Author Archives: garylongden

Cabaret – Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

Posted on September 4, 2019 by garylongden

***** Once in a while, a show catches you off guard, it surprises you, and delights you. This is such a show. Sumptuously staged, it veers from burlesque, to grotesque, from bright lights, to dark alleyways.   “Cabaret” is synonymous … Continue reading →

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Too Petty – Flowerpot, Derby

Posted on September 3, 2019 by garylongden

The age of the tribute band is upon us. As the greats from the classic rock era grow old, infirm, or die, the demand for their music remains. No-one goes to a Beethoven concert, then complains that Beethoven wasn’t playing, … Continue reading →

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Hair – Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

Posted on July 24, 2019 by garylongden

Hair – Wolverhampton Grand Theatre *** Passers- by on Wolverhampton Broad Street may have mistaken the billboards for “Hair” as an immediate tribute to our new Prime Minister’s legendary tousled locks. They would have been disappointed. Instead this is a … Continue reading →

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How Steep is Steep?

Posted on July 20, 2019 by garylongden

    Laser dots Ten metres apart Were the start Of when it happened Baldwin Street Dunedin Was flattened By the Men of Harlech Whose angle was more acute On the Welsh route At Forde Pen Llech Thirty five degrees … Continue reading →

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Serendipity

Posted on June 27, 2019 by garylongden

I have flown on many occasions. The thrill now dulled by the snaking airport queues for check in, passport checks, security checks, and boarding checks, before being herded into seats so rigid and short of legroom, that there must be … Continue reading →

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Sutton Arts Preview 2019/20 Season

Posted on June 6, 2019 by garylongden

  Sutton Arts have announced their 2019/20, 75th anniversary, programme. Invariably they produce a thought provoking combination of hidden gems, much loved standards, and the quirky.They have excelled once again. Here is a preview of the treats in store. Absolute … Continue reading →

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1984 – Derby Theatre

Posted on May 25, 2019 by garylongden

**** George Orwell wrote 1984 in 1949. Seventy years on Derby University productions have rebooted the story for the 21st Century. The undergraduates have produced every aspect of the show with the only external direction coming from co-directors, Theatre Arts … Continue reading →

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1984 – Derby Theatre Preview, Opens Fri 24th May, 2019

Posted on May 21, 2019 by garylongden

1984 – Friday 24th and Sat 25th May, 2019 Any piece of writing, or film, about the future inevitably meets its day of reckoning, when the future becomes the present. 1984 was first published in 1949, thirty-five years prior to … Continue reading →

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The Rocky Horror Show – New Alexander Theatre, Birmingham

Posted on May 14, 2019 by garylongden

Now in its 46th Year, The Rocky Horror Show shows no sign of slowing down, or losing its edge. Few shows have the audacity to use their best song as the opening number. Yet that is what happens here. The … Continue reading →

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Turn of the Screw- Derby Theatre

Posted on May 8, 2019 by garylongden

**** “Turn of the Screw”, written by Henry James in 1898, is an essential component in the canon of English Literature adapted for stage here by Tim Luscombe. It is co-produced by Mercury Theatre Colchester, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre and Exeter … Continue reading →

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