Our whole family loves everything about the theatre and as soon as our children were old enough to sit still for long enough, they were dragged there too! Luckily the kids love it as much as we do, so much so that our daughter is now a qualified Make-up artist for tv & film and our six year old belongs to a drama school and has been desperate to be the next Stephen Mulhern since he was two! - (Actually, slight fib, he was obsessed with Bradley Walsh at two, but since Three its all about the Mulhern!) … So we get to see many a variety of performances from Murder Mysteries to Comedies, from Julia Donaldson to Katherine Ryan, from Ballet to Musicals and it’s not just us, we go with the Grandparents and friends most school holidays too, so we are thrilled at the opportunity to carry out reviews, but please remember this is totally our own opinion, every mind thinks differently, especially when it comes to Theatre Darhling!
Whatever show you go to see, we would love to hear about it. After all, there are many shows you just wouldn’t be interested in going to see until someone else recommends it, so please feel free to let us know your thoughts. More importantly though …. Enjoy!
I went along to The Hazlitt Theatre's Panto Press launch 2024, which this year is going to be Cinderella! If any of the last few years are anything to go by, Cinderella is going to be just wonderful! Come with me to take a sneaky peak at what to expect from Maidstone's panto season!
Read MoreSleuth by Anthony Shaffer Review at The Orchard Theatre in Dartford - We went along to The Orchard West Theatre to see the thriller play ‘Sleuth’ written by the very clever Anthony Shaffer and we quickly found ourselves plunged into a gripping world of mystery, deception, and psychological challenges!
Read MoreBack to the Future - The Musical Review at The Adelphi Theatre, in London’s Westend - We went along to see the stage show version of the iconic and much loved, 80’s Movie ‘Back to the Future’ and boy were we pleased we did! Find out more about what we thought in our review and whether Marty Mcfly managed to not only save the clock tower, but get back to 1985!!!
Read MorePeter Pan Pantomime Review, at The Hazlitt Theatre in Maidstone, Kent - I really don’t know where to start with this review, except for two words … ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!!! … The Hazlitt Theatre’s pantomime for 2023 is their lovely adaptation of Peter Pan and we were honored to be invited to their PR night, which doubled up as the launch of their wonderful panto season and you can find out everything we thought about it right here >>>
Read MoreTitanic The Musical Review from The Orchard Theatre in Dartford, Kent - This production of the Titanic story focuses on the the heart rending account of the historic disaster and of the backstories of the individual passengers and crew. The hopes and aspirations of the passengers in all classes of the ship are focused on in the first half, bringing the characters and their backstories to life as they excitedly travel to a new life in America.
Read MorePeter James’ Wish you were DEAD Play Review at The Orchard Theatre in Dartford, Kent - We went along to see the 100th performance of Peter James’ ‘Wish you were dead’ play at The Orchard Theatre in Dartford last night and as a fan of murder mysteries, this is one play well worth seeing.
Read MoreHeather The Musical Review , Theatre Review from The Orchard Theatre in Kent - ‘Heathers The Musical’ is a perfect blend of dark humor, incisive commentary, and killer tunes. Despite some controversial themes and sexual references, the show is a must-see for anyone who is a fan of musical theatre and would like to show their older teens it is very much more than ok to always be yourself!
Read MoreAnnie The Musical Review at The Orchard Theatre in Dartford, Kent, starring Craig Revel Horwood as Miss Hannigan - Annie The Musical is a production set in New York in the 1930’s and is about an orphanage, run by the very dislikable Miss Hannigan, excellently played by Craig Revel Horwood. This high-spirited family show follows the courageous and lovable orphaned Annie, fabulously played by Poppy Cunningham, as she decides to run away to try and find her long-lost, parents.
Read MoreThe Bodyguard Musical UK Tour Review at The Orchard Theatre in Dartford, Kent - The Bodyguard is a romantic thriller about a musical superstar, Rachel Marron, who’s management decides she needs a bodyguard in order to protect her from a stalker, who is posing some very serious threats, so Frank Farmer, a former secret service agent, is hired on her behalf, which to start with Rachel is not happy at all about it, but Frank wins her around by proving that he will stop at nothing to protect his client … Even more so when the two unexpectedly fall in love.
Read MoreThe Commitments UK Tour Review at The Orchard Theatre in Dartford, Kent, with Site and Search and Things for kids in Kent - After an amazing five year run in the West End, ‘The Commitments’, based on a BAFTA award-winning film and novel, has started its long-awaited UK theatre tour and we are extremely pleased to say that if you are even a little bit in love with music, then this is one show you must go and see.
Read MoreFor anyone that hasn’t heard of the phrase ‘Jumping the Shark’ it is referred to by script writers, when the fear of a popular tv show goes from amazing to bombing literally over-night, due to a stupid, unrealistic plot, leaving the viewers not happy at all. It comes from a moment, back in the 80’s, when an American, (very) popular, funny and slightly cool tv show, showed one of the main cast water ski-ing and jumped over a shark! … The viewers were not impressed at all and the ratings dramatically went down fast. … A script writer’s worst nightmare!
Read MoreWilly Russell’s Blood Brothers Review at The Orchard Theatre, Dartford, Kent - Blood Brothers is a story of a family growing up through tough times in Liverpool, with seven children and twins on the way, the father upped and left, leaving Mrs Johnstone, a young single Mother barely being able to afford decent meals or toys for the kids and struggling to make ends meet.
Read MoreBring it On - The Musical, Hazlitt Institute, at The Hazlitt Theatre in Maidstone, Kent Another fantastic night at Maidstone’s wonderful Hazlitt theatre. Where we were treated to a spectacular show from members of The Hazlitt Institute youth theatre group. “Bring It On” is a non stop, high energy musical comedy centred around the surprisingly cut-throat world of high school cheerleading.
Read MoreFriendsical the Musical Review - We intensely watched, related, laughed and we loved. We loved the stories and the characters, so much so, if we didn’t want to be one of them, we wanted to date one of them! … Sadly, all good things must come to an end and in 2004 Friends left our screens for good …. Until an unnamed tv channel started repeatedly playing episodes on loop that is, but hey, this meant that the next-gen became as hooked as us oldies were. So the title of an Iconic show is well and truly deserved!
Read MoreTelling the tale of the Murder at Haversham Manor, brings many twists, but only because the actors can’t quite keep up … sometimes because they are juggling the props, sometimes due to losing consciousness! But the audience does not care, they are away from real life, laughing their heads off throughout. This is one very clever, incredibly amusing, piece of theatre that EVERYONE should go and see!
Read MoreWaitress Review - a musical comedy, based a charming, lovely-natured young woman, called Jenna, who has found herself trapped in an abusive marriage, looking for a way to escape and build herself a better future. With the help of her two faithful friends from work, along with the confidence boost she starts getting from a certain questionable local Doctor, she finds the self-belief she needs to start planning for a much brighter future.
Read MoreAndrew Lloyd Webber’s School of Rock The Musical Review at The Orchard Theatre, Dartford, Kent. If you don't already know, 'School of Rock' is a story about a middle-aged, failed rock star, Dewey Finn, who takes it upon himself to fake his way into being a supply teacher for a bit of cash to help pay his rent, by fooling everyone into thinking his name is that of his only friend’s, Ned Schneebly and soon realises his talents are best suited to a being a music teacher in order to survive the lie and soon goes about dragging the kids into the con. Theatre Review.
Read MoreChicago The Musical Theatre Review at The Orchard Theatre in Dartford, Kent - Chicago, The Musical, starring Russell Watson and Sheila Ferguson, is about glamourous women, committing murder, being caught and facing hanging for their crimes, but their style, beauty and seduction manages to set them free. To Maurine Watkins this became very obvious and in mid-1920’s a Chicago newspaper ran a headline which says “Pretty Girls Get Free, Ugly Ones Sent To Pen”.
Read MoreHairspray The Musical - Review at The Orchard Theatre in Dartford, Kent. Teenage Tracy Turnblad is on a mission to become a star on the Corny Collins Show, meet the boy of her dreams, create a life of peace and change the world - Not bad for a young girl who doesn’t quite ft in, thanks to the shallowness (and jealousy) of her peers …
Read MorePeter James is the UK’s number one bestselling author of Crime and Thriller novels and his stories are so good that four previous books have been adapted into plays, successfully thrilling audiences around UK theatre. These exciting plays are based on Peter’s award-winning books, but from various perspectives, not just of Roy Grace, a fictional, Brighton based Detective Superintendent played by Harry Long. ‘Looking Good Dead’ is a story where a regular guy, Tom Bryce, tried to do a good deed, yet managed to end up with his whole family’s life in danger.
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