A Small Mind At The Theatre

Back in 1992, Disney took the age-old tale of Aladdin and did their classic Disneyfying of the story and with the genius of Robin Williams in the role of the Genie, the film remains an immensely popular one to this day. Forward to 2011 and Disney took the show to the stage for the first time and with it the classic songs from Alan Menken with lyrics by Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Chad Beguelin with a few additions. Since then it has continued to have huge success across the world. Having now arrived at Milton Keynes Theatre on a new tour of the UK & Ireland, it is easy to see why that success continues. This is a truly epic and spectacular show, perhaps the largest that you could find outside of the streets and avenues of the West End. From the opening number as the Genie welcomes us to the streets of the fictional Arabian city of Agrabah, the show simply oozes quality. Performances are top-notch with a large cast of leads and an ensemble at the top of their game. As Aladdin, Gavin

Once upon a time, there was a splendidly green ogre who went by the name of Shrek. For many years, Shrek starred in a captivating and thrilling adventure set upon a theatre stage. This came to pass following a tale told in a Dream(works) in a cinematic spectacle. His tale was told in a truly fun way, with staging sublime, and endless mirth from a nefarious baddie who in many ways came up short.  However, around the corner, there was greater evil afoot as our green friend's show was undergoing a transformation for further adventures on stage. What possible way could this evil be stopped?  Sadly, for all, it could not and the evil reigned for a full UK tour which journeys most recently to the magical kingdom of the Royal & Derngate after a long adventure across the land. So, dear reader, forgive my fairy tale preamble, and perhaps, from that you might imagine this show isn't up to much and sadly you would be right. Shrek when it toured before to Northampton was a little ligh

Back in 2022, the original Cluedo stage play, based on a 1985 play by Sandy Rustin, itself based on the cult US film Clue , journeyed to Milton Keynes Theatre as part of a UK tour. It was, it has to be said, an average affair, made good by some excellent staging and at times a very fair tribute to the original board game. Now two years later, the success of that tour clearly warranted a return to the franchise and we find Cluedo 2 now on stage at Milton Keynes Theatre. So, is a follow-up warranted, and does it address many of the issues of the original? Let's find out. Unlike the original and with no film source material to create a second play from, legendary TV comedy writers Maurice Gran and Lawrence Mark have taken the helm to provide the script for this production. Sadly, the legendary writers have for the best part plowed through their archives of extremely dated, and tiresome comedy. Much of the script is heavy on the obvious, high on the cringe, and while at times it can

Moby Dick is a story that most people asked would say they have heard of. Less would perhaps be able to give a detailed account of the tale it tells. Even less so, it seems, would be able to claim they have actually read the sprawling 700-plus-page novel. Herman Melville's novel you see seems to be highly regarded, but now, slowly but surely becoming less read in these short-attention-spanned days. So, what can a neatly brief two-hour production from Simple8 in association with Royal & Derngate do for the epic novel? First of all, a brief synopsis to get us going.  Moby Dick tells the story of Ishmael, a young sailor who joins the whaling ship Pequod , captained by the mysterious Ahab. Captain Ahab is a driven man, seeking revenge on the white whale of the title, who rudely took his leg away in a previous encounter. During the tale, we meet a likable assortment of characters, and the impressive ensemble of nine performers brings them delightfully to life to tell this tale. Ou

Yann Martel's bestselling novel Life of Pi thrilled readers when first released back in 2001, and at the time, many said that the story of  Piscine “Pi” Patel and a Royal Bengal Tiger was unfilmable. Yet, director Ang Lee felt otherwise and in 2012, his film version swept aboard awards aplenty and proved many wrong. Seven years later, playwright Lolita Chakrabarti decided that not only was the story filmable, but, it was very much stageable as this visual spectacle premiered at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield. Following a hugely popular London run, this tour, which now reaches Royal & Derngate, was always destined to follow. The story of the Life of Pi is a fantastical one which tells, what Piscine (known as Pi) calls in flashback, a true, but totally unbelievable, tale of  the plight he finds himself in when the ship he and his family are travelling upon sinks in high storms Mantel's tale fascinates and captivates, but only once the true story of Pi's adventures begins

For many a connoisseur of theatre, The Woman in Black needs little introduction. First staged in 1987 on stage in writer Susan Hill’s hometown of Scarborough, this stage adaptation by Stephen Mallatraitt first moved to London in 1989. There it was to stay for over thirty years, before finally taking its last bow in 2023 after 13,232 performances, and the title of the second longest running non-musical play in West End history, second to some show written by someone called Agatha Christie. Beyond the West End run, The Woman in Black has thrilled audiences on numerous UK tours, the latest of which has now arrived at Milton Keynes Theatre. So, what makes The Woman in Black so successful? The simple answer is its simplicity. Susan’s Hill’s tale of Arthur Kipps and his telling of his horrifying experience of attending the funeral of Mrs Alice Drablow and settling her estate as part of his job is simply told, very much in the tradition of tales from renowned ghost storyteller M. R. James a

As the title suggests, Original Theatre’s The Time Machine , importantly subtitled “A Comedy”, takes the 1895 novella by classic science fiction writer H. G. Wells of the same name as its source material. However, while the name is on the show, those expecting a straight, or even, as suggested, comedic full version of the story, will be disappointed, as this often drifts, like the machine of the title, out of control from the source material. What we do have though is a tremendously thrilling couple of hours of entertainment, where the unexpected, is very much at every turn, and indeed at times, even unexpected for the actors on stage. Original Theatre’s  The Time Machine  takes the form of a play within a play, here all three of the actors in the production are pretending to be playing themselves playing several characters within the story. This allows for much of the staple of plays that go wrong to rear their head, including dysfunctional scenery and repeated sequences, here used in

Even after so many years of attending theatre shows, it never ceases to amaze me how utterly varied the medium can be. Just this year on the Milton Keynes Theatre stage I have seen a ballet version of the quirky Edward Scissorhands , a truly absorbing stage version of classic thriller 12 Angry Men , and then, this week, a cheese overload in the form of I Should Be So Lucky - The Musical , and guess what, they were all totally brilliant. I Should Be So Lucky is, an extremely loosely plotted story, based around the musical productions of Stoke Aitken Waterman and while it is not high-brow theatre, it is pure joy from beginning to end. The story, such as it is, sees Ella jilted at the altar by Nathan, and her decision to go out on her honeymoon anyway with her friends and family, all passport-ready and in tow. Nathan however, quickly has second thoughts, as his reasoning is questioned following a chat with his dementia-addled granddad. And off we go on a world of bold colours, adventures

Bert's House is a true Northampton homegrown production from On The Shore Productions, this piece has been written, cast, produced and opened on stage for a short tour at the beautiful Royal Theatre at the centre of Northampton, and while here for two nights it found a loving local audience to set it off on its adventures. Bert's House tells the tale of kindly guest house owner Bert and his trials and tribulations within his slightly ramshackle Dunedin Guest House residence in what appears to be an equally ramshackle seaside resort. The house, it seems, is also, a draw for the most quirky of visitors, and equally wacky staff. However, it seems, that a few of both the residents and staff have nefarious reasons for being there. Bert's House is an extremely quirky affair, floating in a surreal world, which both follows its own paths as well as paying endless tributes to British comedy through the years, including many nods to sitcoms of yesteryear. The script, from standup

Twelve Angry Men was originally seen as a teleplay in 1954 and in the same year, its writer Reginald Rose adapted it for the stage. However, it is the Sidney Lumet-directed film starring Henry Fonda, released in 1957 that brought the powerful story showing the the complexities of the American judicial system to prominence. The film was rightly heralded as a classic of its time, and still, so many years later, the power of the story provides an incredible piece of cinema. So, can a stage production reaching Milton Keynes Theatre as part of a UK tour still have that power for British audiences? Fortunately, the verdict is a strong yes, and this reviewer is ever grateful for this as the original film Twelve Angry Men is a particular favorite. For anyone unfamiliar with it, Reginald Rose's play is such an incredibly structured work, crafting so much drama, from apparently so little physical material. Sure, it is a large cast, but, it never moves away from the juror's deliberation