Articles by Richard Beck

The Breach

Celebrated director Sarah Frankcom makes her debut at Hampstead Theatre in a spartan production of Naomi Wallace’s morality-defying play The Breach.

Oklahoma!

When Marisha Wallace, who plays Ado Annie, sings “I’m just a girl who cain’t say no” we are left in no doubt as to what she means and it gets the ovation it richly deserves…

The Man In The Shed

The Man In The Shed is a highly amusing and at time hilarious solo rant by actor Alex Dee, co-written as Alex Donald with Tim Connery.

Barry Humphries: The Man Behind the Mask

Review
★★★★
Richard Beck
West End
Churchill Theatre / Gielgud Theatre / Richmond Theatre
10th May, 2022

The event might fall short of the hype that The Man Behind the Mask would be a ‘confessional evening – seasoned with highly personal, sometimes startling, and occasionally outr…

The Recollection of Tony Ward

Jim Spencer Broadbent is a playwright based in South-East London, so he is delighted to be presenting his play The Recollection of Tony Ward as one of twenty-seven companies contri…

Busman's Honeymoon

Both a restaurant and a theatre, The Mill at Sonning, with its beautiful river setting in the countryside near Reading, is currently host to the Busman's Honeymoon, co-written …

The End of the Night

Dust-sheets cover what little furniture there is in the expansive room of Dr Felix Kersten (Michael Lumsden), trusted personal physiotherapist to Reichsfuehrer Heinrich Himmler (Ri…

Orlando

Orlando, Virginia Woolf’s amusing challenge to the norms of society, stemmed from her own life and that of her lover Vita Sackville-West, but in her novel, the eponymous hero'…

If. Destroyed. Still. True.

Sometimes all the elements of a production combine to form something that is stunning and deeply moving.

How It Is (Part 2)

How It Is (Part 2) being Part 2 of a three-part novel of which Part 1 comes before it and Part 3 follows it after which there is no more being a novel it is not a play yet here at …

Absolute Certainty?

Absolute Certainty? staged by Qweerdog Theatre revolves around the confused lives of two brothers and a friend.

Rabbit Hole

After sitting through two acts of around fifty-five minutes each at the Union Theatre, quite why David Lindsey-Abaire’s Rabbit Hole received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, five To…

Fighting Irish

If you are into boxing, and I’m not, Fighting Irish gives you something to latch onto from the outset.

Diary of a Somebody

John Lahr’s Diary of a Somebody makes a return to the stage after an absence of 35 years, this time at Seven Dials Playhouse.

The Gondoliers

Gilbert & Sullivan have survived the test of time and now seem to have successfully weathered the pandemic.

Mojo Mickybo

Two stunningly energetic performances keep Owen McCafferty’s Mojo Mickyboy, courtesy of Bruiser Theatre Company, rolling along at a cracking pace that provides an hour of action-…

The Marriage of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein

There is deceit in the title of this play.

The Collaboration

Andy Warhol once declared, 'Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art'.

Bacon

Bacon, at the Finborough Theatre, showcases the talents of two remarkable young actors in a moving exploration of teenage angst.

Sasha Regan's All Male H.M.S. Pinafore

Wilton’s Music Hall has come a long way since 1885 when Nelly Power sang The Boy I Love Is Up in the Gallery.

Under Electric Candlelight

I’ll settle for the company’s own description of Under Electric Candlelight as an ‘existential tragicomedy’, but dont worry about interpreting that.

Abigail’s Party

That irresistible 1970s suburban comedy, Abigail's Party, has been revived again; this time at the Watford Palace Theatre under the direction of Pravesh Kumar.

Dev's Army

Review
★★
Richard Beck
London Fringe
The Bread & Roses / The London Irish Centre
14th Mar, 2022

Dev’s Army, by Stuart D.

When We Dead Awaken

For aficionados of Ibsen this is a production not to be missed; nor should those who just like to wallow in the velvety richness of traditional theatre ignore this rare opportunity…

Moreno

Review
★★★
Richard Beck
London Fringe
Theatre503
11th Mar, 2022

Simple acts can often have huge repercussions.

And We're Off - EdFringe 2022 Announces First Shows

Feature
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
4th Mar, 2022

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society has announced the first release of shows for the 2022 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This mark the start of the 75th anniversary of the Fringe.

An Offie for Every Occasion

Feature
Richard Beck
Online & Broadcast
3rd Mar, 2022

The Offies - how they came about and grew.

What's Up Anna Lou Larkin's Sleeve?

Feature
Richard Beck
West End
17th Feb, 2022

Anna Lou Larkin talks with Editor-in-chief Richard Beck about her new show Le Wine Club.

The Stars Are Fire

The University of Cambridge did not grant degrees to women until 1948.

HOLST: The Music In The Spheres

In modern parlance Gustav Holst might be regarded as something of a one-hit wonder, though aficionados could point to many other worthy works that have a more esoteric appeal and a…

Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story

Bart Lambert and Jack Reitman were joint winners of the OffWestEnd Award 2020 for Best Male Performance in a Musical for their roles in Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story at The…

Melodie Karczewski awarded Luke Westlake Scholarship

Feature
Richard Beck
London Fringe
9th Dec, 2021

This year’s Luke Westlake Scholarship was awarded to Melodie Karczewski during a ceremony at the Turbine Theatre, Battersea last Sunday evening.

Juliet & Romeo

Reversed, deconstructed and re-imagined to create a truly remarkable piece of theatre, Juliet & Romeo is the inaugural long-run production at The Chelsea Theatre, following its…

HMS Pinafore

As W S Gilbert once observed, “Oh, wouldn't the world seem dull and flat with nothing whatever to grumble at?” Cal McCrystal provides plenty of material for that in his pro…

The Art of Banksy

Banksy’s works pop up in all sorts of places, but seeing them is often a challenge.

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

The Tony Awards for comedy must have had a lean year in 2013 when Christopher Durang won Best Play for Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.

The Sugar House

Australian playwright Alana Valentine makes her UK debut at the Finborough Theatre with The Sugar House, in its first production outside of her home country, where it was nominat…

Footfalls & Rockaby

Some people pace up and down, others rock back and forth.

Accidental Birth of An Anarchist

Review
★★
Richard Beck
London Fringe
The Space
12th Nov, 2021

Luke Oldfield’s Accidental Birth of an Anarchist at The Space on the Isle of Dogs tells of two novice activists from The People’s Movement to Protect the Planet who get jobs on…

For Queen And Country

Writer/Director Paul Stone has unearthed a gem of World War II history and transformed it into a delightful monologue, now on stage at the King’s Head Theatre, Islington.

The Dresser

Ronald Harwood’s The Dresser evokes memories of a bygone age in British theatre and no setting more befits it than that glorious monument to thespian achievement, the Richmond Th…

Joe & Ken

A stony silence filled the air at the end of act one of Joe & Ken at The Old Red Lion Theatre, Islington, the old stomping ground of the eponymous couple who lived just down th…

Foxes

It doesn’t take long to appreciate why Foxes, at Theatre 503, was shortlisted for the Alfred Fagon Award.

The Witchfinder’s Sister

The Salem witch trials are well known, perhaps in large part due to Arthur Miller’s outstanding play The Crucible that put the Massachusetts town on the map.

Rat King

Rat King at The Hope Theatre, Islington, is a new production written and produced by Bram Davidovich for Kryptonite Theatre Company.

The Idea

The Brockley Jack Theatre is currently offering the opportunity to see a rarely performed and probably almost unknown operetta by Gustav Holst.

Hamlet

The long-awaited Hamlet, directed by Greg Hersov, is finally on stage at the Young Vic and as the young prince Cush Jumbo gives a commanding performance that keeps the whole produc…

How to Survive an Apocalypse

The renowned Finborough Theatre is still alive and well as witnessed by its latest production of Jordan Hall’s How To Survive An Apocalypse presented by Proud Haddock.

Ida Rubinstein: The Final Act

How do you successfully relate the biography of a theatrical legend, tell the history of a remarkable period in the development of the arts, create portraits of the famous names of…

Love, Genius and a Walk

Love, Genius and a Walk, at Theatro Technis, a venue billed as ‘one of London's best-kept secrets’, is an ambitious exploration of how artistic individuals struggle with ma…

Relatively Speaking

Noël Coward described Relatively Speaking as ‘a beautifully constructed and very funny comedy’ and this production at the Jermyn Street Theatre demonstrates how right he was.

Small Change

In addition to much discussion of the play itself, Peter Gill’s Small Change at the Omnibus Theatre Clapham had the bar buzzing with anecdotes from people recalling what their mo…

Prison Games

Marcus Hercules, Artistic Director of Hercules Productions, is the one-man wonder behind Prison Games, currently live on-stage at The Pleasance in north London having previouslybee…

Beginning

Two people are left standing on opposite sides of the room at the end of a housewarming party in Crouch End: the hostess and a guy who came as the friend of a friend, but on whom s…

Army@TheFringe Celebrates Success Under New Command

[email protected] Celebrates Success Under New Command

Feature
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
29th Aug, 2021

Brigadier Ben Wrench continues the work done by his predecessors in promoting the [email protected] as a much-valued contributor to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

This is Paradise

This is Paradise, Michael John O'Neill’s new play at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, is a lengthy monologue in which Kate (Amy Molloy) provides a complex interweaving of the…

Intricate Rituals

Intricate Rituals by York DramaSoc at theSpace Triplex is a monologue with alternating actors.

Éowyn Emerald & Dancers – Your Tomorrow

Éowyn Emerald & Dancers return to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in a somewhat different context from previous years with their new work Your Tomorrow.

Smile Like You're Happy

Smile.

Still

Review
★★★
Richard Beck
Scotland
21st Aug, 2021

Still by Frances Poet makes its world premiere courtesy of The Traverse Theatre Company at their theatre.

Madhouse

Madhouse by Nottingham New Theatre at [email protected]’s Hall does what it says on the tin.

It's Not Rocket Science

It’s Not Rocket Science at [email protected]’ Hall is presented by Nottingham New Theatre, England’s only fully student-run theatre venue.

For All The Love You Lost

For All the Love You Lost is presented by Morosophy at [email protected]’s Hall.

Rossetti's Women

Lemon Squeeze Productions are presenting a new adaptation of Rossetti’s Women at the [email protected]’ Hall, written and directed by Joan Greening, award-winning writer of ITV si…

Pool (No Water)

Oddly Ordinary Theatre Company has made a highly successful adaptation of Mark Ravenhill’s Pool (No Water) at theSpace Triplex as part of the contribution by the graduates of Que…

Plasters

Plasters is an original play by Emma Tadmor who founded RJ Theatre Company with co-producer, Daniel Feldman.

Corpsing

For a show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe entitled Corpsing you might be forgiven for thinking it’s a comedy about laughing out of place.

BOBBY WINNER

1902

In 1902 Hibs won the Scottish Cup.

Saving Mr Ultimate

Saving Mr Ultimate by John McEwan-Whyte at theSpace Triplex is the debut show of Extra Arca, a young theatre group within New Celts Productions, a consortium of young theatre compa…

Theatre-19 Presents: John

Described as a ‘wonderfully chaotic and colourful tragicomedy’ Theatre-19 Presents: John is a particularly silly devised piece at [email protected] Hall from a group of Bristol…

Run

Jonathan Smeed is making his Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut in Run by Stephen Laughton at Lauriston Halls, courtesy of No Frills Theatre Company.

Paddy the Cope

Paddy the Cope, written and directed by Raymond Ross, makes its world premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in the delightful Netherbow Theatre at the Scottish Storytelling Cen…

Moonlight On Leith

Moonlight on Leith, by Emilie Robson and Laila Noble, at theSpaceTriplex is inspired by the ‘Save Leith Walk’ campaign; a grassroots movement seeking to preserve the historic s…

Shook

Three lads have certain things in common.

BOBBY WINNER

Myra's Story

A ninety-minute monologue about a homeless person? Embrace it.

Sunshine on Leith

Captivate Theatre returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year with their production of Sunshine on Leith, at Multistory, first performed in 2014 and twice thereafter.

Medicine

The banner proclaims, ‘Congratulations’ as it hangs from the ceiling above the unimaginable mess left by the previous afternoon's party in which inmates and staff seemingly…

Tropicana

Billed as ‘the future of queer comedy cabaret’ Tropicana is Aidan Sadler’s 80’s solo show of classic queer hits at the suitably late hour of 23:15 at theSpaceTriplex.

A Weekend Away at the Hotel Decevoir

Chalkhill Theatre Ltd currently has a double debut with the company’s first appearance at the Festival Fringe and the premiere of their new play.

My Night With Reg

Is there an issue with capturing plays from the second half of the twentieth century that deal with gay issues of the period? The Southwark Playhouse recently managed a production …

every seven years

For many it will be impossible to see writer/director Jack Fairey’s every seven years at the Brockley Jack Studio Theatre and not be reminded of the groundbreaking sociological T…

The Game of Love and Chance

As if so-called ‘Freedom Day’ had not generated enough excitement on Monday 19th July, the Arcola Theatre had its planned reopening that evening and showcased its fabulous new …

Two Worlds No Family

Writer/Director Ben Reid has made a stunning professional debut at the Lion and Unicorn Theatre, Kentish Town, with his play Two Worlds No Family, originally written as his final y…

Mr and Mrs Nobody

A wonderfully entertaining evening of laughter and fine acting is currently to be found in Keith Waterhouse’s Mr and Mrs Nobody, staged by Gabriella Bird in her directorial debut…

Helium

Review
★★★
Richard Beck
London Fringe
The Space
10th Jul, 2021

The Space on the Isle of Dogs continues its practice of supporting new talent with Helium, an original work by Grumble Pup Theatre, a fledgling company founded in the Black Country…

Exile

Exile at the Southwark Playhouse, by JoMac Productions Limited & Blue Heart Theatre, is an interestingly constructed piece consisting of two life-crisis monologues by individu…

The Tragedy of Dorian Gray

Blue Devil Productions closed the Rialto Theatre’s Brighton Fringe season last week with a two-act production,The Tragedy of Dorian Gray; their first full-length play.

Staircase

The Southwark Playhouse has been transformed into an authentic 1960’s barbershop for the revival of Charles Dyer’s hit play Staircase, by Two’s Company and Karl Sydow in asso…

Bad Nights and Odd Days

The Greenwich Theatre reopened last week with the inspired programming of four short plays by Caryl Churchill.

Warhol: Bullet Karma

Garry Roost’s one-hander, Warhol: Bullet Karma, at the Rialto Theatre, as part of the Brighton Fringe, explores aspects of the artist’s life through encounters with various peo…

Shedding A Skin

The Soho Theatre launched its post-lockdown summer season this week with Shedding A Skin, written and performed by Amanda Wilkin, the 2020 winner of the Verity Bargate Award.

Mayhem at the Cabaret Voltaire

The apologetic opening to Mayhem at the Cabaret Voltaire, explaining the failure of the actors to turn up, might seem out of place in any standard piece of theatre, but then it wou…

Trestle

The Jack Studio Theatre in Brockley has opened its doors for the first time in fifteen months with a wonderfully heart-warming production of Stewart Pringle’s Trestle.

Watson: The Final Problem

Following on from his success at the Brighton Fringe with Waiting for Hamlet, a two-hander with Nicholas Collett, Tim Marriott returns to the Rialto Theatre with a solo show that i…

Divorced, Beheaded, Survived: An Audience with King Henry VIII

Period music greets loyal subjects as they enter the Friends Meeting House to attend Divorced, Beheaded, Survived: An Audience with King Henry VIII, written and directed by John Wh…

The Sensemaker

Beethoven’s Ode to Joy is anything but that when played ad nauseam on a loop while you are kept on hold by a robotic voice saying, “All our operators are currently busy.

Diary of an Expat

Diary of an Expat makes a striking impression even before Cecilia Gragnani enters the stage for her solo play at the Rialto Theatre, directed by Katharina Reinthaller.

Bard in the Yard: The Scottish Play

Review
★★★★★
Richard Beck
London Fringe
12th Jun, 2021

The Scottish Play is a solo performance written by Victoria Gartner, founder and artistic director of Will & Co which produces plays about Shakespear, under the umbrella title …

The Vertical Hour by David Hare

The burst of applause did not mark the end of the performance.

Make-up

One day perhaps someone will write a play about a drag queen where, beneath the frock and below the wig, above the high heels and under the layers of slap exists a man who is happy…

Lone Flyer

The Jermyn Street Theatre continues its Footprints Festival with Lucy Betts’ acclaimed production of Ade Morris’s Lone Flyer, which was first staged at The Watermill Theatre la…

Chamberlain: Peace in our Time

History is brought to life, and the man behind one of the most famous speeches in British history is revealed in this delightful two-hander, Chamberlain: Peace in our Time, from Se…

An Intervention

Juicy Lime Productions presents Mike Bartlett’s 2014 play An Intervention, as part of the Brighton Fringe at the Sweet Room, Old SteineTwo characters, identified in the script on…

After All These Years

After All These Years is a trilogy of plays courtesy of Close Quarter Productions and Theatre Reviva! in association with Holofcener Ltd.

Drama King

Unless you have studied the history of theatre it's easy to imagine that performances on stage have always been very much as they are today.

Waiting for Hamlet

Waiting for Hamlet has itself been waiting for some time.

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

There seems to be a resurgence of interest in the adaptability of works by Robert Louis Stevenson for the stage, with productions popping up in many quarters.

Why I Am an Avocado

The title of the show and the name of the company drew me to this production.

Between Two Waves

Between Two Waves by Australian playwright Ian Meadows interweaves an urgent call to recognise the world’s impending climate crisis and the troubled smaller world of a young clim…

Children Journey Through the Bard with Blind Cupid

Feature
Richard Beck
Online & Broadcast
1st Jun, 2021

Blind Cupid Shakespeare Company creates audio series for children

Vespertilio

The greater mouse-eared bat belongs to the family Vespertilionidae of the genus Myotis.

Vampire's Ball Ultimate Halloween Party

Brad Tassell and Steve Goodie describe themselves as a pair who have been ‘all-around nutty goofballs for more than 30 years’; and it shows.

Lockdown Drag-out

It’s either a mid-conversation pick-up or a recording error that opens Jane Martin’s monologue, Lockdown Drag-Out, in which she appears as the plummy and plumpy Audrey Stanton …

The Plague Thing

If you’ve been feasting on BBC iPlayer during lockdown and enjoying the delights of Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads, it’s worth taking six minutes out of your social isolation t…

Wind of Heaven

There is something wonderfully seasonal about Wind of Heaven at the Finborough Theatre.

The House of The Spirits / La Casa de Los Espíritus

The mission of the Cervantes Theatre “to showcase the best Spanish and Latin American plays in London” is strikingly realised in its closing play of the 2019 season that featur…

Sydney & the Old Girl

Forget any notions of political correctness, civility or polite drawing room conversation.

A Kind of Loving

The decade might be set in history as ‘Swinging’, but for many of us who lived through the ‘60’s the appellation has only a marginal connection with the realities of life.

Murder in the Cathedral

Performing a play in a cathedral about an archbishop assassinated in a cathedral might sound like a match made in heaven.

The Match Box

The prospect of a two-act monologue that lasts around two and a quarter, an interval, is perhaps daunting for both the actor and aficionados of the genre alike.

The Beauty Queen of Leenane

Martin McDonagh’s The Beauty Queen of Leenane is an intensely Irish play set in the wilds of Connemara, premiered locally by the Druid Theatre Company in Galway in 1996.

Vassa

In a rare proscenium-style presentation at the Almeida Theatre, director Tinuke Craig offers Maxim Gorky’s Vassa as her debut production for the venue in a new adaptation by Mike…

Gaslight

Gaslight has stood the test of time in the canon of British theatre.

A Day in the Death of Joe Egg

Playwright Peter Nichols died only last month at the age of 92.

Breaking The Code

It’s only two years until the face of Alan Turing appears on the new £50 note.

Velvet

To compile his one-man show, Velvet, Tom Ratcliffe combined personal experience and the disturbing revelations that emerged as the #MeToo movement gathered momentum.

Blood Wedding

Review
★★★★
Richard Beck
West End
Young Vic
4th Oct, 2019

In the late 1920s Frederico García Lorca allegedly read about a bride who fled her wedding to elope with a former amor.

Mother Of Him

Is a mother’s love unconditional, or can it be stretched beyond breaking-point? This is the consuming theme in Evan Placey’s Mother of Him at the Park Theatre, which was inspir…

I Am Gavrilo Princip

Stalin, Mussolini and Hitler all stand out in the history of the twentieth century.

Youth Without God

Youth Without God at the Coronet Theatre is heralded as ‘a dark fable about the individual conscience in a time of social uncertainty’ and the 1937 novel by Ödön von Horváth…

Torch Song

Review
★★★
Richard Beck
West End
Turbine Theatre
16th Sep, 2019

The neon sign above the stage at the new Turbine Theatre, Battersea, hints at the lights of New York City, but it also reminds us of the history behind director Drew McOnie’s pro…

So Here We Are

Luke Norris's Southend-based play and winner of the Bruntwood Prize, So Here We Are, finally comes to Essex in a delightful production that fits perfectly into the Queen’s Th…

Stiletto Beach

The world premiere of Sadie Hasler’s Stiletto Beach has burst onto the stage at the dynamic Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch in a bold, brave, fearless and funny exploration of what…

Falsettos

Review
★★★
Richard Beck
West End
The Other Palace
12th Sep, 2019

Falsettos has been around since 1992, but it’s UK premier has only just opened at The Other Palace, London.

Judas

Smokescreen Productions is supporting the work of Amnesty International through its new work, Judas, at Assembly Blue Room.

Everyman

As the saying goes, "The path to hell is paved with good intentions".

The Words Are There

The Words Are There is a moving and innovative piece of physical theatre that appeals both for its approach to male domestic abuse, and for its style of performance.

Stanley

There’s Stanley the man and Stanley the play.

Unicorns, Almost

Review
★★★★
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
Army @ The Fringe in Association with Summerhall
17th Aug, 2019

Name a Second World War poet.

Thief by Liam Rudden

The Edinburgh Fringe programme’s standard listing format provides a simple yet clear message about Thief at the Hill Street Theatre.

BOBBY WINNER

Letter to Boddah

“Will they or won’t they go through with it?” That is the consuming question that hovers for an hour over Letter to Boddah, written and directed by Sarah Nelson and performed…

Identity

With a highly experienced team behind this production it is no wonder that Identity by CTC COMPANY at Greenside, Infirmary St.

This Island's Mine

The Italia Conti Ensemble changes its membership every year as another cohort passes through the famous drama school.

44 Inch Chest

Rarely does the stage premiere of a work take place twenty-three years after it was written, but Out Of Bounds Theatre has claimed the honour with their gritty production of 44 Inc…

EAST

Steven Berkoff’s irresistible EAST makes an inevitable return to the Festival Fringe, this time in a vibrant and energetic production by HiveMCR.

Franz and Marie: Woyzeck Retold

For an incomplete play, Georg Büchner’s Woyzeck has nevertheless managed to secure enduring interest.

Conversations With Myself

It’s fifty years since the Stonewall riots sparked off the movement that became known as gay liberation.

Bleeding Black

Christopher Watts returns to the Festival Fringe with his one-man-show, Bleeding Black, at Greenside, Nicolson Square.

Real Eyes

Aged just 16 and 17, Harrison Sharpe (Matt) and Archie Stevens (Mikey) make their Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut with Real Eyes, an intensely moving story of brothers growing up t…

Teach

Matthew Roberts’ solo show, Teach, at theSpace, Surgeons Hall is performance brimming with conviction and energy.

Well That's Oz

Review
★★
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
Venue 13
11th Aug, 2019

Absurdism runs amok in Well That’s Oz, one of four plays in this year’s programme from CalArts at Venue 13.

Here Comes the Tide, There Goes the Girl

Review
★★★
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
Venue 13
10th Aug, 2019

Here Comes the Tide, There Goes the Girl is one of four plays presented by CalArts at venue 13 this year and is steeped in their tradition of producing original material that stret…

Fight Song

Fight Song is part of this year’s programme of four plays by students from the celebrated CalIfornia Institute of the Arts (CalArts) at Venue 13.

The Thinking Drinkers: Heroes of Hooch

Award-winning drinks writers and comedy performers Ben McFarland and Tom Sandham return to Edinburgh with their latest libation, The Thinking Drinkers: Heroes of Hooch, in Underbel…

Dream of a King

Actor/writer Christopher Tajah of Resistance Theatre Company gives an impassioned performance in Dream Of A King at theSpace Triplex, as he reimagines the hours leading up to the a…

Ugly Youth

“I’ve not seen anything like this in the 12 years I’ve been working at the Fringe,” was the observation from one of the tech guys I spoke to after seeing Ugly Youth, this y…

Wrath of Achilles

Writer Jack Fairey has taken on a huge task in adapting the substance of Homer’s Iliad into a modern story still firmly embedded in the Trojan War with a running time just short …

The Brave Anthology

Angus gets a review that says he’s ‘watchable’.

Dear Mother Moon

Dear Mother Moon is one of four works presented by CalArts this year in what has become the Institute’s Edinburgh home, Venue 13.

(Ab)solution

(Ab)solution is the first Edinburgh Festival Fringe Play from Swindon-based Jackrill Productions, and it’s an impressive debut at Greenside, Infirmary St.

Bacon

Francis Bacon once observed that ‘in order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present’.

The Tempest

Many strange things occur in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, but in this production, by Oxford’s Creation Theatre, there are more surprises than even Prospero might have conjured up…

The Hunt

Relax and enjoy the welcome extended to guests at the local infants’ school which Michele Austin delivers with considerable warmth and obvious delight.

Man of La Mancha

A rousing overture, with blasting brass and pounding percussion raises hopes at the Coliseum for the first London production of Man Of La Mancha for over fifty years.

The Hired Man

The Hired Man has been doing the rounds since 1984 and now finds a home at the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch.

Market Boy

A rollicking romp around the stalls of Romford fills the Union Theatre, Southwark, in a joyous revival of David Eldridge’s Market Boy.

The Dramatic Exploits of Edmund Kean

Despite occasional complaints, audiences over the centuries have generally become well-behaved.

Post Mortem

It’s not just a dead body that can be the subject of a post mortem.

Three Sisters

An air of timelessness perversely pervades Three Sisters at the Almeida.

After The Dance

Terence Rattigan personifies the maxim that you can’t keep a good man down.

Tony’s Last Tape

Possibly less famous than Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape, Andy Barrett’s Tony’s Last Tape has much in common with it; not least the obsession each of the eponymous heroes had …

Cry Havoc

There is plenty of barking in the street during Tom Coash’s Cry Havoc at the Park Theatre.

The Trials Of Oscar Wilde

Court rooms can often make for high drama, but unfortunately in this case the transcript of ‘the trial of the century, proves to be less than gripping.

The Conductor

Review
★★
Richard Beck
London Fringe
The Space
1st Apr, 2019

The tragedy of World War II is remembered in many ways, but The Conductor, at The Space, takes a highly focussed look at just one small event in Russia’s window on the west in 19…

Hair

We might still be in the age of Aquarius, or we may not yet have entered it, depending on whose calculations you prefer, but it is now over fifty years since Hair opened on Broadwa…

Fiddler on the Roof

Welcome to Anatevka! The Playhouse Theatre has been transformed to create this ‘dear little village’ for Trevor Nunn’s penetrating production of Fiddler on the Roof.

Othello

There are times when a production comes along that is a powerful reminder of the beauty and eloquence of Shakespeare’s writing, his clarity of exposition and ingenuity of plot, e…

Othello

Review
★★
Richard Beck
London Fringe
Union Theatre
22nd Mar, 2019

The need for ‘a willing suspension of disbelief’ traditionally associated with an appreciation of Shakespeare’s Othello reaches a new level necessity in director Phil Willmot…

Richard III

The palatial ceiling aloft the shattered plaster and exposed brick walls of the newly restored Alexandra Palace Theatre are aptly suited to Headlong’s powerful production of Shak…

The Silence of Snow: The Life of Patrick Hamilton

Review
★★★★
Richard Beck
UK Regional & Tours
GUILD HALL / Stamford Arts Centre / The Brockley Jack Studio Theatre
18th Mar, 2019

Master of the monologue, Mark Farrelly, sits slumped forward in an upright chair shrouded in a white smock, whose back-ties make it resemble a cross between a straight jacket and a…

To She Or Not To She

"Frailty, thy name is woman!" That is probably not most women’s favourite line from Shakespeare and could not be further from the truth when applied to Emma Bentley.

The Story's End

I didn’t actually see this performance; not by virtue of being absent, but rather because I had followed the request of actor and spoken word poet, Paul Daly, to blindfold myself…

Blasphemy

In the sad world of factory farming the horrors of animals trapped in cages for the duration of their painful lives is well-documented and visually familiar.

The Tempest

The are more "sounds" than "sweet airs" in Lazarus Theatre Company’s production of The Tempest at the Greenwich Theatre and while some elements of the perform…

DNA

Just because you’ve committed a crime doesn’t mean you have to be caught; at least, not if you can devise a clever cover-up.

The Orchestra

The programme notes aptly describe The Orchestra at the Omnibus Theatre, which might be regarded as one of Jean Anouilh’s more incidental pieces.

Summer and Smoke

The Almeida Theatre’s highly acclaimed production of Tennessee Williams’ Summer and Smoke, boldly and sensitively directed by Rebecca Frecknall, is now playing at the Duke of Y…

Love-Lies-Bleeding

A family on the verge of a momentous decision forms the focus of Don DeLillo’s Love-Lies-Bleeding at the Print Room at the Coronet in a stark production by director Jack McNamara…

The Recruiting Officer

In her article for the British Library on Restorations Comedy Diane Maybankobserves that “little can be gained from removing the plays from their historical settings”.

Indebted To Chance.

Actor/scriptwriter Charlie Ryall leads an entertaining troupe of actors from Mercurius Theatre Company in her play Indebted to Chance at the Old Red Lion Theatre.

BRASS, an Award-winning Musical by Benjamin Till

Brass, Benjamin Till’s winner of the ‘Best Musical’ in the 2014 UK Theatre Awards, fills the stage at the Union Theatre, Southwark, in its professional London première.

ear for eye

There are several peaks and notable features in debbie tucker green’s ear for eye that rise above the lengthy exposition of her themes that otherwise dominate this new work.

Haunting Julia

After Alan Ayckbourn had seen The Woman in Black and the film The Haunting he was inspired to depart from his usual comedic tales of middle class life and try his hand at a ghost s…

The Giant Killers

Darwen is probably not the most well-known town in England, but it holds a very special place in the history of football.

Dealing with Clair

The Orange Tree Theatre in a co-production with English Touring Theatre could hardly have expected that renewed police investigations into the mysterious disappearance of estate ag…

LOVE

The Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch has reconfigured it’s stage and auditorium to house writer/director Alexander Zeldin’s production of Love.

The Wild Duck

A brightly lit auditorium and bare stage, with its exposed brick walls, look all set for a rehearsal.

The Paradise Circus

A little-known theatre hosts a lesser-known play and the result is a theatrical triumph.

Quietly

Quietly is set in a pub in Belfast.

Parents’ Evening

The Rebels’ Season continues at the Jermyn Street Theatre with Bathsheba Doran’s Parents’ Evening.

To Have To Shoot Irishmen

To Have To Shoot Irishmen opens the Irish Theatre Season at the Omnibus Theatre, Clapham.

ONCE

“It’s only people up there with guitars and other instruments telling and singing their way through an everyday love story.

Little Fools

The autumn/winter season at the Space on the Isle of Dogs got off to a punchy start this week with Little Fools.

Wine

Wine makes a return to the Tristan Bates Theatre following its successful run earlier in the year.

Kids Play

Kids Play is now running in London following its triumph at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where it received multiple five star reviews.

Revelation 1:18

"I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever!" Although never spoken in Revelation 1:18 these words from the last book in the bible capture the aspirational i…

No Help Sent

Gordon Brown once observed how Aneurin Bevan’s vision of a National Health Service was unimaginable in its day, yet it has withstood the test of time.

The Outsider (L’Étranger)

Albert Camus’ The Outsider (L’Étranger), is starkly brought to the stage in an adaptation by Ben Okri, Winner of the Man Booker Prize, commissioned by The Print Room at The C…

Prairie Flower

Perhaps as a five-part radio serial Prairie Flower might provide some particular interest to crime enthusiasts, but as a two-hour monologue in the Upstairs at the Gatehouse, even w…

About Leo

About Leo is the first offering in The Rebels Season at Jermyn Street Theatre; an autumn programme that focuses on ‘people who dared to be different’.

Losing Venice

Shakespeare created ‘the vastly fields of France’ in a cramped ‘cockpit’ and crammed within his ‘wooden O the very casques that did affright the air at Agincourt’ all c…

Abi

Despite its title, we know very little of what actually happened at Abigail’s party.

Abigail's Party

It’s a mark of how well a play is rooted in a particular era that the mere mention of Estée Lauder’s Youth Dew perfume can send ripples of mirth throughout the auditorium to a…

Picasso's Women

Given how many inhabited his life, Picasso’s Women is but a mere glimpse from one side of the bed into what they endured.

In Your Own Sweet Way

Hoghead Theatre Company Returns to the Fringe with their devised piece In Your Own Sweet Way.

The Dame

Peter Duncan’s The Dame is hosted at The Dome, one of Edinburgh’s glitziest and most glamorous buildings.

You Are Frogs

If some of what you are about to read sounds completely bonkers then you are well on the way to an appreciation of You Are Frogs.

Cezary Goes to War

Review
★★★★★
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
Army @ The Fringe in Association with Summerhall
18th Aug, 2018

The Regional Medical Draft Board has strict guidelines for the classification of recruits and their suitability for deployment.

Red and Boiling

Red and Boiling is an entertaining cabaret-style show with some serious undertones.

Man Down

Review
★★★
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
Venue 13
18th Aug, 2018

Man Down emerges from three years of research and hours of interviews and discussions with people in Baltimore, USA.

The Troth

Review
★★★★★
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
Army @ The Fringe in Association with Summerhall
17th Aug, 2018

Based on Chandradhar Sharma Guleri’s iconic Hindi short story Usne Kaha Tha, The Troth is about one soldier, Sardar Lehna Singh, and the sacrifice he makes to keep his secret pro…

Bucket Men

Bucket Men takes place in a small basement studio at C Royale where two men coincidentally have jobs in a small basement of a faceless government building.

Goodbye Rosetta

Goodbye Rosetta abounds with youthful enthusiasm and passion.

Reigen

Review
★★
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
theSpace @ Niddry St / theSpace @ Venue45
15th Aug, 2018

Some plays lend themselves to radical reinterpretations and stagings while others need handling with more care.

BOBBY WINNER

Kids Play

Glen Chandler, Edinburgh’s theatrical detective story-writing son, returns to the Festival Fringe this year with yet another ingenious triumph.

Waiting for Ofsted

Oh how easily this ambitious project could have fallen flat on its face and oh how wonderfully it sustains itself.

Shell Shock

Review
★★★★
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
Army @ The Fringe in Association with Summerhall
15th Aug, 2018

"A British soldier never runs away from a fight", Tommy Atkins proudly proclaims.

HMS Pinafore

The University of St Andrews Gilbert and Sullivan Society makes their regular contribution to the Festival Fringe, this year with HMS Pinafore.

The Gin Chronicles in New York

The Gin Chronicles in New York is the latest saga in this well-established series that by now has something of a following.

InValid Voices

Review
★★★
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
Army @ The Fringe in Association with Summerhall
13th Aug, 2018

When the soldier goes to war what of those left behind? This is the question posed by InValid Voices, a new theatre piece based on interviews with women serving as and married to C…

Forget Me Nots

Review
★★
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
Army @ The Fringe in Association with Summerhall
13th Aug, 2018

Forget Me Nots is a new piece of ‘queer theatre’ from Rokkur Friggjar, a collective of theatre makers based in Iceland and the UK, who are contributors to this year’s [email protected]…

To Have Done With the Judgement of God

Leaving the theatre with no idea what you have just seen but having enjoyed it immensely is perhaps an appropriate response to a production of Antonin Artaud’s To Have Done With …

Romeo and Juliet

Curious Pheasant Theatre reinvents the Bard’s most famous tale of ‘star-cross’d’ lovers in a bare-bones, twisted production that will have purists running for shelter and a…

Éowyn Emerald and Dancers

A young man waited outside the Greenside Royal Terrace Venue for Éowyn Emerald & Dancers to appear after their performance.

My Name Is Dorothy

The first point to make clear is that My Name is Dorothy has nothing to do with The Wizard of Oz.

Shackleton's Stowaway

Making their debut at the Festival Fringe, Stolen Elephant Theatre bring to life one of the great voyages of the Heroic Age of Antarctic exploration in Shackleton’s Stowaway.

Virgin

Simon David bursts onto the stage in a bout of eccentricity that boldly asserts his dominance over the evening.

Hymn to Love

“I've always known that one day I would have my own niche in the annals of song.

Iolanthe

Prime Minister Clement Attlee once observed that ‘the House of Lords is like a glass of champagne that has stood for five days’.

The Final Journey of Edward Wilson

Recent years have witnessed mounting criticism of mumbling actors, mostly on television but also in the the theatre.

Fred and Ginger

Love is a many-splendored thing, or so the soundtrack maintains as it heralds a fifty-minute romp through teenage troubles, acting aspirations and romantic realities.

Barry Humphries Weimar Cabaret

Ernst Krenek, Erich Korngold, Frank Schreker, Erwin Schulhoff and Mischa Spoliansky were not household names in the late 1940s when a young Barry Humphries in Melbourne, Australia …

Earthquakes in London

In a lengthy whirlwind of staccato scenes with lento, adagio and presto interludes, Mike Bartlett’s Earthquakes in London combines political intrigue, corporate corruption, perso…

Knights of the Rose

Review
★
Richard Beck
West End
Arts Theatre
6th Jul, 2018

"Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon" (II Samuel 1:20) is a line that does not appear in Knights of the Rose.

Quentin Crisp: Naked Hope

Review
★★★★★
Richard Beck
UK Regional & Tours
Multiple Venues
4th Jul, 2018

“I come from a time and country where I was treated like a wrong hushed up.

The Play About My Dad

According to its author, Loo Killebrew, The Play About My Dad “should feel quick-moving, and hopefully have a rhythm that is similar to the rhythm of a storm.

Two by Jim Cartwright

Clueless Theatre makes a remarkable company debut with a production of Jim Cartwright’s Two.

The End of History

The End of History is billed as “a moving and funny site-responsive play with music which uses a chance encounter to explore the impact of gentrification on two radically differe…

Rope

Nietzsche’s notion of the Übermensch receives one scant mention towards the end of Patrick Hamilton's Rope, yet it is the driving force that underpins the play.

Woyzeck

Having spent three months eating only peas, it comes as no surprise that the eponymous central character in Woyzeck appears in a state of both physical frailty and mental instabili…

More Heat Than Light

In a well-paced, one-hour monologue, eighteen-year-old Alex talks about the generations of family who have had a significant impact upon his life.

Will

The happy band of players that performs Will or Eight Lost Years of Young William Shakespeare’s Life is reminiscent of the troupes that wandered the country when the Bard was ali…

Bomb Happy

Bomb Happy is a verbatim victory.

The Overcoat

Review
★★★★
Richard Beck
London Fringe
Omnibus Theatre / The Old Sorting Office Art Centre
7th Oct, 2017

Scandal and Gallows theatre company shines as a remarkably talented team in this production of The Overcoat by rising star scriptwriter George Johnston, who has imaginatively tra…

One for the Road...

In the early 1980s Pinter became increasingly interested in human rights abuses and in particular the torture of political prisoners in Argentina and Turkey.

Venus and Adonis

It is a rare treat to hear a dramatised performance of Shakespeare’s first published work, Venus and Adonis.

When the Sky Falls In

When The Sky Falls In is written and presented by Janet Gershlick.

Wired

Review
★★★
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
Army @ The Fringe in Association with Summerhall
28th Aug, 2017

Wired is one of several productions with a military theme being performed at the Army Reserve Centre, Summerhall’s new venue, [email protected]

Edinburgh Barstar of the Day: Sam Leishman

Feature
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
28th Aug, 2017

The final day! Richard's alcohol-fueled quest to find Edinburgh's best bar staff ends up at WestRoom, where he found Sam Leishman, a 20 year old Guinness drinker with a passion for...

Edinburgh Barstar of the Day: Gavin Robertson

Feature
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
27th Aug, 2017

Richard didn't stumble far from yesterday's bar, Foundry 39, as just a few yards up Charlotte Lane he fell into Sygn, a trendy retro-style cocktail bar & diner where Edinburgh Bars...

Edinburgh Barstar of the Day: Sarah Brown

Feature
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
26th Aug, 2017

Tucked on the corner of Queensferry Street and Charlotte Lane you'll find the ultra-hip bar and eatery, Foundry 39.

Semi-Toned: Stay Tuned

If the boys of Semi-Toned ever tire of a cappella they could always take up comedy.

Summerhall’s army@TheFringe: An Affront to the Arts or an Ambitious Alliance?

Summerhall’s [email protected]: An Affront to the Arts or an Ambitious Alliance?

Feature
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
25th Aug, 2017

The Army has set up camp for the first time at the Fringe and is stationed with Summerhall in its own premises.

Edinburgh Barstar of the Day: Nathan Hinze

Feature
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
25th Aug, 2017

Warm and welcoming, and always entertaining, 99 Hanover Street is at the heart of Edinburgh's bar scene.

Edinburgh Barstar of the Day: Dale Welstead

Feature
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
24th Aug, 2017

In the heart of the Old Town, Cabaret Voltaire is a legendary live music venue in the vaults beneath North Bridge.

The Edinburgh Cocktail Festival is this Year’s New Kid on the Block

Feature
Richard Beck
Edinburgh
24th Aug, 2017

Back in 1947 the founders of the Edinburgh International Festival could hardly have imagined what their legacy would be.

Certain Young Men

Peter Gill”s Certain Young Men was first performed at the Almeida Theatre in 1999.

Edinburgh Barstar of the Day: Lainey Corroon

Feature
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
23rd Aug, 2017

The Three Sisters – renamed the Free Sisters during the Fringe – has long been a festival hub and a jewel in the crown of the Free Festival.

Edinburgh Barstar of the Day: Erik Stenersen

Feature
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
22nd Aug, 2017

Just around the corner from the iconic Greyfriar's Bobby you'll find the Oz Bar, and that's also where Richard found today's Edinburgh Barstar, Erik Stenersen.

The Scottish Story Telling Centre: A Venue for Voices

Feature
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
21st Aug, 2017

The Scottish Storytelling Centre is, in its own words, ‘a vibrant arts venue with a seasonal programme of live storytelling, theatre, music, exhibitions, workshops, family events...

Edinburgh Barstar of the Day: Danny Smith

Feature
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
21st Aug, 2017

Edinburgh is Festival City for good reason, and amongst all the theatre, comedy, books and arts there's even a Scottish Gin Festival.

Edinburgh Barstar of the Day: Denise Garland

Feature
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
20th Aug, 2017

Formerly a parsonage, Cloisters Bar is a uniquely traditional Edinburgh pub.

Mary, Queen of Scots

“All I knew was the playground song Mary Queen of Scots got her head chopped off,” says opera singer Louise Macdonald, “until I started learning Schumann’s Maria Stuart Lie…

Edinburgh Barstar of the Day: Maurice Penny

Feature
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
19th Aug, 2017

Just off the Royal Mile and Cowgate you'll find a craft beer shop and bar called the Salt Horse.

Edinburgh Barstar of the Day: Tomas Germanavicius

Feature
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
18th Aug, 2017

The Heads & Tales bar is the home of Edinburgh Gin, and it's also where Richard found today's Edinburgh Barstar, Tomas Germanavicius, a Lithuanian who's a dab hand at mixing up a c...

A Thousand Doorways

A finely-woven, patterned rug hangs from the ceiling, its design typical of the region.

Edinburgh Barstar of the Day: Jay Weeks

Feature
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
17th Aug, 2017

Richard's headed over to Leith to the eclectic bar that is The Mousetrap where he finds today's Edinburgh Barstar, Jay Weeks.

Edinburgh Barstar of the Day: Molly McCluskey

Feature
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
16th Aug, 2017

Richard is exploring Edinburgh's East End today to discover the Barstar of the Day at The Newsroom, where Glaswegian Molly McCluskey is making plans on photography while sipping a ...

Edinburgh Barstar of the Day: Montse Pearce

Feature
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
15th Aug, 2017

Richard's headed south to Clerk Street where at the unique Dog House bar he's discovered today's Edinburgh Barstar, Montse Pearce, a Spanish-born artist with good taste in whisky.

Edinburgh Barstar of the Day: Sophie Malone

Feature
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
14th Aug, 2017

Just off George Street you'll find the Thistle Street Bar (the TSB as it's affectionally known).

Gunshot Medley

“Black lives matter!” Hold it there and let that well-known refrain ring in your head, along with the image it conjures up in your mind.

Edinburgh Barstar of the Day: Donald McGhie

Feature
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
13th Aug, 2017

An authentic Tiki bar in the New Town? Richard popped on his hula skirt and hotfooted over to the Auld Reekie Tiki Bar to meet today's Edinburgh Barstar - Donald McGhie, former ban...

Edinburgh Barstar of the Day: Briar Russell

Feature
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
12th Aug, 2017

Hidden away in the Old Town on Advocates Close you'll find The Devil's Advocate, and if you're lucky today's Edinburgh Barstar will also be on shift.

About a Goth

Life as a Goth is not easy.

Edinburgh Barstar of the Day: Alan Mulvihill

Feature
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
11th Aug, 2017

It's only open from July to the end of September, but Richard's sought out pop-up bar Whisky Or Death to find today's Edinburgh Barstar Of The Day, Alan Mulvihill.

Edinburgh Barstar of the Day: Ross Bryant

Feature
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
10th Aug, 2017

Richard's in one of Edinburgh's most unique bars today to meet Ross Bryant, co-owner of Bryant & Mack Private Detectives on Rose Street North Lane.

Edinburgh Barstar of the Day: Robbie Johnston

Feature
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
9th Aug, 2017

Richard is still in New Town, but with great bar staff like Robbie Johnston at Nightcap - why would you want to leave? Nightcap might be a relatively new addition to the Edinburgh...

Lord Dismiss Us

Scottish award-winning playwright and novelist Glenn Chandler’s best-known work might be television detective series Taggart, but he also has a string of successful plays and pro…

Fox and Hound Presents Tennessee Williams' Ivan's Widow and Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen

For lovers of Tennessee Williams and anyone who appreciates good theatre the double bill of Ivan’s Widow and Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen makes for a very rewardin…

Edinburgh Barstar of the Day: Kyle Jamieson

Richard's in New Town today to meet our Edinburgh Barstar of the Day, the fabulously hirsute Kyle Jamieson who takes care of his punters at Panda and Sons on Queen Street.

Edinburgh Barstar of the Day: Sarah Urwin

Richard takes us just a few steps from Princes Street today for the discovery of Hoot The Redeemer and the wonderful Sarah Urwin serving cocktails.

Edinburgh Barstar of the Day: Cordelia Toennies

Richard ventures over to Broughton Street Lane to the Outhouse where today's EdFringe Barstar is Cordelia Toennies from Germany, who studied drama in Scotland and wants to move to ...

Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story

Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story won the first Broadway Baby Bobby Award in 2014 as one of the most outstanding productions of that year’s Festival Fringe.

Edinburgh Barstar of the Day: Ben Howard

In a sea of celebrities, we chat to the people who really matter - the people serving us a drink. Today we find out a little more about Ben Howard at the Abattoir Bar.

Bleach

There are downsides to most jobs and many come with dangers, hidden or otherwise, but there are usually compensatory factors as well.

A Boy Named Sue

Sid, struggling to become Sue, proclaims, “The great barrier between myself and the outside world is my appearance”.

Coming Clean

It’s 35 years since Kevin Elyot’s first play, Coming Clean, premiered at the Bush Theatre and 50 years since the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in the UK.

Queers

Queers comes with no explanation, but the title alone is enough preparation for an hour of material that is amusing and sad, historical and contemporary.

Tremors

An ‘incident in a hotel room’ becomes a life-changing event for Tom Crowe, a rising star of the Labour Party whose past, present and future form the basis of Tremors.

Collapse

In under thirty minutes Collapse presents a hauntingly hypnotic exploration of Cassandra’ agony as she prophetically laments the collapse of her city.

Thirty Three

Saska (Corinne Furlong) decides to hold what which she hopes will be a cosy dinner party for a select group of her closest friends.

The Stroop Effect

The disparity between the promotional material put out by theatre groups and the reality of what they present to audiences is often quite staggering.

Sweet Charity

Review
★★★★
Richard Beck
Brighton Fringe
The Brighton Academy - Preston Park Campus
9th Jun, 2017

The Brighton Academy of Performing Arts uses its Preston Park studio theatre to showcase the talents of its students.

Goggles

Pets come in many forms.

Brawn

Ryan was a bright lad at school.

The Fool, The Champ and The Bandito

The Fool, The Champ and The Bandito is “presented by BA(Hons) Acting and Creative Performance students, from the University Centre Colchester” who “in their final year of study p…

Tennessee Williams' 27 Wagons Full of Cotton

Summer in the south is aggressively hot and stiflingly humid.

Blink by Phil Porter

Described as “unconventional, quirky, and voyeuristic”, Peppered Wit’s production of Blink by Phil Porter fulfills each of those descriptions.

Kings Cross (Remix)

I’m always interested in the extent to which the publicity for a performance matches the reality of the production; how the promise materialises on the stage.

The Tempest

Review
★★★
Richard Beck
UK Regional & Tours
Multiple Venues
21st Oct, 2016

Welcome to The Tempest as Shakespeare and probably most other people never imagined it could be.

Thrive

Post Traumatic Stress from a variety of sources is a familiar phenomenon in modern times.

If We Got Some More Cocaine I Could Show You How I Love You

Casey and Mikey cannot escape: not from who they are, not from how their lives have moulded them and, more immediately, from the rooftop onto which they have just clambered.

Wank Bank Masterclass

The Aussies have a certain way with words and in the case Adam Seymour with his hands also.

Alba Flamenca

If you missed this show all is not lost.

The Gin Whore Tour

Much has been said and written about gin but Dorothy Parker probably uttered the most appropriate for this event.

Confetti

There’s no confetti in Confetti, but there is a complex mix of language and movement that makes it intriguing.

No Exit (Huis Clos)

No Exit (Huis Clos) is an existentialist drama, adapted from Jean-Paul Sartre’s classic by Charlie Rogers.

The Wall

The Wall is a wonderfully refreshing play from Corby Productions.

The Rose and Crown

There’s always a good smattering of obscure, seldom-performed or minor plays at the Festival Fringe.

Krapp's Last Tape

Krapp stands frozen staring into the distance, barely living in the present, heading to an unknown future and transfixed on the past.

The Telemachy

It’s rare to come across a wandering poet these days and it’s probably not the most effective way to get your message across to the public.

Twix

Jamie’s comical lack of good fortune is beautifully summed up in the last two lines of this play, where the parallel monologues of Twix finally come together.

Posh

Theresa May went to Oxford, but unlike Messrs Cameron, Osborne and Johnson, she could never have been invited to become a member of the infamous Bullingdon Club, to which Laura Wad…

Decade

9/11, as it now succinctly known, is one of those ‘where were you on the day?’ events.

Attempts on Her Life

Take a play with no plot, an unspecified number of players, no defined characters, pages of intense prose and lines that can be spoken by any performer and what do you have? Unmis…

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

The Italia Conti Ensemble returns to the Festival Fringe with their second-year students again split into two groups, each with its own choice of play.

Road

It’s Road, but not as we know it.

Grey Matter

Adrian Raine’s pioneering work in neurocriminology can be seen as a reaction to the supremacy of nurture over nature in the debate about the causes of criminal behaviour.

Chapel Street

If ever the strength of a story lay in its telling, Chapel Street would be a perfect example.

West Side Story

This tragic romance has always been about the individual consequences of divisions in society.

Jumping the Barriers

There are many symbols of class division and expressions of social stratification in this country.

The Mikado

St Andrews Gilbert and Sullivan Society with Mermaids Performing Arts return to the Festival Fringe with their typically entertaining style of presenting Gilbert & Sullivan, this t…

Chef: Come Dine With Us!

Chef: Come Dine With Us! should not in a way be confused with the TV series Come Dine With Me.

Bildraum

Bildraum is part of the ‘Big in Belgium’ series, featuring six of the country’s many outstanding theatre and performance companies.

Red

The redness of Red is not visible.

Felix Holt: The Radical

‘Wholesome’ is how a lady I spoke to after the performance described Felix Holt: The Radical.

Family Voices and Victoria Station

Harold Pinter’s two short plays make only rare appearances nowadays and yet they are rewarding pieces.

Three Jumpers

The tweeting of the birds portends a beautiful day, but the view from the bridge is spoiled by an ominous thick mist.

The Age of (Distr)action

In Edinburgh as members of Group 64, the cast of The Age of (Distr)action are an inclusive young people’s theatre company from Putney who have created, written and performed this…

Year Ten

Never judge a play by its title.

Spool

Suppose, just suppose, that your mind and body lived separately from each other.

Growing Pains

Standing ovations are rare, but the house rose as one at the at the end of Tom Gill’s Growing Pains in tribute to a remarkable performer and a stunning show.

Éowyn Emerald & Dancers

Éowyn Emerald and Dancers, make a welcome return to Edinburgh in their usual Greenside, Royal Terrace location.

Lïnger

Breandán de Gallaí, the celebrated ex-Riverdance principal, has devised a biographical series of dances to create Lïnger, which is performed in the generously spacious main thea…

A Dream of Dying

It seems almost almost impossible that a man could go through his life and when his naked body is washed up on a shore in Ireland no one knows who he is.

5 Out of 10 Men...

Top ratings aren’t always just about putting on a remarkable production, although 5 Out of 10 Men is that.

Call Mr Robeson

Call Mr Robeson is Tayo Aluko’s tribute to one of the twentieth century’s most recognisable singers in terms of looks and voice.

The White Crow

Adolph Eichmann never personally killed anyone, but he was hanged in 1962, having been found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Oh Hello!

“Charles Hawtrey 1914 -1988 – Film, Theatre, Radio and Television Actor Lived Here.

Partial Nudity

Review
★★★★
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
Zoo
13th Aug, 2016

This might only be Partial Nudity, but it’s a full-on piece from writer/director Emily Layton and actors Kate Franz and Joe Layton.

Are We Stronger Than Winston?

The British might be renowned for talking and complaining about the weather, but if you come from Fiji there are more heightened concerns than just cold rainy days.

Saturday Night Forever

I’ve left theatres in all sorts of states from elation to depression, anger to jubilation, in tears and totally numb.

Denton and Me

Never underestimate the power or repercussions of a gift.

Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally

If you’re expecting a cosy drawing-room comedy about an aging female relative then you have clearly not read the publicity and are in for a big surprise.

On Ego by Mick Gordon

Many theatre companies oversell their wares with outrageous hyperbole.

The End

Celebrated Scottish choreographer Jack Webb has brought his latest, typically idiosyncratic work, The End, for performance at this year’s Festival Fringe as part of the extensive…

Hamlet in Bed

Hamlet in Bed is an exploration of one man’s obsession with Shakespeare’s tragic masterpiece ‘The play’s the thing’ that forms the subject of the production and also the m…

Troika

Great composers sometimes create a theme that is so captivating or remarkable that other great composers write variations on it.

Bash

Neil LaBute sets out to upset and disturb audiences and he made a spectacular start with his first play Bash: Latterday Plays.

Three for Two by Phil Booth

We all have our price.

I Keep a Woman in My Flat Chained to a Radiator

Review
★★★★
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
Zoo
11th Aug, 2016

I Keep a Woman in My Flat Chained to a Radiator.

Dropped

There’s a lot of camouflage in Dropped.

Care Takers

Seeing Care Takers is like watching all the episodes of a fabulous five-part drama series in one sitting.

Spring Awakening

Spring Awakening won an impressive list of Tony, Grammy and Olivier Awards.

Dieser Ort

A bell tolls.

Fresher

There are two very good reasons for going to see Fresher: it is an outstanding play that ingeniously tackles contemporary issues, and the production is also raising money for Young…

Bucket List

What do you do when your mother is murdered for protesting corporate and governmental corruption? In the case of Milagros, you fight for the justice your mother was denied and see…

The Dwelling Place

Two large basement rooms in Summerhall have been transformed into a remarkable installation and immersive theatre, musical, video, sound, and light performance area.

Oliver!

The Spiegeltent is a far cry from the workhouse and rarely can a setting have been better used than in this stunning production of Lionel Bart’s Oliver! by Captivate Theatre.

Squirm

The toilet, which dominates the floor space of this production, is essential to the performance of Squirm.

2 By 5

International Collegiate Theatre Festival has put together a delightful programme of both well-known and less familiar works to create this production of 2 By 5.

5 Guys Chillin'

If your idea of chillin’ is sitting in the armchair with a cup of cocoa and a novel, you probably won’t feel at ease with this play.

Adam & Eve and Steve

In the beginning it all seemed so straightforward.

Damián Ortega

The Fruitmarket Gallery boasts “World class contemporary art at the heart of the city”.

Roaring Boys

Roaring Boys makes a welcome and very successful return to the Festival Fringe this year adding a further chapter to its interesting history.

Posh

With this year’s general election behind us and members now in office the return of Posh to the Festival Fringe is timely.

H.M.S. Pinafore

While it is laudable to have an open policy for membership of an amateur operatic society the knock-on effects can be dire as demonstrated in Cat-Like Tread’s production of H.

K'rd Strip: A Place to Stand

K’Rd Strip: A Place to Stand is a bizarre yet beautiful blend of Māori culture, contemporary dance, vocals and music, drag and real life stories.

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men could be seen as a dark comedy or as just dark.

Oliver Twist

Italia Conti Ensemble score an absolute triumph with Neil Bartlett’s Oliver Twist.

Party

Party isn’t that sort of party; well, it sort of is, and maybe it should be, but overall it isn’t – though it might be after it’s finished.

Piaf

Piaf opens with a spectacular tableau of the entire cast.

For Queen and Country

For Queen and Country.

I Am

Review
★★
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
Spotlites
27th Aug, 2015

I Am is the sequel to LCP Dance Theatre’s Am I.

Five Drinks

It might be a good idea to take five drinks into the auditorium, to see you through a play that has moments of wit and humour but contains nothing profound.

The Amazing World of MC Escher

Given our familiarity with Escher’s unmistakable style it’s hard to believe that this is the first major exhibition of his work in the UK and that there is only one print of …

The Hendrick's Emporium of Sensorial Submersion

Review
★★★★★
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
The Hendrick’s Emporium of Sensorial Submersion
26th Aug, 2015

The Hendrick’s Emporium of Sensorial Submersion is yet another triumph for the phantasmagorically fertile imaginations of the genial geniuses of gin.

I Loved You and I Loved You

Review
★★★★
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
Zoo
26th Aug, 2015

If Morfydd Owen had lived three weeks longer she would have been immortalised in the 27 Club.

Last Man Standing

For those who like their dance without frills, Last Man Standing provides an hour of unrelenting raw movement.

Oliver!

With a cast of nearly fifty, there’s no shortage of oom-pah-pah in this dazzling production of Lionel Bart’s Oliver! by Stage 84, The Yorkshire School of Performing Arts.

Savage

Aimee has an ironically funny line in Savage when she refers to John as “a boring old queen”.

The Unknown Soldier

The Unknown Soldier finds an interesting perspective on the lives of men who fought in the First World War.

YAMA

There is dance and there is Scottish Dance Theatre.

Romeo and Juliet

A Daily Mirror awaits us on our seats announcing the death of a ‘pair of “star-crossed” lovers … in the wake of increasingly violent clashes in the streets’.

Odd Shaped Balls

‘The last 12 months have been very difficult for me.

The Trials of Galileo

Galileo lived in age when the church reigned supreme, faith was more important than fact and dogma denied discovery.

Styx

For once, we are given a programme description that is completely accurate and delivers what it promises: ‘a tragicomic thriller about love and accidental murder….

Wonderland

Wonderland is the story of Alice’s encounters in the tale of the Red Queen.

The State of Concrete

The Britwell estate, built in 1957, was created to rehouse people from the slum clearance areas of London and Essex.

The Ascension of Mrs Leech

This hilarious beginners guide to theology is the funniest presentation of religious concepts imaginable.

Undermined

Undermined was going to be called Shafted, but a guy named Godber had already beaten Danny Mellor to it.

BED

Eddie, Imogen and Lena share a flat.

IamI

Yet again CalArts pushes forward the frontiers of theatre with an extraordinary, fascinating and labyrinthine work.

The Pirates of Penzance

“In Pirates, there are gems from the first to the last minute.

My Name is...

When Gaby disappeared from her Scottish home in 2006, it was assumed that her Pakistani father had kidnapped her.

A Little Respect

Here we go again.

The American Soldier

We must be nearly at saturation point with plays and particularly monologues about war veterans.

Reconciling

Fractals are frequently found in discussions within the realms of science, maths, art and nature.

Faust

In sixteenth-century Germany it was not regarded as irreverant to perform comic puppet shows featuring characters and scenes from the legend of Faust.

Antigone: An Arabian Tragedy

Antigone: An Arabian Tragedy started out as two plays in a year-long project by One World Actors Centre (Kuwait) to produce Jean Anouilh’s Antigone in both English and Arabic.

Ozymandias

Interviewed by Broadway Baby, Hugh Train explained how Ozymandias was generated through free writing around the words of Shelley’s poem until eventually the “nonsensical rambl…

S.E.N

You can find the characters Taylor and Aalia in every comprehensive school in the country.

Loot

There’s a huge difference between comedy and black comedy that seems to have eluded the Lincoln Company in their production of Joe Ortons’s Loot.

Labels

Labels are easy to create: they can even be fun.

Homme | Animal

‘How can I know who I am …feeling with pure energy, / With my heart, my mind, my body, my soul, / This is who and what I am.

RAZ by Jim Cartwright

It’s a deceptively simple bag of ingredients that Jim Cartwright lists in the script for his new play Raz, which has had its premiere at this year’s Festival Fringe.

Bones

Bones is an intimate and tragic tale of growing up in a bruised family and having to take responsibility not only for yourself but also for those who who should be caring for you.

Bayou Blues

Bayou Blues is beautiful.

Thirteen (13)

The storyline is shallow, the message insubstantial and the script contrived, so you don’t have anything deep to think about.

A Face That Fits

Moon Fly Theatre Company was created this year with the aim of affording opportunities to new and promising writers, actors and directors.

Rent

Fans of Rent will love this full length presentation and for those who have never seen it, this is a great opportunity to watch a rip-roaring production.

La Ronde

In keeping with its history, this latest production of La Ronde by Zebronkeyis controversial.

Comfort Slaves

Suitability: 16+ (Restriction).

Danza del Caribe: Itara

Welcome to a world in which West Africa meets Jamaica, meets Cuba: A world of burning desire, or as they say in Yoruba, Itara.

International Stud

Originally a one-act play consisting of five scenes, The International Stud premiered Off-Off-Broadway in 1978 and later became the first part of Harvey Fierstein’s landmark work, …

Edinburgh Gin O'Clock

The Edinburgh Gin Company has left its distillery behind and moved to The Boards in the Edinburgh Playhouse to tell a brief history of the city’s alcohol and gin heritage along w…

As Is

New York, 1985.

Hendrick's Parlour Bar

“Immersive theatre productions tend to operate in dynamically fluid settings, allowing the audience a more active, voyeuristic, and central role, while also individualizing their…

James Bannon: Running with the Firm

James Bannon’s story has all the ingredients of a good novel: a down-to-earth setting; some very shady characters, some good guys and some dumb ones; a developing plot; plenty of…

Error 404

“Instagram is a fast, beautiful and fun way to share your life with friends and family.

Confusions

One of the confusions in this production, although not without precedent, is the running order of the five interrelated plays that make up the complete work.

Compulsion

Declan Cooke is a physically big guy with a powerful presence: if you saw him standing at the bar you would imagine him to be full of confidence and completely in control of his li…

Simon Singh: The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets

Simon Singh has a very easy style and voice which belies the genius within.

Who's Afraid of Michael Gove?

The Tories have take control and Michael Gove is Prime Minister.

Falling in love with Frida

Caroline Bowditch, Welly O’Brien and Nicole Guarino provide a wonderful evening in a cosy little room at Dance Base: it’s not very often a full house can consist of twelve peop…

Now We Are Pope: Frederick Rolfe in Venice

Frederick William Rolfe (1860-1913) was a minor English writer, artist and photographer and serious eccentric.

Dorian

In a 1990 interview on Japanese television, Berkoff said, “I believe that you don’t need anything more than just utter simplicity and that everything in my art must be created …

Nature's Heart

Koji Takeuchi was born in Japan and began his search for truth in his teens.

Winter of Our Discotheque

Autistic, severely depressed and with inadequate provision for her, Tess Humphrey left school at the age of thirteen.

SHOUT! The Mod Musical

Bored with Berkoff? Choking on Chekhov? Fed-up with Feydeau? “Don’t sleep in the subway, darlin’, don’t stand in the pouring rain.

Footloose

“Footloose may be a hit, but it’s trash - high powered fodder for the teen market.

The Hacienda Tales

Canterbury may have one of the world’s most famous cathedrals, but Manchester had the Hacienda.

Woodbine Willie

Chain smoker and chaplain, poet and padre, furnisher of faith and fags, Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy dispensed Woodbines and the word of God on the Western Front during the First Worl…

MacBheatha

Summerhall’s steeply tiered Demonstration Room gives off the air of an amphitheatre, but its back wall houses very modern projections.

O is for Ofsted

Ofsted inspections are generally not much fun.

Violetta's Last Tango

The stunning Grand Auditorium of the Ghillie Dhu provides a spectacular setting for Violetta’s Last Tango and raises high hopes for a marvellous milonga and an evening of songs f…

Miann

Soiled bodies writhe across across a primordial swamp in earthbound exploration, rising from time to time in contorted gestures.

Edinburgh Traditional Building Festival - Maintaining Sash and Case Windows

If you think the Fringe is just about theatrical performances then think again.

A Virgin's Guide To... Rocky Horror

“This is not The Rocky Horror Show stage production” - a significant point of clarification in the Fringe programme lest anyone might think that this is the real thing.

Cafe Voices

Cafe Voices is held in the beautiful John Knox House, where the elegant wooden panels of the large bright room provide perfect acoustics for storytelling.

An Extraordinary Light

“The Nobel prize, by canonising individuals, disguises the truth that they are all, in Newton’s famous phrase, standing ‘on giants’ shoulders’ and on each other’s as well.

Forty-Five Minutes

Flying High Theatre Company from Nottinghamshire is aptly named; that is exactly what this group of lively youngsters do throughout this performance.

The Noctambulist

This is a rock-solid, totally refreshing naturalist drama performed by outstanding actors.

Things from Before Pt. 4

“Do we not all spend the greater part of our lives under the shadow of an event that has not yet come to pass?” Maurice Maeterlinck published his play in this intriguing perspe…

Faith

Faith is based on the story of Imber, a village which had the misfortune to be located too near to a military base on Salisbury Plain.

Nunsense

“I always had a good experience with nuns,” said Dan Coggins, who wrote the book, music and lyrics we all know as Nunsense to show us what nuns are “really like.

Pennyroyal

This is one for all the lads who have ever had girlfriends problems, all the lassies who have had to put up with boyfriends, and anyone who likes tea.

Rock Trial

Forget the defendant, it is the cast of this excruciating production who should be in the dock.

Éowyn Emerald and Dancers

Éowyn Emerald and Dancers made a successful debut at last year’s Fringe and are back again this year with another varied programme of short dances.

The Caddington Affair

The boys of Tiffin School are in town and look set to make a huge impact with The Caddington Affair, one of two devised pieces presented by different groups of year 12 A Level st…

Evil

Jesper Arin, who performs this one-man play, stood at the exit to the theatre as the audience left.

Man Enough

Chris is 18 years old, gay, and in search of fun and attention.

Tea Time Story

Review
★★★★
Richard Beck
Edinburgh Fringe
Zoo
4th Aug, 2014

How many kilos of flour does it take to tell a good story? In the case of Heather Lai, over fifty during the course of her Fringe run and every gramme is put to excellent use.

Login

Create Account

Username or Password Reminder

Articles by Richard Beck