Cormac Richards

CAKE – THE MARIE ANTOINETTE PLAYLIST – Theatre Royal Plymouth

5 April 2023 2** Marie Antoinette has been celebrated in many forms since the departure of her head; theatre, film and stage have elevated her to something akin to a cult figure. Thus ‘Cake’ provides a further slice of this historical icon but uses a different kind of recipe. In the ‘blurb’ for the show, […]

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HEATHERS – THE MUSICAL – Theatre Royal Plymouth

4 April 2023 4**** High Schools and Teenage Angst are fertile ground for writers of books, plays, films and musicals. Take ‘Grease’ or ‘Spring Awakening’, for instance, which both deal with growing pains in rather more contrasting styles. The 1988 film ‘Heathers’ falls into this category, but writer Daniel Waters definitely took things into the

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AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS – Exeter Northcott Theatre

28 March 2023 2** Jules Verne’s classic adventure novel has been the basis for many adaptations of one kind or another, including a 20th Century re-enactment for television by Michael Palin; this 2021 version by Juliet Foster, for York Theatre Royal, takes a new approach. Presented here as a co-production with Tilted Wig Productions, the

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SWAN LAKE – Birmingham Royal Ballet – Theatre Royal Plymouth

15 March 2023 5***** In the week after Theatre Royal Plymouth have a major coup in appointing Dame Darcy Bussell as its Chair of the Trustees, they bring to the stage an exquisite production of Swan Lake from Birmingham Royal Ballet. BRB visit Plymouth twice a year and it is always something to look forward

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SHERLOCK HOLMES – THE VALLEY OF FEAR – Exeter Northcott Theatre

13 March 2023 3*** The popularity and fascination with Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes continues unabated. Continual reinventions, reincarnations, revivals and adaptations highlight the longevity of the stories and the character. Blackeyed Theatre are well versed in bringing new adaptations of classic novels to the stage and have previously presented Holmes in ‘The Sign of

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AN INSPECTOR CALLS – Theatre Royal Plymouth

7 March 2023 4**** A quick read of J B Priestley’s opening stage directions for ‘An Inspector Calls’ offers some insight into his thinking behind the play and the decisions taken by director Stephen Daldry and designer Ian MacNeil in this production which has been in existence for over 30 years. Priestley tempts directors to

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JAMES WILTON DANCE – THE FOUR SEASONS – Exeter Northcott Theatre

8 February 2023 4**** Exeter Northcott Theatre has been a crusader in bringing dance to the stage and the audiences have been treated to many variations of the artform over the years. They are usually very well supported and the appearance of Cornwall-based James Wilton Dance was welcomed with open arms by a packed house.

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