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