Skip to main content

Review of Sell-By-Date by Marbleglass Theatre. Returning to Northampton soon.

The excellent Sell-By-Date by Marbleglass Theatre returns to Northampton this Saturday and its original home of the Looking Glass Theatre. If you get the chance to see this, do so!



Below is my original review of the show as performed at the 2014 Flash Festival, Northampton:

"... the very dark, very funny and very powerful Sell By Date. From Marbleglass and featuring the talents of Marcus Churchill, Ashley Cook, Joseph Derrington and Sophie Murray, this was a gem. Setting the bar even higher for the week ahead.

Mixing music, dance, comedy, strong drama and in one particularly outstanding part, some very clever puppetry.

The performers in this group were particularly strong and I remember them well from their parts in Animal Farm (Animal Farm review). Whether playing the clown or deadly serious moments, they were at the top of their game. Even this early in their hopefully very successful careers.

The play itself was broke up into many parts, cleverly interchanging the aforementioned clowning, with the heavy and, yes, very emotional parts.

The previously mentioned puppetry scene was my pick for the best part. However the very rude, offensive, politically incorrect and therefore very funny, stand-up routine performed by Derrington had to be my second pick, particularly with the emotional pay-off.

I will also remember fondly the slightly ruder Two Ronnies bar scene and the best set change joke I have yet heard.

Overall this was a very clever, well written piece in need of your viewing as you may not find a better hours entertainment for a while for £6 (it is now £8!). Go see!"


Sell-By-Date was originally performed at the Looking Glass Theatre on Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th May, 2014.

Tickets for the above can be booked here: https://thelittleboxoffice.com/lgt/event/view/18208
MarbleGlass can be found on Twitter @MGTheatre and they have a website at http://www.marbleglasstheatre.co.uk/
Looking Glass Theatre is in Derngate (Road), Northampton and can be found on Twitter @LGTheatre and on their website at http://www.lookingglasstheatre.co.uk/

Popular posts from this blog

Review of Elf the Musical (N.M.T.C.) at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

Christmas has come early this year thanks to the Northampton Musical Theatre Company and their annual performance at Royal & Derngate; this year, they bring Elf the Musical to the stage. First staged in 2010, this musical version of the 2003 Will Ferrell comedy features music by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin and is based on the book by Bob Martin and Thomas Meehan, from David Berenbaum's original screenplay. Elf tells the tale of Buddy, a human raised by Santa's elves, who eventually learns that his origins are less North Pole and more the skyscraper streets of New York City. So, for Buddy, it’s time to travel to the Big Apple and finally meet his biological father. Matt Clarke's lead performance in Elf is strong. Clarke brings Buddy to life with all the childish manners and silly behaviour that make the character an endearing lead. He also has the vocal ability and movement to match, and he effortlessly entertains, especially the young kids, with his zany antics. Han...

Review of Matilda at Milton Keynes Theatre

Roald Dahl is perhaps one of the most famous children’s authors of any generation, and his work has inspired an exceptional number of film, television, and theatre adaptations. Fifteen years ago, this musical of Matilda , one of his most fondly remembered stories, took to the stage and has not looked back since. Adapted from the original book by Dennis Kelly, with lyrics and music by Tim Minchin, the show has been a fixture at the Cambridge Theatre in London since 2011, has performed on Broadway, and is now reaching Milton Keynes Theatre as part of its second UK and Ireland Tour. Inspired by the Roald Dahl book of the same name, this Royal Shakespeare Company’s multi-award-winning musical tells the story of an extraordinary little girl with a vivid imagination and the courage to change her own destiny. Matilda is of course the centre of attention in this production, and on this extensive tour, the role is shared by Felicity Brown, Petra Hutchings, Mollie Hutton, and Caroline Ravansari ...

Review of The Battle at Birmingham Rep

The Battle is a brand-new play by John Niven, set firmly in the nineties, that focuses on the Britpop fight between chart rivals Blur and Oasis. Opening at Birmingham Rep before transferring to the spiritual Oasis home of Manchester, the question is: is this worth donning your bucket hat, heading to the theatre, and enjoying the show to the end, or will you look back in anger when you leave? It is London, 1995. The infamous Britpop battle begins when both Blur and Oasis release singles on the same day. On one side, clean-cut, art-school intellectuals from the South. On the other hand, raw and unapologetic lads from the North. Let battle commence! The Battle is John Niven's first stage play, and he doesn't take the easy route. Deciding to bring both known people, detailed and multiple scenes and ambitious storytelling to proceedings. And for the most part, it all comes together to create a coherent whole. The casting director Claire Bleasdale has assembled a talented group of ...