Author: Mike Whitton

THE DIARY OF A HOUNSLOW GIRL at Tobacco Factory Theatres, Bristol

This is a slickly choreographed and beautifully lit production. The set may be simple, but during the course of the show we discover that it has a number of tricks up its sleeve, as when we see Shahida’s video messages projected on the bedroom door. This is laugh out loud funny, poignant and thought-provoking by turns, and it fully engaged my interest.

Read More

THE FLYING LOVERS OF VITEBSK at Bristol Old Vic

Kneehigh’s The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk is a portrait of Marc Chagall’s and Bella Rosenfeld’s marriage. It is a portrait as colourful, as quirky and as inventive as Chagall’s own paintings, and it has enormous charm. Writer Daniel Jamieson and director Emma Rice created their first version of this story over twenty years ago for Theatre Alibi. This new production marks the end of Rice’s long association with Kneehigh, as she has now moved to become Artistic Director for Shakespeare’s Globe.

Read More

AFTER MISS JULIE on tour

Strindberg wanted to portray flesh and blood people with all the varied and unpredictable behaviors we see in real-life. He rejected the idea that characters should be representative of just one motivation, such as ‘fidelity’ or ‘revenge’. Consequently they are multi-layered and quixotic. Patrick Marber has stayed true to the spirit of Strindberg’s intentions, and both Miss Julie and John are written as complex characters driven by many different and often contradictory motives.

Read More

SALVO-CONDUTO at the Redgrave Theatre, Bristol

. . . a man emerges wearing a motorcycle crash-helmet. He and the woman speak to each other in an animated, urgent fashion. I have absolutely no idea what they are saying, for they are talking in Portuguese. I hear some laughter from fellow members of the audience and I begin to suspect that I am the only person among the mere twenty or so in the auditorium who is not fluent in that language.

Read More

I CAPULETI E I MONTECCHI at Tobacco Factory Theatres, Bristol

Grand operas on tour can be great unwieldy monsters, hugely expensive to stage and with eye-watering ticket prices to match. Not so where Pop-Up Opera are concerned, for they specialise in making opera more accessible and welcoming to a wider audience than is normally associated with this ‘elitist’ art form. Less grand perhaps, but a great deal more user-friendly.

Read More

Had enough of Twitter / X?
Now follow StageTalkMag on Bluesky Social and Threads too

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Don’t miss new reviews!

StageTalk Magazine doesn’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Pin It on Pinterest