One Minute Theatre Reviews

Home
One Minute Theatre Reviews

This is the page for the YouTube channel Theatre.Reviews With Paul Seven

18/07/2024

What a superb poster adorning the lovely old Noel Coward Theatre. A cantaloupe melon appears in the first scene of Slave Play followed by a s*x scene, so it’s a clever image. With graphic s*xual shenanigans, discriminatory language and a naked Kit Harington, there’s much that could be shocking in Jeremy O Harris’ play, but I found it funny and provocative, and a little flawed. My review is on the YouTube channel Theatre Reviews With Paul Seven, and in writing on my website.

21/06/2024

To the lovely old Garrick Theatre where James Graham of Dear England fame’s adaptation of Boys From The Blackstuff has landed, after starting at Liverpool’s Royal Court and dropping off at the National Theatre. Does Alan Bleasdale’s legendary 1980s TV series work as a stage play? Yes and no, I’d say. Barry Sloane is certainly phenomenal as Yosser ‘gissa job’ Hughes. Nathan McMullen as Chrissie and Philip Whitchurch as George stood out for me, but the whole cast was excellent. The director Kate Wasserberg, designer Amy Jane Cook and video designer Jamie Jenkin can be proud of the theatrical production they have created.
Watch my review on YouTube at Theatre Reviews With Paul Seven or read it on my website

13/06/2024

Always a treat to visit the charmingly eccentric Criterion Theatre in Piccadilly Circus, where I saw (finally) Two Strangers (carry a cake across New York). According to my own website, it’s this year’s Best Value West End Show (based on critics’ ratings and price), so it was only right I should go. It was well worth the trip. Jim Barne and Kit Buchan have written a delightful musical with the feel of an old-fashioned romcom. The stars Sam Tutty and Dujonna Gift are a delight, and director/choreographer Tim Jackson makes sure it’s a fast-moving, light comedy. My review is on my YouTube channel Theatre Reviews With Paul Seven and on my website.

11/06/2024

Having just seen and reviewed Bluets at the Royal Court, I was particularly struck by this exhibit with the Yoko Ono retrospective at Tate Modern. The boat and room started as white, visitors are invited to add words or drawings using blue pens. The result is as you can see. For Yoko, blue is the colour if the sea (she obviously hasn’t seen much of the English Channel), but there is also a message that together we can lift or float the boat. A great deal of the exhibition throws it back on you to make the art whether physically or in your mind

10/06/2024

It’s a long time since I went to the Royal Court but now they have a new Artistic Director (David Byrne) I thought I’d give his season opener a try. It could be the start of a beautiful friendship. I gave 5 stars to Bluets with Ben Whishaw, Emma D’Arcy and Kayla Meikle. I would normally eschew a hybrid of stage and screen but this is something special. Read my review on my website or watch it on my YouTube channel Theatre Reviews With Paul Seven.   I would normally eschew a hybrid of stage and screen but this is something special.

16/05/2024

I often take photo of a curtain call, both as a memento and to post here on Instagram. I was taken aback recently when I was grabbing a shot of the cast taking a bow and the woman next to me told me angrily there was ‘no photography’ and even put her hand in front of my phone. I’ve tended to assume the rule only applied to the actual show, so I was reassured when I went to the Old Vic to see Machinal and the signs said ‘No photography during the performance’. Here’s my photo of Rosie Sheehy enjoying a well deserved standing ovation.

16/05/2024

Coincidentally, on the day I went to see the magnificent expressionist drama Machinal at the Old Vic, I also visited the Expressionists exhibition at Tate Modern. It centred on the early twentieth century Blue Rider group that included Wassily Kandinsky, Gabriele Münter and Marianne Werefkin. Incidentally, given the feminist standpoint of Machinal, it’s interesting that Blue Rider included and respected female artists, which wasn’t the case with Machinal author Sophie Treadwell working in theatre. The range of work by the expressionist artists, from the clearly representational to virtually abstract, has in common an attempt to use shape and colour to convey the feeling of a person or place, rather than the more visually accurate observations made by their predecessors, such as the Impressionists. There are times when you enter a room, it feels like the paint has been thrown in your face. And it’s a similar feeling when you are hit by Machinal’s mustard coloured, claustrophobic set, stark lighting, industrial sound, and the mechanical dialogue and movement that convey the oppression of the main character Helen, played by Rosie Sheehy. My review of the play is on my YouTube channel Theatre Reviews With Paul Seven, and on my website

14/05/2024

It may have been written in 1928 but it’s still daring of the Old Vic to present Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal. Expressionist drama still seems experimental in a mainstream acting world dominated by naturalism. And, despite what Rufus Wainwright said about post-Brexit audiences lacking imagination and curiosity, there was a full house for this visceral production. They were treated to a phenomenal performance by Rosie Sheehy as the oppressed Young Woman. Hyemi Shin‘s mustard yellow claustrophobic set with stark lighting by Adam Silverman and discordant sound by Benjamin Grant offer expressionist support for the acting. My review is on my YouTube channel Theatre Reviews With Paul Seven and on my website (which also has a reviews roundup and a Value Rating)

23/04/2024

Happy birthday William Shakespeare! I’ve just been to The Watermill Theatre in Newbury to see his Much Ado About Nothing, adapted by Tom Wentworth and directed by Paul Hart. It’s full of farcical fun thanks to Hayden Wood and James Mack, the actors speak the words beautifully- special mention for James Mack (again) and Katherine Jack. There are some great 1940s songs added that are performed wonderfully by Priscille Grace. My review is on the YouTube channel Theatre Reviews With Paul Seven

14/04/2024

The mightily talented Gemma Whelan flanked by her ‘sisters’ Rhiannon Clements and Adele James, as well as Nick Blakeley, James Phoon and Kwaku Mills, take a bow at the end of Sarah Gordon’s liberty-taking, laughter-inducing comedy about the Brontes at the National’s Dorfman Theatre. My review is on my YouTube channel Theatre Reviews With Paul Seven and on my website. The website also has my roundup of other critics’ reviews which range from 5 to 2 stars.

14/03/2024

The Donmar Warehouse is welcoming Keeley Hawes and Jack Davenport back to the stage after many years. And what a return! Top class performances from the two screen stars as well as Siobhan Redmond, Pearl Mackie and Tom Goodman-Hill in The Human Body. The Brief Encounter-ish love affair is excellent but I found Lucy Kirkwood’s play tried to fit too much else in.I’ve more to say in my review on my YouTube channel Theatre Reviews With Paul Seven and on my website. Also on the website, a roundup of other critics’ reviews

13/03/2024

It’s 5 stars from me for Nye starring Michael Sheen at the National Theatre. Any show that makes me cry at the end has done something right! Everything works- the cast are excellent (including the wonderful Sharon Small), Rufus Norris’ direction is both epic and intimate; Vicki Mortimer’s set lit by Paule Constable complements the concept perfectly. The production will also be performing at the Wales Millennium Centre and on NTLive. My review is on my YouTube channel Theatre Reviews With Paul Seven and in written version on my website

06/03/2024

The Gillian Lynne Theatre, a new and perfect home to Standing at the Sky’s Edge. It’s a strong musical that deserves to run and run. Richard Hawley’s songs provide a powerful soundtrack to Chris Bush’s script that chronicles the changes in British society by focusing on three families living at various times in a Sheffield high-rise. Robert Hastie directs deftly with flowing choreography by Lynn Page. Ben Stone has designed a magnificent set. The excellent cast includes Rachael Wooding, Joel Harper-Jackson, Elizabeth Ayodele, Laura Pitt-Pulford and Lauryn Redding. My review is on my YouTube channel Theatre Reviews With Paul Seven and on my website blog (see profile).

28/02/2024

Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma seen here taking a bow are magnificent in Macbeth but I’m not convinced it was a good idea for director Simon Godwin to set the production in a war zone, or in a venue like Dock X with such uncomfortable seats. Other members of the cast like Steffan Rhodri and Ben Turner provide solid support. Frankie Bradshaw continues to show why she is the rising star of theatre design. My review is on my YouTube channel Theatre Reviews With Paul Seven. Emily Burns’ adaptation streamlines the play and makes the Witches work well but she has cut the Drunken Porter scene. A lot of people will be pleased but in my written review I’ve added a paragraph on why I think the scene adds to the play’s portrayal of the main character. My website is listed on my profile.

15/02/2024

Curtain call for Till The Stars Come Down at the National’s Dorfman. I know it’s early to be saying this but it could be the best new play of 2024- and special thanks to the NT for still nurturing new writing when others are giving up in the face of funding cuts. Beth Steel’s play is a shocking look at post Industrial Britain disguised as an hilarious comedy about a working class family wedding. Bijan Sheibani’s deft direction is supported by a clever in-the-round set by Samal Blak and lighting by Paule Constable. The first-rate ensemble cast comprises Lorraine Ashbourne, Lucy Black, Lisa McGrillis, Sinéad Matthews, Derek Riddell, Ruby Stokes, Philip Whitchurch, Alan Williams and Marc Wootton. My review is on my YouTube channel Theatre Reviews With Paul Seven
Till The Stars Come Down can be seen the National’s Dorfman theatre until 16 March 2024.

27/01/2024

I’m happy to have seen The Witches before it closed. It’s too long but there are some spectacular musical numbers and first class comedy from Daniel Rigby and Katherine Kingsley. How impressive that director Lyndsey Turner's last two shows at the National have both been about witches- this fast moving musical and the tense drama of The Crucible

25/01/2024

The cast of The Witches at the National Theatre take a bow. Did this musical adaptation of the Roald Dahl classic cast a spell or did The Witches fail to bewitch me? My review is on my YouTube channel Theatre Reviews With Paul Seven and in written form on my website. The name of the hotel could apply to the comic performances of the three stars Daniel Rigby, Katherine Kingsley and Sally Ann Triplett. Director Lyndsey Turner obviously has a thing about witches. She directs this fast moving comedy spectacular with just as much assurance as when she directed the drama of The Crucible. I liked the colourful costumes of Lizzie Clachan’s design but wasn’t sure we needed the contrasting dark ‘thorns’ that surrounded the set to remind us that the world is darker than it seems. Lucy Kirkwood and Dave Malloy have written an enjoyable family entertainment but as Dahl adaptations go, I’d say it’s middle of the Roald.

23/01/2024

A view from the bridge of the National Theatre snapped when I was on my way to see Infinite Life by Annie Baker. It turned out to be an outstanding play beautifully acted in an impressive production. My review is on my YouTube channel Theatre Reviews With Paul Seven and in a written version on my website

21/01/2024

The magnificent cast of Infinite Life taking their final bow. I managed to see this outstanding play on its last night at the Dorfman Theatre and I’m so glad I did. My review is on my YouTube channel Theatre Reviews With Paul Seven

10/01/2024

My new YouTube short is a 60 second tribute to Merle Hensel’s set for The House of Bernarda Alba and why it was one of the stars of the show. Watch it at Theatre Reviews With Paul Seven

04/01/2024

7 unmissable theatre shows opening in 2024. Watch my 60 second preview on my YouTube channel Theatre Reviews With Paul Seven

02/01/2024

My review of London theatre’s hits and misses in 2023 is now available on my YouTube channel Theatre Reviews With Paul Seven. Do you agree with my choice of best play, musical and acting performance? One exciting aspect of the year has been the number of great shows at the National Theatre. It’s really doing what we would hope from our flagship theatre. And it has made a thrilling appointment in Indhu Rubasingham as artistic director.

23/12/2023

St Martin’s Lane looking wonderfully Christmassy for my visit to the ‘theatrical perfection’ of The Motive And The Cue by Jack Thorne at the Noel Coward Theatre. My five star review of this National Theatre production withMark Gatiss and Johnny Flynn and Tuppence Middleton, directed by Sam Mendes with set design by Es Devlin, is now available on my YouTube channel Theatre Reviews With Paul Seven

19/12/2023

It was an unexpected background for the introduction to my YouTube review of Woody Harrelson, Andy Serkis and Louusa Harland in Ulster American. The Riverside Studios is currently hosting a Doctor Who photo exhibition. Coincidentally my most recent YouTube post is a short summarising reviews of David Tennant in Macbeth tennant

09/12/2023

This is one of the excellent production photos by Marc Brenner from The House of Bernada Alba at the National Theatre. What an added thrill, when I went to review the production, to see that the top class cast included two stars of Slow Horses, my favourite new drama on TV. Eliot Salt (left) and Rosalind Eleazar (right) are seen here with Isis Hainsworth.

06/12/2023

The cast of The House of Bernarda Alba take a bow in front of Merle Hensel’s extraordinary set at the Lyttelton theatre. Almost as extraordinary as the play they acted on it. My review is on YouTube

05/12/2023

National Theatre looking lovely for my visit to see The House of Bernarda Alba. A compelling new version by Alice Birch directed with sinister precision by Rebecca Frecknall. Add an extraordinary see-through house designed by Merle Hensel that fills the Lyttelton stage, and superb performances from Harriet Walter, Isis Hainsworth, Rosalind Eleazor, Lizzie Annis and more, and you have an incredible evening. My review is on my YouTube channel

02/12/2023

Ready for Strictly musicals week. How many can you spot?

27/11/2023

The magnificent Theatre Royal Haymarket, currently home to Michael Frayn’s Noises Off. The 40th anniversary production directed by Lindsay Posner has settled here for a limited run. Let tears of laughter flow! The West End cast features Felicity Kendall, Matthew Horne and James Fleet. My review is now on my YouTube channel Theatre Reviews With Paul Seven kendall

15/11/2023

Is this the smallest listed building in Wi******er? It’s just round the corner from our somewhat larger listed building ******er ******er

Address

Website

https://theatre.reviews/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when One Minute Theatre Reviews posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Videos

Yet another triumph for The Young Vic. Paul Bettany is the perfect Warhol, gradually unbuttoned by Jeremy Pope’s emotional Basquiat in The Collaboration. Anthony McCarten’s dialogue sounds just like an overheard conversation. Kwame Keri-Armah brings out the best in his actors and Anna Fleischle’s designs brilliantly evoke the artists’ 80s New York studios while reflecting the artists’ personalities. Watch my review on my YouTube channel. #paulbettany #jeremypope #anthonymccarten #kwamekweiarmah #annafleischle #youngvic #andywarhol #jeanmichelbasquiat

Here’s a teaser for my review of Florian Zeller’s The Forest at Hampstead Theatre. Toby Stephens, Paul McGann, Gina McKee and Angel Coulby star. Watch the full review on my YouTube channel. #florianzeller #paulmcgann #tobystephens #ginamckee #angelcoulby #hampsteadtheatre

#spikemilligan #watermilltheatre #ianhislop #nicknewman #johndagleish

The best musical production of the year is now steaming on BBC iPlayer. My biggest fear was that a film if the live show wouldn’t convey its vitality and sheer joyousness of Anything Goes, but the good news is the BBC has done a great job of filming it. The editing is perfect, the close ups let you see Sutton Foster’s wonderful expressions, the dance numbers are lively. It’s clearly on stage but not at all stagey. It’s not like seeing it live, but a marvellous film in its own right. Sure to cheer you up. If you need more reasons to watch it, see my YouTube review #anythinggoes #barbican #suttonfoster #robertlindsay

Best Of Enemies by James Graham at the Young Vic is my favourite new play this year. Here’s the beginning of my YouTube review #davidharewood #charlesedwards #jamesgraham #jeremyherrin #bunnychristie

Here’s a taster of my latest YouTube video in which I defend Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella against a dyspeptic review in the New York Post. #andrewlloydwebbercinderella

I had a lot of fun working on my YouTube review of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella, partly because I incorporated an outraged response to a highly critical review in the New York Post. Here’s a taster. Here’s the link to the review https://youtu.be/azO-DiVavmc

In my YouTube review of Constellations, I tried to reflect the way the play shows different choices that a couple make, each changing the direction of their love story. I’d like to think my review is amusing but I fear it may just be confusing. See what you think. This clip may (or may not) give you a taste.

I can’t tell you how happy I was to say those words. And thank you to Chichester Festival Theatre for making us feel so safe while enjoying a terrific production of South Pacific. The review’s on YouTube. #chichesterfestivaltheatre #theshowmustgoon #stagemusical

My new kitten Fudge gets a formal introduction at the beginning of my review of In The Heights. Here’s an out-take. Watch my full review on YouTube and find out why I gave Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical 5 stars and why you really should see it in the cinema. And why I love my new kitten #intheheightsmovie #kittenvideo #kitten #linmanuelmiranda

I was in the middle of recording my rather negative review of The Three Musketeers with Robert Lindsay when this happened. #lovekittens

In my latest YouTube video, I’ve chosen 5 shows that have had a lasting influence on the modern musical. Take a look and see if you agree. Or what would you have chosen? Here’s a taster #musicals #musicaltheatre #musical

Top Ten Theatre Shows Online

I’ve been watching a lot of recordings of live theatre shows online. Some are great, some are awful. I’ve made a video listing my top ten places to view the best live stage shows online. Here’s a clip. If you want to see more, click on the link https://youtu.be/lXblBRG0Cto

Such generosity from Phoebe Waller-Bridge in making her 2019 stage show Fleabag available online with all proceeds going to charity. Watch my ecstatic review on YouTube or go straight to sohotheatreondemand.com #phoebewallerbridge #fleabag #sohotheatre

A gripping evening in the company of an excellent Tom Chambers and the vintage crime drama Dial M For Murder. It shows its age a bit but there’s still plenty of fun and the intriguing plot is full of twists. Will the clever Tony be caught or has he committed the perfect crime? The production is good on period detail and pays homage to the Hitchcock movie. It’s a extensive tour so do see it if you’re in need of an escapist evening. Here’s a clip from my YouTube review. #dialmformurderplay @tomchambersofficial #tomchambers

Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins is Interesting and has some great songs but its overall effect is, like the would be assassins, a bit hit or miss. However this entertaining Watermill production hits the target in the bullseye. Watch my full review on YouTube #watermilltheatre

I caught up with The Doctor before it closes on Saturday. Get a return if you can to see Juliet Stevenson’s five star performance but I did find the drama slightly contrived. Watch my review on YouTube. Here’s the trailer https://youtu.be/6WiAlQ9Yyo0 #julietstevenson #roberticke #almeidatheatre

I finally caught up with Evita at the Open Air Theatre and I liked Jamie Lloyd’s dance dominated version. Impressive performance in the lead by #samanthapauly Here’s what someone else thought. To see my review, visit my YouTube channel. Many thanks to my review bomber @beckyrowe. #evita #openairtheatreregentspark #jamielloyd

Shortcuts

Address
Alerts
Videos
Claim ownership or report listing
Want your business to be the top-listed Media Company?

Country:

City:

18/07/2024

21/06/2024

13/06/2024

11/06/2024

10/06/2024

16/05/2024

16/05/2024

14/05/2024

23/04/2024

14/04/2024

14/03/2024

13/03/2024

06/03/2024

28/02/2024

15/02/2024

27/01/2024

25/01/2024

23/01/2024

21/01/2024

10/01/2024

04/01/2024

02/01/2024

23/12/2023

19/12/2023

09/12/2023

06/12/2023

05/12/2023

02/12/2023

27/11/2023

15/11/2023

Address

Website

Alerts

Videos

Top Ten Theatre Shows Online

Shortcuts

Share