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The Winter’s Tale – Theatre Royal, Norwich

Writer: William Shakespeare Director: Edward Hall Reviewer: Glen Pearce The Public Reviews Rating: ★★★★☆   Shakespearian scholars may have to revise their thesis for, if we are to believe Ed Hall’s vibrant staging of The Winter’s Tale, Delia Smith’s now infamous Carrow Road touchline cry of ‘let’s be having yer’ is in fact a long lost line from The [...]

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I Dreamed a Dream – Cliffs Pavilion, Southend

Director: Ed Curtis Musical Supervisor/Director/Orchestrations: Kenny Aitchinson Choreographer: Nick Winston Reviewer: Maureen Hylands The Public Reviews Rating: ★★★★★   It’s said that the words of a song are only as good as the singer, otherwise they don’t mean as much. From the moment the curtain rose, the air is filled with magic, a magic that happily stays with us [...]

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The Full Monty – Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds

Music and Lyrics: David Yazbek Director: Nigel Turner Musical Director: Mark Jefferson Reviewer: Flip Miller The Public Reviews Rating: ★★★★½   It would appear that the gyms around Bury St Edmunds have been very busy this year getting a certain six gentlemen into shape for this show. The hard work, and money have paid off. Most of us are [...]

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The Real Thing – West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds

Book/Source: The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard Director: Kate Saxon Assistant Director: Emily Kempson Composer: Dominic Haslam Reviewer: S. E. Webster The Public Reviews Rating: ★★★★☆ Tom Stoppard’s The Real Thing, first performed over thirty years ago at the Strand Theatre in the West End, is currently treading the floorboards of the West Yorkshire Playhouse in conjunction with the [...]

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Vampirette – The Opera House, Manchester

Written: Jonathan Choat Director: Ed Curtis Reviewer: Paul Downham The Public Reviews Rating: ★★★½☆   The World Premiere of Vampirette is the latest offering from ATG’s ‘Manchester Gets it First’ initiative of bringing the best new productions to the Manchester stage before anywhere else in the UK. Not being the world’s most enthusiastic person when it comes to [...]

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Anne Boleyn – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

Writer: Howard Brenton Music: William Lyons Director: John Dove Reviewer: Gareth Ireland The Public Reviews Rating: ★★★★☆ Anne Boleyn is a compelling piece of theatre that explores who she was and the effect she had on King James I. The newly crowned King finds Boleyn’s controversial legacy that leads him to try to find her ghost and resolve religious [...]

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Yes, Prime Minister – Civic Theatre, Darlington

Written: Anthony Jay and Jonathan Lynn Director: Jonathan Lynn Reviewer: Lindsay Sykes The Public Reviews Rating: ★★½☆☆ It’s a strange situation when you’re sat in a theatre watching a farce that slowly evolves into a story about paedophilia. Not a particularly funny subject. There may have been a clever point being made but miss it and you’re in for some [...]

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Ladies in Lavender- Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford

Writer: William J. Locke (original short story) Adapter: Shaun McKenna, based on the film written by Charles Dance Reviewer: James Martin The Public Reviews Rating: ★★★★☆   Sitting by the river in the scenic garden of the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre enjoying a glass of wine in the brilliant evening sunshine was a perfect precursor to an evening spent revelling [...]

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