Tag Archives: Grand Theatre

Writer and Director: Ian Adams Reviewer: Clare White There is much to celebrate at Wolverhampton’s Grand Theatre, as this year’s spectacular seasonal offering Dick Whittington coincides with the venue’s 125th anniversary. In search of fame and fortune, ambitious Dick arrives in London believing the streets are paved with gold. However, his quest for success is blighted by the villainous Queen Rat, ...

Book: Jose Fernandez Lyrics: Jacques Levy Music: Steve Margoshes Director: Nick Winston Reviewer: Clare White Based on the 1980s cult coming-of-age film, Fame The Musical follows the lives of a diverse group of students from a prestigious performing arts school in New York, desperate to prove they have what it takes to become superstars. Far from a light-hearted story about fame-hungry ...

Book and lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II Music: Richard Rodgers Director: Bartlett Sher Musical Director: Malcolm Forbes-Peckham Reviewer: Rob Atkinson It takes quite a show to get Yorkshire folk onto their feet and applauding enthusiastically, cheers and tears both in evidence, and all this for a revival of an old standard. But this production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and ...

Writer: John Osborne Director: Sean O’Connor Reviewer: James Garrington The country is in turmoil. The people are divided, with strong views on both sides of the argument. Parliament is split with some fervent and vocal opposition to the Government’s plans. The Rice household is equally divided – Billy Rice gets all of his news from The Sun and rants constantly ...

Music: Gary Barlow Lyrics: Gary Barlow and Tim Firth Director: Matt Ryan Reviewer: Clare White It’s been 16 years since the film Calendar Girls was released, inspired by a true story about a Women’s Institute group from Yorkshire who ditched jam and Jerusalem to bare all for a nude charity calendar. It was the brainchild of Chris Harper, who wanted ...

Book and Lyrics: Gerome Ragni and James Rado Music: Galt McDermot Director: Jonathan O’Boyle Reviewer: Selwyn Knight It’s hard to imagine now that until 1968, the Lord Chamberlain’s Office had the power to censor theatre in Britain so that only licensed plays could be performed. Literally the day after censorship ended, Hair, the brainchild of friends Gerome Ragni and James ...

Writer: Willy Russell Director: Max Roberts Reviewer: Selwyn Knight Frank is a bitter failed poet and university lecturer. His life is spiralling downwards as his drinking threatens to get out of control. Indeed, in order to finance his drinking, he says, he signs up as a tutor with the Open University and is allocated Susan – or Rita as she ...

Writer: Alexander Dinelaris Director: Thea Sharrock Reviewer: Selwyn Knight Rachel Marron is a superstar actress and singer. Her concerts are spectacular events with dazzling dancing, powerful pyrotechnics and lurid lights. She also has a ten-year-old son, Fletcher, of whom she is fiercely protective, an entourage of publicists and agents … and a menacing stalker. Wraithlike, the stalker is able to ...