August 2026

______ 24 August 2026 ______ 2 1/2 ** ______ Richard Harris’s 1979 play hit the ground running when it was first performed and spawned a filmed version of the play starring Paul Eddington, Prunella Scales and Maureen Lipman and, subsequently, a TV series which expanded the story and the characters. The comedy set around cricket […]

______ 20 August 2026 ______ 4 1/2 **** ______ Four women, bored of their dull lives working in a fish packing factory in Hull, decide to have an adventure by attending Ladies’ Day at Royal Ascot in order to mark the departure of Pearl, the senior member of the quartet. Their back stories are filled

______ 17 August 2026 ______ 4 1/2 **** ______ A young married couple, Robert and Olivia, run an isolated hotel. There’s a snowstorm. A sinister arrives. The basic ingredients of this smart thriller from James Cawood. As ever with a genre such as this, things may not be quite what they seem and the audience

______ 14 August 2026 ______ 3 1/2 *** ______ For decades, Richard Harris been one of the UK’s favourite playwrights. Hits such as ‘Outside Edge’ and ‘Stepping Out’ are continually being performed, as is his hit thriller ‘The Business of Murder’ which enjoyed an eight year run in the West End. ‘Dead Guilty’ from 1994

______ 10 August 2026 ______ 3 1/2 *** ______ We all need a bit of a laugh at the moment I think – any diversion from the news headlines is very much a welcome relief and when the curtain goes up on a room with five doors, then you know it is likely you are

______ 6 August 2026 ______ 5***** ______ Well into the 21st Century, the writings of George Bernard Shaw seem to drift in and out of the consciousness. ‘Pygmalion’ apart, productions of his work are far from commonplace, as they once were. When the chance to see one comes along, then people should take the plunge