Nicholas Nickleby was published in 1839 and is one of Charles Dickens’ more light-hearted novels including some romance. In this book Dickens also tackles the social injustices of the underclasses and the cruelty dispensed by the character ‘Wackford Squeers’ whom it is believed, was based upon a real Schoolmaster.
As a theatre goer of over forty five years and a theatre critic I have seen many professional no expense spared productions but I love nothing better than getting back to the roots where it all begins.
I can't deny there have been times when it feels like I'm the only one in the theatre not laughing - it's a damn sight worse if it looks like it's just you with the giggles. When Molly first sits down at the potter's wheel, she's probably aiming to create a bowl but what emerges is, shall we say, unfeasibly perpendicular... You get the picture, I'm sure...
I can honestly say I was really looking forward to this evening and I was not disappointed. I have never visited St Helen's Theatre Royal before, so it was a whole new experience. A very nice quaint theatre with ample seating. A lovely bar area too with seating.
New guy, Princeton, is looking for somewhere to live after receiving a B.A. in English and wants to find his purpose in life. Princeton finds himself renting an apartment on Avenue Q where he meets an array of characters. I say characters as Avenue Q is no ordinary musical. As well as ‘human’ characters, there are several puppet characters.
Whitney Houston was a queen of pop and R & B, she dominated the charts during her twenty-five year career, and is still (seven years after her tragic death) the most awarded female singer of all time and one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Most people know at least one of her songs, so packing out New Brighton’s Floral Pavilion Theatre for a celebration of her work was never going to be a problem.
ANYONE who has ever been involved in even the smallest way with amateur dramatics societies will know there are never any vulgar cliques or hidden agendas, nor is there ever any bitchy backbiting, nor ever a hint of an attempt to influence the selection of productions or, God forbid, any manoeuvring or angling for roles.
With the roaring success of Mischief Theatre’s, The Play That Goes Wrong, it was no surprise that The Comedy About a Bank Robbery was highly anticipated. Mischief Theatre started in back in 2008 by a group of graduates from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Since starting as a small theatre group, they have risen as the unexpected West End success story. The Comedy About a Bank Robbery opened in 2016 with The Play that Goes Wrong still going from strength to strength.
Being a 90s kid and a huge Spice Girls fan, ‘Girl Power – The Spice Girls Experience’ at St Helen’s Theatre Royal sounded like the perfect treat to brighten up a dreary Thursday in January. With high expectations and fond memories of The Spice Girls throughout my childhood, this tribute show had a lot to prove with their live performance of some of the biggest and best songs in girl band history.
The Wizard of OZ was the first show I seen when I was just five years old. I’ve seen numerous versions over the years but the Storyhouse version is the only one that transformed me back to being five, making me feel the same feelings and emotions of utter joy and heartbreak throughout.
Written by Patrick Hamilton, Gaslight first premiered on 5th December 1938 at the Richmond Theatre, London. It ran for 141 performances and has since been performed globally although it was performed under different names in New York (Five Chelsea Lane and Angel Street). Its film debut came with a British made version in 1940 directed by Thorold Dickinson, quickly followed by an American version in 1944 starring Ingrid Bergan who won an Oscar for her performance as Bella.
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