UK Regional Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 11

Review: THE BOOK OF WILL, Queen's Theatre Hornchurch
by Gary Naylor - May 05, 2023

Crowdpleasing production based on the printing of Shakespeare's plays (harder than you think!) makes for a diverting and pleasant couple of hours in the theatre...

Review: WUTHERING HEIGHTS, Royal & Derngate
by Mickey-Jo Boucher - May 02, 2023

For what it's worth, I think Emily Brontë would probably love this new production of her then controversial 19th century novel, Wuthering Heights. ...

Review: THE SILENCE AND THE NOISE, Streaming
by Louise Penn - April 18, 2023

Raw, brutal, twisted, and full of rich wordplay, this play makes its political points and highlights a relationship which uses regret, mistakes, and teasing to hide what is really happening at its core. It is less the star-crossed young lovers of Shakespeare than the smack-stained children of a mode...

Review: HAMNET, Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
by Franco Milazzo - April 17, 2023

What’s in a name? That which we call William, Hamlet or Anne still smells as sweet when we see their historical origins in this adaptation by Lolita Chakrabarti of Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel....

Review: THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL, Birmingham Hippodrome
by Laura Lott - April 14, 2023

The theme song to Nickelodeon's super-popular animated series SpongeBob SquarePants encourages you to tune in 'if nautical nonsense be something you wish', and nautical nonsense is definitely what's on offer in this madcap but good-natured musical....

Review: PETER PAN, Reading Rep Theatre
by Imogen Usherwood - April 12, 2023

This new adaptation is a playful and charming take on a classic story, but its complexity may not be suitable for very young children...

Review: JULIUS CAESAR, Royal Shakespeare Theatre
by Gary Naylor - April 07, 2023

Touring production of play that explicitly warns of the dangers of politics as practised today loses focus by adopting a curious set of priorities...

Review: VISITORS, Watermill Theatre
by Mica Blackwell - April 05, 2023

Barney Norris wrote his debut play Visitors when he was only twenty years-old. Following its 2014 premiere at the Arcola, it garnered critical acclaim and earned Norris a Critic’s Circle Award for Most Promising Playwright. Following a national tour and Off-West End run at the Bush, Norris returns a...

Book Review: MY SHAKESPEARE - A DIRECTOR'S JOURNEY THROUGH THE FIRST FOLIO by Greg Doran
by Cindy Marcolina - April 04, 2023

Doran’s latest book gives a revelatory and revolutionary breakdown of the canon in a way that works for both the professional and uninitiated....

Review: HAY FEVER, The Mill at Sonning
by Mica Blackwell - March 27, 2023

A staple of the British stage, Noël Coward’s Hay Fever was inspired by the playwright’s travels in New York meeting an eccentric family. Supposedly, the matriarch wasn’t kind to Coward’s perceptions of their lifestyle, but this comedy of manners still paid off and has become one of his best known wo...

Review: OF MICE AND MEN, Birmingham Rep
by Laura Lott - March 24, 2023

John Steinbeck's 1937 novel, set in California during the Great Depression, may be a period piece, but the parallels with current life in the UK are unmistakable. Dealing with themes of poverty, displacement, prejudice and the desperation for independence, Of Mice and Men makes a timely return to th...

Review: WISH YOU WERE DEAD (UK Tour), Theatre Royal Brighton
by Caroline Cronin - March 21, 2023

Aptly kicking off its UK Tour in James’ hometown – and that of his protagonist detective Roy Grace – this stage adaptation by Shaun McKenna is capably performed and authentically menacing in its simplicity, but a problem with pacing prevents it from fulfilling its full potential....

Review: MY FAIR LADY, Birmingham Hippodrome
by Laura Lott - March 09, 2023

Lerner and Loewe's My Fair Lady is blessed with the sort of songs that never grow old. While the music is timeless, the plot and characters are firmly stuck in 1913, and this revival doesn't do quite enough to endear them to modern audiences....

Review: THE MERCHANT OF VENICE 1936, Watford Palace Theatre
by Gary Naylor - March 03, 2023

A bold and accessible Merchant that commits to exposing the antisemitism that suffuses the play...

Review: ABIGAIL'S PARTY, Theatre Royal Winchester
by Imogen Usherwood - March 03, 2023

This new production proves that Mike Leigh's classic black comedy is still as sharp and devastating as ever...

Review: STEEL MAGNOLIAS, Theatre Royal Brighton
by Caroline Cronin - March 01, 2023

If you’re looking for a wholesome yet hilarious evening out supporting your local theatre, look no further than the UK Tour of Steel Magnolias, which this week hit the Theatre Royal Brighton for its latest stop on tour. ...

Review: HEDDA GABLER, Reading Rep Theatre
by Mica Blackwell - February 28, 2023

Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler has been a vehicle for many actresses to show off their dramatic chops. But when you have Diana Rigg, Ingrid Bergman and Ruth Wilson previously inhabit the titular role, it’s easy to see why. Often dubbed “the female Hamlet,” Ibsen’s titular story breathes new life in Har...

Review: EGYPTIANS, Gulbenkian Arts Centre, University of Kent
by Gary Naylor - February 26, 2023

Verse and music enhances a production that straddles millennia...

Review: THE BEEKEEPER OF ALEPPO, Nottingham Playhouse
by Laura Lott - February 13, 2023

Directed by Miranda Cromwell and adapted by Nesrin Alrefaai and Matthew Spangler, The Beekeeper of Aleppo tells the story of Syrian refugees Nuri (Alfred Clay) and Afra (Roxy Faridany) as they flee their homeland. Lefteri based the original story on her experiences of meeting people in a refuge cent...

Review: THE RAILWAY CHILDREN - A MUSICAL, The Electric Theatre, Guildford
by Gary Naylor - February 01, 2023

Delightful new musical (based on the much loved novel and film) that deserves a wider audience than its short run affords...

Review: WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE PARIS, The Mill at Sonning
by Mickey-Jo Boucher - January 30, 2023

Billed as a romantic comedy, the eye-catching poster artwork courtesy of Oink Creative seems to promise a sort of European '9 to 5', but upon closer inspection the play scarcely lives up to this colourful concept. What's the French for beige?...

Review: WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, Ustinov Studio, Bath
by Mickey-Jo Boucher - January 19, 2023

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is not an easy play to watch, rather a theatrical storm that must be endured with three contempt-filled acts making up a three and a half hour runtime....

Review: THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW UK TOUR, Theatre Royal Brighton
by Caroline Cronin - January 05, 2023

What have I just witnessed? That was my overriding thought as I wandered out of the Theatre Royal Brighton, dumbstruck, baffled, fascinated and charmed by this extraordinary production of The Rocky Horror Show. ...

2022 Year in Review: Cheryl Markosky's Best of 2022 - and Picks for 2023!
by Cheryl Markosky - January 01, 2023

One of my favourite theatrical moments of the year at Theatre Royal Bath was Into the Woods: a trippy version of Stephen Sondheim's musical, thanks to Terry Gilliam's surreal Monty Python-esque imagination. This mind-bending show deserves space in the West End soon....

BroadwayWorld UK's Best of 2022
by Aliya Al-Hassan - December 29, 2022

After Covid dealt a stuttering start to the year, 2022 brought some standout shows and performances. Here are some of our critics' highlights from the past twelve months....