For the latest in-house production at Greenwich Theatre, director James Haddrell is following in the footsteps of Jamie Lloyd (and Pinter at the Pinter) by staging a double bill of Harold Pinter’s short plays A Slight Ache and The Dumb Waiter. They are paired in part because they were both written in the 1950s (The Dumb Waiter in 1957, A […]
Read More The Dumb Waiter and A Slight Ache“An Englishman doesn’t joke when he is talking about so serious a thing as a wager.” Buttoned-up Victorian gentleman Phileas Fogg may take his wagers seriously, but that’s far from the tone taken by Juliet Forster’s adaptation of the classic Jules Verne novel, Around The World In 80 Days, as a ringmaster and his troupe […]
Read More Around The World In 80 Days“Just call the English public schoolboys – we’ll sort it all out!” Words that are far from reassuring in everyday life actually pay off when it comes to Operation Mincemeat, the hit British musical that has transferred its way around several Off West End theatres before landing in its new West End home, the Fortune […]
Read More Operation Mincemeat“When you try your best but you don’t succeed, when you get what you want but not what you need…” Grief-stricken alcoholic Chrissy can’t help but replay the same memories over & over in her head; as she re-lives her final conversation with her daughter (Heather), she persists in talking to her sister (Claire) about […]
Read More The Dry HouseWriters have been drawing inspiration (and utilising characters) from classical mythology for their own work for centuries – Shakespeare famously put his grammar school Ovid education to good use on multiple occasions – so Rafaella Marcus’ SAP (now running at Soho Theatre, as part of a nationwide tour) has joined an illustrious collection. Though not […]
Read More SAPIf 90s fashion can make an ill-advised comeback, then it’s about time that music from that decade rediscovered its popularity. No, I don’t mean Britpop – I’m talking about riot grrrl. And, thanks to gig theatre show Sugar Coat, this feminist punk movement is firmly back on people’s music radars. The show itself is a […]
Read More Sugar CoatWhen I said “I wonder which apocalyptic horseman I’ll be letting loose this time..?” in my introductory post, I meant that as a joke. That was not an excuse for the world to unleash a horrible cold on me for the first time in 16 months. Though I am pleased about that record (it’s definitely the […]
Read More #MindTheMusicals 2023: to be continued…The day is finally here. After an initial run at the New Diorama Theatre, a couple of engagements at Southwark Playhouse (both Little and Large), and a stint at Riverside Studios, SpitLip tonight begin their first preview of Operation Mincemeat at the Fortune Theatre. The year is 1943 and we’re losing the war. Luckily, we’re about to […]
Read More Operation Mincemeat: “I thought it was really weird that they had a man playing Monty…”It’s been a while! The last time I did a musicals week, a global pandemic followed in fairly quick succession, so I wonder which apocalyptic horseman I’ll be letting loose this time..? I’ve not wanted to do a musicals week until now, partly because I’d become a bit frustrated with them (time and time again […]
Read More Challenge Week 2023: Mind The MusicalsRecently crowned winners of the Best Musical Production at the Off West End Awards, SpitLip are set to move their hit show Operation Mincemeat to the West End for a limited run this spring; they take over at the Fortune Theatre, following The Woman In Black‘s haunting 33-year run. Singin’ in the Rain meets Strangers on […]
Read More Operation Mincemeat: “Anything can happen, so strap in!”
Mind the blog 