Monday, July 6

Latest Articles

Portable Infinity – Traverse Theatre
Scotland

Portable Infinity – Traverse Theatre

A packed Traverse 1 on a Monday night is no small achievement for a contemporary jazz ensemble. Yet Portable Infinity's appearance at the Traverse felt entirely at home in the theatre's largest space. Eighteen months ago the group played the Traverse bar. Now they return at the conclusion of a major European tour to a full house, a testament both to the growing reputation of the band and the enthusiasm of Edinburgh's jazz audience.The evening stretched to around one hour and forty minutes without an interval, a format that might have tested a lesser audience. Instead, the capacity crowd remained rapt throughout, drawn into a performance that was as intellectually engaging as it was emotionally rewarding.What immediately struck this reviewer was the honesty of the music. There were no backi...
The Full Monty – Theatr Clwyd
Wales

The Full Monty – Theatr Clwyd

Almost 30 years after the original film came to our screens, Tiptop productions return to Theatr Clwyd with the brilliant The Full Monty. Directed by Peter Swingler, we follow the story of a group of Steelworkers in the 90s who find themselves out of work as yet another steel factory has been closed and they are trying to find their way through unemployment, depression, body image and much more. As the play unfolds, we realise it’s not just about six men taking their clothes off but heart, emotion and real people. When Gaz faces the possibility of losing shared custody of his son, he has to find a way to make money. And fast. After seeing the crowds that the Chippendales have drawn in, he gathers a group with five other guys to create the Buns of Steel, a group of strippers who will ...
Allegra – Richmond Theatre
London

Allegra – Richmond Theatre

“Given all the misery around… if you spend the day smiling, there must be something wrong with you.” That is the diagnosis for the ever-singing, always happy Allegra. She sings at home, at the baker’s, at the library, in the café, and even to her neighbours at 3 in the morning. In this new play by Peter Quilter, directed and choreographed by Stephen Mear, Maureen Lipman plays the titular role. Allegra lives by herself in a village where everyone is seemingly infuriated with her habit of breaking into song. Her fridge and cupboards might be empty (save some old cocoa and flour tins that hold her father’s ashes), but her mind is bursting with music and colourful imaginations. Her brother Ronen (John Middleton) looks in on her regularly, brings her food, and attempts to reign in her ene...
Dear Evan Hansen – Church Hill Theatre
Scotland

Dear Evan Hansen – Church Hill Theatre

There are few cinematic puzzles more challenging than trying to complete a viewing of Dear Evan Hanson. Trust me, I tried, twice. However… abandon your car, bus, hackney cab or pushbike in Morningside and dodge the hailstones – it is, after all June, in Edinburgh – to the stunning Church Hill theatre for this Room 29 Theatre Co production. There are five more performances left from tomorrow (today by the time you’re reading this) June 10th, until June 13th including a Saturday matinee. This was excellent from start to finish, genuinely moving, touching and inspiring, the sight of Eilidh Todd (playing Evan’s mum Heidi) pretty much in tears at the end before a standing ovation said it all. The show took place upon an impressive, well-lit set before a backdrop representing a typically chao...
The Ballad of Johnny and June – The Lowry
North West

The Ballad of Johnny and June – The Lowry

Johnny Cash and June Carter were independently successful within the country music scene in the fifties and sixties.  Having met in the fifties when both were married to other people, the connection was forged and they toured together before their affair started and they eventually married each other at the end of the sixties.  Their son John Carter Cash was born in 1970. The Ballad of Johnny and June takes a mostly biographical look back at the early years of their relationship from the perspective of their son.  From their first meeting backstage at a concert they were both performing at, through Johnny becoming sucessful to them getting together and then marriage and the birth of John.  From that point onwards the show then jumps years at a time to strategic event...
Punk Rock – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse
North West

Punk Rock – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

The highly successful Altrincham Garrick Studio season of productions centred around a Manchester theme concludes this week with a timely revival of Simon Stephens’ 2009 classroom drama Punk Rock. Under the direction of Meg Brassington, it demonstrates that the teenage concerns of more than a decade ago are, if anything, even more pertinent and relevant today. We meet our seven protagonists at a sixth-form college in Stockport. The action takes place during the autumn term of 2009 as they negotiate the pressures of forthcoming mock A-level examinations. However, any similarity to The History Boys and the cosy world of Alan Bennett nostalgia is quickly dispelled by the very different tone Stephens employs in his portrayal of tortured adolescence and teenage angst. In the hands of a le...
Teeth ‘N’ Smiles – Duke of York’s Theatre
London

Teeth ‘N’ Smiles – Duke of York’s Theatre

Teeth ‘N’ Smiles has enjoyed a lengthy run during this 2026 revival at the Duke of York theatre, celebrating 50 years since prolific writer David Hare’s rock and roll musical took to the stage starring Helen Mirren as the work’s darkly charismatic protagonist Maggie Frisby. Similarly, this production brings some star-studded value to the cast with pop artist Rebecca Lucy Taylor (formerly of Slow Club fame), now professional performing as ‘Self Esteem’. How does Hare’s work stand now? This production is pleasantly refined - its large cast are handled with great balance inside a great space, which playfully leans into the immersive qualities of the venue as the late 1960’s rockers burst in and out of the stalls doors that flank the audience with an amusingly entropic quality. Chloe Lamfor...
The Amateur Killer – Bilton Theatre
Yorkshire & Humber

The Amateur Killer – Bilton Theatre

Not many murder mysteries kick off with what appears to be the murderer about to kill their victim - which would have taken the mystery out of events somewhat. But that’s exactly what happened at curtain up, on Thursday evening, when the actors of Bilton Amateur Dramatic Society (BADS) took to the stage of their intimate little theatre in Bilton, near Hull. Just as the evil perpetrator was about to pull the gun’s trigger, a loud voice off-stage boomed out to halt proceedings. Phew! The murderous action was all part of rehearsals for an am-dram performance called Adieu and the booming voice belonged to the am-dram group’s director, Daniel Healy (Matthew Broderick). By the looks on their faces the couple on stage, Lucas Thompson (Jordan Lill) and Natalie Prescott (Cora Gerrard) d...
Shantify – Underbelly Boulevard Soho
London

Shantify – Underbelly Boulevard Soho

Some theatre productions are clever; others are musically impressive. The truly special ones manage to be both, while embracing an utterly absurd premise with complete confidence. ‘Shantify’ [jazz hands essential] is one of those rare productions. It is utterly joyous, inventive and irresistibly entertaining, and will leave you grinning long after the curtain falls, with its brilliantly reimagined sea shanties still playing on repeat in your head for days afterwards! The premise alone sounds improbable: take chart-topping pop hits, musical theatre favourites and traditional sea shanties, throw them together aboard a nautical adventure, and somehow make it all work. Yet against all odds, it works brilliantly, from Beyoncé to Taylor Swift, from the Spice Girls to Hamilton and Six, familia...
Hidden Door Festival – The Old Paper Factory
Scotland

Hidden Door Festival – The Old Paper Factory

This year I make two visits to Hidden Door's remarkable takeover of the former Paper Factory in Edinburgh, attending both the opening Wednesday night and returning again on the Saturday. As ever, Hidden Door proves that some of the most memorable artistic experiences happen when creativity is allowed to spill into spaces never originally designed for it. The vast industrial sheds, exposed steelwork and seemingly endless corridors create an environment where exploration becomes part of the evening. Every turn reveals another installation, another performance space or another unexpected discovery. The building itself is as much a performer as any artist appearing within it. What distinguishes Hidden Door from a conventional music festival is that the experience extends far beyond the m...