______ 15 September 2025 ______ 5***** ______ In recent years it has been something of a masterstroke by the producers of the Sidmouth Summer Play Festival to bring the season to a conclusion with a gloriously, completely bonkers piece of fun; thus we have had ‘The 39 Steps’ and ‘Ben Hur’ played for all its […]
BASKERVILLE: A SHERLOCK HOLMES MYSTERY – Manor Pavilion Theatre, Sidmouth Read More »
EUTCO TAKING ‘CONSTELLATIONS’ FROM EXETER TO EDINBURGH BY PAUL SMITH It has become a high point in the calendar for Exeter University Theatre Company, the annual trip to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Last year, they took their summer production of ‘Dinner’ by Moira Buffini to the international celebration of the arts and
EUTCO: REACHING FOR THE STARS Read More »
______ 22 April 2025 ______ 4**** ______ The message of ‘Kinky Boots’ is writ loud and clear, ‘Accept others for who they are’; has this show ever been played out against such a background of controversy, debate and anger? A story of inclusion cannot be told in more heartfelt terms than with Johannes Radebe in
KINKY BOOTS – Theatre Royal Plymouth Read More »
The idea of writing a book with a theatre at its core was something I blithely suggested one day. “Of course, you must” was the regular response. All before I had really thought deeply about the full scale of the project which faced me. Since 2019 I have been the regular reviewer at the Summer
THE ROAD TO SIDMOUTH REP & AN INTERVIEW WITH JOHN ATTERBURY Read More »
We are delighted to announce the winners of the 2024 Cormac Richards Theatre Awards. At the end of the day these are just based on the opinion of the reviewer and many factors come into play when deciding who nudges ahead to take the award. That said, theatre lives and dies by the hard work
CORMAC RICHARDS THEATRE AWARDS 2024 – THE WINNERS Read More »
The road from Exeter in South West England to Edinburgh, Scotland is a long one, but when you are taking a stage play with you it is a journey with many logistical challenges and many twists and turns along the way. For some years now, Exeter University Theatre Company (EUTCO) has taken a production to
‘DINNER’ FROM EXETER TO EDINBURGH by Paul Smith Read More »
There are no two ways about it, a life working in the theatre is neither easy nor straightforward. For every household name, there are many thousands whose lives are unpredicatable and more full of disappointment than success. That said, the mindset of some can create a far more positive slant on life and the ‘can
JAKE BICKFORD – INSPIRING SUCCESS Read More »
CORMAC RICHARDS THEATRE AWARDS 2023 DUD OF THE YEAR I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY – THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH (TOURING) ______ DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE YEAR CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY – THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH (TOURING) ______ COMEDY PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR FLATSPIN – MANOR PAVILION THEATRE SIDMOUTH ______ MUSICAL PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR
CORMAC RICHARDS THEATRE AWARDS 2023 – THE WINNERS Read More »
COMEDY PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR ROLEPLAY – MANOR PAVILION THEATRE, SIDMOUTH THE 39 STEPS – MANOR PAVILION THEATRE, SIDMOUTH PAST TENTS – ALMA TAVERN THEATRE, BRISTOL (TOURING) WODEHOUSE IN WONDERLAND – EXETER NORTHCOTT THEATRE (TOURING) RUN FOR YOUR WIFE – MANOR PAVILION THEATRE, SIDMOUTH PRIVATE LIVES – MANOR PAVILION THEATRE, SIDMOUTH THE WAY OLD FRIENDS
CORMAC RICHARDS THEATRE AWARDS 2023 – NOMINATIONS Read More »
PROFILE by Paul Smith Rising up from the surrounding Somerset countryside, Downside Abbey certainly makes a statement; the Abbey Church standing mightily above the adjacent school. The gothic revival designs, much of them by Giles Gilbert Scott, reverberate to the sound of the, nearly 100-year-old, Compton organ. Every nook and cranny seems to be
MATT WALTERS – PULLING OUT ALL THE STOPS Read More »
