These Theatre Thoughts

Date: 28th July 2024  Seat: G1 Tickets: Gifted Rating: 4 Stars Sometimes musicals are just a bit of fluff - albeit enjoyable fluff - that don’t mean an awful lot, and that’s fine. We can all do with some fun nothings from time to time. But sometimes musicals actually mean something, and Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World is one of those musicals. The fact that it’s aimed at children (although it works for adults too) makes it even more special.  The musical is based on the children’s book of the same name by Kate Pankhurst (and yes, she is a direct descendent of Emmeline Pankhurst). It's adapted by Chris Bush with music by Miranda Cooper and Jennifer Decilveo and lyrics by Chris Bush and Miranda Cooper. It’s directed by Amy Hodge. And it’s a triumph.  Fantastically Great Women tells the story of Jade, a young girl on a school trip to a museum who accidentally stumbles on an exhibition that’s currently closed to the public when she gets left behind. That exh...

  Photo credit: Pamela Raith Date: 7th June 2024  Seat: E5 Tickets: Gifted Rating: 3 Stars Marie Curie , written by Seeun Choun (book and lyrics) and Jongyoon Choi (music), made its English-language premiere at London's Charing Cross Theatre after seeing plenty of success in its native South Korea and elsewhere. But does the translated version at the Charing Cross Theatre work? The answer is more complicated than you might think.  There are some major strengths in Marie Curie, and the cast's performances were definitely a big highlight. Ailsa Davidson's portrayal of Marie Curie was particularly compelling, and her emotional depth and fantastic vocal abilities brought something special to the role - Davidson managed to convey Curie's intense passion for science and her personal struggles, helping the audience get a little more insight into her as a woman and a scientist.  The set (Rose Montgomery) and lighting design (Prema Mehta) were also fantastic, especially c...

Photo credit: James Findlay Date: 10th June 2024  Seat: E5 Tickets: Gifted Rating: 4 Stars Adrian Lukis' Being Mr Wickham is a lot of fun, inviting the audience to find out more about one of Jane Austen’s most interesting characters – George Wickham from Pride and Prejudice. Co-written by Lukis and Catherine Curzon, this one-man show is a delightful, insightful exploration of the dashing cad Mr Wickham, giving him a platform to wax lyrical about his past misdeeds, lost loves, and the lessons learned along the way.   What’s great about this play is that it cleverly balances humour and pathos, as Wickham, ever the charming rogue, regales the audience with tales of his youthful exploits and their often calamitous consequences – and some rather shocking and upsetting ones. Through witty wordplay and poignant soliloquies, Lukis breathes new life into the character, making him both relatable and reprehensible.   The set design by Libby Watson is at once both simp...

  Date: 20th May 2024  Seat: Unallocated Tickets: Gifted Rating: 4 Stars Maddy thinks this is her story, but it’s not. It’s not even her friend, Maria’s story. It’s our story, all of us, or at least it could be. What a terrifying thought.  Girls Really Listen to Me , written and performed by Eleanor Greene and directed by Alex Prescot, is a compelling, perhaps even devastating, one-woman play about Maddy, a spoilt 15-year-old girl private school girl from New York who, at first glance, seems far removed from any experience the audience might have had, but who, as the play progresses, becomes more like everyone else than she might realise.  Maddy is trying to grow up too fast; she’s obsessed with older boys and clubs and drinking, but when her friend Maria is assaulted, Maddy becomes a social outcast – she’s blamed (in part, at least), for what happened. Because, as it turns out, the girls really do listen to her, and she’s used that power in the wrong way. But th...

  Tickets: Gifted Rating: 4 Stars What do you want from a play? Something new? Something interesting? Something that gets your mind nicely working and the cogs whirring around? If that’s the case, you’re in luck; these are the things that Torben Betts’ Murder in the Dark gives you in a neatly wrapped-up package full of scares and twists. Just when you think you’ve definitely worked out exactly what’s going on, the rug (or in this case, perhaps sofa or maybe dining table) is very firmly yanked out from under you, and you have to start all over again, with just the merest scraps of clues to help you.  Here's a hint: those clues won’t help. By the time you get to the end of this masterclass in psychological horror, you’ll barely know what’s up and what’s down, let alone what’s real – and what’s just a shadow.  Photo credit: Pamela Raith Murder in the Dark is the story of Danny Sierra, a has-been pop idol who, along with his brother, William, ex-wife, Rebecca, son, J...

  Photo credit: Jack Merriman Date: 9th April 2024  Seat: S11 (Stalls) Tickets: Gifted Rating: 4 Stars In a world where cynicism often overshadows genuine human connection, Calendar Girls is a warm, fun, genuine musical that lifts spirits and puts smiles on faces wherever it goes. Based on the true story that inspired the beloved film, this stage adaptation transports audiences into the heart of Yorkshire, where a group of ordinary women embarks on an extraordinary journey of friendship, courage, and self-discovery – they are members of the WI, and they decide to do a ‘tastefully nude’ calendar to raise money for their local hospital after the death of one member’s husband there.  Directed by Jonathan O’Boyle with sensitivity but with a smidgeon of naughtiness thrown in, the production captures the essence of the original story, whittling it down to its bare bones but keeping in all the important elements. From the moment the curtain – with its wonderful sunflower depi...

Photo credit: Simon Vail Date: 5th April 2024  Seat: B23 (Large) Tickets: Gifted Rating: 3 Stars Sherlock Holmes is a well-loved and well-known character, and adapting one of his stories for the stage is potentially a thankless task – there will always be fans who find fault. However, there will also always be fans who are happy that their hero has yet another life, and when the adaptation is done well, it can be a true joy to see Holmes, Watson, Mrs Hudson, and the rest of the gang brought to life in front of your eyes.  Blackeyed Theatre has done well with this adaptation by Nick Lane, and Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear is a fun murder mystery story that allows the audience to investigate along with the titular detective to come to a conclusion that, if not altogether shocking, still offers enough of a twist to entertain.  There are 20 characters in the story from beginning to end and only five performers, and although that could make things confusing – e...