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ENIGMA by Derren BrownDirector: Andy NymanReviewer: Helen PatrickBeing a complete Sceptic, I was dreading going to the Lowry Theatre with my husband to review Enigma, Derren Brown’s latest theatrical event. But I was soon put firmly in my place by a master of showmanship, one just couldn’t help but be swept along by the whole [...]

Sign of the Times by Tim FirthDirector: Peter Wilson Reviewer: James HigginsTim Firth was originally commissioned by Alan Ayckbourn in 1991 to write a one act play (A Man of Letters) to be performed at Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre. Fifteen years later we finally learn what became of the characters after the one act play [...]

Seven Brides For Seven BrothersBook: Lawrence Kasha & David S. LandayMusic: Gene De PaulLyrics: Johnny MercerNew songs: Al Kasha & Joel HirschhornDirector: Chris HockingChoreography: Chris HockingReviewer: Elizabeth VileSeven Brides for Seven Brothers is a fun, family musical set in Oregon in the 1850’s. It tells the story of Adam and his six brothers who live [...]

His Dark Materials by Philip PullmanAdaptor: Nicholas WrightDirector: Rachel KavanaughReviewer: Clare Howdon Philip Pullman’s ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy stunned readers and critics when it first emerged on the literary scene with its gripping and biting tale of alternate worlds, strange characters, corrupt theology, and theoretical physics. Main characters are subject to questionable morals, the whole [...]

FameConceived by: David de SilvaWritten by: Jose FernandezDirected by: Karen BruceReviewed by: Ian CainSuch was the success of the 1980 smash-hit movie, ‘Fame’, that it spawned a hugely successful television series which ran for five years and, subsequently, a stage production that made it’s West End debut in 1995 and has completed seven national tours [...]

Widowers’ Houses’ by George Bernard ShawDirector: Greg HersovReviewer: Clare Howdon Bernard Shaw’s theatrical debut ‘Widowers’ Houses’, first performed in 1892 as a response to the exploitation of the poor by Slum Landlords, has been given a timely revival at the Royal Exchange Theatre under the direction of Greg Hersov.Coined in 1898 by Shaw as one [...]

Noises Off by Michael FraynDirected by Bob CarltonReviewed by Mark Valencia Michael Frayn’s comedy of backstage horrors was once described as one of the 13 best farces written since the war, ‘the other twelve being Fawlty Towers’. That comparison was hard to deny in Michael Blakemore’s blissful premiere production with Patricia Routledge and Paul Eddington [...]

Hang OnCreated by Theatre-Rites and Ockham’s RazorDirector Sue Buckmaster Reviewer: Honour BayesA family show that actually pleases parents, children and cosmopolitan ‘friends’ alike? Surely this doesn’t exist without the Disney seal of approval. But if you want to take all your extended family along to one show this year, take them to see Hang On [...]