Matthew Bourne's production of Swan Lake first hit the headlines 30 years ago, ostensibly for using male swans. But over the years and across the world, this ground-breaking ballet has not only wowed audiences; it has changed the way they see this art form; it…
Photo Credit: Marc Brenner Last night’s performance of The Merchant of Venice (1936) at the Richmond Theatre was a striking and inventive take on Shakespeare’s classic, blending historical resonance with standout performances that left the audience buzzing. Directed with a bold vision, the production transported…
Period dramas can often appear on the surface to be buttoned up and formal. But there's no such thing in Anne-Marie Casey's spirited retelling of Louisa May Alcott's classic tale. As you can see from the picture, Jo March and her best friend Laurie have…
The Cast of Stiletto: photo Johan Persson A short History revision lesson. Back in the 18th Century, women were not allowed on the stage and their roles were taken by men, or rather teenage boys. Cross the ocean to Venice, a vibrant city of wealth…
Edinburgh is supposed to be the most haunted city in the UK. So what better place to stage Ghost Stories, Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman's spine-tingling show which has been doing the rounds for the last 15 years. And in a theatre which is said…
We may be led to believe that, at 77, David Hayman is on the way out. In his latest TV role, in ITV's Protection, he plays a man who is diagnosed with dementia while recovering from a stroke. Now, in Arthur Miller's Pulitzer Prize-winning play…
A farcical period rom-com based on the 1998 film staring Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes: Following the success of his recent play ‘Two gentlemen of Verona’ a young William Shakespeare is suffering from a terrible attack of writers block (Romeo and Ethel is just not…
Peter James writes in the programme that the novel came about after a meeting with a police colleague who told him of a real life passport forger from Brighton who was caught because of his poor grasp of spelling ‘Britania’ and ‘Magesty’ were the two…
A star is born! In an extraordinary showcase of her multiple talents, Josephina Ortiz Lewis left a sell-out audience speechless during her fun-packed debut show. Ortiz Lewis is a natural clown, which comes to the fore in so many sketches, her face contorting hilariously as…
Pic: Annie Kingsnorth and Martin Shaw Set in the first decade of the reign of King Henry the eighth, as he prepares to ‘divorce’ his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, who was unable to bring a baby boy into the world, this is a play…