Birdhouse

***

Inspired by Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’, Birdhouse is a curious and intriguing concoction of scenes and live music. It opens with the four female performers dressed to appear as elderly women similarly attired in two piece outfits and wearing dark … Read More

Mother F

**

A mixture of styles, including puppetry, sketches, and dance are used in this production with motherhood as the central theme. Sisters Susan (Susan Swanton) and Isabel (Isabel Ford) make their first appearance as talking baby dolls in a humorous … Read More

Oh My Irma

****

Haley McGee gives a compelling performance in her own darkly comic, violent and complex drama as a young woman who has a strange and disturbing appearance. Her hair has a wild look; her large glasses have been taped because … Read More

Losing the Plot

****

John Godber’s play is a lively and contemporary take on the common themes of the battle of the sexes and the mid-life crises of couples in their late forties with teenage children. Steve Huison as Jack and Susan Cookson … Read More

I Need a Doctor: The Unauthorised Whosical Adventure

****

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Dr Who series and Jamie (James Wilson-Taylor) and Jess (Jessica Spray) had planned a musical comedy as a tribute. However, a letter from the BBC forbids them from making direct references … Read More

The Unremarkable Death of Marilyn Monroe

*****

Marilyn Monroe’s life and career still fascinate more than fifty years after her death. After carrying out detailed research, writer and director Elton Townend Jones takes a leap of imagination to speculate on the thoughts and emotions that might … Read More

No Direction

***

Albert Wellings’ drama takes the form of a play within a play. It features Wellings as one of the two un-named characters and Ronnie Toms as the other.

The play opens with the two men bursting onto the stage, … Read More

Next Door

***

The trigger for this show was the death of Ivan Hansen’s neighbour who lived in an adjoining flat in Hansen’s home city of Copenhagen. Despite living in such close proximity, they did not know each other. He considered what … Read More

It’s Dark Outside

*****

Tim Watts, Arielle Gray and Chris Isaacs have created an absolute gem of visual theatre. There is live stage action in the form of puppetry and mime. A full size screen of cinema dimensions is used to convey back-lit … Read More

Phil Nichol – The Weary Land 4***

I guess most people would be aware of Phil Nichol as a manic stand-up comedian, after all he has won awards for this, but there is far more in his armoury than just that. He is a very good actor … Read More