Tag Archives: Theatre

Corpse? I nearly died: a rehearsed reading of Steven Berkoff’s new play Upstairs at the Gatehouse

Posted on June 13, 2023 by rageoffstage

Sunday 11th June 2023 Jean-Paul Satre claimed that ‘hell is other people’. In this rehearsed reading for one night only Upstairs at the Gatehouse, Steven Berkoff has taken it up a notch with his depiction of purgatory as an eternity … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

See it safely:  Has caution made theatre an endangered species?

Posted on May 25, 2023 by rageoffstage

PROLOGUE We began drafting the post below some time ago, at a time when we were wondering if we would ever blog about theatre again. Our last theatre visit took place a week before theatres were closed in March 2020, … Continue reading →

Posted in Lucky dip! | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still*: Things we want to say about disability and theatre

Posted on March 24, 2015 by rageoffstage

Last month we went to see a play at the Park Theatre, ‘Kill Me Now’. We enjoyed the play and the production, but we did question whether an able-bodied actor was the only option to play one of the key … Continue reading →

Posted in Political incorrectness, Theatregoers short-changed | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Car crash theatre: Why won’t the critics defend quality in the West End?

Posted on December 15, 2014 by rageoffstage

Apparently, Lindsay Lohan has finished her West End stint as Karen in David Mamet’s ‘Speed the Plow’, and she is so delighted with how it all went that she is now contemplating a second Mamet play.  ‘One Mamet down’ she … Continue reading →

Posted in Lucky dip!, Theatregoers short-changed | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Pandora’s box office: Theatre ticket agencies go viral

Posted on December 9, 2013 by rageoffstage

Do we even need to write a post on this topic, we ask ourselves?  After all, most of the time, we avoid ticket agencies as much as we can. However, seeing this picture of Sir Howard Panter in the papers … Continue reading →

Posted in Lucky dip!, Theatregoers short-changed | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

West End previews: Audience-sponsored rehearsals or public performances?

Posted on November 2, 2013 by rageoffstage

With the opening of Tim Rice’s new show ‘From Here to Eternity’, we had the rather interesting juxtaposition of Rice, outspoken as usual, criticising the practice of endless previews, whilst the producers of the show did their best to convince … Continue reading →

Posted in Lucky dip!, Theatregoers short-changed | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Nothing will come of nothing: why actors need to be paid for their work

Posted on June 16, 2013 by rageoffstage

Here’s a question: what’s the one thing you can’t do without if you want to put on theatre?  Actors.  And which category of worker is least likely to get paid when budgets are tight?  Yes, you’ve guessed it, actors.  Why … Continue reading →

Posted in Lucky dip!, Political incorrectness, Theatregoers short-changed | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

So much for the Olympic spirit – Andrew Lloyd Webber throws away the baton for team West End theatre

Posted on January 2, 2012 by rageoffstage

Speculation about how the Olympics will affect West End theatre has been going on for some time, although an article in ‘This is Money’ quoted by Mark Shenton in his Stage blog in November brought matters to a head by suggesting the … Continue reading →

Posted in Franchise musicals, Lucky dip!, Theatregoers short-changed, TV Casting Shows | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rage on stage: Who will rid me of these troublesome phones?

Posted on December 30, 2011 by rageoffstage

More than ten years ago, watching Ralph Fiennes as Richard II at the Gainsborough studios, we were astonished to find that near the end of the play, as Fiennes makes his touching final soliloquy, some of the audience members in our row … Continue reading →

Posted in Lucky dip! | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Lucky dip!, Theatregoers short-changed | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

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 →

Posted in Lucky dip!, Theatregoers short-changed | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

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 →

Posted in Lucky dip! | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Theatre-goers ripped off yet again

Posted on January 20, 2011 by rageoffstage

The Independent on Sunday (16.1.11) carried an article highlighting the latest method for ripping off theatre-goers – ‘premium pricing’.  This is the practice of quoting one figure for the ‘top price ticket’, whilst topping this with an extra-expensive ‘premium’ priced … Continue reading →

Posted in Theatregoers short-changed | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

What does the 25th Anniversary Concert of Les Miserables tell us about the recent history of Musical Theatre?

Posted on January 12, 2011 by rageoffstage

If you are in the West End, it doesn’t take long to see that there’s a marked difference between the way Musicals and ‘straight’ plays are promoted.  If you want to know who is in a play you only have … Continue reading →

Posted in Franchise musicals, Lucky dip!, Reviews, TV Casting Shows | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Welcome to Rage Offstage…

Posted on January 4, 2011 by rageoffstage

 …Because audiences have feelings too What better way to begin the New Year than with some very subjective ‘Awards’.  We don’t think you’ll find these anywhere else. The Germaine Greer Award for shameless waste of female talent: The producers of … Continue reading →

Posted in Lucky dip! | Tagged , , | Leave a comment