Copyright Christmas

As the financial chill cuts even deeper and credit cards buckle under the strain of present-buying, performance group Duckie’s immersive satire on the cult of Christmas consumerism – directed by Mark Whitelaw and designed by Robin Whitemore – should be a belt-tighteningly relevant experience. But beneath the colour and the … Continue Reading Copyright Christmas

The Ladykillers

In the summer of 1954, while living in Hampstead, screenwriter Bill Rose had a dream about five criminals sharing a house with a little old lady. This stage adaptation of 1955 Ealing comedy The Ladykillers, the film it inspired – now at the Gielgud Theatre following a successful stint in … Continue Reading The Ladykillers

Cinderella

Alex Young deserves top marks for bringing a touch of magic to west London with his ambitious revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s sweeping musical fairytale. Designer Christopher Hone takes the tiny space and creates a toy-box world filled with illuminated houses stacked like presents. While not the song writing duo’s … Continue Reading Cinderella

Orpheus in the Underworld

Scottish Opera and Northern Ireland Opera’s co-production of Jacques Offenbach’s 1858 comic opera maintains the cheeky spirit of previous versions, updating the composer’s bawdy take on the Orpheus and Eurydice myth to mirror the world we live in now. Gone is the original’s mockery of Parisian life in Napoleon’s Second … Continue Reading Orpheus in the Underworld