Composer of “Blues for Gilbert”, the “most performed, recorded and studied solo tuned percussion piece of all time”, Mark Glentworth is to perform his autobiographical musical Seven and a Half Years at Buxton Fringe. At the age of 16, Glentworth was one of the youngest students to study percussion at the Royal Northern College of Music. After… Continue reading Autobiographical musical at Buxton Fringe
Month: March 2025
Modest
Writer Ellen Brammar and co-directors Luke Skilbeck and Paul Smith have created something of a cartoon from new play Modest. It is all caricature, camp and cabaret hung on events from real-life Victorian artist Elizabeth Thompson’s career to highlight the ongoing struggle for equality. Elizabeth Thompson is a painter you have probably never heard of,… Continue reading Modest
Ten of the best for Dukes’ Dell
The Dukes in Lancaster has been creating outdoor theatre for more than 35 years, and this year audiences can look forward to the return of Sunset Screenings. Set amidst Williamson Park’s The Dell it’s a perfect setting, providing great natural acoustics. From September 1–10, The Dukes will be showing ten films including brand new blockbuster Barbie and… Continue reading Ten of the best for Dukes’ Dell
The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Wonderful to see a packed theatre buzzing with anticipation. The lights dim, evocative music begins, then blackout! Eight actors enter, and so the journey begins and it is a journey. Dad, played by Trevor Fox, returns to his childhood home and finds himself beside the old Sussex farmhouse pond where he used to play. He… Continue reading The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Royal invite for Jake Murray
The play’s the thing wherein a theatre director has caught an invite from a King! Jake Murray will enjoy a Shakespeare performance with King Charles at Windsor Castle during Durham’s Summer of Shakespeare—which runs from July 8–30. Elysium Theatre Company, Durham Fringe Festival and Durham University bring a variety of Shakespeare’s plays to life to celebrate… Continue reading Royal invite for Jake Murray
Enough
Apart from Parliamentarians, who must be wide-eyed innocents, most people responded to the revelation Boris Johnson told lies with a weary, “well, duh”. One cannot help but worry the same cynical response might be provoked by Emily Hunter’s play Enough which examines the culture of misogyny, sexism and predatory behaviour towards members of the public and female… Continue reading Enough
New outing for Jeeves & Wooster
Octagon Theatre Bolton, with Wiltshire Creative, has announced the full cast and creative team for Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense. Robert and David Goodale’s adaptation premièred at Duke of York’s Theatre 2013 and won the 2014 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy. This new production opens Wiltshire Creative’s autumn season September 5–23 with previews from… Continue reading New outing for Jeeves & Wooster
Boris Godunov
Never before had Bryn Terfel sung a role in Russian, let alone tackle the greatest in that country’s great history of opera. Yet this magnificent performance in 2016, which he repeated three years later, ranks for me as the very best available on DVD or to stream, beating even that of the great Rene Papp… Continue reading Boris Godunov
Black Sheep set to tour
There’s an autumn tour for Livia Kojo Alour’s debut solo show Black Sheep. Fusing physical theatre, spoken word and song, it’s the story of a queer black woman finding love, overcoming institutional racism and leaning into radical vulnerability while building community around her. Black Sheep is at Old Fire Station Oxford September 1; Norwich Arts… Continue reading Black Sheep set to tour
The Tremors
May be out of my depth here. Lapsed Catholicism and listening to the Today programme may not be sufficient to appreciate a play about the complexities of the situation in Palestine. Hence the twenty-minute delay to the start of the play is spent speed-reading the background information in the programme. The Tremors is a play that rewards preparation. The… Continue reading The Tremors