Review: CABIN FEVER at Alma Tavern Theatre 28 January, 2025 A fun flight packed with comic characters.
★★★★☆
Review: A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS at Bath Theatre Royal 23 January, 2025 This A Man For All Seasons acts as a timely reminder, if one is needed, of the importance of morality in political life. ★★★★☆
Review: CHICAGO at The Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham 21 January, 2025 Still sassy, sexy and stylish at fifty
★★★★★
Review: PLAY ON! at Bristol Old Vic 17 January, 2025 An outstanding performance of scintillating song, dance and expressive theatre. ★★★★★
Review: & JULIET at Bristol Hippodrome 16 January, 2025 This is definitely a show for today, with a laudably rich diversity, the right to be different, the overall message captured in the song I Want It That Way. ★★★★☆
Review: CAT THE PLAY at Ustinov Studio, Bath 10 January, 2025 This is a cleverly performed piece of misdirection which raises a grim smile at the end of some very funny monologue. ★★★★☆
Review: Varna International Ballet: ROMEO AND JULIET 8 January, 2025 Performed with palpable emotion, expression and boundless energy by a young and talented troupe. ★★★★☆
OUR REVIEW OF THE YEAR THAT WAS 1 January, 2025 StageTalk’s 2024 Highlights
Review: JEEVES TAKES CHARGE at The Ustinov Studio, Bath 17 December, 2024 Devotees of the Wodehouse oeuvre will find much to enjoy in this technically adroit and very skilfully performed show. ★★★★☆
Review: SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS at Bath Theatre Royal 14 December, 2024 Jon Monie has once again grasped the Christmas panto template to conjure another a first-class traditional show. ★★★★☆
Review: TWELFTH NIGHT at RSC Stratford-upon-Avon 13 December, 2024 The production sparkles with inventive nuggets whilst showing us a strange and unfamiliar Illyria.
★★★★☆
Review: THE LITTLE MERMAID at Bristol Old Vic 13 December, 2024 A bold and beautiful reimagining that balances spectacle, humour, and a heartfelt message for all ages. ★★★★☆
Review: LITTLE RED (& OTHER WINTER TALES) at The Weston Studio, BOV 12 December, 2024 Little Red & Other Winter Tales is a masterclass in family theatre. ★★★★★
Review: Living Spit’s A CHRISTMAS CAROL at Tobacco Factory Theatres 11 December, 2024 Only the grumpiest of traditionalists could fail to be nudged into the Christmas spirit by this relentlessly entertaining seasonal offering. ★★★★★
Review: GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS at Bristol Hippodrome 11 December, 2024 Brian Conley is the star of the show, establishing an instant rapport with the audience in seemingly effortless fashion.
★★★☆☆
Review: ALADDIN at Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham 7 December, 2024 Festive, frivolous and formulaic fun for all the family
★★★☆☆
Review: SHERLOCK HOLMES & A CHRISTMAS MYSTERY at Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham 6 December, 2024 A charming festive retelling of a lesser-known Holmes tale
★★★★☆
Review: HANSEL & GRETEL at Tobacco Factory Theatres 5 December, 2024 The cast lavish their considerable talents on storytelling that knows no boundaries.
★★★★★
Review: THE (All Male) PIRATES OF PENZANCE at Bath Theatre Royal 3 December, 2024 The staging of some of the choral numbers is joyfully comic, making the most of the possibilities of silly walks and other nonsense. ★★★☆☆
Review: NOTTING HELL: The Greatest Love Story In The Underworld at The Wardrobe Theatre 28 November, 2024 The Wardrobe has consistently managed to find Bristol’s funny bone. ★★★★★
Review: THE THREE MUSKETEERS:TROIS at The Barn Theatre, Cirencester 28 November, 2024 A flamboyant, funny, feel-good festive treat
★★★★★
Review: BIRDSONG at Bath Theatre Royal 27 November, 2024 Despite some fine performances the episodic and literary nature of much of the play is a hindrance to a sustained dramatic narrative. ★★★☆☆
Review: TREASURE ISLAND at The Redgrave Theatre 25 November, 2024 A Treasure Island that takes a fresh look at this familiar tale with loads of action-packed family entertainment. ★★★★☆
Review: PINOCCHIO at The Watermill Theatre 21 November, 2024 Colourful, vividly depicted characters, witty script and a multi-talented cast, this Pinocchio is excellent family entertainment
★★★★☆
Review: GWYNETH GOES SKIING at Tobacco Factory Theatres 21 November, 2024 An absurdly funny play, that stays true to the real life ridiculous show trial of Gwyneth Paltrow’s ski crash – an absolute joy to watch. ★★★★★
Review: THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER at Arnos Vale Cemetery 16 November, 2024 Masterfully acted in a magnificently monstrous setting. What more could you want on a chilly winter’s eve? ★★★★★
Review: THE RED SHOES at The Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon 15 November, 2024 A family Christmas show with a bit of seasonal moralizing
★★★☆☆
Review: MARY POPPINS at Bristol Hippodrome 15 November, 2024 Twenty years since the show premiered here, the stagecraft and storytelling of Mary Poppins has managed to reach new giddy heights. ★★★★★
Review: FILUMENA at Bath Theatre Royal 13 November, 2024 Felicity Kendall brings a perfect pitch to the impassioned Filumena’s pleading and scheming ★★★★☆
Review: CHARLES & DIANA: THE REUNION TOUR at Tobacco Factory Theatres 13 November, 2024 A kitschy, heartfelt tribute to an era of glam, grit, and guilty pleasures. ★★★☆☆
Review: THE AXIOM OF CHOICE at Oxford Playhouse 12 November, 2024 You may well feel that your mind has been extended in a Stoppardian kind of way, even if you’re not sure exactly how. ★★★★☆
Review: THE WELKIN at The Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic 10 November, 2024 Disparate characters are brought vividly to life, creating a vibrant portrait of womanhood. ★★★☆☆
Review: NEVER LET ME GO at Bristol Old Vic 7 November, 2024 A lack of ratcheting tension makes it more thought provoking than dramatic ★★★☆☆
Review: RISHIKESH at The Alma Tavern Theatre 6 November, 2024 The show has an original plot containing the seed of an idea ★★☆☆☆
Review: THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT TYPHOID MARY at The Wardrobe Theatre 5 November, 2024 If you like your humour salty, shocking and perched right at the edge of the toilet seat, then this is for you. ★★★★★
Review: SUMMER 1954 at Bath Theatre Royal 30 October, 2024 Featuring excellent performances from a strong cast, Summer 1954 effectively displays Rattigan’s many qualities as one of our finest dramatists. ★★★★☆
Review: GURT HAUNTED at Bristol Old Vic Weston Studio 24 October, 2024 Those with a taste for supernatural buffoonery are offered seventy-five minutes of silliness. ★★★☆☆
Review: BIRDSONG at Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham 24 October, 2024 A production which loses none of the emotional power of Faulks’ mesmerising story of love, loss and courage. ★★★★☆
Review: OTHELLO at RSC Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon 23 October, 2024 This is a fine production, faithful to the text and the spirit of the text. ★★★★★
Review: PAPAYA FEST: ‘Jeezus!’ at the Wardrobe Theatre 20 October, 2024 A dazzling collision of faith, queerness, and identity, packed with wit and audacity. ★★★★☆
Review: PAPAYA FEST: ‘Mad Women’ at the Wardrobe Theatre 19 October, 2024 A fearless exploration of mental health, creativity, and womanhood, brought to life by a courageous community cast. ★★★★☆
Review: BULLRING TECHNO MAKEOUT JAMZ at Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic 16 October, 2024 A fun evening hosted by a charming host with hints of a meaningful message conveyed through laughter. ★★★★☆
Review: THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW at Bath Theatre Royal 15 October, 2024 The entertainment levels were quickly up to the max
★★★★☆
Review: THE NEW REAL at The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon 11 October, 2024 This is intellectual fisticuffs of a high order and a clever exegesis of the new real in politics.
★★★★☆
Review: THE COMPLETE WORKS OF JANE AUSTEN (Abridged) at Alma Tavern Theatre 10 October, 2024 The action is fast, funny and sharp, peppered with occasional witty feminist asides and fourth wall moments. ★★★★☆
Review: DRACULA at Bath Theatre Royal 10 October, 2024 a production which seems to offer much, but is full of missed opportunities. ★★☆☆☆
Review: REVERBERATION at Bristol Old Vic 9 October, 2024 A sleek and moving portrayal of trauma and connection, subtly enhanced by brilliant design. ★★★★☆
Review: OUR LITTLE HOUR at Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham 9 October, 2024 A beautifully sung tale of an unsung hero
★★★★☆
Review: THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO at Tobacco Factory Theatres 5 October, 2024 A joyous must-see production offering comedy in abundance. ★★★★★
Review: A RAISIN IN THE SUN at Oxford Playhouse Theatre 3 October, 2024 An accomplished cast who illuminate a historical moment
★★★★☆