Theatre Royal Stratford East, Leeds Playhouse and HOME Manchester celebrate the 30th anniversary of Jonathan Harvey’s coming-out and coming-of-age story Beautiful Thing. Raphael Akuwudike (Ste) and Joshua Asaré (Jamie) will lead the cast and are joined by Trieve Blackwood-Cambridge (Tony), Shvorne Marks (Sandra) and Scarlett Rayner (Leah). Director Anthony Simpson-Pike says: “Beautiful Thing is an iconic queer… Continue reading 30th birthday for Beautiful Thing
Month: August 2023
Hooked: Mr Sister
Holly and Brooke have been Hooked on each other since university and have decided to renew their vows to be BFFs forever! The vows, very loosely based on a student code-of-conduct, form the through-line for their off-the-wall sketches. Featuring surreal stories of love, infidelity and kitchen appliances, Hooked: Mr Sister is a manic hour of… Continue reading Hooked: Mr Sister
Abdul Shayek dies aged 39
Tara Arts Artistic Director Abdul Shayek has died of natural causes aged 39, according to a statement from the theatre company. The statement said, “tt is with immense sadness that we are announcing the death of Abdul Shayek, beloved artistic director and joint CEO of Tara Theatre, aged 39. We are heartbroken to share this… Continue reading Abdul Shayek dies aged 39
Cruelty
In an unnamed coastal English city, young Oli heads out into the night looking for some form of viscerality. 18 years old and full of the exuberance and blithe focus of youth, he has meaning to find in life, alcohol to drink, lights to dance under and a story to tell. Cruelty is a darkly… Continue reading Cruelty
Friel’s Faith Healer tour to start in Staffordshire
London Classic Theatre is to tour Brian Friel’s Faith Healer beginning at the New Vic, Newcastle-under-Lyme. Consisting of four monologues delivered by three characters, Faith Healer follows the story of Frank, Grace and Teddy, each of whom takes the audience on a journey of shifting perspectives and conflicting memories as they individually reflect on lives which are inextricably intertwined.… Continue reading Friel’s Faith Healer tour to start in Staffordshire
Casting the Runes
Theatrical horror is a difficult beast to master, especially at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Too easily, the constraints of a stage performance can pull the macabre into mundanity and the trappings of fear into farce. It requires thought, ingenuity, and subtlety. All aspects that are keenly true when looking at the classic stories of M… Continue reading Casting the Runes
Old Rep backstage tours to celebrate Heritage Week
Birmingham’s Old Rep and the city’s Electric Cinema which are based on the same street are to join forces for a day during Birmingham Heritage Week. The Old Rep was the UK’s first purpose-built repertory theatre, while the Electric Cinema is the UK’s oldest working picture house. The Station Street, Digbeth venues will host a… Continue reading Old Rep backstage tours to celebrate Heritage Week
The Maids
A language barrier in a performance is always a risk during the world’s largest international arts festival, and it’s welcome that there is such a breadth of options and variety that a Korean physical theatre company can be seen performing an adaptation of Jean Genet’s cult French play Les Bonnes in a style rarely seen… Continue reading The Maids
Birmingham to host new young people’s musical
British Youth Musical Theatre is returning to Birmingham Hippodrome’s Patrick Studio to present a new musical, #50 Days. Performed by a company of 14- to 21-year-olds from across the UK with a number from Birmingham, #50 Days retells the story of the 50-day period that led to the outbreak of the British civil wars. With parallels to Brexit,… Continue reading Birmingham to host new young people’s musical
Sad-Vents
At least a hundred Internets ago, Samuel Johnson famously wrote: “he who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man.” But Eleanor Hill’s savage exploration of self-loathing in the Instagram age shows that the same is true now as then for anyone, regardless of gender. So what does a… Continue reading Sad-Vents