In a climate increasingly aware of political correctness, putting on a show that somewhat crudely tackles racism, homosexuality and pornography is no easy feat. That being said, throw in fantastic direction, a tight-knit band, a […]
Reasons to Stay Alive: A Triumph in Bringing to Life a Story About Near Death
Matt Haig’s Reasons to Stay Alive, part autobiography/part self-help book, discloses the author’s journey with depression and road towards recovery. Sarah Mortimore reviews the play and catches up with Janet Etuk, who plays Andrea, Matt’s […]
Jargon: An Exciting Piece Of New Writing
Jargon by Open Theatre is a hilarious piece of new writing by Kieran Bose Rosling, showing this Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the Banham Theatre. Rosling’s experience as a medical student brought this play to […]
Kinky Boots At The Leeds Grand Is A Glittering Success
There isn’t a more suited place in Leeds than the Grand Theatre to host the performance which refuses to announce itself quietly: Kinky Boots. The spectacular show arrived in the city on Tuesday 9th April […]
Hamlet Review: Tessa Parr inspires in a re-gendered production
Hamlet can often seem like a play in danger of being over-done. With that said, through change and adaptation, this production achieves a fresh reinvigoration that is essential for a modern take on the classical […]
Blue Stockings Makes The Past Feel Immediate
Jessica Swale’s Blue Stockings centers around the women of Girton College fighting for their right to graduate in 1896, perhaps a difficult concept for an audience of twenty first century students to relate to. However, […]
Dinner 18:55 Shows The Ordinary Can Be Ambitious
Dinner 18:55 is a fresh and original take on theatre, moving away from traditional narrative forms to explore human relationships and how they’re shaped by age. An ambitious project from the get go, the show […]
Funny & Touching: The Flick Open Theatre Society
Open Theatre’s production of The Flick was directed by Abby Barker and is adapted from the 2013 play by Annie Baker. It follows three cinema employees who are stuck with the mundane job of cleaning […]
Review: Shadowplay, Stage@Leeds
Shadowplay, written by Leeds University’s Alfie Howard, is set entirely within the fictional Labyrinth of Greek myth that was said to contain the mighty and terrifying Minotaur. The audience is quickly introduced to play’s three […]
Shut Up, Helen Is A Sincere Look At The Reality Of Mental Health Issues
At first glance the concept of a musical comedy about mental health seems insensitive. But based on the writer’s own struggles and using original music, the play sheds light on the very topical issue of […]
Juliet and Romeo: Is Parting such Sweet Sorrow or an Inevitability?
Ben Duke’s Juliet and Romeo is a contemporary, theatrical rewriting of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Duke rewrites their history so that the ‘star-crossed lovers’ do not, in fact, die in a tragic misunderstanding. Instead, they […]
Theatre Group’s “Othello” Is A Subversive Take On A Shakespearean Classic
The Theatre Group’s Othello adaption, directed by Melanie Noa Jehan, is an original take on the Shakespearean classic. While many new elements are added (a poem and a song as well as changes to the […]