Author: The Reviews Hub - Central

Writer: Jonathan Lynn Co-Directors: Jonathan Lynn and Michael Gyngell I’m Sorry, Prime Minister is the final chapter in Jonathan Lynn’s series Yes Minister that he co-wrote with Antony Jay in 1980, with its follow-up, Yes, Prime Minister, appearing in 1986. The original series focused on Jim Hacker as a cabinet minister before his promotion to Prime Minister as he attempted to navigate public life and private political debate. Always present and overseeing it all was his ever-loyal civil servant fixer, Sir Humphrey Appleby. This last chapter in the saga sees an ageing Jim Hacker in his new role in higher…

Writer: Graham Greene Adaptor: Clive Francis Director: Philip Wilson There are striking similarities between this production of Clive Francis’s 2007 stage version of Graham Greene’s 1958 novel Our Man in Havana and Patrick Barlow’s 2005 reworking of John Buchan’s The 39 Steps. Both were preceded by a film treatment, and both treat the plot as an exercise in ingenuity, having all the parts played by only four actors, with one central figure as the focus. But Barlow’s idea seems more outrageous, because he is making a spoof version of a serious thriller. Greene, on the other hand, conceived his story…

Book: Robert Mark Kamen Music and Lyrics: Drew Gasparini Director: Amon Miyamoto Of all the movies that could be turned into stage musicals, 1984 box office hit The Karate Kid isn’t one that immediately leaps to mind. However, with original screenplay writer Robert Mark Kamen at the helm, there is a clear understanding of what made the original film so beloved. The difficulty is that, in bringing this story to the stage, the production sometimes embraces the more familiar tropes of musical theatre, complete with big emotional numbers and a level of cheesiness that feels at times more High School…

Book: Hugh Wheeler Music and Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Director: Joe Murphy Sweeney Todd plunges audiences into a world where brutality is inescapable and darkness clings to every cobblestone, a macabre musical that marries razor‑sharp violence with hauntingly atmospheric storytelling as a vengeful barber and his accomplice drag London into their spiralling nightmare. A vicious spree of throat‑slashing revenge spirals into a grisly enterprise, turning London’s unsuspecting masses into the meat of his murderous fury. Ramin Karimloo wields the barber’s blade for the first time in his Sweeney debut as the titular character presenting his audience with a raw and unhinged…

Writer: John Le Carré Adaptor: David Eldridge Director: Jeremy Herrin In many ways, it is surprising that it has taken this long for a John Le Carré novel to be adapted for the stage. He is known for having created memorable characters and engaging plots that should, in the right hands, be very effective as stage plays. With capable and experienced creators such as director Jeremy Herrin and writer David Eldridge at the helm, one would imagine that we would be set for success. It is therefore regrettable to report that this is not a satisfying piece of theatre on…

Book: Tina Fey  Music: Jeff Richmond  Lyrics: Nell Benjamin  Director: Casey Nicholaw  How far would you go to fit in? What would you sacrifice to be part of the in crowd? And how can you find your way back after poor choices make you let people down? These are all questions at the heart of Mean Girls, the musical based on the 2004 film starring Lindsay Lohan. In the programme, the creators discuss these questions and others as they adapt the iconic film to stage and update it for the more modern crowd. They acknowledge, for example, that one thing that…

Conductor: Paul Murphy 1990 was a year of anticipation for Birmingham’s cultural life. As builders completed work on the new Symphony Hall, soon to become the home of the CBSO, Birmingham Royal Ballet was preparing to begin its own new chapter. The company’s move from London brought a world-class ballet company permanently to the city, marking a transformative moment for Birmingham’s arts scene. The man responsible for that bold move? Sir Peter Wright, now celebrating his 100th birthday. Wright’s journey to that moment was not straightforward. Born into a Quaker family with a father who disapproved of his ambitions, he…

Writer: William Shakespeare Director: Greg Doran There are few moments in a theatre-going career when all the elements of a production come together so perfectly to deliver an evening of pure theatrical magic. Greg Doran’s production of Venus & Adonis is one such moment and one that any lover of theatre should strive to attend if they possibly can. First performed as a collaboration between the RSC and Little Angel Theatre, Greg Doran’s 2004 production has been revived a number of times over the subsequent years. It is ostensibly a very simple affair: one narrator, one musician and five puppeteers…