Tag Archives: manchester

Aspects of Love, Southwark Playhouse

Posted on January 11, 2019 by mkmswain

“Love Changes Everything”, as immortalised by Michael Ball, is the most enduring feature of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Don Black and Charles Hart’s 1989 musical – a moderate West End success, and a Broadway flop. Jonathan O’Boyle’s production, seen last year at Manchester’s Hope … Continue reading →

Posted in Journalism, Theatre | Tagged andrew lloyd webber, aspects of love, hope mill, jonathan o'boyle, london, love, love changes everything, madalena alberto, manchester, michael ball, musical, paris, review, revival, romance, southwark playhouse, theartsdesk, theatre | Leave a comment

Pomona, National Theatre

Posted on September 25, 2015 by mkmswain

Last year, new Orange Tree artistic director Paul Miller electrified his theatre by programming Alistair McDowall’s brilliant and brutal dystopian thriller. Now it occupies the National’s Temporary space, with most of its excellent original cast intact. Read my full Ham & … Continue reading →

Posted in Journalism, Theatre | Tagged alistair mcdowall, contemporary, crime, drama, dystopian, fantasy, game, ham and high, horror, island, lovecraft, manchester, national theatre, orange tree theatre, organ harvesting, pomona, prostitution, quest, review, rpg, sci fi, temporary space, theatre | Leave a comment

Blind Date, Jermyn Street Theatre

Posted on January 27, 2015 by mkmswain

Dating in the internet age is rife with complications, and yet Dave Simpson’s amiable romcom manages to eschew nearly all of them. Bar its online matchmaking set-up, this is a chaste, big-hearted time capsule of a play, with nary a … Continue reading →

Posted in Journalism, Theatre | Tagged blind date, catastrophe, coronation street, date, dates, dating, drama, facebook, internet, jb shorts, jermyn street theatre, london, love, man city, manchester, marriage, online dating, play, review, richard curtis, romance, sex, snapchat, strictly come dancing, susan mcardle, television, the arts desk, the nether, theartsdesk, theatre, tinder, tv, twitter, will travis | Leave a comment

East is East, Richmond Theatre

Posted on January 20, 2015 by mkmswain

The mark of a great revival is that compelling combination of recapturing the past and commenting on the present. Ayub Khan Din’s distinctive comedy/drama, which impressed on its searing 1996 debut and subsequent 1999 award-winning film adaptation, is reborn in … Continue reading →

Posted in Journalism, Theatre | Tagged 1970s, asian, Ayub Khan Din, bargain theatreland, comedy, culture, drama, east is east, family, film, immigrant, india, jane horrocks, london, manchester, marriage, movie, muslim, paki, pakistan, parent, play, review, revival, richmond theatre, salford, stage, theatre, trafalgar studios | Leave a comment

Strange tale of odd couple is ambitious but elusive work

Posted on November 6, 2014 by mkmswain

Robert Holman’s influence is evident in the work of a number of today’s leading playwrights, and his talent for uncovering the arresting in the ordinary is encapsulated by the memorably strange Jonah and Otto, which premiered at Manchester’s Royal Exchange … Continue reading →

Posted in Journalism, Theatre | Tagged beckett, child, drama, existential, father, god, islington gazette, jonah and otto, london, manchester, north london, odd couple, parent, park theatre, play, review, robert holman, royal exchange, son, theatre | Leave a comment

A melodramatic production that needs more bite to really engage

Posted on October 17, 2014 by mkmswain

You would think the 2005 London bombings and their turbulent aftermath offer more than enough drama for an 80-minute play, but actor-turned-writer Damien Tracey adds to the mix political intrigue, romantic scandal, and not one but two ethnically charged revenge … Continue reading →

Posted in Journalism, Theatre | Tagged 2005, 7/7, bombings, bus, drama, extremist, gun, ham and high, hate preacher, hostage, islam, islamic, london, manchester, media, murder, muslim, park theatre, play, politician, politics, pr, revenge killing, review, scandal, shooting, terrorism, terrorist, theatre, tube, warde street | Leave a comment

Warde Street, Park Theatre

Posted on October 7, 2014 by mkmswain

The advantage of basing drama on real events, particularly emotive ones like the 2005 London bombings, is that they have inbuilt resonance; the disadvantage, all too apparent in 2013 play Warde Street, is that it can be challenging to articulate a … Continue reading →

Posted in Journalism, Theatre | Tagged 2005, 7/7, albion, alecky blythe, attack, bombing, bus, drama, eastenders, killing, london, malcolm tucker, manchester, murder, muslim, park theatre, play, politician, politics, review, shooting, terrorist, the arts desk, the thick of it, the vertical hour, theatre, trial, tube, warde street, widower | Leave a comment

Tag Archives: manchester

Aspects of Love, Southwark Playhouse

Pomona, National Theatre

Blind Date, Jermyn Street Theatre

East is East, Richmond Theatre

Strange tale of odd couple is ambitious but elusive work

A melodramatic production that needs more bite to really engage

Warde Street, Park Theatre

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