All stories by Dave Fargnoli on BroadwayStars

Friday, October 11, 2019

One Man, Two Guvnors review at Nuffield Southampton Theatres – ‘overplayed but enjoyable’ by Dave Fargnoli

Telling the story of a buffoonish liar swindling those he should be serving, Richard Bean’s One Man, Two Guvnors – adapted from

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 05:16AM
Monday, October 7, 2019

We Anchor in Hope review at the Bunker, London – ‘passionate performances, but lacks dramatic drive’ by Dave Fargnoli

Set in a traditional London pub on the night it goes out of business, We Anchor in Hope is a nostalgic elegy

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 11:47AM
Thursday, October 3, 2019

Either review at Hampstead Theatre, London – ‘playful, thought-provoking debut’ by Dave Fargnoli

Every relationship, from the briefest fling to the longest marriage, comes with expectations attached. Gently interrogating the impact of gender roles and

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 01:00PM
Friday, September 27, 2019

King John review at Swan Theatre, Stratford-uponon-Avon – ‘bombastic and stylish’ by Dave Fargnoli

Full of ruthless ambition, destructive entitlement and cynical political flip-flops, King John may be amongst Shakespeare’s least-performed plays, but it certainly isn’t

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:32AM
Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Mother of Him review at Park Theatre, London – ‘thoughtful, morally knotty character sketch’ by Dave Fargnoli

Tackling the fallout within a family that follows when one member commits an unconscionable crime, Mother of Him is a thoughtful, morally

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 08:30AM
Friday, September 20, 2019

The Permanent Way review at The Vaults, London – ‘compelling indictment of corporate mismanagement’ by Dave Fargnoli

Investigating the controversial legacy of railway privatisation, The Permanent Way is a detailed, dry and typically forensic piece of verbatim theatre from

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:18AM
Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Faith, Hope and Charity review at National Theatre, London – ‘grim yet galvanising’ by Dave Fargnoli

Surviving on little more than Faith, Hope and Charity, a group of volunteers, vulnerable adults and desperate families gather in a dilapidated

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:18AM
Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Stardust review at Belgrade Theatre, Coventry – ‘unwieldy new musical’ by Dave Fargnoli

Mashing together family melodrama, a rags-to-riches success story and a little supernatural horror, Stardust is an ambitious new musical struggling under the

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 10:57AM
Monday, September 16, 2019

What’s in a Name? review at Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford – ‘a paper-thin farce’ by Dave Fargnoli

For a play based around an act of provocation, there is nothing remotely challenging about Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière’s

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 07:12AM
Thursday, September 12, 2019

So Here We Are review at Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch – ‘a showcase for local talent’ by Dave Fargnoli

Reflecting on grief, friendship, and the sometimes-suffocating parameters of normality, So Here We Are charts the fallout of a young man’s sudden

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 12:10PM

Stiletto Beach review at Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch – ‘unpicking Essex Girl stereotypes’ by Dave Fargnoli

Digging into the ambiguities of stereotypes, social stigma, and of simultaneously loving and loathing the place you grew up, Stiletto Beach is

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 11:58AM
Monday, September 9, 2019

How Love Is Spelt review at Southwark Playhouse, London – ‘an assured revival’ by Dave Fargnoli

Examining loneliness, love, and co-dependence, Chloe Moss’ How Love Is Spelt is an intricate and intriguing character study. Delicate, dreamlike, yet keenly

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 07:28AM
Friday, September 6, 2019

Jade City review at the Bunker, London – ‘thoughtful exploration of male mental health’ by Dave Fargnoli

There’s a cracking, crackling energy running through Jade City, an unfocused but undeniably powerful study of toxic masculinity and its victims. Discussing

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:03AM
Wednesday, August 28, 2019

As You Like It review at Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch – ‘warm, vibrant and accessible’ by Dave Fargnoli

When unjust rulers erode our sense of community for selfish political ends, running off to start a better society in the woods

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:10AM
Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Kiss Me, Kate review at Watermill Theatre, Newbury – ‘bursting with energy’ by Dave Fargnoli

Bursting with energy and movement, Paul Hart’s Kiss Me, Kate is a fun take on the well-loved, if utterly frivolous, musical-within-a-musical. Playing

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 07:08AM
Friday, July 26, 2019

Crystal Clear review at Old Red Lion, London – ‘accessible production of a moving play’ by Dave Fargnoli

Returning to London’s Old Red Lion Theatre, where it premiered in 1982, Phil Young’s Crystal Clear is an introspective examination of life

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 10:23AM
Monday, July 22, 2019

The Actor’s Nightmare review at Park Theatre, London – ‘flat and formless’ by Dave Fargnoli

Jumbling together a selection of micro-plays from Tony award-winning writer Christopher Durang, The Actor’s Nightmare is as shallow and disordered as any

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 07:32AM
Thursday, July 18, 2019

The Merry Wives of Windsor review at Stoke Park Railway, Guildford – ‘cheerful open-air production’ by Dave Fargnoli

Probably history’s first comedy spin-off, Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor is among his lightest, daftest plays, but that doesn’t mean it has

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 11:58AM
Monday, July 15, 2019

The 39 Steps review at Barn Theatre, Cirencester – ‘dated and creaky’ by Dave Fargnoli

Written in 1915, John Buchan’s pulpy espionage yarn The 39 Steps found lasting pop-culture fame as a seminal Hitchcock thriller, while Patrick

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 07:51AM
Thursday, July 11, 2019

The Illusionists review at Shaftesbury Theatre, London – ‘big, brash, and energetic magic showcase’ by Dave Fargnoli

Returning to the West End with a new line-up following a successful Broadway engagement, long running magical variety act The Illusionists is

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:30AM
Friday, July 5, 2019

Greenwich and Docklands International Festival 2019 review – ‘vibrant, accessible and boldly theatrical’ by Dave Fargnoli

Vibrant, accessible and with an increasing emphasis on spectacle, this year’s Greenwich and Docklands International Festival programme is laden with boldly theatrical

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 11:54AM

Crooked Dances review at the Other Place, Stratford – ‘intriguing but overwrought mystery’ by Dave Fargnoli

Rain falls, wolves howl in the woods, and a pianist plays an obscure, discordant composition by Erik Satie. Fully embracing an offbeat

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 05:53AM

Measure for Measure review at Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon – ‘oppressively bleak’ by Dave Fargnoli

There’s no denying that Shakespeare’s bitter comedy of sleazy politicians and sexual extortion remains as resonant today as it ever was. Helmed

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 05:33AM
Wednesday, June 26, 2019

A Midsummer Night’s Dream review at Arundel and Ladbroke Gardens – ‘breezy open-air Shakespeare’ by Dave Fargnoli

Now in its fourth year, outdoor touring company Shakespeare in the Squares is taking a breezy, easy-going Dream on a circuit of

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:13AM
Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Radio review at Arcola Theatre, London – ‘a gripping performance by Adam Gillen’ by Dave Fargnoli

Charting a course between the philosophical and the pointedly political, Al Smith’s Radio is a heartfelt monologue about the paradoxical fragility and

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:55AM
Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Twelfth Night review at Guildford Castle Gardens – ‘charming open-air Shakespeare’ by Dave Fargnoli

Though it opens on a suitably melancholy note, with a shivering Viola staggering ashore, and a brooding Duke listening to love songs

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 10:50AM
Monday, June 10, 2019

Kill Climate Deniers review at Pleasance Theatre, London – ‘staid, shallow and charmless’ by Dave Fargnoli

Dwelling more on the early history of rave music than on the impending ecological catastrophe facing our planet, Kill Climate Deniers is

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 08:57AM
Friday, May 31, 2019

Venice Preserved review at Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon – ‘bold, stylish production’ by Dave Fargnoli

Written in the tumultuous decades following the English Restoration, Thomas Otway’s 1682 tragedy Venice Preserved is a strikingly bleak and misanthropic melodrama,

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:51AM
Friday, May 17, 2019

Testament review at Hope Theatre, London – ‘stylised, but sensitive exploration of trauma’ by Dave Fargnoli

Testament is a compassionate fable about coming to terms with grief, albeit one wearing the trappings of an edgy mental health drama

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 10:39AM
Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell review Norman’s Coach and Horses, London – ‘strong performance by Robert Bathurst’ by Dave Fargnoli

Vividly capturing the feeling of being cornered in your local pub by a drunken stranger with a tale to tell, Jeffrey Bernard

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 07:31AM
Tuesday, May 14, 2019

The Last Temptation of Boris Johnson review at Park Theatre, London – ‘unfocused and unsubtle comedy’ by Dave Fargnoli

In 2016, as the Tory party grappled with David Cameron’s decision to hold a Brexit referendum, Boris Johnson invited Michael Gove to

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:26AM

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