Author Archives: Anna Rose James

In at the Deep End: Metta Theatre presents Little Mermaid

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Poppy Burton-Morgan’s new musical version of this popular Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale brings a haunting undercurrent to meet an uplifting overall message. Riverdale meets Alice In Wonderland in the soul-stirring music by Matt Devereaux and stunning design by William Reynolds. Vibrant neon purples and reds provide a vivacious backdrop for Loren Elstein’s more domestic costumes that evoke 1950s synchronised swimmers, complete with floral caps. Continue reading →

The Cost of Truth: LIFT presents MINEFIELD

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When writing reviews, you’re encouraged to keep your personal context at bay – no one needs to hear about your own history with pantomime or Shakespeare and how it skews your view of a production. However, LIFT’s incredible, raw production is all about the specifics of individual experience being tilled to form a whole truth, and its value is in the personal detail. Continue reading →

Brighton Rock: A Lexis for Damaged Hope

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It is usually easy to impose your own zeitgeist onto a piece of live theatre, because there is so much ambiguity – so many variables for each viewer to interpret however they wish. It is a struggle to forage the attraction of adapting Graham Greene’s noir thriller, which now seems largely irrelevant, but Bryony Lavery is enough of a draw to intrigue those who have or haven’t read the original novel. Continue reading →

Cast & Crew Call: Two Noble Kinsmen

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There’s a first time for everything, and today we share our first casting call. We suspect our readers may be interested to hear about this new call for York Shakespeare Project’s upcoming production of The Two Noble Kinsmen. Continue reading →

Yorkshire Scandals: Art Reporting Life

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It is a bittersweet time for the arts and the news in York, what with the only paid local arts critic role being threatened with redundancy. The city’s independent art scene thrives as ever, and we strive to document the full, rich programme of events taking place in our city. Inevitably, where the money dries up, other resources follow, and we are looking at a future with decidedly less coverage. So what happens to the art that’s doing its own reporting? Continue reading →

RENT: The musical that still rocks, 20 years on

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RENT is the story of impoverished youths trying to make it in New York (image courtesy of RENT 20th Anniversary Production Ltd).

RENT is an imperfect musical about imperfect people. A landmark turn in musical theatre, Jonathan Larson’s unusual, rocking score captures the lives of the marginalised citizens of mid-90’s East Village. Continue reading →