Oh What A Lovely War was the brainchild of the legendary theatre maker Joan Littlewood along with her partner Gerry Raffles and the show’s original cast. It premiered at Theatre Royal Stratford East in March 1963 and was a resounding success, nominated for numerous awards both here and on Broadway. In 1969 Richard Attenborough directed the film which was also an enormous success. Now sixty years after it was first produced, Blackeyed Theatre in association with South Hill Park have … [Read more...]
Night Shift by Zoo Co at Stanley Arts Centre London | Review
Croydon can be a depressing place at any time (trust me - I live 5 minutes away) but on a cold, windy night when it’s raining cats and dogs, then it’s as miserable as it can be, especially if you’re a night shift worker trying to earn a living in these difficult times. Award-winning production company Zoo Co is celebrating their 10th anniversary with their latest production Night Shift set and performed in their hometown of Croydon. It tells the story of various night shift workers from a … [Read more...]
PAUL ZERDIN: PUPPETMAN at Leicester Square Theatre
The first ventriloquist I ever heard was Peter Brough and his puppet Archie Andrews. I say heard because he was on the radio - yes, a ventriloquist that you couldn’t see so who knows if he was moving his lips or not! But it piqued my interest in ventriloquism and I was always fascinated to see (on TV by now) the likes of Ray Alan and Lord Charles, Saveen with Daisy May, Keith Harris with Orville and Roger de Courcey and Nooky Bear. The latest in the long line of top British ventriloquists is the … [Read more...]
Treason The Musical at the Alexandra Palace Theatre
In March 2021 I watched a one-hour concert version of Treason The Musical online. Now just over two years later, the fully formed musical has completed its journey and arrived at the cavernous Alexandra Palace Theatre opening just a few days after November 5th and the musical opens with “Remember, remember the 5th of November, gunpowder treason and plot”. Treason The Musical tells the story of the plot to blow up King James I in 1605 at the state opening of parliament by a group of … [Read more...]
Annie at New Wimbledon Theatre | Review
In 1979 I took our two daughters to see Annie at the Victoria Palace and they loved it. Last night, 44 years on, I took one of my granddaughters to see it at Wimbledon Theatre and she loved it too. The show is one of those hardy perennials that just goes on and on and refuses to die - and quite right too. Annie with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin and a book by Thomas Meehan, was first performed on Broadway in 1977 and went on to win seven Tony Awards before transferring … [Read more...]