Monthly Archives: August 2011

Happy Talk is cheap: there is nothing like a rave review for South Pacific at the Barbican

Posted on August 30, 2011 by rageoffstage

Despite reports from the BBC it does seem that the South Pacific production at the Barbican got at least two ‘rave’ reviews.  So the email we received last week from Ambassador Tickets proclaiming that ‘South Pacific opens to rave reviews’ is not technically … Continue reading →

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The long and winding Road Show: Menier Chocolate Factory fails to strike Sondheim gold

Posted on August 27, 2011 by rageoffstage

21st August 2011 ‘Road Show’ has been described as ‘Sondheim’s latest musical’ in the publicity material.  How recent does a piece of work need to be before it can be described as ‘latest’, we wonder?  ‘Road Show’ dates from 2008, … Continue reading →

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Is Cameron Mackintosh better than a pig?

Posted on August 21, 2011 by rageoffstage

Before you accuse us of being offensive, this a question that the man himself would like an answer to.  Yes, this is the latest survey to arrive in our inbox.  Ten out of ten for brevity, and for offering some … Continue reading →

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Are you now or have you ever been….Jewish: Arthur Miller’s Broken Glass at the Tricycle

Posted on August 19, 2011 by rageoffstage

13th August 2011 matinée (preview) Having gone to see Broken Glass without much previous knowledge (except that it was on at the Tricycle and boasted Anthony Sher in the cast) we were astonished to discover that Arthur Miller’s playwriting career spans … Continue reading →

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Gott im himmel, Wolfie! Don Giovanni goes psycho in Soho

Posted on August 14, 2011 by rageoffstage

The Soho Theatre is not exactly our favourite venue.  It always seems a bit chaotic.  We hate being made to wait until the last minute on the narrow stairs while exiting audiences from other shows push their way past us.  Once … Continue reading →

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Anthem for doomed youth: Journey’s End at the Duke of Yorks Theatre

Posted on August 12, 2011 by rageoffstage

It seems somehow fitting that RC Sherriff had to turn to playwright and social reform campaigner George Bernard Shaw to get his play ‘Journey’s End’ performed in 1929.  Shaw described at as a ‘slice of life – horribly abnormal life’ … Continue reading →

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West End takings up: Was ever audience in this humour woo’d?

Posted on August 10, 2011 by rageoffstage

There seems to be good news from the West End, with headlines proclaiming ‘Box-office sales surge’, and ‘West End takings bounce back thanks to plays’.  Yes, it’s that time again, when SOLT announces the quarterly results from West End theatre … Continue reading →

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More questions than answers: we tell the RSC exactly what we think of them

Posted on August 6, 2011 by rageoffstage

A couple of weeks ago we received an email from the RSC entitled ‘RSC audience research’.  The stated purpose of this research is ‘to ensure the RSC are providing the best service possible’.  We weren’t aware that theatre was now … Continue reading →

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Cowboys and Vaudevillians: Crazy for you at the Regents Park Open Air Theatre

Posted on August 3, 2011 by rageoffstage

30th July (evening) preview performance Is this just another jukebox musical, we ask, as we try to work out how ‘Crazy for you’ came into being. In a recent interview played on Elaine Paige’s Radio 2 show, Ken Ludwig describes … Continue reading →

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