Author: The Reviews Hub - Central

Writer: Natal’ya Vorozhbit Translator: Sasha Dugdale Director: Vivien Lesley Jones Bad Roads is a play written in 2017 by Natal’ya Vorozhbit and first staged in the UK at the Royal Court. The script is dark and tense, reflecting the harshness of war and how it takes a toll differently on each person. This production, by Here to There Productions, is the first staging of Bad Roads in the UK since 2017, although the play was turned into a film directed by Vorozhbit in 2020. The first section of the play is a monologue from a Ukrainian journalist, talking back her…

Writer: Neil Gaiman Adapter: Joel Horwood Director: Katy Rudd Thrilling and mysterious, this National Theatre tour of The Ocean at the End of the Lane does not disappoint. With an incredible set, brilliant sound design, and strong ensemble, Neil Gaiman’s novel has been adapted into an outstanding play by Joel Horwood and brought to life fantastically by Katy Rudd. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is the story of a young boy (Keir Ogilvy) fighting against unspeakable evil with the help of stories in books and the friendship of a girl with the wisdom of 1000 years (Millie…

Music: Charles Webber, Daniel Thomas, and Steven Roberts Writer: Lewey Hellewell Director: Gary Clarke Wasteland starts off with a dark stage and a low rumble, as a lone dancer stumbles through the space. It’s a poetic solo which adeptly evokes the deep grief, anger, and sense of uselessness that some attempted to wash away with alcohol after losing their livelihoods when the mines were closed. Eventually, the solo dancer is joined by four older men who represent the miners after the closure of the pits. We’re shown archival footage of the closing of a colliery in 1995 and the five…

Book: Alexander Dinelaris Director: Thea Sharrock Superstar Rachel Marron has it all, but the price of fame is high. Along with a dazzling career, she has also gained the unwanted attention of an obsessive stalker. When heroic ex-secret service agent Frank Farmer is hired to protect her, she is initially resentful of his strict safety regime until a serious threat is made to her and her family. Rachel turns to Frank for help; however, lines are crossed as the two start to fall in love. Based on the 1992 film starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, the musical version of…

Writer: William Shakespeare Director: Gregory Doran It may be called a problem play and be one of the less well-known of Shakespeare’s writings, but this production of Cymbeline shows us what can be achieved if you put it in the hands of a director at the top of his game. Eschewing any thought of adding more concepts to an already trope-laden piece, unlike the previous RSC outing in 2016, Gregory Doran has given us something that has found every bit of humour in a back-to-basics production. It’s a landmark for a number of reasons – 2023 marks the 400th anniversary…

Writer: Ben Lewis, after Emily Brontë Adaptation conceived and developed by Lucinka Eisler and Ben Lewis Director: Lucinka Eisler One thing that you can expect from this production of Wuthering Heights – it will most likely be nothing like you expect. Although the production created by Inspector Sands and conceived and developed by Lucinka Eisler and Ben Lewis is ostensibly set in the 1750s of the original story, it has a decidedly modern twist and contains ideas which Emily Brontë would find distinctly alien. Costumes are sometimes modern, other times period and the cast change characters by throwing on a…

Director and Deviser: Corey Campbell Shaun is nervously navigating his way through probably his most important online interview yet. The fates seem to be against him – first, his phone keeps ringing, then there are knocks at the door before it is flung open and Naomi and Marcus loudly burst in. With no choice, Shaun abandons the interview. But before he can remonstrate, he learns the devastating news that Big Aunty, the woman who raised them all, has died in Jamaica. And it’s clear from the off – from the way Marcus and Shaun interact and from the bursts of…

Writer: Laura Wade Directors: Tamara Harvey and Hannah Noone Judy and Johnny are blissfully happy. Each morning she dresses in her coloured swirling skirts and prepares his breakfast before he sets off to work selling houses. While he’s away, she has her routine – culled from a 1949 manual – to keep the house spick and span. Her kitchen is full of the latest mod cons. It only needs the vicar to call and we could be in an early TV (black-and-white, of course) sitcom. In fact, they’re living in a fantasy version of the 1950s today. Judy gave up…