The Strangeness of Others – LIPA, The Black-E, Liverpool
★★★★ The Strangeness of Others is a play originally written by Nick Ward, directed on this occasion by Gari Jones and produced by LIPA as part of their 2015 Spring/Summer Season of Public Performances....
View ArticleAnna Karenina – Royal Exchange, Manchester
★★★★ There are so many interlinking characters in Anna Karenina, that I did play with the idea of drawing a spider diagram to show all the connections. But that’s not to say that this is an...
View ArticleSecret Diaries – Lowry Theatre, Salford
★★★★ This is an enjoyable performance, fun at times as well as moving. Writer Sarah Evans states drama enables us to unhinge the doors we hide behind, see the world more clearly and explore what it...
View ArticleThe Lady’s Not for Walking Like an Egyptian – Royal Exchange Studio, Manchester
★★★ Reviewer: Richard Hall To coincide with this year’s General Election campaign, the Royal Exchange has shrewdly, programmed this witty and thoughtful revue like show, which cleverly crosses the...
View ArticleJB Shorts 13 – Joshua Brooks, Manchester
★★★★ Reviewer: Richard Hall From the topical to the plain ridiculous, JB Shorts 13 once again brings together some of Manchester’s finest acting and writing talent. The writers for this latest...
View ArticleThe Rise and Fall of Little Voice – King’s Arms Theatre, Salford
★★★★ It’s all sparkle and no frills at this gem of a theatre. The little flat the play is set in is presented on a well-designed split-level stage to an audience of no more than sixty cosily seated...
View ArticleUnseen Artists – The Director
We’ve had a little break, and now we’re reading to jump right back into Unseen Artists. Name and Profession Karl Barnsley, Theatre Director What’s your background, how did you get into this...
View ArticleThe Rolling Stone – Royal Exchange, Manchester
★★★★ It is easy to forget, in our relatively progressive country, that it is only within the last fifty years or so that homosexuality was legalised. But The Rolling Stone, a Royal Exchange premiere,...
View ArticleRules For Living – National Theatre
If you believe that the devices by which playwrights reveal their characters’ thoughts are the very essence of theatre, then Sam Holcroft’s bitter, black, cruel, and outrageously funny play is for...
View ArticleThe Good (Inte)review – Petra Jane Tauscher
There is just so much write about Walter Meierjohann’s latest world premiere production The Funfair. I’ve been lucky enough to preview the first two scenes, sneaking into a rehearsal, and it is...
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