All stories by Mark Fisher on BroadwayStars

Friday, November 25, 2022

Peter Pan and Wendy review " modern-day myth goes light on existential dread by Mark Fisher

Pitlochry Festival theatreThis wholesome adaptation, featuring a preening Captain Hook, focuses on playroom fun in a beautifully designed production Captain Hook looks as if he has stepped o…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:32PM[SHARE]
Sunday, November 20, 2022

Robin Hood and The Babes in The Wood review " familiar folk hero robbed of outlaw action by Mark Fisher

Coliseum, OldhamWhile younger audience members will find plenty to shout about, the classic story struggles to take shape as a panto We could certainly do with a bit of stealing from the ric…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:48AM[SHARE]
Friday, November 18, 2022

One Off review " former inmate crafts a harrowingly authentic prison drama by Mark Fisher

Live theatre, NewcastleRic Renton's raw four-hander is an enthralling study of male vulnerability with a deeply felt message for the justice system That Ric Renton's gripping new play has th…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:36AM[SHARE]
Thursday, November 17, 2022

The Scouse Jack and the Beanstalk review " perfect panto for tough times by Mark Fisher

Royal Court, LiverpoolCow jokes are heavily milked in this family-friendly show, alongside nods to the city's star turn as next year's Eurovision host Within weeks of the news that Liverpool…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:24AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, October 26, 2022

The Beauty Queen of Leenane review " wrangling mother and daughter in dark comedy thriller by Mark Fisher

Theatre by the Lake, KeswickWith an excruciating clash of characters locked in a plot that is equal parts funny, sad and violent, this timeless production is as familiar as it is unsettling …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:19AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Enough of Him review " master and slave square off as Scotland abolishes bondage by Mark Fisher

Pitlochry festival theatreMay Sumbwanyambe's drama tells the story of the man who established that slavery was forbidden by Scots law " but this is no easy celebration It is the start of May…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:07AM[SHARE]
Monday, October 24, 2022

Shirley Valentine review " hilarious and heartrending revival of a romantic classic by Mark Fisher

Pitlochry festival theatreSally Reid is superbly deadpan in this devastating production of Willy Russell's play about a woman who catches a glimpse of the life she could be living Willy Russ…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:07AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, October 19, 2022

Forgotten Voices review " steely defiance in apartheid-era South Africa by Mark Fisher

Shakespeare North Playhouse, PrescotA crisp production tells the extraordinary real-life story of Eva Moorhead who laid the groundwork for the ANC In December 1919, dock workers in Cape Town…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:13AM[SHARE]
Monday, October 17, 2022

The Time Machine review " radical feminist retelling of the HG Wells classic looks to the future by Mark Fisher

Cumbernauld theatre at LanternhouseThe four actors are less interested in Wells's sci-fi fantasy than in the divisions of today as they stock up for the coming apocalypse with onions, tampon…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:43AM[SHARE]
Friday, October 14, 2022

La Performance review " bittersweet homage to Les Enfants du Paradis by Mark Fisher

Tron theatre, GlasgowA hazily defined relationship makes it hard to fathom the squabbles and romance in this wordless show inspired by 1940s French cinema What's not to like? You've got Rame…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:25AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, October 12, 2022

Trainspotting Live review " ferocious drama plunges you into world of Irvine Welsh by Mark Fisher

Platform, GlasgowAn exhilarating show shifts Renton, Sick Boy and pals into the acid house era " and is even more visceral than the book Perhaps you thought Trainspotting was too coy. Maybe …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:07AM[SHARE]
Friday, October 7, 2022

Jekyll and Hyde review " #MeToo transformation explores monstrous masculinity by Mark Fisher

Derby theatreNeil Bartlett's version of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic has female leads laying bare the rot at the heart of a beastly boys' club We all love a chorus line. We love the coor…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:33AM[SHARE]
Thursday, October 6, 2022

Don Quixote: Man of Clackmannanshire review " the knight-errant mounts a mobility scooter by Mark Fisher

Dundee RepThis modern-day take on Cervantes' classic novel follows the ageing Donald who has had enough of daytime television, tea and biscuits Everyone who cares for Uncle Donald has the sa…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:19AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, October 5, 2022

James IV: Queen of the Fight review " the explosive court of the Scottish king by Mark Fisher

Festival theatre, Edinburgh The circle of the 16th-century monarch is fraught with brittle alliances and racism in Rona Munro's new history play It's a cosmopolitan place, the court of James…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:33AM[SHARE]
Sunday, October 2, 2022

Accidental Death of an Anarchist review " a riotous satirical farce brought bang up to date by Mark Fisher

Crucible, SheffieldTom Basden's new adaptation of the Italian classic brings in dodgy selfies, WhatsApp groups and the lord chief justice in a furious but funny broadside against police malp…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:19AM[SHARE]
Friday, September 30, 2022

A Billion Times I Love You review " 'The kids get the meat and I get the fat' by Mark Fisher

Everyman theatre, LiverpoolTheatre meets couples counselling as a night of wine, passion and allegations of infidelity leave two women pulling their relationship apart Jesse is on her guard.…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:03AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, September 28, 2022

A Midsummer Night's Dream review " gleefully anarchic opening show by Mark Fisher

Shakespeare North Playhouse, PrescotNew playhouse kicks off with a boisterous, boundary-pushing production that is inventive enough to find fresh laughs in the mechanicals You can see how it…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:37AM[SHARE]
Sunday, September 25, 2022

The Book Thief review " assured and courageous musical adaptation of global bestseller by Mark Fisher

Octagon theatre, BoltonThe paean to the power of the printed word loses none of its earnest intent in a deft and tremendously delivered production adapted by author Jodi Picoult When Liesel…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:25AM[SHARE]
Thursday, September 22, 2022

Othello review " Frantic Assembly's urgent, thrilling tragedy by Mark Fisher

Curve, LeicesterThis physical, modern-day version is immersed in violence, with gang members vying for sex and authority around a pool table There is nothing polite about Frantic Assembly's …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:13AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Shakers: Under New Management review " zero-hours Godber spikes the punch by Mark Fisher

Theatre Royal, WakefieldJane Thornton and John Godber's knockabout 1985 cocktail bar comedy is updated to the cost of living crisis era, with a downsized cast doing a valiant job of keeping …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:55AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, September 13, 2022

Queen of the Fight: the royally revelatory drama about James IV's court by Mark Fisher

After her gripping trilogy The James Plays, Rona Munro continues her ambitious series on Scottish history with a saga about power and race in the 16th century When an early draft of Rona Mun…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:07AM[SHARE]
Sunday, September 11, 2022

The Maggie Wall review " vivid tale of a woman burned for witchcraft by Mark Fisher

Pitlochry Festival theatreIn a monologue starring the excellent Blythe Jandoo, Martin McCormick finds a fearful, misogynistic, class-ridden society to blame for a girl's death There is somet…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:07PM[SHARE]
Friday, September 9, 2022

The Importance of Being Earnest review " knockabout fun with Wilde's genteel wit by Mark Fisher

Leeds PlayhouseDenzel Westley-Sanderson's staging of the high-society comedy adds a welcome dose of playfulness amid the cucumber sandwiches On the way into the theatre there is a pop-up dis…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:03AM[SHARE]
Thursday, September 8, 2022

The Glass Menagerie review " astonishing refresh upturns a delicate classic by Mark Fisher

Royal Exchange, ManchesterMaking dynamic use of a sparse stage and a spinning neon sign, Atri Banerjee's adventurous production gives new shape to Tennessee Williams' play You mess with The …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:19PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Family Album review " Alan Ayckbourn's playful snapshot of social flux by Mark Fisher

Stephen Joseph theatre, ScarboroughSkipping between three generations from the 50s to the present, this occasionally poignant play pulls back from the emotional force of its concept At 83, A…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:55AM[SHARE]
Sunday, August 28, 2022

Sister Radio review " a four-decade silence grows sinister as two Iranian siblings share a flat by Mark Fisher

Pitlochry festival theatreSara Shaarawi's two-hander captures tenderness and sadness as the sisters negotiate the Islamic revolution, exile and betrayal Fatemeh has just introduced her siste…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:54AM[SHARE]

The Comedy of Errors review " fun and funny but a touch too manic by Mark Fisher

Live at No 40, GlasgowDirector Dominic Hill brings exuberance to Shakespeare's tale of two sets of identical twins unknowingly at large in the same city Ephesus is quite the place. It has it…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:37AM[SHARE]
Friday, August 26, 2022

When You Walk Over My Grave review " metatheatrical musings on mortality by Mark Fisher

Church Hill theatre, EdinburghSergio Blanco's bad-taste drama uses deadpan humour and a tapestry of cultural allusions to probe our fixation with death In Mary Shelley's novel, Victor Franke…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:12PM[SHARE]
Thursday, August 25, 2022

Payday Party review " joyful true-life cabaret sassily skewers the cost-of-living crisis by Mark Fisher

Pleasance Dome, EdinburghWhether tap dancing, singing Abba's Money, Money, Money or lamenting the limitations of bargain-shop 'pound pants', the Welsh cast are cheeky and defiant Emilie Parr…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:18AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, August 24, 2022

As British as a Watermelon review " memories of migration are hard to read by Mark Fisher

The Studio, Festival theatre, EdinburghPersonal trauma, the horrors of migration and religious rhetoric feature in an impassioned narrative that ultimately feels more private than shared Man…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:03PM[SHARE]
Monday, August 22, 2022

From junkie poets to jailtime: August Wilson's How I Learned What I Learned " review by Mark Fisher

Assembly Rooms, EdinburghLester Purry is at home performing the late playwright's breezy yet purposeful collection of stories from his youth, in its European premiere In the hands of a less…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:25AM[SHARE]

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