Amelie The Musical: Mary Poppins meets Once with a French twist
For the show to lure a nervous (but now fully vaccinated – yay!) me back to the theatre after nearly 15 months, it’s hard to imagine more soothing fare than Amelie The Musical.
The difference between missing and missing out on theatre
I know every person out there has their own version of how this pandemic has changed their life trajectory. This is mine.
Old Red Lion post-show video and photos: What do coronavirus closures mean to fringe theatre?
Tuesday 17 March 2020. One of the last theatre performances -for the foreseeable future - in the theatre capital of the world took place at London's Old Red Lion Theatre. A historic, sobering moment, one of many during the global coronavirus crisis.
Blood Orange post-show video and photos: How critical is the NHS in this General Election?
How worried are you about the myriad pressures on the NHS today? Will you be thinking about the future of the NHS when you go to the ballot box?
The House of the Spirits post-show video and photos: How does a country – and a family – recover from dictatorship?
Are you fans of Isabel Allende's The House of the Spirits? Allende's debut novel charts four generations of one family from the 1920s and the 1970s, and how tightly intertwined their personal fortunes are with political winds of change.
The Good Scout post-show video and photos: How worried should we be about parallels between the 1930s and today?
While MPs were voting for an election that is likely to accelerate the UK's lurch to the right, I was back at Above The Stag Theatre last night talking about the increasingly worrying parallels - and historic dominoes - between the 1930s and today. Is it any wonder that The Good Scout left me in tears, even on second viewing?
Sinatra: Raw post-show video and photos: What makes Frank Sinatra such an enduring icon?
Despite singing the songs of Sinatra since he was a teenager, Richard Shelton was turned down multiple times for a part in concert show The Rat Pack. When he was invited to audition for Rat Pack Confidential, he went in angry and impatient... and finally got his man.
Ages of the Moon post-show video and photos: Remembering Pulitzer Prize winner Sam Shepard
I'm a huge fan of the late, Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright Sam Shepard. How wonderful to be able to discuss one of his late plays, Ages of the Moon, which now receives its UK premiere two years after Shepard passed away.
Groan Ups post-show video and photos: With the original Mischief Theatre company and co-writers
As part of an ongoing series, I've chaired post-show talks with various Mischief Theatre casts this year, all of whom waxed lyrical about the brilliance of the company founders. At Groan Ups, I had a chance to pose questions to those original mischief-makers themselves.
The Girl Who Fell post-show video and photos: How is social media affecting our mental health?
I feel like I've known writer Sarah Rutherford for years... that's one of the positives of social media. The irony is it's her new play, The Girl Who Fell, about some of the negatives of social media that finally precipitated my meeting her in person.