TRADGE THE THEATRE GEEK

Compelling, strangely endearing Yasmina Reza piece has far more to it than meets the eye ----- Does anyone, even the most artistically inclined among us, really know what they're talking about when it comes to critiquing art? Often there are as many views on a partiular piece as there are artists features in a gallery, but do said views stem from a genuine appreciation of the item in question, or more from a desire not to come across as ignorant of its intentions? One thing i

Latest staging of Sondheim masterpiece has us on a knife edge ----- It's more than 4 and a half decades since audiences first attended the tale on broadway, and this macabre Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler musical, based on the 19th century Penny Dreadful series "The String of Pearls", remains one of the most popular and frequently staged of all time. Set in 1846, young sailor Anthony Hope arrives in London with the enigmatic eponymous figure, whom he has rescued at sea, fo

Bechdel biography is bloomin' brilliant, will warm and break your heart in equal measure ----- It's been a neat 20 years since Alison Bechdel's original graphic novel significantly altered the literary and pop-culture landscape, legitimising the entire medium of graphic novels, whilst also bringing more substantial queer stories into the mainstream. Fast forward another 7 years and Jeanine Tesori, riding on the success of hits like "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and "Shrek the Mu

Ancient Greek comedy romp proves surprisingly underwhelming, in a rare miss for Mischief ----- As we witness the premiere of their first ever musical, it's clear that Mischief Theatre really did take the idea of "let's start at the very beginning" and run with it, taking us all the way back to Thespis, often considered the first ever actor, as a man who broke the mould and revolutionised theatre as we know it over two and a half millennia ago. This of course isn't the first t

Heartfelt homage to Yorkshire Brass Band hits all the right notes ----- It's been over 4 decades since the miner's strike, and the acceleration of pit closures resulting from the defeat of the union in parliament, yet the hurt caused to so many working class communities by Margaret Thatcher's premiership is still as raw as it ever has been; amidst the damage done to these salt of the earth working men and women though, there are still so many stories of hope that have come ou

Quirky but bold and calculated new play provides insightful spotlight for online sex work ----- There is undoubtedly still a major, deeply ingrained stigma that surrounds sex work in the western world, due to a mix of moral and legal grey areas, as well as traditionalist views on its practice, and its historically exploitative nature. And whilst the major shift to working online, through sites such as OnlyFans, has given those using it to earn a living a far greater degree of

Harrowing yet heartfelt new play sheds uncomfortable light on British care system ----- Nobody is safe from the looming presence of father time, and if you are privileged enough to have a long, healthy life, the sad reality of getting stuck in the care system can sap away the last remaining remnants of life that may be present behind your tired eyes. As dour and depressing a sentiment as that may be, that is very much the reality in which millions in this country often find t

Brilliant writing let down by rushed direction and wobbly presentation of the text ----- There is a beautiful sense of irony in former British intelligence officer John Le Carré's best known and most successful spy novel, "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold", being the work that allowed him to leave MI6 to pursue writing full time, though the push provided by Kim Philby's betrayal to the KGB would possibly also have been welcomed in some perverse way. This considered, La Carré

Natalie Beech work ticks all boxes thematically, but lacks focus ----- We've surely all come across the social media thought experiment: as a woman alone in the woods, would you rather be there with a man or a bear, and in which of these two scenarios would you feel the most safe? That really is all there is to it in terms of the overriding thematic material in this new work by Natalie Beech, which explores feminism, power dynamics, sexual politics, and individual autonomy, w

Slick, stylish new production brings the best out of this underrated Kander & Ebb work ----- Though the incomparable Goliaths of musical theatre John Kander and Fred Ebb have quite the compositional back catalogue from which to choose, it is fair to say that the vast majority of people, when asked, would only be familiar with their two biggest hitters, “Chicago” and/or “Cabaret”, with both currently experiencing long-term major revivals. Enter their surrealist, seven-time Ton

Dull, confused mess of a show fails to make its intentions known ----- The year is 2015, the USA have their first ever black president, and to boot they have just legalised same-sex marriage nationwide, all of which is, of course, a major cause for celebration, though that is until one orange faced Apprentice host edges his way into the White House...and that's more or less about as much as I was able to decipher from this bizarre, bite-sized Henry Parkman Biggs and Preston J

Rousing, riveting and relevant, this new play shines a light on the plight of refugees ----- Given the various hardships, horrors, and impossible situations experienced by countless displaced persons in the middle east, one can only imagine going through it as a child, let alone having to try and communicate it to a classroom full of 9 and 10 year olds. First premiering at the Rose Theatre in 2024, and recently awarded the Olivier Award for best new family show, "The Boy at

Full of youthful exuberance, ecstasy, agony and rage, a true masterpiece by Kimberly Belflower ----- Take a classroom of teenagers in rural Georgia, USA, give them an assignment to study and reevaluate Arthur Miller ’s play “ The Crucible ”, throw in a healthy smattering of power dynamics, feminine fury and sexual politics, and what you end up with is probably one of the most authentic, intelligent new plays in recent years. This is largely driven by its comprehensive, unfilt

Disjointed, rushed later life triple hander struggles to find its way ----- However we live our lives, spend our time on this planet, there is no escaping the inevitable passing of time, and in an age when technology dominates our very existence, the importance of human interaction cannot be overstated; falling out of this loop at any point can make you feel isolated, lonely, and unable to find that spark to reignite the fire that once burned within. In this new Bren Gosling

Another triumph from James Graham, with this gripping yet heartfelt true story ----- They say when you're young you make more mistakes than at any other point in your life, but that whether you're young or old, each one is a valuable learning experience. What do you do, then, when a drunken night out turns deadly, and before you know it, a single violent action has turned not only your life, but those of countless others, completely upside down? Double Olivier Award winner J

Plenty of charm, warmth and wit on display in new staging of this Coward classic ----- After the success of the recent revival of Jim Cartwright 's play " Road ", artistic director Selina Cartmell 's second outing at Manchester's resident in-the-round space is a new revival of arguably one of the most popular and regularly staged works of English playwright Noël Coward , previously staged at the Royal Exchange in 1995 and later in 2011. " Private Lives " is a play that is mo

With fresh faces at the helm, Anaïs Mitchell's musical masterpiece still soars high ----- " Hadestown " is a musical that, in and of itself, has a history that spans now two decades, first premiering in Vermont during 2006 prior to a mini tour of Massachusetts, however the material showcased is millennia old. The success and popularity of the musical is not only a testament to the power of Anaïs Mitchell 's retelling of these stories through her sumptuous New Orleans jazz-ins

Windrush drama doesn't hold back in its depictions of post-war racial contention ----- There's no escaping the fact that adjusting to the influx of Caribbean immigrants to the UK in the 1940s was a challenge for the majority of ordinary working people, as anti-black prejudice was so societally ingrained that deviation from this imported ideology would arguably make one a pariah, with even the most compassionate and open-minded individuals hesitant in fully committing to defen

Comer delivers heart-stopping performance of Suzie Miller's groundbreaking one-woman legal drama ----- Irony and the idea of legal and moral intersectionality are both terribly cruel mistresses, often playing into the notion that things are never simply black and white when it comes to directly comparing what is morally right, and what is structurally and observably correct. Defence barrister Tessa Ensler has spent much of her legal career in defence of men who find themselve

Triumphant homecoming for SpitLip, as Mincemeat continues to dazzle and delight ----- From its earliest run in the 80-seater New Diorama Theatre , the Mincemeat juggernaut has been steadily picking up steam over the past seven years, and for a piece of theatre to go from a studio in Salford and the fringes of the London theatre scene all the way to broadway is nothing short of extraordinary. Having conquered both London and New York, SpitLip (comprising David Cumming , Felix