UK Regional Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 4

Review: DEATHTRAP, The Mill at Sonning
by Mica Blackwell - February 19, 2024

From the man behind Rosemary's Baby and The Stepford Wives, Ira Levin's Deathtrap has scared and intrigued audiences since premiering in 1978. One of Broadway’s most successful plays and even spawning a film adaptation, The Mill at Sonning's latest production directed by Tam Williams proves why it s...

Review: HAUNTED SCOUSE, Liverpool's Royal Court
by Sarah OHara - February 19, 2024

Following the success of plays including Yellow Breck Road and Ellen and Rigby, writer Gerry Linford returns to Liverpool’s Royal Court with the heartwarming comedy-drama Haunted Scouse....

Review: HOUDINI'S GREATEST ESCAPE, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre
by Kat Mokrynski - February 16, 2024

Houdini’s Greatest Escape, put on by New Old Friends in association with Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, tells the story of the great escape artists Harry Houdini and his wife, Bess, as they travel to England with the hopes of being invited to perform at King Edward’s Royal Gala. But, things quickly take a t...

Review: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, Royal Shakespeare Theatre
by Kat Mokrynski - February 15, 2024

Eleanor Rhode directs a modern version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, starring Mathew Baynton of Horrible Histories and Ghosts fame as Bottom, the fool who becomes one of several victims of fairy mischief. But, in a delightful twist, the star of the show is Puck, who was played by Premi Tamang due to...

Review: SOMETHING ABOUT GEORGE, Floral Pavilion Theatre
by Sarah OHara - February 05, 2024

Moving, poignant and with timeless classics that will have you singing throughout the night, if I could give more than 5 stars to Something About George, I would. It is a must see....

Review: CAN BEARS SKI?, The Arts Depot
by Christiana Rose - January 23, 2024

Can Bears Ski? explores the experiences of both hearing and Deaf characters and promotes familiarising relevant language such as ‘hearing’, ‘Deaf’, ‘British Sign Language’, ‘fingerspelling’, ‘lipreading’, ‘hearing aid’ – as well as modelling appropriate language and promoting positive representation...

Review: THE DRIFTERS GIRL, Bristol Hippodrome
by Tim Wright - January 11, 2024

It’s hard to tell the entire story of The Drifters. Not least because the group became a revolving door of something like 60 different members over the decades. And therein lies the problem for The Drifters Girl – it tries to take on the whole story, mainly from the perspective of their trailblazing...

Book Review: RUNNING THE ROOM: CONVERSATIONS WITH WOMEN THEATRE DIRECTORS
by Cindy Marcolina - December 27, 2023

Running the Room isn’t a bible nor a manifesto. It doesn’t want to write a set of rules for directing plays, nor it wants to impart a Weltanschauung on how to become a director. It’s a source of inspiration and, more practically, a generous look into the practice of a selected group of people, who j...

Critics' Pick: Gary Naylor's Best of 2023 in Review
by Gary Naylor - December 20, 2023

Some highlights of the last year and some optimism for an uncertain future...

Podcast Review: LOVE, CONDITIONALLY, Play Inside
by Cheryl Markosky - December 19, 2023

Play Inside’s Love, Conditionally ­– a new, immersive, series of short (around 15 minutes) audio recordings made in the UK and Palestine ­– is made with interactive listeners in mind....

Review: STEPHEN SONDHEIM'S OLD FRIENDS: A CELEBRATION, Live at the Sondheim Theatre, Cast Recording
by Cheryl Markosky - December 13, 2023

Were you one of the lucky few who managed to bag a ticket for the one-night-only, star-studded gala revue, StephenSondheim’s Old Friends, on May 3, 2022?...

Review: HIGH SOCIETY, The Mill At Sonning
by Mickey-Jo Boucher - December 12, 2023

As households around the country begin to plan their festive feasts, the delightful Mill at Sonning in Berkshire already has theirs well in hand. ...

Review: WICKED, Edinburgh Playhouse
by Natalie O'Donoghue - December 13, 2023

Launching its latest UK tour, Wicked is casting its magical spell on audiences once again. The enchantment begins at the Edinburgh Playhouse, with a glorious 5-week run from Thursday, 7th December 2023, to Sunday, 14th January 2024, at this iconic Scottish theatre. This essential musical provides an...

Review: OLIVER!, Leeds Playhouse
by Gary Naylor - December 07, 2023

Family show retains enough edge to honour its sources, providing thrills and spectacle and that wonderful, wonderful score...

Review: DICK WHITTINGTON, The Arts Centre Hounslow
by Kat Mokrynski - December 08, 2023

As someone who moved to the UK last year, I’m still getting used to the tradition of pantomimes but have fallen in love with their boundless energy and cheesy jokes. Recently, I attended a 10:30 AM performance of Dick Whittington at the Arts Centre Hounslow, where I was one of two adults who was not...

Review: MACBETH, The Depot, Liverpool
by Sarah OHara - December 01, 2023

Adapted by Emily Burns, the production sees the story transported to modern day. Excellently designed and featuring an incredible cast who keep the story moving quickly from scene to scene, it is a unique and innovative interpretation of the play that keeps you engaged from start to finish....

Review: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, Newbury Corn Exchange
by Imogen Usherwood - December 01, 2023

Newbury's pantomime is an all-singing, all-dancing show that will keep viewers of all ages smiling and laughing throughout...

Review: POTTED PANTO, Reading Rep
by Jess Ashley - November 30, 2023

Seven pantos performed in the space of 70 minutes – it seems impossible… right? Oh no it isn’t!...

Review: CINDERELLA, Liverpool Everyman Theatre
by Sarah OHara - November 24, 2023

It just wouldn’t be the festive season without The Liverpool Everyman Rock ‘n’ Roll Pantomime - and it’s easy to see why this beloved show has audiences returning year after year....

Review: THE SCOUSE DICK WHITTINGTON, Liverpool's Royal Court
by Sarah O'Hara - November 16, 2023

It’s that time of year - and Liverpool’s Royal Court are back with their latest festive production, The Scouse Dick Whittington....

Review: NOISENIGHT40: ABEL SELAOCOE & THE BANTU ENSEMBLE, Boiler Shop
by Bryony Rae Taylor - November 03, 2023

My friend and I both said the same thing at the same time as we left the Boilershop after seeing South African Cellist, Abel Selaocoe. This was 'that might have been the best gig I’ve ever been to'. That might not be a very journalism-y thing to say (well, neither is “journalism-y”,) but it sums thi...

Review: I REALLY DO THINK THIS WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE, Mercury Studio
by Jess Ashley - November 02, 2023

Created by award-winning writer Emma-Louise Howell as part of the Mercury’s playwriting programme in 2021, I Really Do Think This Will Change Your Life is a bold new solo performance now making its professional debut at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester....

Review: EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE, Theatre Royal Brighton
by Caroline Cronin - November 02, 2023

This is a gold standard production in every sense of the phrase. It holds up extremely well against the west end production, to which inevitable comparisons will be drawn. Ivano Turco is fourth in a line of iconic Jamies past, and his elegance of movement is what sets him apart from those who stood ...

Review: MACHINAL, Theatre Royal Bath
by Cheryl Markosky - November 01, 2023

With the AI (artificial intelligence) summit at Bletchley Park this week, Machinal at the Ustinov Studio, Theatre Royal Bath, couldn’t be more timely....

Review: COWBOIS, Swan Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon
by Franco Milazzo - October 30, 2023

Cowbois might sound like a reboot of Sister Act but there is far more going under the satin bonnets. Gunslinger Jack Cannon (Vinnie Heaven) arrives in a small Wild West-era outpost, handsome by appearance, fearsome by reputation and with a bounty of 200 dollars on their head. The town is populated o...