by Laura Kressly
Orson Welles’ 1938 broadcast of The War of Worlds caused widespread panic with its reports of an alien invasion in New Jersey. Or did it? Did the newspapers exaggerate the reaction to sell papers, the way websites now use clickbait for hits?
by Laura Kressly
All of Little Bulb’s work I’ve seen has been thoroughly infused with joy. Though this story ends in loss and grief, their Parisian cabaret-style Orpheus is no different.
by Laura Kressly
Everyone knows the myth of Robin Hood – a heroic forest dweller fights against injustice by stealing from the rich to help the poor in medieval Nottingham. Is there any truth is the story, though? Richard Hurford’s interpretation suggests Hood isn’t particularly ambitious and a bit shy; he just wants to hang in the woods with his mates. The real hero is Maid Marian, but she knows she won’t be taken seriously as a woman.
by Amy Toledano
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is a book treasured by many. The story centres around family, self-discovery and growing up. Over the years there have been many different adaptations of this tale, and this latest retelling is a heart-warming modernization of a classic story.
By Louis Train
“Things evolve,” writes Rhys Lawton, director of this youth production of The Oresteia. “The same topics for examination that were needed then [in Ancient Greece] are not needed now, so instead we have to look at the parts of society that haven’t managed to evolve; the treatment of women, the questioning of authority and the fear of the other.”
by Laura Kressly
A story of two men who murder people in order to sell their corpses to doctors in 1820s Edinburgh shouldn’t work as a dark character comedy with music. But largely work it does and this three-hander, though somewhat structurally clumsy, is a good alternative to more typical Christmas theatre.
by Maeve Campbell
There is so much to like about Biscuit and Field’s new show Paid Fantasist. Rebecca Biscuit (one half of Sh!t Theatre) and Nick Field are a charming, new double-act. They employ a fantastically kitsch science-fiction disco soundtrack, enviable gold lame and an impressive Kate Bush impression. The most intriguing thing, though, is the 1978 Times article at the centre of the piece, ‘A Life in the Day of Tom Baker.’
by Maeve Campbell
It’s difficult to work out who the musical Seussical is for and why its been revived. Trying to imagine how a ten-year-old might watch this show doesn’t help answer these questions. In fact, it clouds the answer even more. I think if I was ten and watching this show, I’d feel utterly patronised by it.
By Laura Kressly
In Chekhov’s first play, there is a gun, discussion of property, longing for the past and idly passing time with friends and family. There’s also a takeaway delivery driver, a flaming wrecking ball and people in their pants.
by Jack Solloway
Raucous, loose and incredibly silly, Scary Little Girls’ The Full Brontë is as much about the Brontës as is a bare arse and a lick across the arm. Subjected to both of these, audience member Clive was about as prepared as the rest of us for the romping, light entertainment cabaret about Yorkshire’s most famous sisterhood of writers.
The Play's The Thing UK 