John Major’s disastrous 1993 privatisation that split the railways into 113 fragments and preceded four major rail disasters may at first seem more a matter of historical interest rather than of current relevance, notwithstanding ongoing strikes now and there having been three Transport Secretaries within a couple of months. All four calamities, Southall, Ladbroke Grove,… Continue reading The Permanent Way
Category: Reviews
Mother Goose
120 years ago, just as legendary Dame of Drury Lane Dan Leno was taking to the stage in a role that would cement his place in pantomime history, Hackney Empire opened its doors for the first time. To celebrate both these anniversaries, this year the Empire turns to Mother Goose for its festive tale, putting… Continue reading Mother Goose
Cinderella The Midnight Princess
Charles Way’s Cinderella The Midnight Princess from Cahoots at Belfast’s The Mac offers a fresh, contemporary take on a traditional seasonal tale, looks wonderful and boasts delightfully characterful performances. But a thoroughly charming and witty production is hampered by the brute volume of its pre-recorded soundtrack rendering speech, lyrics and storytelling all but unintelligible in… Continue reading Cinderella The Midnight Princess
Robin Hood
In 2012, when Anthony Spargo played the Sheriff of Nottingham in Greenwich Theatre’s pantomime Robin Hood, little did he know that ten years later, not only would he revisit the role, but he would also be writing the institution that is the Greenwich Pantomime. With regular Dame, director and writer Andrew Pollard enjoying pastures new,… Continue reading Robin Hood
It’s a Wonderful Life
‘Tis the time of Christmas Carols—I mean Dickens’s—but here’s one with a difference, a lyrical American opera with musical theatre vibes, “commissioned by the Houston Grand Opera”—where it premièred in 2016—“with Co-Commissioners San Francisco Opera and the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.” “Based on the 1946 Frank Capra movie of the same name… Continue reading It’s a Wonderful Life
Othello
Clint Dyer’s production of Othello begins the moment you enter the auditorium, when Chloe Lamford’s setting of a stepped arena is covered by projected rows of posters of previous productions and a rapid succession of dates as a timeline since it was written, reminding us of the play’s history and, to prepare for a fresh… Continue reading Othello
Goldilocks and the Three Bears—The Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto
The New Wolsey panto is back with a bang! The last three years have been very difficult for the theatre industry, but this year’s offering is back to its rollicking, rock ‘n’ rolling best with a full cast, no cutaways to filmed scenes to break up the action and enough energy on stage to power… Continue reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears—The Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto
The Wind in the Willows
Starting as a series of bedtime stories for Kenneth Grahame’s young son, The Wind in the Willows became a publishing phenomenon. It is hardly surprising that it has been adapted numerous times for stage, screen and television; its popularity has hardly waned since the novel’s publication more than 100 years ago. Several notable playwrights have… Continue reading The Wind in the Willows
The Snow Queen
Christopher Hampson’s The Snow Queen first swept through the winter season in 2019 as part of Scottish Ballet’s 50th anniversary year. That wintery precipice just before the world was plunged into strange and different uncertainty feels like a time removed, and because of this, the choice to revisit The Snow Queen is both comforting and… Continue reading The Snow Queen
False Note
Trauma… A contemporary French play, False Note, about trauma, retribution, and resolution in Ukrainian with English surtitles comes to London from war-ravaged Ukraine for one night only. Remarkable. It is difficult to review the play in the context of the present pointless war raged by a demented egomaniac with a deranged narrative. We have seen… Continue reading False Note