Drama

Writer: Tennessee Williams Director: Mike Paton Reviewer: Edie Ranvier Tennessee Williams’ story of mendacity, passion and repression in the American South has been seeing its popularity renewed of late, notably with last year’s Young Vic production starring Sienna Miller and Jack O’Connell. This year, Edinburgh theatre company Leitheatre give their own take on the play – and, for this reviewer’s ...

Writer: William Shakespeare Director: John Haidar Reviewer: James Garrington All too often productions which label themselves “innovative” and “revelatory” turn out to be anything but that – simply a recycling of old ideas with a relatively minor tweak here and there. While, as they say, there’s nothing new in theatre, this production of Richard III by Headlong could certainly never be ...

Music:  Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Tim Rice Director: Bill Kenwright Reviewer: Barbara Michaels Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat the musical returns to the stage con brio, with a plethora of well-known musical numbers, refreshed and rejuvenated with all its original pizzazz still in place.  The Biblical story of Joseph, betrayed by his jealous brothers and sold into slavery in ...

Book: Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble Music: Harry Warren Lyrics: Al Dubin Director: Ethan J Smith Reviewer: Selwyn Knight 42nd Street is an unashamedly feelgood musical. Based on the book from 1932 and subsequent film of 1933, it harks back to a glamorous era on the Great White Way. With its focus on song and dance, with plenty of tap ...

Writer: Agatha Christie Director: Gareth Armstrong Reviewer: Sam Lowe “Suspect everyone!” is intimidatingly written on the show’s poster. Yet, simultaneously we suspect someone. Tonight, the audience take on the role of investigator as they attempt to deduce whodunit; who committed the murder? Which character has the opportune moment and which one has the fitting motive? Yes, this is the world’s ...

Writer: Bella Heesom Director:  Donnacadh O’Briain Reviewer:  Richard Maguire This is not the first time that a woman’s sexual organs have been demystified on the stage. In the 1990s, performance artist Annie Sprinkle famously invited an audience to come up and, with the help of a speculum and torch, observe her cervix in the sensibly entitled Public Cervix Announcement. Before ...

Book, Music and Lyrics: Richard O’Brien Director: Christopher Luscombe Reviewer: Gemma Fincher Still packing out theatres in its 46th year, the iconic cult classic musical, The Rocky Horror Show is back in Birmingham with an all-star cast. Initially written as a stage play in 1973 by Richard O’Brien, The Rocky Horror Picture Show was produced largely as a parody of the science fiction/B horror movies ...

Writer: Jonathan Maitland Director: Lotte Wakeham Reviewer: Stephen Bates Popping into a nearby bookmaker’s shop on the way to the opening night of Jonathan Maitland’s new play, a quick check of the odds reveals that Boris Johnson is the current favourite to fill the impending vacancy for the job of the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister. This news adds urgency to ...