Writer: Agatha Christie Adaptator: Tamsin Oglesby Director: Lucy Bailey There’s a cosy sense of nostalgia about watching an Agatha Christie novel being brought to life on the stage. Her characters feel familiar and this, combined with the gentle drip of clues or red herrings as the story unfolds must be a huge reason why audiences continue to enjoy productions of her work, 80 years after their original publication. Tamsin Oglesby’s new version of the Hercule Poirot mystery, ‘The Hollow’ manages to deliver the nostalgia of a traditional Christie whodunnit, but with just enough humour, pathos and theatricality to keep a…
Author: The Reviews Hub - East Anglia & South East
The Reviews Hub - East Anglia & South East
The South East team is under the editorship of Peter Marcus. The Reviews Hub was set up in 2007. Our mission is to provide the most in-depth, nationwide arts coverage online.
Writer: Tina Fey Music: Jeff Richmond Lyrics: Nell Benjamin Director: Casey Nicholaw From Tina Fey’s iconic 2004 film Mean Girls comes a musical adaptation that brings the story of Cady Heron (Emily Lane) to the stage. More than 20 years on, the tale of a home-schooled teenager navigating the cut-throat world of American high school remains as familiar as ever. But while Cady’s introduction to The Plastics and their queen bee, Regina George (Vivian Panka), is still full of potential, this musical struggles to recapture the original’s razor-sharp wit. The musical retains much of the original story, with updates for social…
Book, Music and Lyrics: David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts (as SpitLip) Director: Robert Hastie 83 years ago, Britain’s military intelligence hatched an ambitious plan to convince the Germans to move their troops to prevent an invasion of Sardinia, leaving the Axis-controlled Sicily undefended. It seems an unlikely premise on which to base your military strategy, and an even more unlikely premise on which to base one of the country’s favourite musicals. Operation Mincemeat, currently on its first UK tour alongside performances at the Fortune Theatre where it’s been since 2023, continues to receive strong reviews wherever…
Book: Heather Hach Music/Lyrics: Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin Director: Nikolai Foster Twenty-five years after Legally Blonde first hit the big screen, its popularity shows little sign of fading. The film remains a regular streaming favourite, while its musical incarnation is now approaching its 20th anniversary. The story of Elle Woods, the pink-loving sorority girl who follows her ex-boyfriend to Harvard Law School only to discover that she is capable of far more than she ever imagined, remains a joyous celebration of sisterhood, self-discovery and believing in yourself. In this latest production, Amber Davies takes on the iconic role of…
The Barn Theatre, Cirencester, in partnership with Tiny Giant Entertainment, has named the cast for its new production of David Seidler’s acclaimed play The King’s Speech. Directed by Loveday Ingram, the production opens at the Barn Theatre in Cirencester on 9 October 2026, before embarking on a major UK tour in 2027. Neighbours and Strictly Come Dancing star Stefan Dennis leads the cast as Lionel Logue alongside Casualty and Call the Midwife’s George Rainsford as King George VI. Joining them are Rosanna Miles as Queen Elizabeth, Lucy Bromilow as Myryle Logue and Wallis Simpson, Tim Hudson as King George V…
Performer: Jon Udry Some time ago there was a suggestion that describing a footballer as ‘versatile’ meant that they were actually mediocre in more than one position. Thankfully this does not apply to Jon Udry who showcases his versatility as a great juggler who is also a very funny comedian, both sides of his act are equally entertaining for the entire 90 minutes or so of his show. Winner of Britain’s Best Juggler at the age of 16, Udry has clearly spent the subsequent years polishing not just his juggling skills, but also developing the comedy side of his act…
Music and Lyrics: Cole Porter Book by: Arthur Kopit As with any revival such as this, comparisons to the original are inevitable and it’s a brave cast who take on roles created by the triumvirate of Crosby, Kelly and Sinatra. Thankfully this production has the life and soul of the original movie and has a trio at its centre who give their all and look like they are having a ball whilst doing it. The somewhat lightweight plot has rich, entitled socialite Tracy about to be wed to uninspiring accountant George, a man so bland that even his future family…
Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Libretto: Lorenzo da Ponte, translated by Orlando Jopling and Danielle de Niese Conductor: Orlando Jopling Director: Danielle de Niese Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, the iconic sequel to The Barber of Seville, is one of the best-known works in the operatic canon. Set over a single day, it follows Figaro and Susanna as they prepare for their wedding while navigating the schemes and infidelities of Count Almaviva and his household. Traditionally performed in Italian, Figaro can feel intimidating to those less familiar with opera. Wild Arts removes that barrier by performing the work in English. It…