★★★☆☆ As the name suggests: the relationship between the title characters is key to the play. When as in this production it fails to ignite, when history’s first great love celebrities seem like strangers, 2 hrs 55 mins can seem a very long time. Never, however, when Josette Simon’s captivating Cleopatra is frolicking on stage.
Read More
★★★★★ As well as being a gifted choreographer, Bourne is a great showman. As in his memorable production of Sleeping Beauty that toured here last year, his Red Shoes is packed with pace, performance and presentation . . . Red Shoes is a visual feast that will live long in the memory of those lucky enough to see it.
Read More
★★★★☆ It’s a pleasant take on teenage angst and hormones before the completely unbridled years of the sexual revolution. Not that there aren’t plenty of smutty little jokes delivered with a wink in the Carry On… tradition. The closest counterpart to Dreamboats is Grease in this respect: a bunch of teenagers who constantly burst into song because their hormonal energies are (presently) unspent.
Read More
★★★★☆ Where else could Boris reach for a historical parallel when politically carved up on the way to No.10? Here it is Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in a riveting, memorable production, based on 2,000 year old history as interpreted 400 years ago, to provide an eternally relevant treatise upon power and its abuse.
Read More
★★★★★ Sometimes you see a play and you feel bad for the cast because the audience is so small. This is one of those nights; when you wish you could grab people off the street and cram them into this little performance space because this is a story that deserves to be told. This is perfect modern theatre, unafraid to shy away from difficult conversations about dreadful things going on in the real world.
Read More
★★★★★ As well as sweeping us up with Puccini’s glorious melodies throughout this performance, the singers’ understated body language always gave their performances plausibility. This was a memorable night at the Hippodrome – there were cries and roars of approval, and no doubt a few tears, at the final curtain.
Read More