Those familiar with the novel Life of Pi may – should they wish to indulge in the pleasure – have fun in spotting what elements of the book have made it into this theatrical adaptation, and what has been left out, or otherwise rearranged or changed in some way. But it is not necessary to…
There had, I thought to myself, be some acts of violence to witness in a show called Love and Other Acts of Violence. With hindsight (I am not wholly convinced it is necessarily a ‘benefit’), it was quite a ridiculous thought, but then a title like this evokes all sorts of musings, at least in…
Brigid Lohrey and Grace Cookey-Gam portray an entire village between them. To an extent, the production relies on what a family show I saw a few years ago referred to as ‘CGI’ – collective group imagination. But then, at least to begin with, there is a lot of context that is spoon-fed to the audience….
The last time I saw Hairspray in the West End was a sort of ‘now or never’ moment: after over 1,000 performances, the show was to close at the Shaftesbury Theatre, and I went along to the very last show. Some of the cast were in tears at curtain call, and the show evidently had…
One is naturally inclined to think of the Stephen Sondheim revue Marry Me A Little, in which an entire narrative was shaped out of various songs that may have belonged to another musical (or not) at some point but were cobbled together to form a separate show. Listening to the various musical styles, tempos and…
Amidst the anger and ferocity sparked by the pandemic and other events, there have been calls for civility and carefully considered responses. Black Matter is just the ticket, addressing topical issues head-on and in a manner that, seemingly effortlessly, strikes a balance between telling it like it is and remaining positive in the face of…
I’ve been reliably informed that if I had seen the movie, I would most likely have remembered it – for good or for ill. But seeing a show ‘blind’ without exposure to its previous motion picture incarnation has its plus points, most notably not having any preconceptions or notions as to what to expect. That…
The long timeline in Leopoldstadt allows for a comprehensive narrative, spanning from 1899 to 1955 in Vienna, Austria. A cast of forty-one, including fifteen children – this is an ambitious production. Come the interval, by which point the story has reached 1924, it is obvious to pretty much all and sundry that the good times…