REVIEWS

E Nesbit’s The Railway Children is a lovely story of community, togetherness and unity, set against a backdrop of the dangers of prejudice and assumptions. Adapted for stage by Mike Kenny and directed by Damian Cruden, this interpretation is an exciting piece of theatre, complete with steam train rolling along the stage surrounded by the audience. From the opening choo choo, cry of “all abroad” and accompanying whistle, the world of the Railway Children is created in beautiful and immersive detail. There is no fourth wall as an adult Bobbie (Rozzi Nicholson-Lailey), Peter (Izaak Cainer) and Phyllis (Beth Lilly) directly address the audience to tell their story. Bringing to the fore the issue of unreliable narrators, the three argue about their recollections of their childhood, but all e...

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a story of imagination, friendship and family set in the surreal world of Oz. Creation Theatre have taken this up a notch in this new adaptation directed by Gari Jones, and put this extraordinary world into a retro video game plagued by a wicked witch whose loyal followers keep up with her via the messy and fickle lifestyle of an online influencer.  The Company have fully utilised the online format of this show, and by using green screens and other technology, have created a show which they can present live while maintaining all social distancing guidelines to keep their cast and crew safe. The live format means that improvisation is possible, and the conspicuous absence of Toto allows the company to include some light audience participation so that th...

The New Wolsey Theatre has been producing a Rock and Roll panto for a number of years and they were not going to let this year stop them. This is a blended pantomime being performed live on stage to a reduced audience in the theatre and simultaneously live streamed to people’s homes. One of the benefits of this type of performance is that it makes it accessible to everyone. The show has captioning and audio description options for those at home and in the theatre and also one of the shows is being signed. The show is also suitable for those who may find a traditional performance challenging, there is an additional option of a special relaxed performance available. The Snow Queen is not one of the usual pantomimes, but the story of the evil Snow Queen, who tries to cover the world in ...