All stories by Catherine Love on BroadwayStars

Thursday, December 9, 2021

The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart review – devilishly fun festive folklore by Catherine Love

Royal Exchange theatre, ManchesterDavid Grieg’s rowdy, informal yarn makes a pleasingly oddball antidote to the classic Christmas show Devils may not seem very festive but David Greig’s …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:18AM
Wednesday, December 8, 2021

Cinderella review – out with the in-jokes and in with the puns by Catherine Love

York Theatre RoyalPaul Hendy’s cast deliver a dependable mix of song and dance, spectacle and silliness, as well as a brilliant, bin-toting Buttons For decades, the Theatre Royal panto has…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:24AM
Thursday, December 2, 2021

The Wiz review – a warm and wondrous ode to Black joy by Catherine Love

Hope Mill theatre, ManchesterWith belting vocals and dazzling dance, this musical update jumps into a vivid Oz full of street art and neon lights Director Matthew Xia’s updated staging of …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:42AM
Friday, November 12, 2021

My Voice Was Heard But It Was Ignored review – intense and urgent by Catherine Love

Leeds PlayhouseWhen a pupil confronts his teacher after she fails to defend him from police, more questions are raised than can be contained in this drama What does solidarity look like? In …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:12PM
Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Who Are You? review – Wertenbaker’s eco-parable invites us to think differently by Catherine Love

Available onlineA solitary woman finds a strange new presence in her remote house in this audio play which debates people v the planet, nature v culture The stranger on the threshold is a dr…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:06AM
Thursday, October 21, 2021

Jitney review – August Wilson’s subtle dissection of the American dream by Catherine Love

Leeds PlayhouseWilson’s play eavesdrops on the lives of an African American taxicab crew in a quietly compelling snapshot of men on the margins in the 1970s Single-location dramas are all …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:03AM
Thursday, October 7, 2021

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow review – butchered plotting, bloodless horror by Catherine Love

York Theatre RoyalA scrambled script and an over-reliance on dry ice leave this version of Sleepy Hollow tired and empty Outside Sleepy Hollow, a sign implores visitors: “Don’t pass by. …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:03PM
Thursday, September 16, 2021

Mugabe, My Dad and Me review – a personal lesson on empire and identity by Catherine Love

York Theatre RoyalTonderai Munyevu reflects on the men who have loomed large in his life in a thought-provoking show ‘Where are you from?” It’s a question that writer and actor Tondera…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:42PM
Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Peaceophobia review – how to build a car and a community by Catherine Love

Oastler Market Car Park, BradfordBradford-based performers use their passion for modified motors to explore the challenges faced by Muslim men in Britain today There’s a striking moment in…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:03PM
Tuesday, July 13, 2021

The Park Keeper review – timely ode to a cherished public space by Catherine Love

Rowntree Park, YorkA retiring park keeper seeks meaning in the wake of trauma in Mike Kenny’s story of wartime loss Last summer, York’s outdoor Park Bench Theatre provided an emotional …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:03AM
Friday, July 2, 2021

Bloody Elle review – a joyful solo show buzzing with live-gig energy by Catherine Love

Royal Exchange theatreLauryn Redding weaves the musician’s swagger with the storyteller’s confiding tone to depict a thrilling summer of love One of the reasons we go to the theatre is t…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:24AM
Monday, June 14, 2021

A Dog’s Tale review – quirky musical takes Crufts for a walk by Catherine Love

Scarcroft Allotments, YorkThe performers’ tail-wagging joy at being back in front of audiences can’t sustain this uneven history of the canine show In many ways, Mikron’s touring model…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:12AM
Sunday, May 23, 2021

Decades review – it’s curtain up to terror and rage from Simon Armitage and Maxine Peake by Catherine Love

Leeds PlayhouseThe poet and actor are among six writers whose short monologues span the theatre’s 50 years – from the Yorkshire Ripper to a post-lockdown future As Leeds Playhouse welco…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:06PM
Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Love Bites review – gleeful salute to theatre’s thrilling return by Catherine Love

York Theatre RoyalA mix of music, dance, comedy and poetry delivers a bittersweet reminder of what lockdown deprived us of – and a joyous celebration of live performance On the screen at t…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:33AM
Friday, April 30, 2021

Money review – find a way out of capitalism’s moral maze by Catherine Love

Available onlineThis ingenious show featuring Mel Giedroyc casts its audience as board members of a charity and gives them a dilemma It’s a classic question: what would you be willing to o…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:33AM
Sunday, March 14, 2021

Oh Woman! review – much-needed tribute to six extraordinary women by Catherine Love

Available onlineWhile outrage against misogyny flares up once more, this collection of audio works by the Royal Exchange theatre celebrates marginalised and unsung female figures This year,…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:42AM
Wednesday, January 27, 2021

The Inquest review – tangled cold case enthrals amateur sleuths by Catherine Love

Available online Viewers collaborate to chase clues and solve a deadly mystery in the follow-up to last year’s Jury Duty Online adventure and puzzle games – the socially distanced cousin…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:12AM
Friday, October 9, 2020

Dr Blood’s Old Travelling Show review – clarity missing amid punk spirit and ingenuity by Catherine Love

Leeds PlayhouseImitating the dog reinvents medieval wagon theatre for the 21st century – but it’s more of an idea than a fully fleshed out story Credit to imitating the dog for looking a…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:18AM
Sunday, September 6, 2020

Three Kings review – Andrew Scott shines in fatherhood elegy by Catherine Love

Old Vic: In CameraThe Sherlock and Fleabag actor is transfixingly tender in Stephen Beresford’s skilful monologue, performed against an eerie, empty auditorium Three Kings is an unusually…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:48AM
Sunday, August 16, 2020

First Love review – park bench Beckett is witty and wonderful by Catherine Love

Rowntree Park, York This tangled monologue – delivered to a socially spaced audience with emphatic charm by Chris Hannon – is a diverting way to bring open-air theatre back to life First…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:54AM
Wednesday, August 12, 2020

For Quality Purposes review – dial in to the dislocation of lockdown by Catherine Love

Available onlineThis half-hour play about call-centre workers is an unsettlingly effective study of the isolation inflicted by coronavirus The best theatre and dance to watch online This new…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:32AM
Tuesday, July 7, 2020

Tim Crouch: 'Theatre will grow back stronger if we plant a different crop' by Catherine Love

As the writer and actor takes I, Cinna (the Poet) on to Zoom, he talks about how the pandemic may result in shaking up the structure of theatre for the better ‘I always fly the flag of li…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:54AM
Monday, June 22, 2020

Homemakers review – future dreams and present nightmares by Catherine Love

Available online Manchester’s Home stages a lockdown all-nighter exploring students’ dreams, alongside time-capsule plays about spiralling social media horrors and disrupted lives ‘We…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:03PM
Thursday, April 30, 2020

The Good Book review – a taut half-hour of dystopia by Catherine Love

Available onlineJames Phillips’s clash of near-future and Arthurian legend imagines patriotic nostalgia taken to extremes, if your nerves can take it Extra tension is, understandably, som…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:24PM
Friday, April 17, 2020

Stage presence: how drama schools adapted to the age of social distancing by Catherine Love

Reinventing courses that rely on physical contact is a challenge, but digital training could be the perfect curtain-raiser into theatre’s brave new world Like so much else in this current …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:54AM
Friday, March 27, 2020

Bubble review – online free-speech furore is perfect fit for lockdown era by Catherine Love

This experimental piece plays out in comment threads delivered direct to camera and raises important questions about theatre on the internet It’s an odd bit of coincidence that Kieran Hurl…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:18AM
Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Our Lady of Blundellsands review – it's like Ibsen turned up to 11 by Catherine Love

Everyman, LiverpoolJosie Lawrence stars in Jonathan Harvey’s story of the Domingo clan who have plenty of skeletons in their cupboards As messed up families go, the Domingos are off the ch…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:03AM
Tuesday, March 3, 2020

The Last Quiz Night on Earth review – audience competes as apocalypse beckons by Catherine Love

Hope Mill theatre, ManchesterAn asteroid is hurtling towards Earth in Alison Carr’s new play, where everyone takes part in a pub quiz The local boozer might not be a bad place to wait for …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:12PM
Sunday, March 1, 2020

Seeds review – racism drama is emotional but clunkily contrived by Catherine Love

Leeds PlayhouseWith echoes of the murder of Stephen Lawrence, Mel Pennant’s new play focuses on the mothers who are left behind Racism, as Mel Pennant’s new play explores, does not come …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:42PM
Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Oliver Twist for all the senses: Leeds makes Dickens fully accessible by Catherine Love

Deaf and disabled actors are bringing a fresh dimension to the much-loved tale in Leeds Playhouse’s new production. The creative team explain its ‘aesthetics of access’ Entering direct…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:42AM
Monday, February 17, 2020

The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff review – songs and solidarity against fascism by Catherine Love

Northern Stage, Newcastle upon TyneThe Young’uns bring the astonishing true story of a working-class hero who fought against Franco to rousing musical life Five years ago, the folk band th…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:03AM

All that Chat

2024-2025 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 05, 2024: Home - Todd Haimes Theatre
Jul 11, 2024: Oh, Mary! - Lyceum Theatre
Jul 30, 2024: Job - Hayes Theater
Sep 12, 2024: The Roommate - Booth Theatre
Nov 14, 2024: Tammy Faye - Palace Theatre
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 15, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 01, 2025: Glengarry Glen Ross
TBA: Titanic