All stories by Jeremy Brien on BroadwayStars

Friday, February 14, 2020

The Realistic Joneses review at Ustinov Studio, Bath – ‘reflective, witty, unsettling’ by Jeremy Brien

When Deborah Warner takes over as artistic director of Bath’s Ustinov Studio in the autumn, she will inherit an enviable reputation for

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:20AM
Wednesday, January 29, 2020

The Importance of Being Earnest review at Barn Theatre, Cirencester – ‘energetic two-man staging’ by Jeremy Brien

Oscar Wilde plots don’t come much more convoluted than The Importance of Being Earnest. Yet the adventurous Barn Theatre in Cirencester is

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 11:02AM
Wednesday, January 22, 2020

God of Carnage review at Theatre Royal, Bath – ‘a caustic commentary on the modern family’ by Jeremy Brien

Yasmina Reza’s acerbic comedy of ill manners God of Carnage, translated from the French by Christopher Hampton, was a highlight of the

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 11:54AM
Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Aladdin review at Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury – ‘a curate’s egg’ by Jeremy Brien

Gloucestershire panto fans can wrap themselves in the traditional Christmas-time comfort blanket of familiarity with this year’s production of Aladdin at the

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 12:46PM
Thursday, December 12, 2019

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Octagon Theatre, Yeovil – ‘rich performances’ by Jeremy Brien

Disney Cruise Line performer Kathryn Nash brings a welcome injection of trans-Atlantic pizzazz into this strictly traditional West Country pantomime. Based in

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:39AM
Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Dick Whittington review at Bristol Hippodrome – ‘dazzling set pieces’ by Jeremy Brien

Soap opera luminary Shane Richie has become synonymous with the pantomime Robin Hood in recent years. This Christmas, though, he has been

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 10:45AM
Friday, December 6, 2019

A Christmas Carol review at Barn Theatre, Cirencester – ‘stunning technical wizardry’ by Jeremy Brien

What has turned Ebenezer Scrooge into a curmudgeonly miser with his deep-seated aversion to Christmas? This is the ingenious debate conducted by

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 11:08AM
Thursday, December 5, 2019

A Christmas Carol review at Bristol Old Vic – ‘captivatingly fresh update’ by Jeremy Brien

Tom Morris is celebrating his game-changing 10 years as artistic director of the Bristol Old Vic with a revival of one of

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 10:17AM
Thursday, November 28, 2019

Wild Goose Dreams review at Ustinov Studio, Bath – ‘tender and eventually tragic’ by Jeremy Brien

Yet more new territory for Theatre Royal Bath’s intrepid Ustinov Studio to explore. Artistic director Lawrence Boswell has added Asia to his impressive

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:22AM
Friday, October 25, 2019

One Under review at Theatre Royal Plymouth – ‘a bold revival’ by Jeremy Brien

Winsome Pinnock’s psychological drama about family grief and the search for reconciliation was first presented at the then Tricycle Theatre in 2005.

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 10:27AM
Monday, October 21, 2019

Cyrano review at Bristol Old Vic – ‘more playful than poetic’ by Jeremy Brien

Aside from the works of Shakespeare, few if any plays can have inspired as many spin-offs as Edmond Rostand’s heroic romance Cyrano

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 08:28AM
Friday, September 13, 2019

Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) review at Bristol Old Vic – ‘rip-roaring riff on Jane Austen’ by Jeremy Brien

Jane Austen’s literary classic as karaoke? It seems an unlikely fit at first, but Isobel McArthur’s roistering all-female pop musical adaptation, Pride

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 05:39AM
Thursday, August 15, 2019

The Argument review at Theatre Royal Bath – ‘dark and waspish comedy of bad manners’ by Jeremy Brien

William Boyd is used to having his formidable array of novels adapted for the screen. Here, though, he has written – only

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:16AM
Friday, July 12, 2019

A Perfect World review Merlin Theatre Ecos Amphitheatre, Frome – ‘riotous open-air parody’ by Jeremy Brien

Intrepid Cornwall-based open-air touring company Miracle Theatre is marking its 40th anniversary with this trademark lampoon by founder/director Bill Scott of famous

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 05:52AM
Thursday, June 20, 2019

Blithe Spirit review at Theatre Royal Bath starring Jennifer Saunders – ‘as diverting today as in 1941’ by Jeremy Brien

No summer season at the Theatre Royal Bath could claim to be authentic without a Noel Coward, a Bernard Shaw or an

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 07:03AM
Thursday, June 13, 2019

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike review at Ustinov Studio, Bath – ‘wacky and ingenious’ by Jeremy Brien

Not exactly buy one, get one free. But an imaginative piece of Theatre Royal Bath summer season programming has linked next month’s

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:55AM
Wednesday, May 8, 2019

The Mousetrap review at Northcott Theatre, Exeter – ‘Agatha Christie’s classic mystery on tour’ by Jeremy Brien

The Mousetrap is not just another Agatha Christie whodunnit. It’s a London institution (and, by extension, a tourist attraction), akin to Madame

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:46AM
Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Our Country’s Good review at Tobacco Factory Theatres, Bristol – ‘an articulate production’ by Jeremy Brien

First performed in 1988 and inspired by the stories of first-ever convicts shipped to Australia, Timberlake Wertenbaker’s political powerhouse, Our Country’s Good,

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 08:36AM
Thursday, April 18, 2019

The Butterfly Lion review at Barn Theatre, Cirencester – ‘magical and moving’ by Jeremy Brien

Former children’s laureate Michael Morpurgo has already lauded the Barn Theatre’s adaptation of his African morality play, The Butterfly Lion, as so

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 11:48AM
Monday, April 8, 2019

Acts of Resistance review at Bristol Old Vic – ‘passionate community play’ by Jeremy Brien

It would be difficult to imagine a more turbulent time in the UK than the last 18 months. Yet this is the

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 07:57AM
Thursday, April 4, 2019

The Omission of the Family Coleman review at Ustinov Studio, Bath – ‘a wildly unorthodox comedy’ by Jeremy Brien

Ustinov Studio artistic director Laurence Boswell brings down the curtain on an inventive season of UK premieres from the Americas with The

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 12:32PM
Thursday, March 14, 2019

Stones in His Pockets review at Theatre Royal Bath – ‘a timely revival’ by Jeremy Brien

Marie Jones’ Olivier-winning black comedy Stones in His Pockets, currently out on a 14-week national tour 20 years after its West End

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:40AM
Wednesday, February 27, 2019

A Midsummer Night’s Dream review at Tobacco Factory Theatres, Bristol – ‘high-octane’ by Jeremy Brien

One of the many joys of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the numerous opportunities it provides for ingenuity and extravagance. Director Mike

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 01:05PM
Thursday, February 14, 2019

Blue Door review at Ustinov Studio, Bath – ‘two fine performances’ by Jeremy Brien

Blue Door is the name given by some African Americans to the ancestral belief that painting door frames in this colour would

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 05:10AM
Thursday, January 17, 2019

Crimes on the Nile review at Ustinov Studio, Bath – ‘delightfully dotty’ by Jeremy Brien

Bath-based New Old Friends have expanded its spoof thriller targets this year to include Noel Coward and the early Ealing comedies, as

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 08:55AM
Thursday, December 20, 2018

Aladdin review at Octagon Theatre, Yeovil – ‘a vibrant production’ by Jeremy Brien

The regular return of pantomime production teams to the same theatre is usually a sure-fire marker, and Evolution Pantomimes’ vibrant production for

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 11:48AM

Aladdin review at Corn Exchange, Exeter – ‘some ingenious ideas’ by Jeremy Brien

Shakespeare had the notion first in The Comedy of Errors – the comic opportunities presented by two sets of estranged siblings separated

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 11:16AM
Monday, December 17, 2018

Peter Pan review at Theatre Royal, Bath – ‘an uneasy mix’ by Jeremy Brien

Peter Pans are thin on the ground in West Country theatres this Christmas. This curate’s egg of a Theatre Royal Bath production

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 07:04AM
Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Cinderella review at Bristol Hippodrome – ‘opulent production values’ by Jeremy Brien

If this year’s Cinderella at the Bristol Hippodrome had failed to offer the best dressed Ugly Sisters in pantoland, management would surely

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 11:16AM

Aladdin review at Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham – ‘Tweedy’s trademark tomfoolery’ by Jeremy Brien

Brazilian professional circus clown Tiririca (it means Grumpy) has just won a seat in his country`s parliament for the third election in

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 09:08AM
Thursday, December 6, 2018

A Christmas Carol review at Bristol Old Vic – ‘Exhilarating new look at Charles Dickens’ spiritual odyssey’ by Jeremy Brien

The Bristol Old Vic lowers the curtain on a memorable Year of Change season with this bold and resourceful re-working of Charles

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 08:31AM

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