Tag Archives: Northampton

Writer: John Steinbeck Director: Guy Unsworth Reviewer: Maggie Constable One of the most powerful pieces of story-telling in American literature, John Steinbeck’s 1937 classic Of Mice and Men has begun its week-long run at the Royal and Derngate. It was made famous by the iconic film of the 30s and then again in the 1992 movie starring John Malkovich. It ...

Music & Lyrics: Benny Andersson & Bjorn Ulvaeus Book: Catherine Johnson Director: Phyllida Lloyd Reviewer: David Robinson There can be few better ways to beat off the January blues than a trip to Mamma Mia! the stellar feel-good musical, currently bringing some Greek island paradise sunshine to Northampton. There seems little evidence of the warmth folk feel for these classic ...

Writers: Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields Director: Mark Bell Reviewer: Maggie Constable The Derngate houses this week, at the start of its U.K tour,  The Play That Goes Wrong, a wonderful piece of comic theatre which leaves its audience questioning the title; it should, surely have been ‘drastically wrong’! This is the play’s third year, with accolades aplenty, ...

Choreographer: Richard Alston Reviewer:  Maggie Constable At the Derngate this week, Richard Alston Dance Company (RADC) stages yet another set of wonderfully exotic dances, in the form of Carnaval, Chacony and Gypsy Mixture, which have rightly received much praise from critics and public alike. The company is renowned for its dynamic choreography and its highly-skilled and athletic dancers. A bonus this ...

Writer: Arthur Miller Director: Abigail Graham Reviewer: David Robinson The essence of an Arthur Miller play is that he boldly and regularly returns to his preferred themes: family, social responsibility and the pursuit of that all-American dream. Those keynotes are played loud and clear in this imaginative Royal & Derngate production of his 1949 classic. Death of a Salesman is ...

Book: Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice Music and Lyrics: Andrew Lippa Director: Matthew White Reviewer:  Natasha Hegarty From the opening melody to when the riffs kick in, the audience is clicking its fingers in time with the familiar tune and The Addams Family: The Musical Comedy begins. Wednesday Addams has gone and done the most revolting thing she could ever do: she has fallen ...

Writer: Shaun McKenna based on the novel by Peter James Director: Ian Talbot Reviewer: David Robinson Novelist Peter James’ Roy Grace detective novels have sold over eighteen million copies and been translated into numerous languages, as well as comfortably sitting for many weeks at the top of the Sunday Times bestseller list. Not Dead Enough is the third stage adaptation of ...

Music: Alan Menken Lyrics: Glenn Slater Book: Cheri & Bill Steinkellner Director: Craig Revel Horwood Reviewer: Natasha Hegarty The plot of Sister Act: The Musical, is well known to those who have seen the 1992 film starring Whoopi Goldberg and Maggie Smith. Club singer, Deloris van Cartier, witnesses a murder committed by her mobster boyfriend and is given witness protection ...