Category Archives: Reviews

First Time: Staying positive in a negative world

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As part of the Visionari Studio Discoveries programme at York Theatre Royal, award-winning theatre-maker and HIV activist Nathaniel J. Hall presents his autobiographical one-man show First Time. Continue reading →

Once the Musical: diasporic love raises its hopeful voice

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Based on the cult 2006 Irish indie feature, Once tells the uplifting, yearning story of a part-time Dublin guitarist busker (dayjobbing in his dad’s hoover repair shop) who falls unexpectedly in love with a fellow musician. Spanning their fleeting chance connection across five short days, the story sees big changes happen to both of them in little ways. Continue reading →

Charles Dickens’ Ghost Stories for Christmas: The Chimes

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Fresh from his run at London’s Charles Dickens Museum, James Swanton (Irving Undead; Dracula; Sikes & Nancy) returns his wildly popular rendition of Dickens’ Christmas books to York Medical Society for another sell-out run. Continue reading →

Sleeping Beauty: theatre review

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York Theatre Royal’s pantomime dame retired last year after 40 years of extraordinary success. Given what Berwick Kayler’s panto must have brought to the theatre’s coffers, I’d imagined this loss sparking a panicky but exciting meeting, with acres of sugar paper dedicated to mapping out the fresh start. How to sell loyal fans a new dame? Continue reading →

The Nutcracker by Vienna Festival Ballet: dance review

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Presented in the traditional style of a gouache Victorian Christmas card, Vienna Festival Ballet’s The Nutcracker fills the stage in York’s Grand Opera House with the height of Caucasian kitsch. Continue reading →

Ballet Black: INGOMA, PENDULUM and CLICK!

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London-based company Ballet Black, celebrating their eighteenth year, return to York Theatre Royal following last year’s successful debut with a Triple Bill featuring INGOMA, contrasting dramatic and inventive storytelling in a lively showcase of modern ballets. Continue reading →

Hello and Goodbye: “When the time comes…”

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Marking the return of in-house productions to the Studio, York Theatre Royal Associate Artist John R. Wilkinson – Genesis Future Director Award 2018 (Young Vic) – directs internationally acclaimed playwright Athol Fugard’s deceptively simple domestic drama Hello and Goodbye. Continue reading →

Nigel Slater’s Toast: a sweet treat to pass along

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From making the perfect sherry trifle, waging war over cakes through to the gender politics of sweets and the rigid rules of restaurant dining, Nigel Slater’s Toast is a moving and evocative tale of love, loss and… toast. Continue reading →