Stephen Joseph theatre
The Comedy of Errors (more or less) review – funny, frenetic reimagining
Prescot is pitted against Scarborough – and women get their fair share of the limelight – in this engaging rewrite of Shakespeare’s comedy
Clare Brennan
12, Mar, 2023 @11:30 AM
The best theatre to stream this month: The Book of Dust, Four Quartets and the start of panto season
Our roundup of drama to watch at home includes Alan Ayckbourn’s 87th play, live performance from Ukraine and a concert of lost showtunes
Chris Wiegand
01, Nov, 2022 @8:00 AM
Family Album review – Alan Ayckbourn’s funny, moving new play about the lives of women
Directing a masterly production, the playwright follows three generations of women in one home, from 1952 to 2022
Clare Brennan
18, Sep, 2022 @10:30 AM
Family Album review – Alan Ayckbourn’s playful snapshot of social flux
Skipping between three generations from the 50s to the present, this occasionally poignant play pulls back from the emotional force of its concept
Mark Fisher
07, Sep, 2022 @10:49 AM
I Am No Bird review – stripping back the Brontës’ chocolate-box history
This anarchic show casts off the corsets to capture just what made these literary sisters so striking
Mark Fisher
29, Apr, 2022 @11:50 AM
Jane Eyre review – who is the true ‘mad woman in the attic’?
Chris Bush’s gripping new adaptation – the centrepiece of a Brontë festival – adds an interesting psychological twist
Mark Fisher
15, Apr, 2022 @10:10 AM
Jack and the Beanstalk review – panto season’s not yet behind you!
Stephen Joseph theatre’s filmed seasonal offering is a proper winter warmer with some off-the-wall touches
Chris Wiegand
18, Jan, 2022 @11:36 AM
No turkeys allowed! 25 of the best shows to book for Christmas 2021
Looking for a jolly good trip to the theatre this winter? Here’s our pick’n’mix selection of musicals, pantos and festive spectaculars, featuring circus tricks, high kicks and puppet rodents
Chris Wiegand
16, Nov, 2021 @3:33 PM
The Offing review – soft-pedalled adaptation of Benjamin Myers novel
Janice Okoh’s version of the 2019 novel waters down the culture clash at its heart and suffers for the lack of the author’s rich prose
Mark Fisher
22, Oct, 2021 @10:32 AM
Home, I’m Darling review – a retro rebrand reveals ruffles not frills
In Laura Wade’s clever play, her heroine becomes a 50s housewife but 21st-century gender politics lurk under the Formica surface
Mark Fisher
16, Jul, 2021 @10:57 AM
Lack of support for theatre is to discourage dissent, says top playwright
Laura Wade, writer of Posh and Home, I’m Darling, criticises government’s attitude to industry as unions fight cuts to performing arts degrees
Chris Wiegand Stage editor
25, Jun, 2021 @4:00 PM
The Girl Next Door review – Ayckbourn casts history’s lens on lockdown Britain
The prolific playwright is on fine form with an uncanny story that smartly contrasts national crises past and present
Mark Fisher
11, Jun, 2021 @9:40 AM
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