Monthly Archives: February 2011

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee: who would think that spelling could be this much fun?

Posted on February 28, 2011 by rageoffstage

Playing at the Donmar Warehouse until 2nd April. As soon as we get inside the Donmar Warehouse we find ourselves in the home of the ‘Pugs’, whose motto is ‘multum in parvo’ – ‘much in little’.  We never know any more … Continue reading →

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More on critics’ quotes and prison for those who distort them (not!)

Posted on February 25, 2011 by rageoffstage

We started to get curious after receiving a marketing email about ‘The Children’s Hour’ and actually looking at the reviews.  Then a reader gave us a link to an article about EU legislation which threatens prison for anyone who uses … Continue reading →

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Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium: review of the preview 19th February 2011

Posted on February 21, 2011 by rageoffstage

The Gloves are off Some of you will be aware of the debate generated on the Guardian’s Theatre blog about bloggers reviewing previews.  Andrew Lloyd Webber, no doubt bruised after his experience with ‘Love Never Dies’, seems to have found … Continue reading →

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In Good ‘Company’ at the Southwark Playhouse

Posted on February 14, 2011 by rageoffstage

Running until the 12th March 2011 We were glad to see this revival of a Sondheim classic – advertised as the first major revival in 15 years.  Having only heard some of the songs in isolation and with a vague … Continue reading →

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‘The Children’s Hour’: Hot ticket? Don’t get burnt!

Posted on February 13, 2011 by rageoffstage

It has always been a favourite pastime of ours to look at critics’ quotes on theatre and film posters and wonder what the context might have been.  Everyone knows there’s a bit of creativity going on here, don’t they?  Well, … Continue reading →

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Revealed! Cameron Mackintosh hates Musical Theatre!

Posted on February 10, 2011 by rageoffstage

As keen followers of the debate around the casting of the O2 Les Miserables concert, we were stunned by an article we found at the Daily Mail online dated 25th November 2010, where Cameron Mackintosh referred to Alfie Boe as … Continue reading →

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Off West End Theatre awards arrive at last! But did they have to call them the Offies?

Posted on February 8, 2011 by rageoffstage

Well, we said ‘go to the source’ and it’s been commented before that the Laurence Olivier Awards are often given to productions that originated outside the West End, so it’s great to see a new set of awards to recognise smaller … Continue reading →

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‘The Heretic’ at the Royal Court: A climate change play about people, not the planet

Posted on February 6, 2011 by rageoffstage

Richard Bean does not patronise his audience:  he shows academics talking to their students and each other in scientific language, and although we may not be au fait with all the terms, by the end of the play, we do … Continue reading →

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Too many understudies underwhelm! Or do they?

Posted on February 5, 2011 by rageoffstage

We spotted this letter in the Stage (3rd February 2011), complaining about the overuse of understudies, a topic which we are currently very interested in ourselves.  Here is our response: “We sympathise with the writer of your recent letter about … Continue reading →

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Rebecca Caine on the Les Miserables 25th Anniversary concert

Posted on February 3, 2011 by rageoffstage

Thanks to Lucy Thackray at http://www.thepublicreviews.com for her gem of an interview with Rebecca Caine, published last month.  We were intrigued to hear her touch on some of the issues we brought up in our recent post about the 25th Anniversary concert … Continue reading →

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Love Story Review – We liked it but were we in love with it?

Posted on February 1, 2011 by rageoffstage

Love Story at the Duchess Theatre Source material This story set in the 1960s feels more like a period piece than Jane Austen – Jenny appears to be pushing the outer limits of feminism simply by occasionally answering back to her … Continue reading →

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