Monthly Archives: March 2011

Jack Rosenthal’s SMASH! at the Menier Chocolate Factory: Shattered dreams in Theatreland?

Posted on March 30, 2011 by rageoffstage

How do you create a hit musical?  Simple: you get a bestselling book from an up and coming author, the best producer around, the best director there is, an award-winning composer and a great lyricist.  Nothing can go wrong, right?  … Continue reading →

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Fooling around on All Fools’ Eve: Howard Goodall’s ‘Kissing Dance’ at the Jermyn Street Theatre

Posted on March 29, 2011 by rageoffstage

The Kissing Dance, 26th March 2011 (matinee), at the Jermyn Street Theatre, running until 23rd April 2011 Having recently seen Howard Goodhall’s Love Story at the Duchess, and being left with mixed feelings, we were very curious to see this earlier work, … Continue reading →

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Short back and side-splitting: Rossini’s Barber of Seville (or Salisbury) at London’s Little Opera House

Posted on March 27, 2011 by rageoffstage

20th March 2011 – in rep at London’s Little Opera House This production is pure fun from start to finish and for a change the cut-throat razor is used only for shaving (a first for opera?). OperaUpClose have given us … Continue reading →

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Lessons in Love: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg at the Geilgud Theatre – Allez!

Posted on March 23, 2011 by rageoffstage

  Firstly, we should clear up a few things:  1) It’s not a musical, it’s a ‘romance that just happens to be sung’, ie, it consists almost entirely of recitative, and that song (‘I will wait for you’), which enjoys … Continue reading →

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Whatever happened to …. Sienna Miller’s ‘rave reviews’? We go in search of them

Posted on March 21, 2011 by rageoffstage

The papers certainly seem to love Sienna Miller.  When they are not talking about her private life, they are pointing out how papers tend to talk about her private life a lot.  Miller’s latest appearance in the West End in … Continue reading →

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Commedia Dell’Morte: Pagliacci at London’s Little Opera House

Posted on March 15, 2011 by rageoffstage

Playing in rep at London’s Little Opera House, Kings Head, until May 2011 What is it with clowns?  Whilst pirates for example enjoy an undeserved romantic appeal, clowns apparently scare the bejesus out of us, which would explain their frequent … Continue reading →

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“Love Never Dies” versus “Love Should Die” – What exactly is Andrew Lloyd Webber complaining about?

Posted on March 12, 2011 by rageoffstage

So, Mark Shenton, in his blog in The Stage, has reignited the discussion around ‘Love Never Dies’, and in particular the ‘Love Should Die’ campaign.  We are very grateful to Mark for making us aware of this campaigning website, which raised … Continue reading →

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Chocks Away: ‘Flare Path’ lights the way at the Theatre Royal Haymarket

Posted on March 7, 2011 by rageoffstage

Review of the preview 5th March 2011 We were particularly keen to see this play, one of a number of revivals celebrating Terence Rattigan’s centenary, starring as it does James Purefoy, whom we first saw 12 years ago at the Tricycle … Continue reading →

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The Olivier Awards with Mastercard: a postscript

Posted on March 7, 2011 by rageoffstage

We wish we’d read the 3rd March edition of ‘The Stage’ before we posted on this topic, but we didn’t, hence this postscript. We were somewhat surprised to read an interview by Alistair Smith with Julian Bird, the chief executive of … Continue reading →

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Cry God for Larry: Mastercard Hijacks (sorry, relaunches) the Olivier Awards

Posted on March 3, 2011 by rageoffstage

So, thanks to a cash injection from Mastercard, the Olivier Awards are to be relaunched.  When were they unlaunched?  According to the presspack, the awards were named in 1984 after Sir Laurence Olivier, “One of the greatest stage actors of … Continue reading →

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