Published in The Telegraph November 29, 2020
Pantomime is a cornerstone of Christmas for families up and down Britain – but few cities are quite as committed to it as York. The annual show at York Theatre Royal is a proper local institution, with generations of families booking the same seats year after year, and prompting queues around the block the day tickets go on sale.
Continue reading “‘If people can’t go to the panto then it must go to them’: the birth of The Travelling Pantomime”Published in Time Out March 19, 2020
There’s probably a German word for the precise feeling of frustration you get watching Globe artistic director and world-class Shakespearean actor Michelle Terry sat on stage, not playing one of the thorniest parts in Shakespeare.
Continue reading “Review: The Taming of the Shrew, The Globe”Emma Rice is scrolling through her emails as the cast of her new show, Wise Children, prepare to rehearse a scene. She laughs: somehow she’s wound up on a recruitment email service, suggesting she apply for a job in a call centre. Continue reading “Emma Rice on bouncing back with Wise Children: ‘This show has been my saviour’”
Dominic Dromgoole’s revels now are ended: The Tempest is his last production for the Globe, after a decade as artistic director – poignantly apt, given it’s thought to be Shakespeare’s swansong too. Continue reading “Review: The Tempest, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse”
The Winter’s Tale is enjoying a moment in the sun – following Kenneth Branagh’s version in the West End and Northern Broadsides’ touring show, Michael Longhurst here directs the play as part of Dominic Dromgoole’s season of late Shakespeares; this is an unflashy production, that allows Shakespeare’s words to speak for themselves. Continue reading “Review: The Winter’s Tale, the Globe”
Shakespeare plays apparently being like proverbial buses, the third major production of Measure for Measure in 2015 is about to open at the Young Vic in London; it follows Cheek by Jowl’s version at the Barbican and another at Shakespeare’s Globe. This glut is all the more unexpected given that it’s hardly a bankable big-hitter; Measure for Measure is a comparatively little-seen “problem play”, which has a troubling blend of tragic and comic elements. Continue reading “Making Measure for Measure for modern times”