Reviews

It is clear that the Department for Education has its beady, cost-cutting eye on extra-curricular activities such as drama and music: just the things that build the qualities like confidence and ‘soft skills’ like teamwork that are going to be most sought after in the workplace of tomorrow. So it is more important than ever that schools like Big Little Theatre School should thrive and on the evidence of this terrific show, ‘Big Little’ is indeed thriving. The school was founded in 1996 and has been producing a show every year since. The show has settled into a well-tried format:

As usual when attending a theatrical production, I had my bird-watching monoscope with me in order to pick out any detail from the back of the theatre. I realised when I took my seat that I wasn’t going to need it on this occasion as I was allocated a seat in the front row, within touching distance of the stage and the cast. In reality, the Bournemouth Little Theatre is such an intimate venue that my monoscope would seldom be required, but I generally observe the old Boy Scout mantra. This is a powerful and disturbing two-hander covering many themes

In the last ten years, the Women’s Land Army has received proper recognition of the important contribution that it made to the war effort between 1939 and 1945. Perhaps it started with the 1998 film, The Land Girls, but in 2007 a commemorative badge was created and has now been presented to 45,000 former members of the WLA. Then in 2010 came this play, which is based on memories of land girls which were gathered through interviews, letters and diaries. Although the play has a chronological shape, it remains an anthology – if you go expecting a plot, you’ll be

It is difficult to think of a more enjoyable theatrical experience than Wimborne Drama Productions’ open-air Much Ado About Nothing in the delightful grounds of the Deans Court Estate. It is Shakespeare’s most frequently performed comedy, although there are darker undertones to a plot that is populated by wonderful characters who are as meaningful today as when the play was written in 1599. Director Tracey Nichols has chosen to emulate the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 2014 production by setting the play in 1919, when a group of soldiers home from the Great War arrive at the home of Baronet (of Deans

The Odd Couple is one of Neil Simon’s best-known plays. It opened on Broadway in 1965 but became familiar to a much wider public via the 1968 hit film starring Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon. What is less well-known is that in 1985, Simon wrote a version in which the couple are female and the sexy Pigeon sisters from upstairs become a pair of Spanish brothers. It is this version that the Burley Players are presenting at their village hall this week. Anyone who uses the term, ‘a village hall production’, disparagingly or to excuse low standards should go and

Into the Woods is a modern twist on the Grimm fairy tales, bringing together the characters from the classic stories of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel into a new narrative about a baker and his wife, their longing for a family of their own and their dealings with the witch next door who has cursed them to remain childless. The melodic and lyrical genius of Stephen Sondheim has historically appealed to a more selective audience within amateur dramatic circles; critically acclaimed performances have rarely corresponded with box office success. However, due to the more