Author Archives: garylongden

Lonely Boy – Steve Jones, the biography

Posted on June 6, 2018 by garylongden

I was there when punk broke. It was exciting. There was a sense that music, and the way that young people saw the world around them, was changing. The Boomtown Rats, Buzzcocks, Magazine, and Jam first tours, the Clash complete … Continue reading →

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The Grand Old Days- Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

Posted on June 5, 2018 by garylongden

*** A music hall variety show indebted to the “Good Old Days” format which was so popular on television fifty years ago. Vintage films were playing in the foyer to capture the mood for the audience. On stage, period photograph … Continue reading →

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Stomp! Birmingham Hippodrome

Posted on May 29, 2018 by garylongden

After a fifteen year run in London, Stomp is now stomping around the provinces on tour. What is it? Loosely fitting into the physical theatre genre, it is a musical without narrative, a street comedy without words. A professional production … Continue reading →

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Brighton Rock – Derby Theatre

Posted on May 16, 2018 by garylongden

Brighton Rock is one of the great 20th century British novels first published in 1938, later adapted for film in 1947, and again in 2010. This stage adaptation by Bryony Lavery is a timely reassessment of the work set in … Continue reading →

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Mountains: The Dreams of Lily Kwok – Derby Theatre

Posted on May 10, 2018 by garylongden

*** A play, playwright, and story, that were all new to me, adding a large dollop of intrigue on the opening night. The playwright In -Sook Chappell is a Korean-born, London-based playwright and filmmaker. She studied dance in New York … Continue reading →

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Crazy for You – Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

Posted on May 9, 2018 by garylongden

**** This was the first time I had seen this show. It seems as though it has been around forever, with the songs familiar by a process of popular osmosis. Yet upon conducting some dutiful pre-review research, I was surprised … Continue reading →

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Sarah Brigham – Derby Theatre

Posted on May 6, 2018 by garylongden

    As theatre reviewers we tend to focus on the script, score and cast of the shows we see. Production Directors are as anonymous to an audience as they are omnipresent to the cast during rehearsals. Yet their role … Continue reading →

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Not Now Darling – Sutton Arts Theatre

Posted on May 4, 2018 by garylongden

“Not Now Darling” is a 1967 farce written by English playwrights John Chapman and Ray Cooney, first staged at the Richmond Theatre, in Richmond, London, prior to a long West End run. It is  the tenth play penned by Cooney … Continue reading →

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Spamalot – Derby Theatre

Posted on April 18, 2018 by garylongden

  ***** This third UK tour of “Spamalot” opened in September 2017 in Blackpool, and reaches Derby as part of its nationwide travels. It is a brand new production of the show by Selladoor. The Monty Python team dominated British … Continue reading →

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Cacophony of Stardust – Al Barz

Posted on April 17, 2018 by garylongden

A poetry collection review: I have known Al Barz for several years, and seen him perform innumerable times. Live, he has a reputation for quirky, engaging, performance, an appearance is always an event. His first collection, Cacophony of Stardust, draws … Continue reading →

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