A note in the programme for One Who Wants to Cross cites a sobering statistic: according to the 2020 IOM World Migration Report, the number of international migrants, as of June 2019, had reached almost 272 million.
Life of Pi: Breathtaking puppetry and philosophy create stage magic
Not long left to catch Life of Pi in the West End. If you possibly can, I recommend you beg, borrow or steal to get one of the last remaining tickets – or plan ahead now for the five-time Olivier Award-winning play’s 2023/24 tour.
Wickies post-show video and photos: What happened to three vanished lighthouse keepers?
One hundred and twenty-two years ago tonight, on 15 December 2000, three lighthouse keepers disappeared on the island of Eilean Mor in the remote Outer Hebrides. What happened to them?
Triggered post-show video and photos: Spotlight on the human side of party politics
One of the few things I enjoy even more than theatre is talking politics. Chairing a post-show discussion about a brilliant new political play, written and directed by a Westminster insider, is my idea of bliss.
A Single Man post-show video and photos: Can you die of a broken heart?
Cinemagoers know A Single Man from the 2009 film starring Colin Firth and Julianne Moore. Troupe Theatre's new adaptation strips the story back to its essence and the beautiful language of Christopher Isherwood's 1964 novel.
The Lesson: If knowledge is power, does ignorance kill?
How do you cope in a world gone mad? That seems to me to be the central question in two of Romanian-French playwright Eugene Ionesco's one-act plays, The Lesson and The Chairs, written in the aftermath of the Second World War
Operation Mincemeat: Oh my god, this World War II escapade actually happened?
I have a sneaking suspicion that we have not seen the last of this little musical gem, which is - incredibly - inspired by a real-life World War II espionage episode demonstrating British pluck and eccentricity in spades.
A Christmas Carol: It’s easy to see why this production has become an Old Vic tradition
I love Christmas. But for the past several years, I have struggled to summon the Christmas cheer that used to kick in for me the day after Thanksgiving (or, after so many years in the UK, by 1 December at the latest).
The Shark Is Broken: This play has helped me conquer a life-long fear
I was fascinated by the story behind the play telling the story behind the film. The Shark Is Broken is the brainchild of Ian Shaw who co-wrote it and stars as his own late father Robert Shaw.
The Choir of Man: Dedicated to the 2000 pubs closed during lockdown
Here's a sobering statistic: 2,000 pubs closed during lockdown. Lost forever. The scale of that loss really struck me when I heard performer and (brilliant) poet Ben Norris recite it during The Choir of Man at the Arts Theatre. And, in fact, it's likely an underestimate.