______ 7 August 2023 ______ 4**** ______ The ultimate backstage musical; 42nd Street hit the stage in 1980 and is based on the 1930s film of the same name. It is, in many respects, a jukebox musical with songs picked from a variety of sources. It is a big show and deserves a big production. […]
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_____ 31 July 2023 _____ 4**** _____ Take an onion and gradually peel away the layers of skin one at a time; in this action you have the methodology of Richard Harris when he wrote ‘The Business of Murder’. A huge success when it was first performed and ran for many years in London with
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________ 24 JULY 2023 ________ 5***** And so, Alan Ayckbourn’s trilogy ‘Damsels in Distress’ comes to a conclusion with the final ‘episode’, ‘Roleplay’ and with it, we are rather firmer in classic Ayckbourn territory. Young couple, Justin and Julie-Ann are organising a dinner party intended as an introduction to each other’s parents and the
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17 July 2023 4**** The second of Alan Ayckbourn’s ‘Damsels in Distress’ trilogy is a play where nothing is quite what it seems. Called upon to tend to a smart apartment, out of work actor Rosie Seymore finds herself propositioned by a handsome neighbour who seems convinced she is the owner of the property; something
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10 July 2023 3*** First performed in 2001, Alan Ayckbourn’s trilogy, ‘Damsels in Distress’ was specifically written with repertory theatre in mind. Three plays, one set and seven varying characters in each, providing actors with a range of roles to play. The concept is an excellent one and is, therefore, a perfect choice for the
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3 July 2023 4**** Written in 1960, Marc Camoletti’s play ‘Boeing-Boeing’ became an enormous hit when it premiered on the London stage in 1962, running for seven years. It is the epitome of the farce genre. The simple plot contains elements which some might find offensive these days; Bernard has three fiancées – all work
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26 June 2023 3*** Firstly, it is time to celebrate. The Sidmouth Summer Play Festival is back for 2023 at the splendid Manor Pavilion Theatre. This unique and wonderful institution is, once again, providing a feast of entertaining theatrical delights over the next three months. 12 different plays over 12 weeks is no small feat
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20 June 2023 4**** Human migration is a subject which is barely out of the news. Displaced people, the result of war, oppression or natural disasters is a modern tragedy with many of those seeking sanctuary and a new life never making it to a place of salvation. Treacherous journeys are undertaken and once at
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12 JUNE 2023 5***** Two men walk on to the stage and to the emotional strains of Nina Simone singing ‘Ne Me Quitte Pas’, they take the audience on a journey through the ups and downs of their relationship in dance and drama and silence. It is, to put it simply, one of the most
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