Category Archives: Behind the Arras Reviews

**** I saw the original Alan Parker film, but this represented my first time seeing the stage show. Its artistic credentials are impeccable. The Commitments film was released in 1991  as  a musical comedy-drama film based on  the eponymous  1987 … Continue reading →

Jekyll and Hyde – Derby Theatre ***** This is not the first time that this story, originally a novella by  Robert Louis Stevenson,  first published in 1886 , has been presented as a play. It was  adapted for theatre in … Continue reading →

The King of Reggae- The man- The music- Birmingham Rep ***** ‘The King of Reggae- the man- the music”  Is a  production by the Rush Theatre Company celebrating the life and music of Bob Marley. It features  live onstage musicians … Continue reading →

It Runs in the Family – Highbury Theatre “It Runs in the Family” is a classic  British farce written by Ray Cooney in 1987 in the mid Elizabethen era. Highbury Theatre  itself is well appointed and intimate making it an … Continue reading →

Blood brothers- Wolverhampton Grand Theatre **** Somehow, over a period of time, a musical seeps into the national consciousness. It cannot happen overnight. A combination of word of mouth, and return visits create a critical mass, and for some very … Continue reading →

The Shawshank Redemption at Derby theatre **** For most of us this story will be remembered as a 1990’s film, which, after a slow box office start, was reappraised, enjoying considerable belated success on video rental re-establishing it as one … Continue reading →

n 2015  Derby theatre  staged “ Solace of the Road” the world premiere of Siobhan Dowd’s novel of loss and homecoming. “Home Girl” reprises an exploration of the Care system in visceral, essential style. It is a new stage adaptation … Continue reading →

***** A jukebox musical of Queen hits with a libretto written by comedian Ben Elton. Since it opened at the Dominion theatre in London in 2002 it  has played to over 600,000 people there alone,  and over fifteen million worldwide. … Continue reading →

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice – Derby theatre Playwright Jim Cartwright is one of our most important contemporary English  dramatists. “The Rise and Fall of Little Voice”  is one of his finest achievements. First performed in 1992 on … Continue reading →

– The Emperor’s New  Clothes – Derby Theatre This Easter Holiday production continues the tradition of high quality family shows at Derby. With the pantomime season bighted by the impact of covid, it  is an opportunity to draw the whole … Continue reading →