All stories by John Chapman on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

‘The power to make memories is fundamental to being human’: TIMELESS (Online review) by John Chapman

Following a brief run at London's The Space and ahead of a tour, Brian Coyle’s 2018 one-man play Timeless was made available as an on-demand stream.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 07:00AM
Wednesday, October 13, 2021

‘Ensemble comedy in the British up-against-the-odds tradition’: GOING THE DISTANCE (Online review) by John Chapman

This latest star-studded digital offering from Henry Filloux-Bennett and the Lawrence Batley Theatre is a pleasing comedy about the tribulations of putting on a post-pandemic production.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 09:00AM
Friday, October 8, 2021

‘Sombre mood, visual distortions, intense emotions’: THE HAIRY APE — Online by John Chapman

I remember a student I was once trying to get to read more saying “What’s the point, there are just too many books”. Perhaps I’m beginning to have the same reaction to digital theatr…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 05:00AM
Thursday, September 30, 2021

‘Deals with some important issues’: MY BOY DANNY (Online review) by John Chapman

New online theatre material keeps popping up all the time – or at least it eventually comes to my attention which amounts to much the same thing; this latest one did so by a somewhat circu…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 05:00AM
Wednesday, September 29, 2021

‘Far from the traditional’: SLEEPING BEAUTY ‘DREAM ON’ – Chickenshed Theatre (Online review) by John Chapman

It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed one of the many shows which youth theatre Chickenshed put out during the pandemic. In fact, their last released piece came out in May so apologies t…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 07:00AM
Tuesday, September 28, 2021

‘The monk playing an electric guitar is a more recent invention’: THE YORK MYSTERY PLAYS – BBC Sounds (Online Review) by John Chapman

It is not with a little sense of surprise that I found myself yesterday experiencing my 800th online production which is the subject of this review. Back in April 2020 I, probably along with…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 09:00AM
Monday, September 27, 2021

‘I didn’t find that this production ever really took off’: MY NIGHT WITH REG — Online / Turbine by John Chapman

One of the huge advantages of online theatre over the last eighteen months or so has been being able to catch up with plays that any self-respecting reviewer should have seen but for whateve…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 09:00AM
Sunday, September 26, 2021

‘The Greek legend is more or less intact’: ORPHEUS (Online review) by John Chapman

The Greek myths have endured across the centuries partly because they are timeless stories that can be endlessly updated and reinvented.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 10:00AM
Friday, September 24, 2021

‘A feminist fairy tale which entertains first and educates second’: MUSTARD DOESN’T GO WITH GIRLS — Online by John Chapman

Although I always have the best of intentions about promoting and reviewing online young people’s theatre, I’d be the first to admit that it has often taken a back seat. I’ve now tackl…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 07:00AM
Thursday, September 23, 2021

‘There’s a musical theatre dream team’: CLOSER THAN EVER – Broadway HD (Online review) by John Chapman

As it’s a recorded stream, you’re at liberty to choose your own encore moments and replay any numbers which particularly take your fancy – and there are bound to be several of those.*

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 07:00AM
Sunday, September 19, 2021

‘Innovative & intriguing piece of theatre making’: CAN I LIVE – Complicité (Online review) by John Chapman

The twin themes of social justice and climate activism are explored in this piece from Fehinti Balogun/Complicité.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM
Wednesday, September 15, 2021

‘In the tradition of the choose your own adventure books’: THE RIME OF THE SECOND SISTER / FOUND – Online by John Chapman

Do these two pieces push the idea of audio theatre to its limits? Probably and the results are highly pleasing

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM

‘An interesting set of responses to some classic plays’: YOUNG VIC DIGITAL (Online review) by John Chapman

The first tranche of Young Vic Digital consists of pieces written in response to a main house production. Here they are in chronological order of the time the original plays were written.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 07:00AM
Sunday, September 12, 2021

‘The highs & lows of auditioning, rehearsing & performing’: A THEATRICAL LIFE (Online review) by John Chapman

Siobhan Bremer’s A Theatrical Life is very much a piece which will more readily appeal to members of the profession and those interested in the mechanics of the business called show.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM
Friday, September 10, 2021

‘Just don’t expect your journey to be a comfortable one’: THE CONTAINER – Young Vic / Digital Theatre (Online review) by John Chapman

Site specific theatre hasn’t been easy over the last eighteen months – in fact you can take out the first two words of that statement. It’s been tricky enough getting regular venues op…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM
Thursday, September 9, 2021

‘A mesmeric 45 minutes about humanity’: MEET ME AT THE EDGE (Online review) by John Chapman

And so, to a piece which has long been on my “to see” list but which has kept getting bumped as a whole host of other stuff claimed my attention. As Meet Me At The Edge is a filmed accou…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 07:00AM
Wednesday, September 8, 2021

‘A vivid snapshot’: THE COVID-19 TRILOGY (Online review) by John Chapman

It was just about a month ago that I observed that considering the dominant story of all our lives for the last 18 months has been the pandemic, there haven’t really been all that many di…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM
Tuesday, September 7, 2021

‘A highly visual show’: FLUX – DIGITAL (Online review) by John Chapman

Although I’d still give a best company name prize to recent Edinburgh appearees (??!) Expial Atrocious, running them a close second is Smoking Apples – though I’d be hard pressed to id…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM
Wednesday, September 1, 2021

‘Gentle, life-affirming production’: Around The World In 80 Days – Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds (Online review) by John Chapman

Around The World In 80 Days is best known for the iconic 1956 David Niven film rather than the original novel by the prolific French writer Jules Verne; this version seeks to restore the ori…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 09:00AM
Monday, August 30, 2021

‘Proves to be as entertaining as it can be’: SYD – Edinburgh Fringe (Online review) by John Chapman

Arthur Smith pays homage to his (extra) ordinary Dad in Syd which premiered at 2018’s Fringe and is now an online show recorded at Falmouth and being streamed via the Pleasance.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 05:00AM
Sunday, August 29, 2021

‘Thoroughly gruesome but mesmerising’: UNDER THE FLOORBOARDS – Edinburgh Fringe (Online review) by John Chapman

The real life figure of Ed Gein looms large in horror films and literature. Most famously he was the direct inspiration for Norman Bates in Psycho and his terrible influence can also be foun…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM
Wednesday, August 25, 2021

‘A celebration of human indomitability’: LOOK, NO HANDS – Edinburgh Fringe (Online review) by John Chapman

A warm and entertaining solo play, Lila Clements’ Look, No Hands has some distinctive features which marks it out from many other confessional shows of a similar type.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM
Monday, August 23, 2021

‘Taking off in an unexpected direction’: The Little Glass Slipper As Performed By The Queen of France & Her Friends / Metamorphosis – Edinbu by John Chapman

Two well known tales with a twist: The Little Glass Slipper As Performed By The Queen of France And Her Friends and Metamorphosis. The second piece now tops my personal Edinburgh Fringe onli…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM
Saturday, August 21, 2021

‘Ploughing the particular furrow of absurdist theatre’: MURMUR / WILD WAXFLOWER – Camden Fringe (Online review) by John Chapman

Without much more than a two line description in the Camden Fringe brochure, I plunged headlong into two wildly different but experimental pieces, Murmur and Wild Waxflower.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 09:00AM
Friday, August 20, 2021

‘Bolstered by some good renditions of songs of the era’: The Girl Who Jumped Off The Hollywood Sign / My House – Edinburgh Fringe (Online review by John Chapman

I set off for Hollywood, California via Edinburgh, Scotland and Adelaide, Australia. No, I haven’t finally lost it, this was my online trip in both time and place courtesy of the Edinburgh…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM
Thursday, August 19, 2021

‘Two ecology conscious plays’: Tree Confessions/We’ll Dance On The Ash Of The Apocalypse – Camden Fringe (Online review) by John Chapman

Though the big guns which are at the Edinburgh Fringe have now been rolled out, it’s taking some time to pin down what to aim for there. Meanwhile its somewhat smaller sibling is continui…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 09:00AM
Saturday, August 7, 2021

‘Hit all the right notes’: JAM TART / LEMON KURD – Camden Fringe (Online review) by John Chapman

Jam Tart and Lemon Kurd are two accomplished monologues written by Rhiannon Owens and Nick Maynard which fit together neatly having complementary subject matter and a not dissimilar tone at …

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM
Friday, July 30, 2021

‘A glorious stream of silliness & jokes’: MURDER ON THE 12:32 TO BRISTOL (Online review) by John Chapman

Gigglemug Murder Mysteries borrow their titles, if not their characters and plots, from the works of Agatha Christie. The first of these is the recently released and enticingly titled Murder…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 09:00AM
Thursday, July 29, 2021

‘Intriguing revival’: MASKS & FACES – Finborough Theatre (Online review) by John Chapman

This is Masks And Faces (full title: Masks And Faces or Before And Behind The Curtain) his 1852 play set in the world of the theatrical profession which the Finborough rediscovered and produ…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM
Sunday, July 25, 2021

‘Engaging, entertaining & challenging’: SIREN (Online review) by John Chapman

Viper Squad writer James Dillon’s new show Siren takes the tropes of the sci-fi horror genre (there’s a heavy debt to Alien here) and throws the audience into the middle of the action.

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 11:00AM
Friday, July 23, 2021

‘Uncannily accurate’: QUENTIN CRISP: NAKED HOPE – Stream Theatre (Online review) by John Chapman

The fourth and final Cultural Recovery Fund funded show from production company Seabright has been, like its predecessors, filmed at Wilton’s Music Hall before a live audience and is being…

SOURCE: mytheatremates.com at 06:00AM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards