Goldilocks and the Three Bears review " a turbocharged panto with pizzazz by Mark Fisher

Theatre Royal, NewcastlePlacing the story in the context of two rival circuses, Michael Harrison's show boasts jugglers, skaters and motorcyclistsIf you want the secret behind the UK's faste…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:04am on November 30, 2018[SHARE]

Don't Forget the Birds review " mother and daughter tackle life after prison by Mark Fisher

Live theatre, NewcastlePlaying themselves with humour, grace and honesty, a former inmate and her daughter tell their story and reveal their bond Cheryl and Abigail Byron are on adjacent cha…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:42am on November 22, 2018[SHARE]

Cinderella review " a lovingly made dessert of a panto by Mark Fisher

Coliseum, OldhamKevin Shaw's colourful panto is an enjoyable sugar rush seemingly powered by E-numbersFine Time Fontayne and Simeon Truby make their first entrance as the Ugly Sisters wearin…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:12am on November 19, 2018[SHARE]

Pop Music review " life throws shapes on the dancefloor by Mark Fisher

Cast, Doncaster Anna Jordan tunes into intertwined lives and captures the oblivion and camaraderie of the dancefloor in her new dramaIt's no spoiler to reveal that Pop Music ends with Come O…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:36pm on November 9, 2018[SHARE]

Under Milk Wood review " Thomas's village moves to north-east England by Mark Fisher

Northern Stage, NewcastleStaged in the round, Elayce Ismail's production relocates Dylan Thomas's dramatic poem about the people of Llareggub In divided times, there's something comforting a…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 2:06am on November 8, 2018[SHARE]

Clear White Light review " a gem of psychiatric gothic-horror folk-rock by Mark Fisher

Live theatre, Newcastle Edgar Allen Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher is restaged in a Tyneside mental hospital in a poignant and politically charged musicalIt sounds like a challenge for…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 1:04pm on October 26, 2018[SHARE]

The Unreturning review " three generations search for home by Mark Fisher

Traverse, EdinburghAnna Jordan's four-hander for Frantic Assembly, unfolding across time to tell parallel war stories, is performed with heart and focusA man is trying to cross the sea to hi…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:24am on October 25, 2018[SHARE]

All You Need Is LSD review " Doctor Who meets Timothy Leary by Mark Fisher

Unity, LiverpoolDeparting from convention and reality, Leo Butler's simulated psychedelic experience crashes around with jolly abandonYou can imagine an Open University programme that sets o…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 6:33am on October 18, 2018[SHARE]

Death of a Salesman review " Don Warrington is the business by Mark Fisher

Royal Exchange, ManchesterSarah Frankcom gives Arthur Miller's decline-and-fall drama an extra edge in this powerful productionDon Warrington's Willy Loman is at the centre of his own univer…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:36am on October 17, 2018[SHARE]

Arctic Oil review " should you put your family first or the planet? by Mark Fisher

Traverse, EdinburghClare Duffy's play skirts the big issues as an ecowarrior and her mother clash in a locked bathroom Opening in the week the UN has made dire warnings about climate change,…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:04pm on October 10, 2018[SHARE]

Lord of the Flies review " all-female cast tears up public school rulebook by Mark Fisher

Theatr Clwyd, MoldWilliam Golding's fable of desert-island anarchy is reinvented for the modern age in Emma Jordan's brutal, bold productionThere's a theory being pushed by the psychologist …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 1:33am on October 1, 2018[SHARE]

Twelfth Night review " trippy take on Shakespeare romcom by Mark Fisher

Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh With 50/50 gender-split casting, this comedy of disguise and identity enjoys a playful makeoverYou get a sense of the playfulness of Wils Wilson's trippy take on Shak…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:32am on September 19, 2018[SHARE]

Cyrano de Bergerac review " swashbuckling ugly duckling, drowned in sound by Mark Fisher

Tramway, Glasgow The thwarted lover story, retold in dazzling Glaswegian Scots, has raucous spirit and flamboyant hairpieces but its verbal flourishes are lost in acoustic fogEdwin Morgan's …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 2:36am on September 7, 2018[SHARE]

Ubu review " dictators and discord in dystopian take on Jarry's classic by Mark Fisher

Victoria and Albert Museum, LondonA brutal score by Jerskin Fendrix is the driving force behind this bleakly topical reworking of Alfred Jarry's Ubu RoiSince its premiere in 1896, Alfred Jar…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 6:54am on September 4, 2018[SHARE]

The Prisoner review " Peter Brook's gnomic parable gazes at its own navel by Mark Fisher

Royal Lyceum, EdinburghA man sits outside a prison in self-imposed punishment, in this philosophically provocative but dramatically inert dramaThe set is not a million miles from Druid Theat…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:04am on August 23, 2018[SHARE]

The End of Eddy review " a televisual glimpse into small-town homophobia by Mark Fisher

The Studio, EdinburghStewart Laing sensitively takes Édouard Louis's groundbreaking coming-of-age story from page to stageWhen Édouard Louis was growing up in a poor working-class vi…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:54am on August 22, 2018[SHARE]

Misha Glenny: McMafia review " a chilling portrait of how the criminal became corporate by Mark Fisher

Assembly Checkpoint, EdinburghFrom corrupt cartels to 'snakehead' smugglers, the journalist-cum-author presents a plain-talking breakdown of complex global illsWhen Misha Glenny ventured int…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 6:36am on August 21, 2018[SHARE]

One Life Stand review " a relationship lived through emoticons and kitten memes by Mark Fisher

Roundabout at Summerhall, EdinburghDating apps and cute cat gifs are stifling a couple's ability to communicate in Eve Nicol's play for Middle ChildWhat's a monogamist to do in the age of th…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:24am on August 20, 2018[SHARE]

Big Aftermath of a Small Disclosure review " four characters in search of a play by Mark Fisher

Summerhall, EdinburghShould Jon stay or should he go? That is the question in a drama of short sentences, questions and heavy sighsBig Aftermath of a Small Disclosure is a play. The play is …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 1:54am on August 20, 2018[SHARE]

Drip Feed review " heartbreaks and hangovers in Cork by Mark Fisher

Assembly George Square theatre, EdinburghKaren Cogan is compelling as a pleasure-seeking thirtysomething in this vivd solo show staged by Fishamble and Soho theatreYou can imagine another wr…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:18am on August 18, 2018[SHARE]

Trojan Horse review " Islamic schools 'plot' powerfully revisited by Mark Fisher

Summerhall, EdinburghA sobering examination of British children caught in media crossfireIn the spring of 2014, what was the Trojan horse? Was it the Islamist doctrine allegedly smuggled int…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:04am on August 17, 2018[SHARE]

Frites first: the Belgians making audiences laugh, sing and squirm by Mark Fisher

The Edinburgh festival's Big in Belgium season features daft whimsy, a Eurovision anthem and a headlong charge into uncomfortable territoryWhen the Smiths released Paint a Vulgar Picture , t…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:24pm on August 15, 2018[SHARE]

The Political History of Smack and Crack review " an unsparing portrait of addiction by Mark Fisher

Roundabout @ Summerhall, EdinburghA desperate love story is set against a broader picture of government hostility in Ed Edwards' gritty two-handerAccording to this urgent two-hander, the nam…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:32am on August 12, 2018[SHARE]

Status review " reflections of a world in flux by Mark Fisher

Summerhall, EdinburghIn monologue and song, Chris Thorpe explores nationality, identity and not accepting the story you're given about BrexitChris Thorpe says his one-man show is not about B…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 9:12am on August 11, 2018[SHARE]

Underground Railroad Game review " well-intentioned classroom project turns nasty by Mark Fisher

Traverse, EdinburghA history lesson on the American civil war becomes an exploration of race relations in the US today but soon stirs up ugly racist sentimentsMost arguments about inequality…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:04am on August 11, 2018[SHARE]