The star of the Fringe
Attention spans at Edinburgh are brief. With thousands of shows on offer, the punters have to make a split-second decision…
Confessions of a dog hater
‘Do you like animals?’ asked the woman at the door, collecting for a zoo. ‘No, I hate them, they keep…
The slow death of the Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Fringe is getting bigger. Last year’s total of 3,893 shows is surpassed this year by 4,206 productions. More…
Zack Polanski reveals his instant soup politics
Zack Polanski enjoyed a cosy conversation with Iain Dale at the Edinburgh festival yesterday. They sounded and acted like old…
An enjoyable circus show masquerading as education
Brainiac Live! is a ‘family science’ show based on a popular Sky TV programme. It’s ideal for children under 12…
My friend the failure – and the star
‘Altogether Elsewhere.’ The title page of an unpublished travel book caught my eye during a recent clear-out. The author, Matthew…
The Trainspotting musical is made for cruise ships
Plenty of critics have mocked Trainspotting – the musical (with lyrics and music by Irvine Welsh and Stephen McGuinness, respectively)…
This J. Edgar Hoover musical is destined for Broadway
Here Comes J. Edgar! has a brash poster featuring a cross-dressing FBI agent in fishnet tights with his thighs splayed…
How has Tower Hamlets really spent my council tax?
How does Tower Hamlets spend my council tax? I’ve been shovelling cash at them for 19 years so I strolled…
A funny, unorthodox Much Ado About Nothing
You may need to do a spot of homework before attending Tilly No-Body at the Arcola. Acted and written by…
Springwood is a waste of time
Springwood, set in June 1939, looks at a series of tricky meetings between the American president FDR and George VI…
The day the bishop hit me in the face
The bishop hit us in the face. That was the best thing about confirmation. When I was 12, along with…
A Sinatra musical for hardcore fans
Sinatra: The Musical dramatises the star’s career during a minor wobble in the early 1950s. After falling from grace, Sinatra…
The power of Glengarry Glen Ross
The Old Vic presents an eccentric new version of David Mamet’s ultra-masculine play, Glengarry Glen Ross. Director Patrick Marber populates…
The NHS believes in fairness – they treat everyone with equal contempt
Edward Gibbon was troubled by a swelling in his lower abdomen. I have the same condition. ‘Wow. That’s huge,’ said…
A play that shows Iranian society is like our own
Under the Shadow is a timely drama set in Tehran in 1988 during the Iran-Iraq war. Saddam’s missiles are raining…
Michelle Terry is ferocious in Brecht’s simplistic tutorial
Bertolt Brecht’s classic, Mother Courage, is about a female war profiteer who drags a wagon of supplies through no man’s…
My new job at the Amazon packing factory
What will you do if it all goes wrong? I have a back-up plan. Working for Amazon. Its Luton warehouse…
Are we ready for the truth about Judy Garland?
End of the Rainbow feels like a prison drama set in London in 1969. Judy Garland is about to give…
Haphazard and bitty but Rosie Holt is superb: Churchill’s Urinal reviewed
When Rachel Reeves became Chancellor she found a lavatory in her private suite which had been used by Churchill in…
Why is this Tudor drama full of swearing?
1536, by Ava Pickett, is set in a wheatfield near Colchester during the final months of Anne Boleyn’s life. Three…
A Beatles show without the love
Please Please Me is a play about Brian Epstein whose brief and troubled life remains relatively unknown. Tom Wright’s linear…
Man vs lobster
She was doing a postgrad course in a town by the sea, and a strange thing happened to us one…
Students of theatrical history will adore David Hare’s Grace Pervades
Grace Pervades by David Hare is a drama-documentary about the life and theatrical work of the great Victorian thesp, Sir…
Why actors love to play lunatics
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, adapted from Ken Kesey’s book by Dale Wasserman, is exactly like the movie but…
