Some stories cannot be told in a single sitting. Think Harry Potter. The last book was made into two films and the ‘The Cursed Child’ is two plays. The reason I’m mentioning this is because after seeing My Brilliant Friend Parts 1 and 2, at the National Theatre, it struck me that making one book into two plays is hard enough but April De Angelis must have really had … [Read more...]
Oscar Wilde’s The Canterville Ghost at the Unicorn Theatre
Halloween may be over, but the festive season is often a time for a haunting or two - think Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’. One story of things that go bump in the night is Oscar Wilde’s The Canterville Ghost currently having a spooky outing at the Unicorn Theatre. American diplomat Hiram Otis (Nana Amoo-Gottfried) is a happy man. He works for the US State Department … [Read more...]
Crisis? What Crisis? at The Colab Factory | Review
1979 was a pivotal year in the life of British politics. Following what has become known as the Winter of Discontent, Margaret Thatcher tabled a vote of no confidence in the Labour government under Prime Minister James Callaghan. The government lost the vote, there was a general election which swept the Conservatives into power for the next 18 years. One has to … [Read more...]
Reputation by Alick Glass at The Other Palace | Review
Ever wonder where writers get their ideas from? I have to admit I often do. Often, after seeing a really good film, I wish I could write like that. Dream up characters, bringing them to life, putting them into some scenario and have that play out to a, hopefully, logical conclusion. Alas, my writing skills aren’t up to that so, I will have to think of another method … [Read more...]
A Kind of Loving at Brockley Jack Studio Theatre | Review
In some ways it's very difficult to imagine the UK back in the 1960s. But this was a decade where socially and morally the country really began to change. Ideas and standards which had been accepted as the norm for generations started to be questioned, and behaviour which would have been deemed wholly inappropriate before started to be acceptable. However, social … [Read more...]
Tickle the Musical at the King’s Head Theatre | Review
How do you feel about tickling or being tickled? After all, as babies and children, tickling is a part of life, and many a youngster has been reduced to a helpless mess of giggling by a good old tickle. As you get older, there comes a point where it is not necessarily felt as appropriate to tickle or be tickled. However, if you were to Google the words “competitive … [Read more...]
Ghost Stories at the Ambassadors Theatre | Review
As the nights draw in, thoughts turn to the autumn and winter celebrations. Right now, that means Halloween and for those of you that like a bit of a fright in your life, I can offer you no better play that Ghost Stories at the Ambassadors Theatre. This is a show where, rather like The Mousetrap next door, they ask the audience to keep the secrets and I can fully … [Read more...]
Interview with Christopher Howell – Seance: Conversations in the Dark
As Halloween approaches, theatrical thoughts turn from jazz hands to zombie hands and there is suddenly a plethora of horror and ghost related events appearing in theatre-land. Not least among these is Séance: Conversations in the Dark and I was lucky enough to catch up with the production’s host, Christopher Howell. I started by asking Christopher to give me a … [Read more...]
Up Pompeii – An Audio Revival at the Shaw Theatre | Review
The British have always had a real affinity for smut. From saucy seaside postcards through to the “Carry On” movies, there is something about a double entendre and risqué gags that appeals to the British sense of humour. One of the true masters of this form was a comedian by the name of Frankie Howerd. One of Frankie’s biggest hits was a TV show called Up Pompeii!. … [Read more...]