When Victor Hugo’s novel Les Misérables first came to London as a musical in 1985 it was criticised as reducing a French classic in a shallow attempt to popularise the story. Yet twenty-seven years later the story has been retold once again, and in film. This time the critics don’t seem to mind so much. It […]
The Magistrate was programmed as part of National Theatre’s Live Broadcasts, which played on Wednesday 16th January. Pinero’s 1885 farce was adapted as a successful musical comedy in 1917, which seems at the forefront of Timonthy Sheader’s mind in his creation of The National Theatre’s latest hit comedy. Whilst the first song by the group […]
In celebration of local Arts-facililitation this week, with The Royal Opera House and The National Theatre broadcasting live to cinemas everywhere, I wanted to focus on the role Local Arts Centres play in our community. Not only do they stage a spectrum of live performances, from comedy, to music, to drama, but they often provide […]
Kenneth Brannagh’s Progress Theatre based in Reading started off their New Year with an ambitious adaptation of Sir Terry Pratchett’s fantasy novel The Fifth Elephant with its cacophony of dwarfs, vampires, werewolves and humans. Sir Terry Pratchett who is born locally to the theatre, in Beaconsfield,was crowned the UK best-selling author of the 1990s and is especially […]
This is a great week for facilitating Arts locally, with live broadcasts coming from The Royal Opera House and from The National Theatre, meaning that you don’t have to face the rush of London to experience some big shows and big names. The Royal Opera House kicked it off with John Copley’s ‘La bohème’ being […]
In the break of a New Year there are torrents of reviews telling you what to watch out for 2013 in Theatres, mainly London-based shows from high acclaimed Theatres and companies. Yet how about fringe shows: New writing, new companies and new exciting voices reaching the stage. It is customary to wait for the famous […]
Plop is a baby Barn Owl, like every other barn owl, except he’s afraid of the dark. It’s black and scary and he doesn’t like it one bit. Yet probed by his mother, Plop goes to investigate and discovers about fireworks, bonfires, Father Christmas and all the fun things that you can only do at […]
We know Pantomime’s of old, what we expect is fixed and what the show expects of its audience is obvious: never more so than at Newbury’s festive production by The Corn Exchange and explicitly named Hiss and Boo. The mood of the show and the rules are firmly set as the first chart-pleaser sounds. Theatre assistants from […]
Buying your Pantomime tickets has become as important in the Christmas ritual as buying your pigs in their blankets to have on the big day. Yet these types of performances are surrounded by the stigma of being for children and silly. Having snuck a peek at Prince Charming’s unwrapped package at Kneehigh’s Pantomime rendition of Cinderella, as […]
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