117 stories by "Veronica Lee"
Tabloid excess in the 1980s; gallows humour in reflections on life and death
Monstering the Rocketman by Henry Naylor, Pleasance Dome ★★★★
More mayhem from the Mischief company
From the creative team that brought you The Play That Goes Wrong in 2012 (and assorted sequels) comes this spy caper. As ever with Mischief productions,…
One-man play about a sporting great, and a hot topic served cold
Adam Riches: Jimmy Summerhall ★★★
Immigration madness given a panto makeover
The starting point of this musical comedy " using a panto format to take a deep dive into the UK's immigration law " comes from such a good place …
32-year-old comedian whose set explores race, class and migration becomes first British-Asian to take prize
A show about multiculturalism has won best show at the Edinburgh comedy awards. Ah…
A playwright's guilt, and a playwright's ego
Tennessee, Rose Pleasance Dome ★★★
Clare Cockburn's new play posits the notion that all the women in Tennessee Williams' wo…
Women in tune, musical improv, and a backstage story
Flat & the Curves Pleasance Dome ★★★★
Flat & the Curves " Katy Baker, Charlotte Brooke, Issy Wroe Wri…
Gripping one-man play, and Covid revisited
Groomed Pleasance Dome ★★★★
"How can a truth be told? How can a secret be spoken?" Patrick Sandford asks in Groomed, his s…
Sparky adaptation of legal spat
"Wagatha Christie" " I salute the bright spark who coined the term " describes, for those who don't follow such fripperies, the social media spat between foot…
Glittery stars and local heroes
What joy it is to have pantomime and Christmas shows back with full audiences up and down the country " everything from local shows to star-driven productions…
Jonathan Harvey's (mostly) family-friendly script sparkles
When Ian McKellen, one of our greatest Shakespearean actors, gave us his acclaimed Widow Twankey at the Old Vic in 2004, some wonde…
War as entertainment, Die Hard as an epic poem, and a potted biography
Afghanistan Is Not Funny, Gilded Balloon ★★★★
A musical whodunnit and an ovine origin story
Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder!, Summerhall ★★★★★
'World king' as a young man; and a comedy legend
Les Dawson: Flying High, Assembly George Square ★★★
Â
Any opportunity to watch impressionist Jon Culshaw at work i…
Brexit battle laid bare
Few critics become playwrights, but Tim Walker has done just that with Bloody Difficult Women, his debut. It's taking a risk; should any of his less generous critical…
Australian plays against type as the baddie
There was a time when UK pantomime was heavily populated by Australian soap stars; rather late in the day Jason Donovan " formerly known as Scott…
Shirley Ballas and Scarlett Moffatt are good fun
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells ★★★★
Clive Rowe dons the frocks, while Rob Rinder and Anton Du Beke slap their thighs
Jack and the Beanstalk, Hackney Empire ★★★
Premiere of solo stage production of TS Eliot's work
For 75 captivating minutes, Ralph Fiennes digs deep into TS Eliot's Four Quartets, the poet's interlinked reflections on time, faith and …
Yasmeen Khan's spoof has a big heart
Oscar Wilde's fabulous play satirised Victorian England and contained a shedload of quotable quips. Now Yasmeen Khan has written an updated and uprooted …
Free stream of its first pantomime
In a much depleted and truncated pantomime season that withered on the vine, the National Theatre's debut production of Dick Whittington lasted only four p…
Children and adults are catered for
Cinderella ****
I did worry that pantomime " that most audience-driven of theatrical pursuits " might not work through the tube, but Nottingham Playhous…
The Pin sketch duo's assured theatrical debut
Ben Ashenden and Alex Owen together form The Pin, a sketch duo who have won much critical acclaim and full houses in the Edinburgh Fringe shows.…
Jamie Kenna brings Brighton favourite to life
It's fitting that there's another run of Dave Simpson's terrific play about Brighton's favourite son, Max Miller (aka The Cheeky Chappie), at t…
Magnificent backdrop of ruins for fundraiser
On a normal bank holiday weekend there would be festival events held in the grounds of Glastonbury Abbey. But in this anything-but-normal year, c…
