835 stories by "Paul Vale"
Though the tribute act is still be a mainstay of regional theatres and club venues throughout the UK, few can boast the
John Hopkins is probably best remembered as the writer of Z Cars, a precursor to the gritty television cop dramas that are
The Phil Willmott Company's regular season at the Union Theatre revives classic plays that reflects social and political issues in contemporary society.
With advances in lighting and more televised performances, make-up, hair and wig training is more important than ever. Paul Vale looks at
Even before the final tally of box office receipts, it’s probably safe to assume that it’s been a very good year for
It was feared that when Fairfield Halls closed its doors for refurbishment in 2016 that live pantomime would disappear from the town.
Over the years, the story of Peter Pan has morphed from magical Christmas show into full-on riotous pantomime with varying degrees of
Before Qdos Entertainment ventured into the London Palladium, the shinning jewel in it's pantomime crown was at the Birmingham Hippodrome. It's still
The story of Robin Hood, with its broadly painted heroes and villains, makes a good basis for a family pantomime. Writer Alan
Building on the success of last year's Down the Rabbit Hole, Sink the Pink is back in the basement of Selfridges with
Of all the pantomimes, Aladdin perhaps offers the biggest opportunity to a stage designer. The story is, after all, filled with exotic
Last year, Qdos Entertainment brought pantomime back to the Palladium in grand style with its production of Cinderella. That show was a
The New Wimbledon pantomime was once a stronghold for First Family Entertainment, now it's been taken on by Qdos. It’s been 15
The Slave of the Ring is a single mum on a zero hours contract so when Abanazar beckons, she sends the kids
Trish Cooke and Robert Hyman’s adaptation of Rapunzel for Theatre Royal Stratford East may stray wildly from the original story, but that’s
Jon Bradfield and Martin Hooper, co-authors of Snow White " Rotten to the Core, have evicted the dwarves and replaced them with a
The 50th anniversary passing of the Sexual Offences Act has resulted in a lot of interesting new work. 1967 was a major
Encouraged by the reception of High Society last year, the same creative team has returned to the Mill at Sonning, with Lerner
This may be Charles Court Opera’s 11th pantomime in Islington, but rather than re-run familiar titles the company looks for inspiration elsewhere. Ancient
The Hackney Empire pantomime has a proud history of innovation and diversity. It's known for good all-round family entertainment. The challenge of
When Jayaben Desai initiated a picket line at the Grunwick Film Processing Laboratories in 1976, she was setting off a string of
As the festive season gets underway, Paul Vale shares his picks from the UK's Christmas theatre offerings 1. Aladdin, Towngate Theatre, Basildon November 28-January
Earlier this year, the panto war ended when Qdos took over long-time competitor First Family Entertainment. Paul Vale looks at the unforeseen
In 2007 Blair on Broadway garnered much critical acclaim for creators Iain Hollingshead and Timothy Muller. Ten years later they have reunited
Neither Anna nor Becca are where they are supposed to be. Teenager Becca has been forced to do community service in a
