Debra Hall Creative

Actor, Adrian Lester is Cyrano de Bergerac An RSC production at The Swan Theatre 2025 Photograph Marc Brenner ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Title: Cyrano de Bergerac Written by Edmond Rostand Directed and co-adapted by Simon Evans Co-adaptor Debris Stevenson Written over a century ago and prem

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

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.

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

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

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.

Adonis Siddique (and 'I' - Marwood) and Robert Sheehan (Withnail) in the stage premiere of Withnail and I The Birmingham Repertory Theatre May 2024 Photograph by Manuel Harlan Writer, Bruce Robinson’s Withnail and I  has finally been brought to stage. This totally British cult tale made famous by the film version by Handmade Films  (1987), is about two, jobbing actors seeking work and has premiered at the Birmingham Rep this month, directed by Sean Foley.  Overview It is Camd

Tristan Sturrock (Blue Beard) and Katy Owen (Mother Superior) Blue Beard a new play by Wise Children Written and Directed by Emma Rice Photographer Steve Tanner ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Led by writer and director, Emma Rice for touring theatre company Wise Children , this new play Blue Beard  is a co-production that is flaunty, explicit, amusing and serious and, pretty much, all at the same time. Based on Charles Perrault's  Blue Beard (published 1697) there have been many retellings of the Fre

Spring 2024 My Fair Lady CHATSWORTH PLAYERS Background Professor Higgins of Walpole Street, London, teaches phonetics. He claims that he can identify where people are from and where the influences originate in regard to the quirks of speech and language they have adopted. Therefore, when Higgins meets the young, Eliza Doolittle, a flower seller with a strong Cockney accent, he treats her like a social experiment. He believes that he can raise her position in London society if

Jodie McNee as Julia  Minority Report live on stage ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A play based on the 1956 sci-fi novella publication of The Minority Report  by American author, Philip K. Dick (1928-1982), and adapted for stage by English actor and writer, David Haig; this production is a fantastic achievement - from early conception to its live performance...a monumental undertaking! Setting is mid 21st-century, futuristic London. The first scene opens with a tenth anniversary event marking the sta

The cast of Animal Farm   Derby Theatre 2024 Photograph by Pamela Raith ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Writer, George Orwell (1903-1950) presented his well documented theories of political manipulation in the unusual format of farm animals becoming self governing in his acclaimed novel Animal Farm.  The dramatisation for stage is an adaptation by Ian Wooldridge.   Overview The pigs possess higher intelligence than the other animals and so they set about putting forward seven commandments as a code to

Chatsworth Players perform A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare pictured are members of the cast A Summer 2023 touring production  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Another five star production by Chatsworth Players!' Shakespeare's amusing tale of mix up and mayhem has been toured across open air venues of the North Peak District by Chatsworth Players this July. The reviewer attended the final date in Darley Dale where company members gave quality performances despite having to deal with cl