Culture REVIEW: Richard O’Brien’s ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ at Theatre Royal Brighton will make you shiver with antici…pation! 50 years ago this summer, The Rocky Horror Picture Show was released (August 1975). I wasn’t born yet but watching it for the first time with my mum (hey mother duckling!) in the 90’s is etched in my memory. By Dale Melita • 3 min read
Theatre REVIEW: ‘Supersonic Man’ @ Southwark Playhouse Strange to travel from Brighton to London to see a gay musical set in … well, Brighton. With its seaside postcard backdrop (the always inventive designer David Shields), and plastic seagulls gliding up and down, I felt at home. Writer/director Chris Burgess has created a darkly comic tale of termin By Brian Butler • 2 min read
Arts REVIEW: ‘The Shark is Broken’ @ Theatre Royal Brighton the production never loses its bite…navigating between laugh-out-loud moments and poignant examinations of creative pressure, making this a thrilling theatrical voyage By Eric Page • 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: Flutter Bye @ Brighton’s Ironworks Studios. This one-night only performance deserves a longer outing By Brian Butler • 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
Arts “I always wanted to be that punk queer guy.” Brighton-based director and choreographer Andrea Walker speaks to Scene ahead of his show ‘Sad Book’ at Old Market, Hove When meeting someone new for an interview you always hope you will recognise them. No such problem with Brighton-based director and choreographer Andrea Walker. His shock of curly green hair and bare arms sporting some of his many tattoos tell you “here I am.“ He exudes a visceral sexuality that mat By Brian Butler • 4 min read
(C)ChrisJepson Theatre REVIEW: ‘The Strange Case of Dr Dillon’ at The Actors Theatre, Brighton “Nothing in life can hurt you if you can only learn not to react.” So says Dr Michael Dillon at the opening of this heartwarming, episodic journey through the life of the first recipient of female to male reassignment surgery. It’s a true-life story and a fascinating one – made all the more so by [… By Brian Butler • 2 min read
Arts Opera Review: ENO Mary Queen of Scots There are huge amounts of drama, of change of place, of journeying, of transformation, of betrayal, but for some reason this very low-key, low-budget production doesn’t allow any of this to be explored other than through the music and the occasional singing burst, which are amazing but rare. By Eric Page • 4 min read
Previews Supersonic Man: a joyous new musical set among Brighton’s LGBTQ+ community Adam is a fun-loving influencer having the time of his Iife. But he’s struck down with a terminal condition, and faces losing everything – including the love of his life Darryl. They vow this will not be the end, and instead they seek a completely new beginning and explore new ways to Iive. Adam wil By Brian Butler • 1 min read
Arts “Bold, bright and totally queer.” Marlborough Productions celebrates 15 years with scintillating spring 2025 programme In their 15th anniversary year, Marlborough Productions has programmed an offering of live performance featuring trailblazers from the UK’s queer arts scene including Emma Frankland and Subira Joy. Alongside a dynamic lineup of live work, Marlborough Productions continues to lead the way as makers a By Graham Robson • 4 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
