Not such a happy birthday in a Northern Irish home that harbours secrets

less observed traditionally, but wonderfully variegated

Helen Phillips (Pam) and Tom Richardson (Dennis) Just Between Ourselves Derby Theatre Photograph Will Green Connie Walker (Marjorie) and Holly Smith (Vera) Just Between Ourselves Derby Theatre Photograph Will Green Joseph Clowser as Neil Jus

Cast of Much Ado About Nothing. The RSC Photograph Marc Brenner Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare Directed by Michael Longhurst 'This review has much to unwrap!' Longhurst has concocted a modern day version of Much Ado [...] and as the audience files in and are locating their seats they are exposed to a media style presentation of a full on championship style football tournament. Claudio scores a hat-trick and the commentary and screens celebrate t

Taking their seats at the bar these down-to-earth, sweary individuals philosophise about the meaning of life and ponder over daft things.

Rina Fatania (Mariam) and Kerena Jagpal (Laila) A Thousand Splendid Suns 2025 at Birmingham Repertory Theatre Photograph Ellie Kurttz Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Based on the book A Thousand Splendid Suns Author Khaled Hosseini Adapted for stage by Ursula Rani Sarma Directed by Roxana Silbert Background Ursula Rani Sarma's stage adaptation based on Khaled Hosseini's heartwrenching and compelling fictional story of the plight of two Afghan women, Mariam and Laila, has returned to The

astonishing to observe the enthusiastic reception and by how much both men and women were equally loving this play.

The set of Kim's Convenience at Derby Theatre, Match 2025 Photograph Debra Hall Kim's Convenience Written by Ins Choi Directed by Esther Jun ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Overview Appa has been running his local convenience store in a Toronto neighbourhood for many years, he has become set in his ways and he fixates over small matters and enjoys stereotyping his clientele to make his day more interesting. He's a family man but carries a heavy heart mainly because of enstrangement; his wife Umma thin

Luke Thallon (Hamlet) HAMLET RSC 2025 Photography by Marc Brenner ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ HAMLET Directed by Rupert Goold Overview It's 1912 and on the deck of an ocean liner a Danish King lies dead under a draped flag of his country. Dignified respects are delivered before his body is cast into the dark and squally ocean waters. Prince Hamlet, while in mourning for his father feels bitter that his mother, Gertrude had hastily married his father's successor, uncle Claudius. Hamlet's gasp

Sayyid Aki (Khalil) in the play Community at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre Feb 2025 Photography Graeme Braidwood Writer, Farrah Chaudry Directed by Alice Chambers With her suitcase and designer bags in tow, Zoya loiters near a Birmingham bus route south of the centre. She is secretly relieved when her plan succeeds and she comes across an old acquaintance, the benevolent Leyla. Zoya remembered that Leyla lived locally (somewhere between Cannon Hill Park and Moseley) and th

Actor, Adeel Ali. A one-man play 10 Nights . Production Image play by Shahid Iqb 10 Nights ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stage Review10 Nights Writer Shahid Iqbal Khan Director Sâmir Bhamra Actor Adeel Ali It is the last ten days of Ramadan and Yasser is apprehensive about participating in itikaf for this duration inside the Mosque. This Islamic practice of seclusion and devotion to: prayer, the recitation of the Quran and to ibadah (worship); is not an easy prospect for Yasser as he will have

Demetri Goritsas (Sir Andrew) Joplin Sibtain (Sir Toby) Daniel Millar (Fabian) and forefront, Samuel West (Malvolio) The Royal Shakespeare Theatre Twelfth Night 2024/2025 Photograph by Helen Murray ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Directed by Prasanna Puwanarajah. A mid-twentieth century setting for this version and though always a challenge to our contemporary culture Twelfth Night still endures as a performance piece. The play's key themes include disguise, cross dressing, concealment and mistaken

Minal Patel (Hugh Pickering) David Seadon-Young (Henry Higgins) Molly Lynch (Eliza Doolittle). My Fair Lady at the Curve, Leicester (2024) Photography Marc Brenner Overview Professor of Phonetics, Henry Higgins, claims that he can geographically pinpoint where people originate from (especially in London boroughs) by the colloquial speech used and the quirks of language that a person has adopted. In London, Higgins meets up with Hugh Pickering as they share an interest in lin

Rachel Wilson (Mary Brenham) Kate Stuart (Dabby Bryant) Huw Randall (officer Ralph Clark). An amateur theatre production of Our Country's Good by Chatsworth Players (2024) Directed by Maggie Ford ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Background Our Country’s Good by contemporary playwright Timberlake Wertenbaker is based on the 1987 published novel The Playmaker by Australian novelist, Thomas Keneally, which tells of a group of convicted criminals, soldiers and marine officers transported from Britain

John Douglas Thompson as Othello and Juliet Rylance as Desdemona Othello Royal Shakespeare Theatre 2024 Directed by Tim Carroll Photograph by Rohan Persson ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Partially set in Venice and in Cypress this authentic version of Othello - directed by Tim Carroll is a genius RSC production. The male contingents of the play are mainly officers or noblemen/religious representatives. The Venetian senator, Brabantio cannot bear the idea of daughter, Desdemona being married to the

Lauren Foster, Aimee Berwick, Rebecca Holmes Bright Places at Birmingham Repertory Theatre (The Rep) Photography by Graeme Braidwood ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Peggy Ramsay Foundation helps dramatists in direct ways, a winning recipient of a bursary fund from this organisation is writer, Rae Mainwaring, for this play: Bright Places, which is at Birmingham's Repertory Theatre this week and kicks off a UK tour. Mainwaring was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at the age of 24 and so this pla

Jayden Hanley (Luther) Revealed at B2 The Belgrade Theatre Photograph by Nicola Young 'This is an honest, passionate and gritty play' ⭐⭐⭐⭐ In the summer of 2011 cities in England saw a spate of copycat riots happening. Revealed is therefore a contemporary play and the riots are a theme; it is set inside a Caribbean restaurant in Birmingham with violence and unrest occurring in the street(s). The tone of instability outside is mirrored inside when tensions rise and boil over

Chris Harper (Serge), Seann Walsh (Yvan) and Aden Gillett (Marc) ART at The Belgrade Theatre, Coventry Photograph by Geraint Lewis ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ART is a one-act play written by French dramatist, Yasmina Reza. Translated from French to English by Christopher Hampton (1996), this production of ART is touring - directed by Iqbal Khan. Marc, Serge and Yvan are close friends, however the true state of their friendship has altered and the respect they once held for one another, without

Ivan Stott (Bingo Bob) Welfare play at Derby Theatre, Oct 2024 Photograph by Pamela Raith 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Welfare is a new, full length play by Derby born writer, Abi Zakarian. As one might quite rightly anticipate the subject and topics of the play are down-to-earth and this wonderful, stylised interpretation for stage; directed by Sarah Brigham the CEO and Artistic Director at Derby Theatre, complements Zakarian's script and intention. Five generations of one family are tracked

A classic by Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816) written during the Restoration Period of English history, The School For Scandal premiered at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on 08 May 1777.