UK Regional Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 2

Review: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, Open Bar Theatre
by Aliya Al-Hassan - August 19, 2024

Even if this summer has been a bit of a washout, there's much sunshine to be had at Open Bar Theatre's touring production of Much Ado About Nothing....

Review: THE BIRTHDAY PARTY, Theatre Royal Bath
by Cheryl Markosky - August 12, 2024

If you're after certainty, then you should certainly steer clear of the revival of Harold Pinter's unsettling The Birthday Party at the Ustinov Studio, Theatre Royal Bath. However, if you're up for an intriguing evening of comic surrealism mixed with creepy horror – think the Coen brothers meet Wes ...

Review: PERICLES, Swan Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon
by Debbie Gilpin - August 08, 2024

'‘Tis time to fear when tyrants seems to kiss.” It’s true that most of Shakespeare’s most well-known works remain perpetually relevant, particularly in the difficult times that continue to afflict populations worldwide, but sometimes it’s worth shuffling the pack and pulling out a lesser played work...

Review: THE PROMISE, Minerva Theatre, Chichester
by Debbie Gilpin - July 30, 2024

'To promise nearly fifty million people truly universal health care - ‘cradle to the grave’ - is crackers.' Despite this quote featuring quite prominently in promotional material, and the poster image showing a pair of midwives, The Promise isn’t wholly about the founding of the NHS. Paul Unwin’s ne...

Review: THE 39 STEPS, Theatre Royal Brighton
by Caroline Cronin - July 18, 2024

A stage adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1930’s spy film (which was in turn was an adaptation of John Buchans novel), The 39 Steps is a madcap dramedy set in 1935 but many of its themes feel relevant today, despite the wacky premise of just four actors playing 139 characters....

Review: SISTERS OF MERSEY, Liverpool's Royal Court
by Sarah OHara - July 15, 2024

Following the success of A Thong for Europe at Liverpool’s Royal Court in 2023, writer Jonathan Harvey and director Stephen Fletcher are back with another five star comedy hit - Sisters of Mersey....

Review: BARNUM, Watermill Theatre
by Mica Blackwell - July 10, 2024

The Watermill’s dazzling production fully immerses the audience into the showman’s wondrous world in spite of its inherent script issues. With an all-round talented cast led by the ever charismatic Matt Rawle, you’d be justified if you wanted to run away and join the circus after watching this....

Review: HAMILTON, Birmingham Hippodrome
by Laura Lott - July 01, 2024

It's a testament to Lin-Manuel Miranda's almost perfect show that even with some performance issues, Hamilton is still a stunning and moving experience. Its impact isn’t diminished even after several viewings, and its themes of love, grief, ambition, freedom, forgiveness and family are always resona...

Review: A CHILD OF SCIENCE, Bristol Old Vic
by Tim Wright - June 14, 2024

Ultimately, A Child of Science offers a vivid portrayal of the intersection between scientific pursuit and human longing. It’s a testament to the extraordinary efforts behind ordinary miracles. And how the path to creating life can be as intricate and moving as the lives it aims to bring into the wo...

Review: ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL, Formosa Gardens
by Kat Mokrynski - June 17, 2024

All’s Well That Ends Wells, a production by Shakespeare in the Square and directed by Sioned Jones, is a touring version of Shakespeare’s work, being performed in gardens across the UK. The tale tells the story of Helena, a young woman living under the guardianship of the Countess of Roussillon who ...

Review: TWELFTH NIGHT, Shakespeare North Playhouse
by Sarah OHara - June 12, 2024

Award winning Theatre company Not Too Tame return with their latest production - William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night - and I can say without a doubt, that it is the best Shakespeare production you will see this year....

Review: CIRQUE: THE GREATEST SHOW, Leicester Curve
by Franco Milazzo - June 11, 2024

With its live singers, superb clowning and disappointing vaudeville acts, The Entertainers’ Cirque: The Greatest Show is bringing its dazzling show around the country....

Review: MY FAIR LADY, Leeds Playhouse
by Gary Naylor - June 08, 2024

Two terrific leads will delight audiences, but the source material's misogyny proves too much to simply sweep aside...

Review: ACCOLADE, Theatre Royal Windsor
by Kat Mokrynski - June 10, 2024

Written by Emlyn Williams in 1950, Accolade tells the fictional story of an accomplished writer named Will Trenting (Ayden Callaghan) who finds the world he has built falling apart in front of him as a secret from the past comes to haunt him. The production, directed by Sean Mathias, is part of Math...

Brighton Fringe Review: IT JUST SO HAPPENED: AN ALTERNATIVE HISTORY SHOW, Brighton Toy & Model Museum
by Kat Mokrynski - June 10, 2024

It Just So Happened: An Alternative History Show has a simple concept, as shown in the show’s description - “Three guest comedians/history buffs perform short stand-up sets based ‘on this day’ in history before exploring some possible alternative histories of Brighton people and events....

Brighton Fringe Review: RICHARD PULSFORD: GET RICH QUICK, Rotunda Theatre Brighton: Squeak
by Kat Mokrynski - June 10, 2024

Entering the Rotunda Theatre Brighton: Squeak for Richard Pulsford: Get Rich Quick, you are greeted by a screen with Tweets by Pulsford flashing by every few seconds. Each Tweet has a different joke on it, leading to a few chuckles from the audience as each new one appears on the screen....

Brighton Fringe Review: BEN GOLDSMITH: CRIMELANDTOWN, Presuming Ed's
by Kat Mokrynski - June 10, 2024

Walking into Ben Goldsmith: Crimelandtown, you are greeted by Goldsmith putting on a character you’d find in The Godfather, thanking you for coming to visit Crimelandtown Casino on “the day of my daughter’s wedding” and handing each audience member a poker chip....

Brighton Fringe Review: CHIN WANG: WANG'S REPUBLIC, Rotunda Theatre Brighton: Squeak
by Kat Mokrynski - June 10, 2024

Chin Wang: Wang’s Republic begins with Wang filling out an online form, the site projected onto a screen behind her. The first question? “What’s your country or region?” It’s a strange question, and anyone who has lived in a different country can definitely relate to Wang’s confusion....

Brighton Fringe Review: GHOST WALKS OF THE LANES, The Druid's Head
by Kat Mokrynski - June 08, 2024

Ghost Walk of the Lanes is an eighty-minute tour of “Brighton’s oldest and most haunted quarter,” with a storyteller dressed in a Victorian costume leading audience members around several historic sites of the city, stopping and telling stories, ringing a bell to lead the way....

Brighton Fringe Review: KIDS CAN HECKLE!, Laughing Horse @ The Walrus (Raised Room)
by Kat Mokrynski - June 08, 2024

Kids Can Heckle!, hosted by comedian Ollie Horn, has an interesting concept. As you might be able to guess from the title, children are allowed to heckle. In fact, according to the show’s descriptions, they are “encouraged to jump in, share their ideas, and be as silly as possible,” so you can defin...

Review: FANNY, Watermill Theatre
by Mica Blackwell - May 31, 2024

With a captivating performance from Charlie Russell leading a fantastic ensemble and a well crafted script by Calum Finlay, this should mark your next visit to the Watermill Theatre in its amazing summer season....

Review: PARTY GAMES!, Theatre Royal Windsor
by Kat Mokrynski - May 20, 2024

Written by Michael McManus and directed by Joanna Read, Party Games! is a “comedy-drama” that gives audience members an inside look into the political world of the United Kingdom through the “One Nation” party, which has been created in opposition to the other existing parties....

Review: COMIC CON LIVERPOOL, Exhibition Centre Liverpool
by Sarah OHara - May 15, 2024

Since hosting their first event at Exhibition Centre Liverpool in 2018, Comic Con Liverpool have delighted fans with one of Europe’s largest pop culture conventions - and this year’s was one of their biggest, best and most brilliant yet....

Review: THE DEEP BLUE SEA, Theatre Royal Bath
by Cheryl Markosky - May 14, 2024

Tamsin Greig is a marvel as Hester Collyer in Lindsay Posner's new revival of Terence Rattigan's 1950s classic, The Deep Blue Sea, at Theatre Royal Bath's intimate, 126-seater Ustinov Studio....

Review: THE HOUSE PARTY, Chichester Festival Theatre
by Gary Naylor - May 12, 2024

Superb performances anchor a hurtling rollercoaster of a play that will live long in the memory of anyone who sees it....