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Review added of “Macbeth”  (LINKED)  at the National Theatre. This was critically reviled when it opened. It runs at the same time as the RSC production reviewed here earlier, so comparison is inevitable.

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Review added  of Absolute Hell by Rodney Ackland from The National Theatre. This is a huge production with a cast of twenty-eight of the play set in a Soho night club in 1945. Does it justify such a lavish production? Read the review.

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Review of Romeo & Juliet at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, (LINKED) Stratford added. This was directed by Erica Whyman who did the A Midsummer Night’s Dream- A Play For The Nation in 2016 at the RSC. As you’d guess, it’s an urban youth setting, urgent, exciting.

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Review of The Fantastic Follies of Mrs Rich at the Royal Shakespeare Company Stratford. The play dates from 1700, written by Mary Pix. Here it is revived in a major RSC production, starring SophieStanton as Mrs Rich.

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Review added of Noel Coward’s “Present Laughter” (LINKED) which opens the Chichester Festival Season 2018. Directed by Sean Foley, with Rufus Hound in the lead role. This goes all out for comedy … it is very funny, though broader than usual. Excellent.

Picture: Rufus Hound as Garry & Lucy Briggs-Owen as Joanna.

Gsarry & Joanna

Review of Much Ado About Nothing (linked) at the Rose Theatre, Kingston-upon-Thames. This production imagines the play in Sicily with Don Pedro as a Mafia boss, staying at Leonato’s luxury hotel. High concept. Mel Giedroyc (Great British Bake Off) starsas Beatrice, with John Hopkins as Benedick.

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Review of THE BOOTLEG BEATLES in Bournemouth. They are touring with The Pepperland Sinfonia and this is a chance to hear the songs The Beatles never played live, and given the changes in technology, probably couldn’t have played live. It may be a tribute band, but it’s one of the shows I have most enjoyed in years. Don’t miss them.

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Review of Hamlet starring Andrew Scott as the Prince. This production started at the Almeida in 2017, moved to the West End where it was filmed for the BBC, and shown at Easter 2018. Andrew Scott is the best Hamlet we’ve seen in years.

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You’ve read The Da Vinci Code? Angels & Demons? Inferno? Origin? Seen the films? Then look ahead to this sneak preview of an extract from The Shakespeare Cod-Pieceanother conspiracy story in the saga of the Harvard Professor of Symbology.

Shakespeare Cod Piece cover

WARNING: This is (NOT) by Dan Brown.

Review of the Wanamaker Playhouse production of The Four Seasons: A Re-imagining. Max Richter “re-composed” Vivaldi’s Four Seasons in 2012. His version is performed live with the addition of a narrative puppet theatre by Gyre& Gimble. Magical, and playing until late April too.

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