Reviews

Every now and then, it feels a privilege to witness something for the very first time. Echo’s End – commissioned and produced by Salisbury Playhouse, in its world premiere run – certainly falls into that category. Set in 1915 Wiltshire, this is a beautifully written and crafted story of the domestic impact war has on the lives of two young people. John and Anna have grown up as childhood friends, with their families expecting this innocent closeness to blossom into something more. However, as John signs up to fight for his country and Anna ponders on a wider world than

When someone dies too soon, the feelings of shock and sorrow can lead to exaggerated descriptions of their virtues and qualities. This was certainly not the case when Jean Hancock died last year: the tributes to her kindness, her compassion, her humour, her dependability and her musical talents spoke no more than the truth. She was a familiar figure on the Bournemouth musical scene as an accompanist to all sorts of musical ventures, notably as rehearsal pianist for Bournemouth G&S Society. As ‘Fingers’ on the piano, she was also an integral part of the group called After Eight, which in

Back in 1990 a successful Broadway musical by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine opened in London’s West End, where it was incredibly well received. I was lucky enough to see that production and have adored the show ever since, so my hopes were high for the joint production between graduating students from AUB and the BSO’s newish music group, Kokoro. The story is an amalgam of Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Rapunzel and Jack & The Beanstalk, with a fifth made-up story of a childless baker and his wife thrown in to muddy the waters of what is essentially a

Inspired by a true story and based on the movie of the same name, this new British musical is full of friendship, equality and the importance of fighting for what is right. It certainly places Dagenham on the map! Opening at the Adelphi Theatre in 2014 to mixed reviews, Made in Dagenham follows the female factory workers who went out on strike at the Ford production plant in 1968. They had been downgraded to unskilled category B workers, which also meant that they were paid less than their male equivalents. It is a heart-warming story which portrays how a group

Despite his lack of formal education, Charles Dickens is one of our most celebrated authors, so it is unsurprising that his works are often chosen to adapt for the stage and screen. Some of the adaptations have been sensational, others quickly forgotten. Director Sarah Russel chose very carefully in using the Gale Childs Daly version of this particular classic. When it comes to creating memorable fictional characters, Dickens is one of the masters, and this production contains a whole host of them. The programme notes claim there are 30 characters in the show – although it felt like more –

It was lovely to see the Tivoli filled almost to capacity for the first night of this production, and whether this was due to the company’s well-deserved high reputation or the fact that the play is by that icon of modern-day playwrights, Alan Bennett, is really of no matter. What does matter is that the combination of those two elements gave the first-night audience the very best of evenings, one for which it was well worthwhile leaving the comfort of our cosy warm homes. A cosy warm home is not how one would describe the old, cold and decidedly run-down