This month's offering from the Royalty Theatre is a dark comedy by Eric Chappell, who most people will know as the writer of sit-coms such as Rising Damp, Only When I Laugh, and Duty Free. This play is very reminiscent of such sit-coms: a collection of disparate characters thrown together in an unusual or unfamiliar … Continue reading Natural Causes – REVIEW

People's Theatre, Newcastle. The Blue Electric Wind is a new piece of writing, by ex-Royal Court Young Writer Brad Birch, commissioned by the National Theatre’s literary department specifically for young performers. It is, as would be expected, a great script with some interesting and complex ideas, and the cast of the Young People’s Theatre do … Continue reading The Blue Electric Wind – 4 stars

People's Theatre, Newcastle. Hugh Whitemore’s play about the brilliant mathematician Alan Turing - key player in the breaking of the German Enigma code at Bletchley Park during World War II and a pioneer of computer science – was first presented at London’s Theatre Royal Haymarket in 1986, before transferring to Broadway the following year. It … Continue reading Breaking the Code – 5 stars

People's Theatre, Newcastle. After having watched the 1980 film of ‘The Mirror Crack’d’ just the other night, I was very much in the mood for more Agatha Christie and was looking forward to this People’s production when it opened this week. All in all, it’s fair to say that I wasn’t disappointed. The play is … Continue reading Go Back For Murder – 3 stars

People's Theatre, Newcastle. Stage adaptations of popular classic television comedies are ten a penny these days - understandably so in the current climate of aiming to get as many bums on seats as possible. This is the third such adaptation I’ve seen the People’s stage in recent years (the other two being Yes, Prime Minister … Continue reading Hi-de-Hi! – 3 stars