

Review
★★★
Kate Nora
Edinburgh Fringe
C venues
14th Aug, 2022

Are you a love warrior? Turns out, I am!Hallmark movies might be cheesy and predictable, but they’re the kind of films that help people escape their lives, and during the pandemi…

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