UK Regional Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 26

BWW Review: HALF A SIXPENCE, The Original Demo Recordings
by Nicky Sweetland - September 18, 2017

I once had the honour of interviewing the legendary Tommy Steele at the New Wimbledon Theatre. It was the venue where Half A Sixpence was first performed, and the show - which acted as a star vehicle for the talented young performer - became a classic piece of British musical theatre....

BWW Review: RULES FOR LIVING, Royal and Derngate
by Verity Wilde - September 17, 2017

A family Christmas hurtles towards disaster with hilarious consequences in RULES FOR LIVING at Royal and Derngate in Northampton ahead of a national tour....

BWW Review: THE CARETAKER, Bristol Old Vic
by Tim Wright - September 15, 2017

Crafting The Caretaker (or indeed any Pinter) off the page takes a great deal of nuance and skill. Thankfully, in this new co-production from the Bristol Old Vic and Royal & Derngate Northampton, Christopher Haydon directs with the right amount of faithfulness to the text alongside flexibility for h...

BWW Review: GREASE, Edinburgh Playhouse
by Gregor Dickson - September 13, 2017

The timeless story of Danny and Sandy, and the T-Birds and Pink Angels, comes to life again in this touring production which features the hit songs 'Summer Nights', 'You're The One That I Want' and 'Hopelessly Devoted To You'....

BWW Review: LOST WEST END VINTAGE, Stage Door Records
by Nicky Sweetland - August 22, 2017

There's such a rich history of musical theatre in London. World renowned, the West End has become a place of pilgrimage for the stagey community. But if you would like to understand better the heritage of the theatrical community and find out the origins of some of the biggest and most famous shows ...

BWW Review: SALAD DAYS, Union Theatre
by Gary Naylor - August 18, 2017

Salad Days is easy to dismiss is the lightest of light entertainment, but has plenty of political punch under its joyous exterior....

BWW Review: Paco Pena's FLAMENCURA at Sadler's Wells
by Vikki Jane Vile - August 11, 2017

A flamenco show is always easy to spot when you take your seat at the theatre. The stage is stark except for a few unevenly placed chairs. The performers are left to do all the work here and that includes 75 year old Paco Peña along with his small but effective ensemble of singers, dancers and music...

BWW Review: MISS SAIGON, Birmingham Hippodrome
by Emma Cann - August 09, 2017

The colossal touring production of Miss Saigon takes up residency at Birmingham Hippodrome for an extended run as the theatre's annual summer musical. A potentially unusual choice in a slot usually filled by a more family-friendly musical, it is a treat to see the Hippodrome's huge stage filled by t...

BWW Review: THE CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN, Arcola Theatre
by Gary Naylor - August 02, 2017

The Cunning Little Vixen is a opera favourite but no less fascinating for that, especially in this innovative and engaging production....

BWW Review: WHAT WE WISHED FOR, Sheffield Crucible Theatre
by Pippa Stacey - July 21, 2017

A compelling fusion of traditional fairy tales with contemporary society, What We Wished For, by Sheffield People's Theatre, follows the journey of community members in modern-day Sheffield, as they struggle to fight back against a mysterious invasion of Wolves that instil fear and threaten their po...

BWW Review: BRING ON THE BOLLYWOOD, York Theatre Royal
by Pippa Stacey - July 13, 2017

Samir Bharma's production promises an evening of 'theatrical magic' and an 'innate sense of fun'....

BWW Review: THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, Birmingham Hippodrome
by Emma Cann - July 07, 2017

It's hard to find something to say about the National's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time that hasn't been repeatedly mentioned already. The touring production at the Birmingham Hippodrome is entirely deserving of the rave 5 star reviews which this show garners at every turn. It is i...

BWW Review: TRIBES, Crucible Studio, Sheffield
by Ruth Deller - July 04, 2017

How do families work? What happens when adult children flee the nest? And what happens when you're born deaf into a hearing family? Nina Raine's funny and frank portrait of a family grappling with these issues makes its regional debut....

BWW Review: BLONDEL THE MUSICAL, Union Theatre
by Gary Naylor - June 28, 2017

Blondel The Musical has elements of pantomime and elements of the real punch of musical theatre in a show that works well only intermittently....

BWW Review: EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE: THE YORK SUFFRAGETTES, York Theatre Royal
by Pippa Stacey - June 22, 2017

Set in early 20th-century York, Everything Is Possible tells the moving story of Annie Seymour-Pearson, a local housewife who risked her life to fight for the right to vote....

BWW Review: THE RAILWAY CHILDREN, Exeter Northcott Theatre
by Nicky Sweetland - June 20, 2017

Director Paul Jepson expressed in an interview in the show's programme that he was not at all daunted by the technical challenges of staging an adaptation of E. Nesbit's The Railway Children....

BWW Review: DIRTY DANCING, Edinburgh Playhouse
by Gregor Dickson - June 16, 2017

The stage adaptation of the iconic 1987 film embarks on a second UK tour, with a stand-out performance by Carlie Milner as Penny....

BWW Review: THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, Bristol Hippodrome
by Tim Wright - June 14, 2017

15-year-old Christopher Boone has an extraordinary mind. He can solve maths problems that would send most adults into a mild panic and he can remember levels of detail that confound those around him. He also, however, hates the colour yellow, can't use a toilet if a stranger has used it and has neve...

BWW Review: THE WEDDING SINGER, King's Theatre, Edinburgh
by Gregor Dickson - June 09, 2017

Jon Robyns, Cassie Compton and Ruth Madoc lead an impressive UK tour of the musical adaption of the 1998 hit romantic comedy film....

BWW Review: THE ADDAMS FAMILY, Birmingham Hippodrome
by Emma Cann - June 09, 2017

With a burst of passionate tango and an iconic 'click click', everyone's favourite kooky family has taken up residence at the Birmingham Hippodrome this week, the latest tour venue hosting the UK premiere of The Addams Family musical. A cult fan favourite, thanks to the wildly popular Nineties movie...

BWW Review: GOLEM, Bristol Old Vic
by Tim Wright - June 01, 2017

How much are you in control of the choices you make? This is the central question posed by 1927's Golem - a story inspired by the myth of the clay man Golem but given a distinctly modern edge over 90mins of exhilarating and ingenious theatre....

BWW Review: VIXEN, The Vaults
by Gary Naylor - June 01, 2017

Vixen updates Leos Janacek's opera for the victims of Generation Rent moving the action into the big city of 2017 with hi tech and great singing....

BWW Review: DEATH OF A SALESMAN, Exeter Northcott Theatre
by Nicky Sweetland - June 01, 2017

Seen by many as one of the greatest plays of the 20th century, Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman has been performed in many guises since its first production in 1949....

BWW Review: ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, Union Theatre
by Gary Naylor - May 29, 2017

Annie Get Your Gun delivers wonderful, uncynical entertainment, the romance studded with some of the finest songs ever written for the theatre....

BWW Review: JAM, Finborough Theatre
by Gary Naylor - May 27, 2017

Jam, Matt Parvin's first play, shows promise but cannot overcome its structural and narrative problems to deliver its full potential....