Tag Archives: Chichester Festival Theatre

Book: Rachel Wagstaff based on the novel by Paul Gallico Music and Lyrics: Richard Taylor Director: Daniel Evans  Reviewer: Simon Topping  Director Daniel Evans brings this award-winning 2016 musical, from his previous creative home in Sheffield, to Chichester for its first outing since its revision and shortening of act one. Set in a food and clothes rationed, shell-shocked, south London ...

Music: Noel Gay Revised Book: Stephen Fry and Mike Ockrent Director Daniel Evans Reviewer: Steve Turner Tension is running high at Hareford Hall, the Earl has died and the long search for an heir has finally borne fruit.  Imagine their horror then, when they find out that the heir is cockney costermonger Bill Snibson. The indignation of some of the ...

Writer: William Wycherley Director: Jonathan Munby Reviewer: David Guest Restoration comedies are enjoying something of a renaissance, with a recent in-period The Way of the World at the Donmar and The Country Wife at Southwark Playhouse transposed to the Roaring Twenties showing the timelessness of rants against seduction, deception and excesses. At Chichester’s Minerva Theatre Wycherley’s sparkling 1675 comedy of manners ...

Writer: Enid Bagnold Director: Alan Strachan Reviewer: Steve Turner It’s a rare treat to find a work with such substantial central roles for three generations of women. Rarer still to find them played with such dexterity and passion as they are here. Enid Bagnold’s celebrated, but perhaps underperformed tale of the matriarchal Mrs St Maugham, her granddaughter Laurel and the intriguing ...

Writer: Alan Ayckbourn Director: Blanche McIntyre Reviewer: David Guest Seeing just one part of Alan Ayckbourn’s comic trilogy The Norman Conquests, splendidly revived at Chichester Festival Theatre as the final offering in a successful summer season, is like eating only one component part of a trifle: the jelly, sponge, cream or custard alone might offer a tasty treat but when put ...

Book: Joseph Stein Music: Jerry Bock Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick Director: Daniel Evans Reviewer: Bill Avenell It is a nice touch of Chichester to provide a real live fiddler on the roof of the Festival Theatre to welcome the audience at last night’s show. The said fiddler, a very accomplished Darius Luke Thompson, was forced from his lofty perch by the ...

Writer: Alan Bennett Director: Daniel Evans Reviewer: Simon Topping This is Daniel Evans’ first outing for Chichester Festival theatre as their new artistic director and in his selection of Alan Bennett’s first foray into full-length playwriting, Forty Years On, the audience are treated to an excellent selection of amusing and poignant set pieces that capture the past. It is 1968 and ...

Adapter/Director: Tim Crouch Designer: Lucy Bradridge Composer:  Toby Park  Reviewer: Bill Avenell It all depends on your point of view. If silliness, clever ideas, slapstick, a bit of puerile humour and generally no sense of anything deep and meaningful leads to a good night out then The Complete Deaths is for you. If it is important to have a purpose ...