A Small Mind At The Theatre

Before J. M. Barrie wrote Peter Pan he was actually more famous for the now little know farce Quality Street . Written in 1901 and set during Napoleonic times about a hundred years before that, this is a rather fabulous if extremely lightweight play. The play itself is now hardly ever performed, with this production from Northern Broadside and the New Vic Theatre one of the very few professional productions since the Second World War. including only one since then in London. It feels very unfair on the play considering that it is rather good entertainment, and nice to have a charge from the same endlessly regurgitated shows that come round and round like a bad penny. The story tells of two sisters who start a school "for genteel children", following one of the sister's "suiter" heading off to serve in the war. That suiter Captain Valentine Brown however wasn't really interested in the sister Phoebe Throssel though, or was he? Much confusion ensues when Phoeb...

Outlandish film director Baz Luhrmann hit the ground running and his cards were plainly visible of his film's visual intent when the 1992 film Strictly Ballroom hit the cinemas. Its feast of eye-popping colours and ridiculous characters set much of the groundwork for all his films to come, and his eventual huge success, even if perhaps more than a few cannot cope with his style. It is perhaps no surprise that this film eventually spurned this stage musical, albeit, taking many years before it finally reached the stage in 2014. So, what about this tour, directed by outlandish dance choreographer Craig Revel Horwood, and fronted by performances from Strictly Come Dancing 's Kevin Clifton and now alongside Coronation Street 's Faye Brookes? Well, what indeed. Dear regular suffering readers of my blog may think history is repeating itself, as indeed five short weeks ago, I reviewed Strictly Ballroom on its visit to the Royal & Derngate in Northampton and wasn't at tha...