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5:30, RE:PLAY 2010 – Library Theatre, Manchester

Writer: Alistair McDowall Director: Clive Judd Reviewer: Val Peets The Public Reviews Rating: ★★★★☆ Written by Alistair McDowall, Presented by Cheap Seats and Directed by Clive Judd at The Library Theatre, 5.30, was both funny, uncomfortable and compelling in equal measure. Staged as part of the Re:Play Festival 2010 and described as, “A compelling and at times terrifying piece charting [...]

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Adolph Hitler: My part in his downfall – Richmond Theatre

Writer: Spike Milligan Director: Tim Carroll Reviewer: James Higgins The Public Reviews Rating: ★★★★☆ I arrived at Richmond theatre to a most unusual greeting, ‘hullo mate !’ boomed the sailor, winking at me as I walked into the foyer. All around me were a motley crew of WWII characters from servicemen to spivs which added a real sense of [...]

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My Wonderful Day – Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford

Writer/Director: Alan Ayckbourn Reviewer: Ann Bawtree The Public Reviews Rating: ★★★½☆ This latest production of the highly acclaimed Stephen Joseph Theatre, based in Scarborough, is now touring the south of England. It would be easy to believe that it was written entirely as a vehicle for young Ayesha Antoine, the undoubted star of the show. Reading her rehearsal blog [...]

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Whistle Down the Wind- Liverpool Empire

Whistle Down The Wind - Liverpool1

Music: Andrew Lloyd-Webber Lyrics: Jim Steinman Book: Mary Hayley Bell Director Bill Kenwright Reviewer Steph Rowe The Public Reviews Rating: ★★★★★ Well after years of trying I have finally made it to see the production of ‘Whistle Down the Wind’ and I was not disappointed. After watching the original 1961 film staring, Hayley Mills and Alan Bates, I did [...]

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Dirty Dusting – The Customs House, South Shields

Dirty Dusting

Writer: Ed Waugh & Trevor Wood Director: Dolores Porretta-Brown Reviewer: Ian Cain The Public Reviews Rating: ★★★★★ Having toured all over the world and wowed audiences numbering hundreds of thousands, the phenomenon that is ‘Dirty Dusting’ has returned home to the venue that first staged it in February 2003, as part of the celebratory season that marks the fifteenth [...]

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Silence! The Musical – Above The Stag Theatre, London

Writer: Hunter Bell Music & Lyrics: Jon & Al Kaplan Director: Christopher Gattelli Reviewer: Deborah Klayman The Public Reviews Rating: ★★★★☆ A parody of the 1991 film Silence Of The Lambs, this award winning musical threatens to be either truly awful or extremely funny. On this, my first visit to Above The Stag Theatre, I was delighted to find [...]

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Les Miserables: 25th Anniversary Production – Palace Theatre, Manchester

Author/Dramatist: Alain Boubil Book/Music: Claude-Michel Schonberg Lyrics: Herbert Kretzmer Adaptors: Trevor Nunn & John Caird Directors: Laurence Connor & James Powell Reviewer: John Roberts The Public Reviews Rating: ★★★★★ Les Miserables has become a musical theatre institution, performing in many cities and countries around the world, and been translated into several different languages – it was no surprise that [...]

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The Tempest – Curve Theatre, Leicester

Writer: William Shakespeare Director: Simon Plumridge Reviewer: David Noble The Public Reviews Rating: ★★★☆☆ The Tempest is one of those rare examples of a Shakespearian play that follows the classical unities of theatre, yet it is far from formulaic. A strange concoction of magic, comedy and romance, it was largely ignored upon its initial release, only to be [...]

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