theatre royal

Amid recent controversy concerning the discovery of Harper Lee’s long lost manuscript, I leapt at the opportunity to review the novelist’s first, and only published work, on the Theatre Royal stage. Director Timothy Sheader’s ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ is everything the avid reader can hope for as it brings...

As the title would suggest, Simon’s Beaufoy’s adaptation of his 1997 film is a bare all production – in every sense of the word. Hilarious and heart-warming, the comedy hits the stage in a larger than life way (in some cases quite literally!) and reduced myself and the rest...

One minute I was sitting happily in my seat anticipating the wonders of the performance ahead; the next, the ensemble of Barnum were in the audience; juggling, performing acrobatics, extracting ‘willing’ volunteers to help them with their tricks. Sitting in the middle of a row, I thought I was...

La Traviata began with an ethereal full moon beamed on to the backdrop of Nottingham’s Theatre Royal and a polite notice that Hye-Youn Lee was unwell and Anna Jeruc-Kopec was to play the role of Violetta. As the silhouette of Violetta appeared and the murmuring of the audience ebbed away Jeruc-Kopec made sure no one would be disappointed by the...

Money and marriage: a dangerous mix, and one that lies at the heart of Bedrich Smetana’s opera The Bartered Bride. Under the direction of Daniel Slater, Opera North first revived this comedy within a context of 1970s Soviet Czechoslovakia in 1998, creating interesting parallels with the era of its...

Originally finding fame as an interval performance during the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin, Riverdance, a music and theatre production characterised by impeccable synchronisation, has come to mean more than a visual celebration of Irish cultural heritage. It remains a global success loved by audiences worldwide, and it...

(Top) Hats off to this show-stopping stage adaptation of the 1935 screwball comedy musical film, in which elaborate dance numbers, eye-catching set design and hilarious one-liners prove that anything film can do, theatre can do better. Top Hat tells the story of American dancer Jerry Travers who becomes infatuated...