Juliette Rowsell challenges the ambitious desires of Owen Horsley as he reshapes Oscar Wilde’s female-centric tale into an all-male performance reflecting, the struggle of its playwright. Salome has always been a play intoxicated with its […]
NT Salome Review
Chloe-Louise Saunders recounts the National Theatre’s immersive and intense take on Wilde’s late Victorian tale – while vibrant and nuanced, is this a play where less is more? It’s a Saturday night, my red wine […]
‘BP or not BP?’ – That is the Question of Student Theatre Subsidies
From odious oil spills to fat-cat theft – Rose Crees discusses why subsidised student theatre tickets are too good to be true. On the 28th of July 2016 BP announced, to the great dismay of all […]
Down, down the rabbit hole: Alice’s Adventures Underground Review
George Hulkes recounts her recent trip to Wonderland in this review of Les Enfants Terrible’s immersive theatrical extravaganza. The audience are promised to leave the world that they know and enter a place that is […]
Review: The Grapes of Wrath – Steinbeck comes to Leeds
The West Yorkshire Playhouse’s latest production is an adaption of John Steinbeck’s classic American novel The Grapes of Wrath. The play follows the progress of the Joad family as they travel west across America, fleeing […]
Evita Shines at Leeds Grand Theatre
With the election on everybody’s mind, Evita was the perfect musical to be performed at Leeds Grand Theatre – unless Corbyn the Musical decides to tour anytime soon. Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s politically […]
Review: East is East – Newcastle Northern Stage
Newcastle’s Northern Stage introduces a new production of East is East that utterly ruptures the boundaries of comedy and drama. Perhaps a physical description of the audience best describes the atmosphere the director, Suba Das, has managed […]
Review: Antony & Cleopatra – gorgeously melodramatic
Starring one of the most commanding female characters in Shakespeare‘s collection, Rose Crees reviews the RSC‘s recent take on the classic tale The Royal Shakespeare Company’s adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra follows the […]
We need to talk about stars in west end shows
Are theatres becoming too dependent on stars to sell out their shows? Heather Nash discusses the Wyndham Theatre‘s lastest production of Don Juan… A star name can ensure the sell-out success of almost any show […]
Can the Guardian recover from the loss of Lyn Gardner?
Renowned journalist and theatre critic Lyn Gardner has recently had her contract with the Guardian slashed on the account of monetary cuts. While she will continue to write reviews and features for the Guardian, her […]
‘Gender-blind’ Shakespeare: androgynous roles
After a recent production of Twelfth Night where the notorious comical role of Malvolio was portrayed by actress Tamsin Grieg, some critics have bemoaned the loss of traditional masculinity in theatre. Why? It is understandable […]
Review: Cyrano – a play with panache
West Yorkshire Playhouse is showing a new adaptation of Edmond Rostand‘s swashbuckling play Cyrano. Rose Crees gives her take on this energetic drama… Cyrano is a buoyant and fanciful re-adaption of the 1897 play Cyrano […]