______ 19 September 2023 ______ 5***** ______ The 2015 Lincoln Center Theater Production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ‘The King and I’ does not feature the cast on rollerskates and has not been transposed into a dystopian land on the moon. The cast do not wear ripped jeans and t-shirts carrying slogans about the environment. I […]
THE KING AND I – Theatre Royal, Plymouth Read More »
______ 18 September 2023 ______ 5***** _____ Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 film version of John Buchan’s classic story of spies, intrigue and adventure has long been seen as one of the best movies of its genre; there have been other versions, but none match it. Patrick Barlow’s 2005 stage adaptation (based on an original concept by
THE 39 STEPS – Manor Pavilion Theatre, Sidmouth Read More »
______ 11 September 2023 ______ 5***** ______ Noel Coward’s ‘Private Lives’, written in 1930, has long been considered his most seminal work; though it opened to mixed reviews, it has been the subject of much debate and discussion; what is it really about and is it any good? This is not the time to write
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______ 7 September 2023 ______ 5***** ______ Very occasionally, as a reviewer, you will watch a production and believe it to be totally unique; so much theatre is derivative or unoriginal in some way, but out there are theatrical works which deserve to be seen because they are so very far from the norm. In
PAST TENTS – Alma Tavern Theatre, Clifton, Bristol Read More »
______ 4 September 2023 ______ 5***** ______ The Portland Spy Ring operated in the 1950s and early 1960s; a highly successful group of spies working for Russia filtering British military secrets to the Kremlin. The final breaking of the Ring and the subsequent arrest of those involved is the basis for Hugh Whitemore’s play ‘Pack
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______ 30 August 2023 ______ 3*** ______ No specific knowledge of the hugely popular cartoon ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ is required to follow the musical, currently on its premiere UK tour; as I have none myself. First appearing on stage in 2016 in Chicago it is a fun entertainment, largely aimed at young people, but with many
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______ 28 August 2023 ______ 2** ______ First performed in the 1960s and then regularly during the 1970s, ‘The Mating Game’ is one of a plethora of ‘sex’ comedies from that era; this one concerning a successful TV talk show host whose amorous couplings never reach their longed-for conclusion. As he tries to finally lose
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______ 26 August 2023 ______ 4**** ______ Well known stories don’t come much bigger than ‘The Hound of the Baskerville’s’; countless film and TV adaptations have sat alongside stage versions over many decades. Transferring Conan Doyle’s great stories for the theatre is not something for the faint of heart – these are tales of surprising
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______ 21 August 2023 ______ 4**** ______ The ‘police procedural’ TV drama has, in the last few decades, become something of a fallback for those in the industry; the schedules are overloaded with them. Stage versions of the genre are, however, rare. Peter James’ full-length novels about Detective Superintendent Roy Grace all contain the word
NOT DEAD ENOUGH – Manor Pavilion Theatre, Sidmouth Read More »
______ 14 August 2023 ______ 4**** ______ The art of comedy is, at its very basic level, to make us laugh. Farce adds further elements to the mix; freneticism being an example. British farceur, Ray Cooney, throws everything he has at his 1983 play ‘Run For Your Wife’ and the results leave the audience caught
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