Tag Archives: Comedy

Book: Craig Lucas Music: Daniel Messé Lyrics: Nathan Tysen & Daniel Messé Director: Michael Fentiman Reviewer: Matt Forrest Back in 2001 a relatively small budget French/German co-production called Amélie, became a monster hit, garnering both commercial and critical success: it did huge numbers at the box office, was in the running during award season, but more importantly than that this ...

Performer: Sarah-Louise Young Director: Russell Lucas Reviewer: Richard Maguire Love her or hate her, Kate Bush remains one of Britain’s great pop eccentrics. Since her first appearance on Top of the Pops at the age of 19 with the iconic Wuthering Heights, Bush has always been easy to parody. Yet, Sarah-Louise Young’s An Evening Without Kate Bush is more like ...

Writer: Patrick Barlow Director: Joseph O’Malley Reviewer: Scott Matthewman The creative history of this comedic production of The 39 Stepsis an interesting one. This parody of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 film – itself a loose adaptation of John Buchan’s novel, published some 20 years earlier – first saw fruit in a version by Simon Corbie and Nobby Dimon, who retold the ...

Adaptation and Original Direction: Lewis Ironside Directed by: Stacey Norris Reviewer: Christie-Luke Jones Sh!t-faced Shakespeare: Hamletis Magnificent Bastard Productions’ booze-fuelled and delightfully sweary take on Shakespeare’s tale of royal revenge in the Danish court. The concept is a simple one – a cast of professionally trained, Shakespearian actors rattle their way through a potted 70-minute adaptation of The Bard’s classic ...

Music and Lyrics: Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx Director: Cressida Carre Reviewer: Dominic Corr We’re back on Avenue Q, running for fifteen years the street is still offering up an evening of filth, wickedness and yet holds a mirror up to its audience more than ever. Just when you thought bright colours and puppets were for kids, Avenue Q proves ...

Writer: Geoff Allnutt Reviewer: Simon Topping Veteran performance poet, Geoff Allnutt, AKA The Speech Painter, is obsessed with all things Dr Seuss; from the environmental Lorax and all his classic children’s verse to his more obscure output in advertising and propaganda films in World War Two. It is this love of the man behind the books, Theodore Geisel, that has ...

Writers: Maggie Fox and Sue Ryding Director: Lawrence Till Reviewer: Dave Cunningham Comedy duo Lip Service, comprising Maggie Fox and Sue Ryding, are essentially parodists; paying affectionate tribute to the greats of literature and cinema. Despite the title, however, their latest production does not reference the novel Strangers on a Train by Highsmith or the film of the same name by ...

Writers: Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, Henry Shields Original Director: Mark Bell with Mischief Theatre Tour Director: Kirsty Patrick Ward Reviewer: Dominic Corr Mischief Theatre has capitalised on farce. Following on from the Olivier winning Play That Goes Wrong and the equally successful Peter Pan Goes Wrong, they keep their prized wits but bring their talents to a different setting. As ...