438 stories by "Debbie Gilpin"
Dave Malloy's score is quite simply astounding. Beginning with a sole accordion, in the early stages it all sounds quite traditional and very recognisably Russian (without straying into ster…
My verdict? A smart new play that's about people as much as profits, some very funny moments as well as thought-provoking ones " an excellent production all round.
Julius Caesar at the Bridge Theatre is a visceral and dynamic take on the classic Shakespearean political thriller with star performances and innovative staging.
Woman Before a Glass is about infamous art collector and socialite Peggy Guggenheim " also apt as the theatre is not too far away from where she opened her gallery Guggenheim Jeune exactly 8…
Kneehigh in conjunction with the Old Vic are about to revive their acclaimed production of Emma Rice's Brief Encounter, starting with a short tourfollowed by a six-month West End run.Jos Slo…
In Tomorrow Creeps at The Vaults writer (and GOLEM! Theatre co-founder) David Fairs has drawn his text from 16 Shakespeare works (including the sonnets) as well as a sprinkling of Kate Bush …
Strictly favourite Brendan Cole returns for his 10th annual tour, bringing All Night Long back to the stage after a successful run in 2017.
The Claim at Shoreditch Town Hall (and touring) is an intelligently written play that points out uncomfortable truths about the asylum decision system " a vital and engaging watch.
It's that time of year again: the annual VAULT Festival is upon us, and looks set to be bigger and better than ever. There's a lot to love about what goes on at this event, with an incredibl…
After a short stay at the Bristol Old Vic, and an award-winning run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Daniel Jamieson's play about the life and love of Marc and Bella Chagall begins a UKUS t…
Bunny at the Tristan Bates Theatre is a one-woman show that plays with the ideas of surprise & suspense, thrillingly performed by Catherine Lamb " well worth a watch.
The forthcoming summer programme may have been announced, but The Winter Selection at Shakespeare's Globe continues apace the latest show to open is the only Shakespeare play in the season…
You might be forgiven for thinking that only certain Shakespeare plays are allowed to be produced in any given 12-month period " for example, last year I saw five different Twelfth Nights, a…
We first encounter Charley Wace on the streets of Seven Dials, asking passersby if they have seen a valuable item; he happens to spot famous author H.G. Wells in the crowd and asks for his h…
In Wine, West has come up with an interesting hour of theatre; at times laugh-out-loud funny, but also heartbreaking and provocative. It is cleverly put together, slowly teasing out the coup…
Kicking off my challenge was the Old Vic's production, which I've seen four times (and by some bizarre providence I managed to see each actor playing Tiny Tim).
When you see around 200 different shows, you're bound to come across a few duff ones, but I'm pleased to say that nearly all of the bad shows I saw can be found in this post.
What is personally the most galling is the programming of Twelfth Night. Emma Rice's production was my favourite show of 2017. It almost feels like they're trying to brush it under the carpe…
Lots & lots of shows have their first performances in London and across the country this month, including new productions of Pinter's The Birthday Party, Wilde's Lady Windermere's Fan, …
Well, we're all still here… The big red button hasn't been pushed yet and theatre is better than ever! But what's coming up this year?
I get rather drawn to the stats page of the blog at times. But it's always interesting to see the search terms that bring people here " and which posts get the most hits!
Any number of shows could have been included in this post; frankly it's ludicrous that I decided to stick with my whole top 12 idea… As I've seen about 90 more individual shows than last y…
Despite a slow, measured start, I upped the pace after a while and (after today) will have somehow managed to see 212 different shows (my P.B.) " and 291 shows in total, equalling 2016.
After choosing in 2016 to focus on Shakespeare (in the 400th anniversary of his death), I went completely different this year and made it my mission to learn more about, and see more shows f…
This year variety has been the thing (though I've still managed to stack up certain repeat attendances), so that means I've seen a serious amount of performers " some even two or three times!
