Skip to main content

Confessions Of A Rookie Director - Episode One

Leading up to my directorial debut later this year with the play Theatrical Knights by Keith Lipscombe at The Playhouse Theatre Northampton, I shall be guest blogging on local theatre website On Stage Northants.

Episode one, where I lay the ground and wonder what I have done is now online at http://www.onstagenorthants.co.uk/confessions-rookie-director-episode-1/


Popular posts from this blog

Review of Cinderella at Castle Theatre, Wellingborough

So, as December draws in, the world of theatre moves into panto season and first up this year is Castle Theatre’s production of Cinderella , and the deja vu world begins again and we are all crying “He’s behind you” and “Oh no you’re not” etc, etc. Perhaps it is reassuring in a world of change that pantomime land never changes. The jokes might get a little nudge, a few of the characterisations might change a bit, but you all know that we will have a split theatre singalong, a grand wedding at the end and a multitude of stuff you have seen year after year. Unlike many of the bigger theatres around the country, Castle Theatre, presents a pantomime with no “big name” from the showbiz world in sight, just great little stage performers, and how refreshing it is to see. No awkward bolted-on references to a star's normal day job, just more emphasis on fun characters and the usual sly references to the local towns and villages. That, in itself, is great to see. The title character is playe...

Review of The Choir of Man at Milton Keynes Theatre

The musical The Choir of Man has had a remarkable journey since its first appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017. Via Adelaide, Covid, North America, the show finally became a fixture at The Arts Theatre in London, running between 2021 and 2025, on either side of a theatre renovation. The show finally closed to embark on an extensive UK & Ireland tour, which now reaches Milton Keynes Theatre. The Choir of Man offers an inventive theatre experience. Long before the show begins, audience members are welcomed upon stage, or more accurately, to The Jungle, the pub setting for the “story” of The Choir of Man . While within The Jungle, pre-show and interval, you are welcome to grab a pint at the functioning bar and have a chat with the cast, our characters for the evening. However, you may have noticed the quotes around the word story, and that is where, in many ways, this is a very different experience. The Choir of Man does not really feature a storyline; it is just a gathering o...

Review of Friends - The Musical Parody at Milton Keynes Theatre

The One Where 2026 starts in a world of confusion. And so, 2026 is upon us and for my first trip to the theatre this year, one of my most significant reviewing challenges was to occur. Touring to Milton Keynes Theatre is Friends - The Musical Parody , based, unsurprisingly, on that little American show that ran to a few audience members for ten years. However, I confess that I was not, and have never been in that audience, never having seen a single episode of the show. However, always up for a review challenge and doing my due diligence by having a Friends superfan as my plus one, I headed to Milton Keynes with anticipation. For those unfamiliar with the show, I could say I can’t help; however, a quick review of some of the information you might need (thanks, Google and my plus one). Running for ten years between 1994 and 2004 with 236 episodes (quiz question, you are welcome), the main characters consisted of Phoebe (ditzy, writer of sad songs), Monica (in possession of an unfeasibly...