Writer: Eleanor Bergstein Director: Russ Spencer Reviewer: Simon Topping  Dirty Dancing is one of those 1980’s iconic films everyone has seen by the time they reach their teens, even though, upon intense questioning, some would deny it. Judging by the diversity of the Brighton audience, the classic coming-of-age tale appears to appeal to all generations, captivating the young just as ...

Writer: Alan Bennett Director: Philip Franks Reviewer: Michael Hootman The Habit of Art sees Alan Bennett stake his claim to the same theatrical territory inhabited by Tom Stoppard. Habit is very much a play of ideas. Or, to put it more bluntly, a play of too many ideas. It’s a play-within-a-play which examines the very idea of theatrical devices whilst ...

Celebrating their 250th anniversary, the Royal Academy is hosting a 10-day Festival of Ideas, bringing together some of the finest creative minds in a series of intellectual debates on art, music, theatre, literature, architecture and film. Writer James Graham and Director Rupert Goold are two men not short of ideas, and a one-hour conversation about making responsive accessible theatre expands ...

Writer: Federico Garcia Lorca Adaptor/Director: George Richmond-Scott Reviewer: Joanna Trainor Have you ever seen someone seductively mop a floor before? Because watch out for that, front row. George Richmond-Scott’s adaptation of the Lorca classic, Blood Wedding, is very much a play of two halves. Not that’s necessarily a negative attribute, but the interval in-between means there isn’t enough to gel ...

Writer: Alex McSweeney Director: Simon Pittman Reviewer: Maryam Philpott ‘Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK’ and writer Alex McSweeney has first-hand experience of the lasting effect that suicide has on an individual’s friends and family when five men he knew took their own lives in as many years. McSweeney channels these experiences into his ...

Writer: Milly Thomas  Director: Sara Joyce  Reviewer: Stephen Bates A report produced in August 2018 by the charity The Children’s Society found that 22% of 14-year-old girls in the United Kingdom admitted to having self-harmed. Alice in Milly Thomas’s play, a 75-minute monologue, was a little older, but her body still shows the scars from self-inflicted wounds as it lies ...

Composer:  Donnacha Dennehy Writer and Director:  Enda Walsh Reviewer:  Richard Maguire Premiering in Galway last summer, The Second Violinist comes to the Barbican trailing accolades in its wake, but after viewing this modern opera it is hard to justify all the praise. It’s a multi-media mess. Co-produced by Landmark and Irish National Opera it’s surprising that things are such a ...

Book: Fiona English Music and Lyrics: David Eaton Director: Benji Sperring Reviewer: Karl O'Doherty “Do it, then ask for permission later.” It can come across aggressive, but really it just means having the confidence of your convictions. When you’re on a stage, it’s important to present to the audience an attitude of “this is our best work, we’re confident in ...