Our reviewers have chosen their favourite shows from 2017
THE FLYING LOVERS OF VITEBSK at Bristol Old Vic
TARTUFFE at Bristol’s Tobacco Factory Theatres
THE MARKED at Tobacco Factory
THE MISER at Bath Theatre Royal
etc . . . .
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A CHRISTMAS CAROL at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford
★★★☆☆ The party dancing overlorded by the youthful Scrooge’s paternalistic employer Mr Fezziwig (John Hodgkinson) is a joy of joys, full of skilful verve and innocent exuberance. Whilst Gerard Carey as the put upon clerk Bob Cratchit, enjoys a prolonged double-take.
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TWELFTH NIGHT at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford
★★★★☆ What do you get if you blend Shakespeare with panto, musicals, Arts and Crafts and Indian and Oscar Wilde influences? The answer from director Christopher Luscombe and designer Simon Higlett, is a delightful production that shows The Bard to be infinitely enjoyable, adaptable and pertinent.
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LITTLE MERMAID at the Egg Theatre, Bath
★★★★★ Bea Roberts’ freely adapted version of the Hans Christian Andersen story is certainly child friendly and being staged in Bath’s cauldron of creativity that is the Egg, we might be tempted to leave it at that. Yet this is a show that could sit happily on any of our stages. Big in imagination, big in talent and big in ambition,
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Living Spit’s NATIVITY on tour
★★★★★ Using a stage bare apart from an occasional hay bale, and with a simple backcloth behind which the company perform lightning quick costume changes, Living Spit demonstrate what you need to create a great show.
Read MoreALADDIN at Bristol Hippodrome
★★★★★ The first live theatre I ever saw was a Bristol Old Vic production of Dick Whittington way back in the mid-1950’s, starring Lally Bowers as Fairy Snowflake. No pantomime I have seen since has quite recaptured the sense of wonder that I experienced back then – how could it? – but this production comes very close.
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