A Small Mind At The Theatre

The intellectually leaning Inspector Morse first appeared in print in the works of Colin Dexter in 1975 and became even more prominent in popular culture in 1987 when John Thaw took on the role in a series that would run for fourteen years. As well as generating a couple of spin-off TV series, Melting Pot and Birmingham Rep have now finally taken the detective to the stage in Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts , an original story written by TV series contributor Alma Cullen. So, as the play arrives at Milton Keynes Theatre this week with Tom Chambers now taking the eponymous role, does the Oxford intellectual make a smooth transition to the stage? Our story opens with Morse enjoying a stage production of Hamlet with a would-be love interest, Ellen. As expected, things quickly turn towards the need for a detective in the house as one of the players mysteriously collapses and dies live on stage. House of Ghosts opens excellently, drawing the audience in as a classic Hamlet scene suddenly ...

It is now a quarter of a century since Legally Blonde first hit the screens, featuring Reese Witherspoon in the iconic role of Elle Woods, and now 19 years since the film became a Broadway musical. Legally Blonde is back on tour and now at Milton Keynes for a fresh take on the show. So, in the hands of director Nikolai Foster, who often likes to shake things up, is this pink spectacle as relevant and enjoyable as it has been in the past? Legally Blonde tells the story of Elle Woods, a UCLA sorority sister who tries to get into Harvard Law School to win back her boyfriend, Warner. During her time at Harvard, Elle begins to realise that things beyond Warner are becoming increasingly more relevant to her progress in life. The role of Elle Woods is in the hands of Amber Davies, a now very big name beyond theatre, thanks to her appearance on Strictly Come Dancing . However, more significantly here, is being fresh from victory at the WhatsOnStage Awards for her performance in The Great Ga...

The first Horrible Histories book, written by Terry Deary, first hit the shelves a remarkable 33 years ago and has since become a historic event in its own right, with the franchise growing and growing. There have now been 23 books, several TV series, a game show and a film. Also, of course, it is now a stage show, with both Terrible Tudors and Awful Egyptians on a current tour around the country. However, here, now briefly at Milton Keynes Theatre, as part of its own tour, is Horrible Histories - The Concert . So, given the franchise's past success, what is this concert version adding to the franchise? The quick answer is bundles of fun with lashings of subliminal education, as Horrible Histories is very much known for. The cast, created from a collection of mainstays of the original series or tours and a few extras, are as enthusiastic as possible for a production, very much initially aimed at an audience of children. Bold, big in character and overplaying everything, you canno...

Long before this brand new play by local playwright Samson Hawkins opened at Royal & Derngate Northampton, Top Gs Like Me had garnered a vast amount of media attention, especially regarding the staging within the Derngate theatre on a remarkable conversion into a skatepark, a theatre version of real-life Radlands skatepark in Northampton. So, delving deep below the remarkable site within the theatre, does Hawkins' play of seething toxic masculinity, misogyny and questions around consent strike all the right marks for a perfect landing? Top Gs Like Me follows the life, as he feels it is, of Aiden. Lost in the modern world, his best mate is heading to Uni, his mum is permanently in bed, and Aiden himself is drifting into some nefarious activities. His world is really often little more than stacking shelves in the supermarket, his scooter at his side and his mobile phone and all that entails for a youth of today. Into this world comes the mysterious Hugo Bang, who leads him some...

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 ...

Sir Matthew Bourne has rightfully become the doyen of accessible contemporary ballet, with his works spanning a wide range, from Swan Lake , Lord of the Flies , and Edward Scissorhands to The Red Shoes , now here at Milton Keynes on an extensive tour. Based broadly on the 1948 film of the same name, The Red Shoes , set across Europe, follows the story of ballerina Victoria Page, discovered by ballet impresario Boris Lermontov. He requests that a ballet based on Hans Christian Andersen's tale   The Red Shoes  be written by the  composer Julian Craster, whom Page falls deeply in love with. A conflict arises, and Page must choose between love and success. The first impact on any audience of The Red Shoes is visually on the costumes and set. This is, without any question, a spectacular staging. Lez Brotherston, responsible for both costumes and set, has created a gem. The striking costumes effectively recreate the period in minute detail, placing the audience very much in t...