Posts Categorized: Editorial

Hola! Well, it’s opened. Viva Forever! The Spice Girls musical has finally opened for reviews. Here is what the Guardian said: http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2012/dec/11/viva-forever-review The Telegraph “banal”, “fatuous”, “ghastly mistake” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/9737630/Viva-Forever-Piccadilly-Theatre-review.html The Daily Express “what happened to the oomph, pizzazz and sheer excitement of Girl Power?” http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/364253/First-night-review-Viva-Forever-Piccadilly-Theatre The Daily Mail “Spicy?, No it’s a prize christmas turkey”… Read more »

When Stephen Fry did a runner from the West End production of Simon Gray’s play “Cell Mates” in 1995 and dropped out of public view it was a mystery worthy of Agatha Christie’s disappearance. Perhaps he even had Christie’s creation – Poirrot – in mind as he did in deed turn up in Belgium! Poirrot’s… Read more »

Bruce Norris has pulled the rights to a German production of Clybourne Park – his 2011 Pulitzer Award winning play – after the company planned to use a white woman “blacked up” to play a woman of African descent. The practice used to be common here and elsewhere in Europe – Google The Black and… Read more »

Sir Peter Hall went to the theatre on Friday night and nodded off. Well, he is nearly 82 and what he was dreaming of may have been more interesting than the production of Uncle Vanya he had been watching ’til the theatre fairy sprinkled some sleep dust in his eyes. The problem arose when he… Read more »

The Arts Council in England have managed to incorporate the 50% admin cut imposed by the previous Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt – but at some cost. Instead of eight regions there will now be five and with 117.5 fewer staff. The chief executive Alan Davey says there is a need for the ACE to be an… Read more »

The melting pot that is the Edinburgh Fringe bubbles over once more with a cornucopia of theatrical delights. Look at me blending my metaphors like a Moulinex! Or gosh! – Isn’t there a lot of different stuff on. Your valiant reviewer has been pounding the streets from morning ’til night to bring the best of… Read more »

The Scottish bard had it right when he said “The best laid plans of mice and men…” I was planning to report on themes broad and rich, on new writing with clever links galore. The Fringe in Edinburgh doesn’t quite work like that. It’s more like a magpie’s eye view. What you saw that moment,… Read more »

They are coming from all over the world, there will be a marathon of events but its not the Olympics – it’s the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – the biggest arts festival in the world. Yours truly has relocated to Edinburgh in advance of the cultural Olympiad. It’s bigger than ever with 2695 shows in all… Read more »