Theatre REVIEW: Agatha Christie’s ‘Murder On The Orient Express’ @ Theatre Royal Brighton I kick off by saying Ken Ludwig’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder On The Orient Express just couldn’t be bettered – it is stunning in both its staging and its acting. Lucy Bailey directs a version that teeters between white knuckle thriller and camp and comic farce – and it works, oh how it w By Brian Butler • 2 min read
Arts REVIEW: Kinky Boots @ Theatre Royal Brighton Sequins, Salvation, and Societal Transformation at Kinky Boots, a fiercely luminous testament to resilience, identity, and radical empathy. By Eric Page • 3 min read
Arts REVIEW: La Bohème @ Theatre Royal This renowned romantic opera, telling the heartbreaking story of the consumptive Mimi and her penniless writer lover, was beautifully brought to life on stage. By Eric Page • 2 min read
Theatre REVIEW: ‘Picture You Dead’ at Theatre Royal Brighton Brighton-born Number One crime writer Peter James delves into the shady world of art forgeries for his latest stage offering, Picture You Dead, deftly adapted from the novel by Shaun McKenna. Stephen Sondheim wrote in his masterful musical about painter Georges Seurat: “art isn’t easy,” and forging By Brian Butler • 2 min read
The Last Laugh show with “Eric Morecambe”, “Tommy Cooper” and “Bob Monkhouse” at The Theatre Royal Brighton – February 2025. Photography by Danny Fitzpatrick / DFphotography Contact Danny Fitzpatrick on 07779 606901 Danny@DFphotography.co.uk Theatre REVIEW: ‘The Last Laugh’ at Theatre Royal Brighton Three comedians walk into a dressing room – no seriously – three comedians walk into a dressing room. This is the premise at the centre of Paul Hendy’s tragicomedy The Last Laugh – which he both wrote and directs. And not just any comedians – these are giants of late 20th-century comedy – Tommy Coop By Brian Butler • 2 min read
Theatre “Big Brother is still watching you…” George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984, about a totalitarian state, was written 75 years ago and it’s depressing and scary that most of its futuristic visions have come true. As we enter the auditorium at Brighton’s Theatre Royal for Ryan Craig’s stage adaptation we are scanned by a camera in the huge By Brian Butler • 3 min read
Musical Theatre REVIEW: ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ @ Theatre Royal Brighton Evan Hansen is an isolated high school student with no friends and no life and on medication for social anxiety disorder- and he’s fallen out of a tree and broken his arm, now in plaster. When his doctor prescribes that he writes a daily letter to himself – hence the show title Dear Evan Hansen […] By Brian Butler • 3 min read
Arts REVIEW: The 39 Steps @ Theatre Royal Brighton The 39 Steps is a production that honors the legacy of Hitchcock and reimagines it with a joyous, irreverent spirit. By Eric Page • 3 min read
cred-BarryRivett Arts REVIEW: ‘The Kite Runner’ @ Theatre Royal Brighton The Kite Runner soars as an emotionally harrowing but ultimately life-affirming play, the triumph of this adaptation rests on the shoulders of the phenomenal cast and their ability to breathe empathetic life into their flawed characters. By Eric Page • 5 min read
Fundraising News “A fabulous result!” Local HIV charity Sussex Beacon raises £450 from Everybody’s Talking About Jamie in Brighton Local HIV charity Sussex Beacon raised almost £450 after two performances of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, the feel-good musical which was at Theatre Royal Brighton this month. The Sussex Beacon said: “Although the show has left Brighton to entertain and thrill the people of Leeds, there’s no dou By Graham Robson • 1 min read
Theatre REVIEW: ‘2:22 A Ghost Story’ @ Theatre Royal Brighton Beautifully presented, designed and delivered, it does exactly what one might hope for – it mystifies, surprises and, at moments, shocks and, as a reviewer, to say more about the play would be doing audiences a disservice. I baulk at reviews that tell the story at the best of times, but with this ki By Andrew Kay • 2 min read
Brighton Festival REVIEW: Moby Dick @ Theatre Royal (Brighton Festival) ‘Let faith oust fact; let fancy oust memory; I look deep down and do believe.’ Seriously impressive puppeting , a wonderful evocative show and worth experiencing if you can get or beg a ticket. By Eric Page • 4 min read
Music Opera Review: la Bohème @ Theatre Royal Brighton This is an utterly charming performance, with some of Kents signature touches, a stage filling bit of spectacle, live orchestra, La Boehme is a romantically sad story, ending in tragedy but with some delightful set pieces celebrating love hope and beauty By Eric Page • 2 min read
Arts ‘Pantomime: Beyond the Binary’ exhibition opens at Brighton’s Ledward Centre The exhibition coincides with a run of Mother Goose at Theatre Royal Brighton down the road, starring Sir Ian McKellen and John Bishop By Graham Robson • 1 min read
Arts Jason Sutton (Miss Jason) returns to Theatre Royal Brighton for one night only Morning Glory starring Jason Sutton aka Miss Jason is at Theatre Royal Brighton on Tuesday, September 13 with back to back performances at 7pm and 8.30pm. By Chris Gull • 1 min read
Arts REVIEW: Cluedo @ Theatre Royal Brighton Cluedo was this; a great farce trying to escape from a rather dull game, but trapped like a trap in a trap, wriggling with all the energy of a committed talented cast, sometimes fighting against their material with real verve and mostly succeeding, but there were quite a few moments where it didn’t By Eric Page • 3 min read
THE HOMECOMING. Ian Bartholomew (Sam), Keith Allen (Max) & Mathew Horne (Lenny) © Manuel Harlan Arts REVIEW: The Homecoming @ Theatre Royal Brighton Jamie Glover’s excellent production certainly brings out the dark humour of the play. It’s always exciting in the theatre to find yourself laughing and then almost immediately feeling slightly guilty for doing so. By Michael Hootman • 4 min read
Arts REVIEW: Private Lives @ Theatre Royal A period delight, executed with humour and panache and certainly one for Cowards fans or anyone interested in a certain type of arch, camp dialogue driven relationship comedies with a delicious vicious core. By Eric Page • 3 min read
Arts REVIEW: Beautiful @ Theatre Royal Molly-Grace Cutler as Carole King is touching, she’s totally there, filled with charming vulnerable and buoyant hope, it’s a beguiling performance, hinting at the steeliness at Carols core and her tenacity to be heard on her own terms, and the second half focuses more on her music than the AWOL plo By Eric Page • 5 min read
Community News Sussex Beacon to fundraise at ‘Round the Horne’ at Theatre Royal Apollo Theatre Company’s production of Round The Horne will be at Theatre Royal Brighton on Monday, January 31 (for one night only!) and the Sussex Beacon will be there shaking buckets to raise vital funds to care and support people living with HIV in Sussex. By Graham Robson • 1 min read
Arts REVIEW: The Play that goes wrong @ Theatre Royal Building up into an entirely daft crescendo of madness the entire play, cast, set and night literally starts to fall apart. It’s done with such wit and well-rehearsed charm that it looks random and ad hoc a real testament to this tightly worked and skillfully directed groups of actors who all work v By Eric Page • 3 min read
Arts REVIEW: Gangsta Granny Theatre Royal What’s not to like about a fun, silly, life affirming show like this with a strong moral message about appreciating our older relatives before they’re gone, sharing our wild and wonderful stories from life all mixed up with some hearty farts! By Eric Page • 4 min read
Arts REVIEW: The Midnight Bell New Adventures Mathew Bourne Superb and with a lot to recommend it, The Midnight Bell is a wonderful show to enjoy in the Theatre Royal with enough flair to impress the dance aficionados, more than enough to satisfy the Bourne fans in the house, and enough real passion for your average audience member to enjoy. Its overflowing By Eric Page • 5 min read
Arts SPOTLIGHT ON : Theatre Royal re-opens with starry season Brian Butler says hooray for the Theatre Royal’s re-opening and checks out the entertaining and diverse line up to look forward to By Brian Butler • 3 min read
