Tall Storrie and Wee Godley

4 stars **** I’ve seen a number of children’s shows in my time reviewing for the site.  Most of them know how to cater to their audience through a mixture of storytelling, song and general silliness.  All of which are evident in this show by the mother and daughter team of Ashley Storrie and Janey [...]

When in Rome

4 Stars **** Cambridge Fools’ very entertaining musical comedy is something of a Roman style ‘Upstairs, Downstairs’. The plot follows a typical format: bashful boy meets pretty girl; they sense mutual attraction; they fall out but will they come together again? The action is set in the home of Caecilius (Stef Porter), a Roman Senator, [...]

The Cage

5 Stars ***** Thrillers, of course, are designed to be tense and compelling. Dugald Bruce-Lockhart’s new play, directed by Richard Baron, has these qualities in abundance. In the final moments (no details obviously), I was so caught up in the suspense I sensed the palms of my hands sweating. The opening scene sees Dugald Bruce-Lockhart, [...]

Matthew Hardy – Willy Wonka Explained: The Veruca Salt Sessions.

4 stars **** Julie Dawn Cole is in the psychiatrist’s chair.  Her complaint?  Being endlessly associated with the character she played in a cult film 40 years ago – the brilliantly spoilt Veruca Salt.  On the other side of the world an Australian man also attends weekly sessions with his shrink, sessions which revolve around [...]

The Friendship Experiment

Four Stars **** If there were a scale akin to the earthquake Richter scale for measuring performance intensity, Tim and Matt of Big Wow Theatre would be at the maximum rating. They expend an incredible amount of energy from start to finish whether in their multi character rants or in the more reflective emotional scenes. [...]

Imperial Fizz

Three Stars *** From the play’s beginning there is a sense of discord. An elegant middle aged couple appear. He is dressed in a dinner suit but on closer observation it is oddly tarnished as is his shirt. He is mixing cocktails from a well stocked drinks trolley. The woman is in an elegant ball [...]

Double Booked

Three Stars *** Ginny Davis’ solo performance play will strike a chord particularly with parents of teenage children.  She takes on the role of Ruth Rich, a fifty something married mother of three teenage children. The oldest is a daughter at university. The remaining two, a daughter and a son, are in the difficult middle [...]

The 80s Movie Flashback

3 stars *** If, like me, you’re a fan of the cinematic classics that are Ghostbusters, Top Gun and Dirty Dancing, then you might be intrigued by the promise that The Flashback offer: to let us in on what our favourite 80s movie characters are up to nowadays.  For instance, did you know that the [...]

Saucy Jack and The Space Vivens – Unlucky Theatre Company

****  4 STARS Welcome to Frottage III, a distant planet, and home to legendary down beat Nightclub Saucy Jack’s. Tension is in the air as a series of dead cabaret artistes keep being found not long after they have performed at the club. The characters who work for own Jack, include hostess Booby Cheval, played [...]