Marauding before teatime: The Sagas of Noggin the Nog
“In the lands of the North where the black rocks stand guard against the cold sea, in the dark night that is very long, the men of the Northlands sit…
Clean, clear, and at a canter: Gilbert and Sullivan’s Ruddigore, Cambridge University Gilbert & Sullivan Society
On a clean, largely clear stage, dotted with a few barrels and benches, a tidy vegetable stand to one side and a pub sign, The Four Bears, to the other,…
Vivacious, Victorian, and very good fun: Ruddigore, Gilbert & Sullivan, Southgate Opera
We tend to think of Victorian society as morally strict, judgemental, and socially tense: and Gilbert and Sullivan’s Ruddigore, while confirming all the above, savagely pokes fun at Victorian ideals…
Marriage, madness and all that jazz: The Marriage of Figaro, Mozart, Merry Opera
Every time someone updates The Marriage of Figaro, the most surprising thing is the resilience – the insistent, perennial relevance – of this opera’s inner social structure. Whether a production…
Making more monsters: Blood and Ice, Liz Lochhead, Sewell Barn Theatre
“Feminism is like the hoovering: you just have to keep doing it,” once said Liz Lochhead, former Makar (poet laureate) of Scotland; and Lochhead has been true to her word, with a…
The life lesson of sharing: The Selfish Giant
Giant snores reverberate across Westacre Theatre’s wide stage as we settle down for Andy Naylor’s bespoke adaptation of The Selfish Giant, Oscar Wilde’s heartfelt fairytale about selfishness, loneliness and love.…
Oh, yes they did: Dick Whittington and his cat, Ben Crocker
The Fisher Theatre has developed an enviable reputation over the last few years for putting on an excellent pantomime at Christmas, and I’ve seen tired London theatregoers light up when…
Plum pudding, puppets and psychic renewal: A Christmas Carol, Spinning Wheel Theatre
A Christmas Carol, Dickens’ 24-hour tour into the mind of a damaged, embittered and miserly soul who is on the brink of total isolation, but whose spirit is revived by…
Cold snap: The Wolves of Willloughby Chase, Maddermarket
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase is a children’s novel, rather than a play: accordingly, the Maddermarket’s Christmas staging, using an adaptation of Joan Aiken’s book by Russ Tunney, keeps our…
Surprises aplenty from I Fagiolini: Monteverdi’s other Vespers
I Fagiolini‘s very interesting programme of music by Monteverdi and his contemporaries pulls together a wide range of works, but somehow lacks an ensemble feel. These “Other Vespers” are not…