THEATRE REVIEW

THEATRE REVIEW: Endgame and Rough For Theatre II starring Daniel Radcliffe, Alan Cumming, Jane Horrocks & Karl Johnson

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

WHERE? Old Vic RUNTIME: 130 minutes (including a 20-minute interval)

WHEN? 28/1/20, press night 5/2, runs to 28/3/20

Samuel Beckett’s bleak Endgame is preceded here by the author’s lighter short Rough For Theatre II in an attempt to sugar the pill for fans of Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe (pictured above right) who appears here.

  • Read on for reasons including more about the cast including Alan Cumming and Jane Horrocks

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THEATRE REVIEW: The Welkin starring Maxine Peake, Cecilia Noble, Haydn Gwynne and Ria Zmitrowicz

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: ***

WHERE? Lyttelton Theatre, National RUNTIME: 170 minutes (including a 20-minute interval)

WHEN? 18/1/20, press night 22/1, runs to 23/5/20

We’re in rural Suffolk in 1759 where convicted murderer Sally Poppy claims to be pregnant and 12 women must assess whether she is, which would save her from execution.

  • Read on for reasons including how this cast has Olivier, BAFTA and Tony award nominations between them

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THEATRE REVIEW: Uncle Vanya starring Richard Armitage & Toby Jones

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

STOP PRESS: Sonia Friedman Productions has announced that a specially-commissioned film of this production is to be released 27/10/20. Watch the trailer below

WORTH A LOOK?: ****1/2

WHERE? Harold Pinter Theatre RUNTIME: 160 minutes (including a 20-minute interval)

WHEN? 14/1, press night 23/1 runs to 2/5/20

Six years after a brooding Olivier-nominated performance as John Proctor in the Old Vic’s production of The Crucible and Richard Armitage (pictured above in rehearsal) is back on the London stage in Conor McPherson’s re-imagining of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya

  • Read on for reasons including how Toby Jones is the comic highlight as Armitage goes topless

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THEATRE REVIEW: Amélie the musical at the Other Palace

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: ***

WHERE? Other Palace RUNTIME: 150 minutes (including a 20-minute interval)

WHEN? 27/12, runs to 1/2/20 UPDATE: This productions opens at the Criterion Theatre 20/5/21, booking to 25/9/21 Tickets

We’re a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace and had forgotten that the Paris-set 2001 film on which this musical is based references the death of Princess Diana in that city quite so much.

  • Read on for reasons including which West End show the British actress who originated this Amélie opens in this autumn

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THEATRE REVIEW: Cinderella starring Baga Chipz, Sheila Simmonds and Holly Stars at the Trafalgar Studios

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: ***

WHERE? Trafalgar Studios RUNTIME: 90 minutes (no interval)

WHEN? 15/12 (matinee), runs to 5/1/20

Drag sashayed ever further into the mainstream this year with a triumphant first season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK on the BBC and now we have this pantomime take-over of a renowned West End stage.

* Read on for reasons including how your reviewer made his West End stage debut after being plucked from the audience for this show

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THEATRE REVIEW: Snowflake at the Kiln Theatre

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

WHERE? Kiln Theatre RUNTIME: 115 minutes (including a 20-minute interval)

WHEN? 14/12, press night 16/12, runs to 25/1/20

Andy waits alone on Christmas Eve in an Oxfordshire village hall hoping the daughter who he has not seen for three years will meet him there.

* Read on for reasons including why this is the first great Brexit play

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THEATRE REVIEW: Teenage Dick at the Donmar starring Daniel Monks

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: *****

WHERE? Donmar Warehouse RUNTIME: 100 minutes (no interval)

WHEN? 7/12, press night 12/12, runs to 1/2/20

Actor Daniel Monks has hemiplegia and author Mike Lew tailored his script for the British premiere of his reimagining of Shakespeare’s Richard III to modern-day US high school Roseland High.

* Read on for reasons including how it boasts one of the most accomplished theatrical performances of the year

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THEATRE REVIEW: The Duchess of Malfi starring Lydia Wilson at the Almeida

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

WHERE? Almeida RUNTIME: 175 minutes (including a 15-minute interval)

WHEN? 2/12, press night 10/12, runs to 25/1/20

The Duchess of Malfi is a Jacobean revenge tragedy written in the 17th century by English dramatist John Webster that is unusual for having a female protagonist.

* Read on for reasons including what Olivier Award-nominated director Rebecca Frecknall brings to this

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THEATRE REVIEW: Cyrano de Bergerac starring James McAvoy at the Playhouse Theatre

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: ***1/2

WHERE? Playhouse Theatre RUNTIME: 170 minutes (including a 20-minute interval)

WHEN? 30/11, press night 6/12, runs to 29/2/20

‘This’ll work – I’ve seen it in a movie with Steve Martin.’ So says McAvoy to much audience laughter as Cyrano de Bergerac before impersonating friend Christian who is struggling to woo the challenging Roxane.

  • Read on for reasons including why this isn’t quite the crown on top of a remarkable year for director Jamie Lloyd

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PANTOMIME REVIEW: Sleeping Beauty starring Andrew Pollard and Anthony Spargo at the Greenwich Theatre

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: *****

WHERE? Greenwich Theatre RUNTIME: 150 minutes (including 20-minute interval)

WHEN? 29/11 (press night), runs to 12/1/20

Welcome to a show worthy of the West End but at a fraction of the ticket price that speaks to what it is like to live in this beautiful nook of south-east London.

  • Read on for reasons including what writer/dame/director Andrew Pollard thinks of this show stopping panto

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