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Tag: Theatre

Top Marks for Top Girls

Roughcast Theatre's focus on classic texts - over half of their productions in the last ten years have been Shakespearean - has inevitably meant that the lion's share of significant parts on offer favoured male… read more
Posted in Theatre

Hamlet gone for a burton

Jack Thorne’s play is about rehearsals for a play that is staged as if were a rehearsal of Hamlet, which features Hamlet staging a play. The fact that The Motive and The Cue recently transferred… read more
Posted in Theatre

Radio Brought to life on Stage

The Crime and Comedy Theatre Company benefit from a number of familiar faces (and voices) to draw in an audience, with Colin Baker - best known for his playing of the Doctor during the classic… read more
Posted in Theatre

A Fabulous Theatrical Feast

Rob John's sharply written Hollyhock Trilogy benefits hugely from the acting talent of Dawn Finnerty and Robin McLoughlin, who both breathe life into the characters sketched out in three separate mini-plays focusing on loneliness, loss… read more
Posted in Theatre

Magical Comedy delivered Just like that

Given the ubiquity of tribute bands that make an honest living pretending to be someone else, it’s perhaps surprising that the idea doesn't branch out into other forms of entertainment.  Admittedly, I've seen the likes… read more
Posted in Comedy, Theatre

A Magical Night at the Corn Hall

The last time I can recall magic coming to Diss was Morgan and West, and that was in Garboldisham before the refurbished Corn Hall reopened. There is clearly an appetite for it though, as the… read more
Posted in Theatre

Joseph Fiennes Scores a Winner for Dear England

Sport and Stage make uneasy bed fellows, generally requiring two members of any self-respecting pub quiz team. Attempts to dramatize the former, in particular football, have generally fallen short of their goal. It would be… read more
Posted in Film, Theatre

The Ice Wolf Cometh

MISS MIMPLE MEETS THE ICE WOLF - Common Ground Theatre Company Ushering in the New Year in the company of Common Ground Theatre has become something of tradition in the last few years, and one… read more
Posted in Music, Theatre

Bah Humbug!

Just when you thought it was safe to put away the tinsel and the baubles, Simon Callow pops up with a version of Charles Dickens's classic, ghostly tale to remind us that the spirit of Christmas… read more
Posted in Film, Theatre

A Magical Seasonal Treat for All the Family

The Corn Hall has hosted a Christmas pantomime for many years, but this is the first created in house, and it's a gamble that has paid off handsomely. The ensemble cast and crew may not… read more
Posted in Pantomime, Theatre

Sprowston Boy is a winner

In the mid 80s, salesman Geoff Whiting and coal merchant Kenny Blanch bought a racehorse and named it after the road they both grew up on. The horse went on to romp home ahead of… read more
Posted in Theatre

A Timely reminder of the horrors of conflict

It was nearly one hundred years ago that RC Sherriff's extraordinary treatise on life in the trenches was first performed in the West End. And yet, in both its language and sensibilities, Roughcast's staging of… read more
Posted in Theatre

Julian Dutton salutes John Le Mesurier

Julian Dutton's tribute to John Le Mesurier, the actor best known for his role in Dad's Army, was an affectionate but candid look at the life of a man that met triumph and disaster, and… read more
Posted in Theatre

A compelling drama of chilling relevance

At 8.15 in the morning, on the 6th August 1945, the United States unleashed the terrible power of an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Michael Mears’s The Mistake is a complex and involving play that offers… read more
Posted in Theatre

James Norton's Challenging Little Life

The Corn Hall frequently showcases the best the National Theatre has to offer, and it's always a treat seeing what London is enjoying, presented in a way that faithfully captures the theatrical experience.  Filmed at the… read more
Posted in Film, Theatre, Uncategorised

Luke Wright’s Celebrates his Silver Jubilee

It's hard to believe that Luke Wright, or anyone else for that matter, has earned a living through stand up poetry for the last twenty five years. Once you've ticked off John Cooper Clarke, Attila… read more
Posted in Comedy, Luke Wright, Stand-Up Poetry, Uncategorised

Dot Productions weather the storm

It was with some trepidation that I made my way to the grounds of the Oaksmere for Dot Production's open air performance of their adaptation of Jane Austin's Persuasion. The heavens had opened only moments… read more
Posted in Theatre

By Jove, Robertson & Collett play to a full house

What does a theatre company do when cast, props and sets are stuck in a van that's broken down on the M6? As everyone knows, the golden rule is the show must go on. Gavin… read more
Posted in Comedy, Theatre

Emma is The Pantaloons at their very best

Those coming to a show by The Pantaloons expecting a faithful adaptation of their favourite novel might come away disappointed. However, those more familiar with their style will enjoy this riotous, irreverent and hugely entertaining… read more
Posted in Comedy, Theatre

SOLD - a Powerful and Provocative indictment of Slavery

Amanda Edmund's dramatization of the life story of Mary Prince is an astonishing and powerful mix of song, dance, drum rhythms and riveting narrative from Kuumba Nia Arts. Based on Prince's biography, a best-selling treatise… read more
Posted in Theatre

A Medieval Miracle is Ivor Cutting's Swansong

Eastern Angles’ tale of mischief, devils and song is Ivan Cutting's final production as Artistic Director of a company he founded forty years ago. It is as ambitious and bold as we have come to… read more
Posted in Theatre

Townsend Productions' return to a classic Text

Townsend Productions are so overtly political their polemical shows can be something of a shock to anyone expecting a cosy night at the theatre. Having previously dramatized the Shrewsbury 24, the chain makers of Cradley… read more
Posted in Theatre, Uncategorised

Singing the Praises for Love Song

Abi Morgan's play spans forty years, with the four members of the company playing a couple at the beginning and the end of their marriage. Anyone familiar with the work of Roughcast Theatre, will realise… read more
Posted in Theatre

Bowjangles get their teeth into Dracula in Space

I can’t imagine many people knew what to expect from a show that featured a string quartet and a space vampire, so full marks to the audience at the Corn Hall that took a leap… read more
Posted in Music, Theatre

A boiling Crucible of terror and tragedy comes to the Corn Hall

Arthur Miller’s 1953 study of hysteria and public shaming marks a welcome return of live performance beamed in from the National Theatre to the Corn Hall. The play is notionally a period drama, retelling the… read more
Posted in Theatre

Common Ground have fun with nuns

The Common Ground Theatre Company specialises in the dramatization of challenging classic texts, fearlessly tackling the likes of Coleridge, Poe and Dostoevsky. Their shows make for intellectually nourishing and wonderfully enlightening evenings that educate as… read more
Posted in Review, Theatre

Roughcast Theatre revive a comedy classic

Frank Capra’s movie of the same name is such a perfect example of the screwball comedy genre he made his own, it’s easy to forget that Arsenic and Old Lace was originally a play, and… read more
Posted in Theatre

Open Space takes Miss Julie in a new direction

Those familiar with Strindberg’s play, might be surprised by how much of it has remained intact in Patrick Marber’s updated version. Marber’s abiding message, by implication, is that nothing much changed in the sixty years… read more
Posted in Theatre

Dunstan Bruce didn't go gentle into that good night

As lead singer (a description he balks at even today) and front man of Chumbawamba, Dunstan Bruce had his moment in the sun with chart-topper Tubthumping.  The definitive one hit wonder (they even had t-shirts… read more
Posted in Music, Theatre

Time and Tide waits in the Cromer Cafe

Relish Theatre’s play has been touring across East Anglia throughout October, and will continue on manoeuvres after this performance at the Corn Hall, finishing up with a brief run at the Theatre Royal. It’s a… read more
Posted in Comedy, Theatre

Fantastic terrors never felt before

The latest production from the Common Ground Theatre Company sees them venture into ambitious territory, taking on both the biography and stories of Edgar Allan Poe. The Raven uses a recital by Poe as a… read more
Posted in Theatre

A tiny show with a huge message

String Theatre have brought, crows, chimney sweeps and circuses to the Corn Hall in previous years, in productions that featured the changing of the seasons, the aquatic world of fish and myriad forms of insect… read more
Posted in children, Family, Theatre

Natalie Songer’s Satellites was utterly Spellbinding

Natalie Songer’s extraordinarily ambitious and complex show took in the vastness of time and space, and yet did so by exploring the most intimate and touching of family stories. Taking inspiration from her family’s hazy,… read more
Posted in Theatre

Women of Troy - a Corn Hall steward's review

On Friday night I continued in my quest to see as much local drama as I can, so I went to Diss Park to watch the open air production of Women of Troy by Euripides… read more
Posted in Diss, live entertainment, Open Space Theatre Company, Review, Theatre

Unfolding Theatre Breaks Bread with the people of Diss

Unfolding Theatre's deceptively complex examination of memory, family life and friendship was a delightfully positive, yet unusually thought-provoking two-hander, written by Luca Rutherford. There was dancing on tables, music from Maximo Park’s Paul Smith, free… read more
Posted in Theatre

Black is the Color of my Voice plays to a full house

Apphia Campbell’s award-winning show has been performed in London, New York, Shanghai and Edinburgh but, finally, it has found its way to Diss. I’ve seen many shows at the Corn Hall that warranted a full… read more
Posted in Music, Theatre

Sadie Clark fascinating look at Solo Theatre comes to the Corn Hall

Given the current restrictions, financial and practical, imposed on live theatre at the moment, it’s perhaps no surprise that there is a growing interest in solo projects. No social distancing required on stage, tour-friendly staging… read more
Posted in Theatre, Word

A View From the Bridge marks Open Space's triumphal return to the stage

After interminable covid rescheduling, Open Space Theatre Company have finally been able to tour with their production of Arthur Miller’s A View From the Bridge. Judging from the number of people that had come along… read more
Posted in Theatre

Common Grounds handsome adaptation of Dostoevsky is a bold triumph

One thing you can’t say about Common Ground Theatre Company is that they lack ambition. Taking on Dostoevsky is bold under any circumstance. Adapting him for the theatre is brave indeed. The Dream of a… read more
Posted in Theatre

The Killer Question answered in this funny, inventive mystery

It is always a pleasure and a treat to see new writing performed, and all the more so when the text is as sharp and witty as Dave Payne’s comedy thriller. Payne readily acknowledges a… read more
Posted in Comedy, Review, Theatre

A superbly staged production that is both ambitious and original

It’s been awhile since we’ve enjoyed theatre of any kind, but setting that aside, a while longer since The Keeper’s Daughter have presented one of their adaptations of classic texts. The works of Conan Doyle,… read more
Posted in Family, Theatre

A Magically Nostalgic Evening with Dad's Army

Back in the 70s it was not uncommon for a successful TV show to be adapted for the radio, and Dad’s Army was no exception. David Benson’s and Jack Lane’s audacious idea was to replicate… read more
Posted in Family, Theatre

War Horse - one of the best known, and best loved, theatrical productions of this century.  

It’s hard to imagine a better way to re-open the Corn Hall than with a showing of what must be one of the best known, and best loved, theatrical productions of this century. Based on… read more
Posted in Family, Film, Theatre

Live Theatre returns to Diss with The Handlebards’s Romeo and Juliet

It was a slimmed down version of the Handlebards that entertained people in the park, as part of the Corn Hall’s continuing efforts to reintroduce live theatre to Diss. Fortunately, what the company lacked in… read more
Posted in Comedy, Family, Theatre

The Crow's Tale was charming, imaginative, and delightful

This was the third visit to the Corn Hall for London based String Theatre, presenting their most ambitious production yet - a charming tale based on a Lenni Lenape Native American legend. The story of… read more
Posted in Family, Theatre

A Triumphant Return for Common Ground's Sherlock Holmes

Common Ground returned to the Corn Hall with another of their post-Christmas shows. It's something that looks like becoming something of a traditional, with packed houses for both performances of their further adventures of Holmes… read more
Posted in Comedy, Family, Theatre

Present Laughter – Andrew Scott's brilliant performance in the National Theatre's Production makes Noel Coward's play sparkle

Noel Coward’s furiously funny farce is given a new lease of life in this frenzied production at the Old Vic. Largely a vehicle for Andrew Scott’s brilliant incarnation of preening thesp Garry Essendine, the play… read more
Posted in Screening, Theatre

Another chance to see Fleabag on the big screen - it's a terrifically entertaining showcase for Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s considerable talents

I wonder how many others were belatedly catching up with Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s extraordinary Edinburgh debut back in 2013, kicking themselves that, at the time, they went to see something else instead? Given the global success… read more
Posted in Review, Screening

In Loyal Company - a masterpiece of war storytelling

In Loyal Company - coming to the Corn Hall on Friday 13th September - is based on the incredible true story of Arthur Robinson’s experiences as a Prisoner of War during World War II. This… read more
Posted in Theatre

Roughcast's rumbustious romp of A Midsummer Night's Dream features a scene-stealing, marvellously exuberant Bottom

A Midsummer Night’s Dream RoughCast Theatre Company has never been afraid to take on challenging writing, tackling everything from Ibsen to Orton, and in their latest production they take on that most formidable of oxymorons,… read more
Posted in live entertainment, Review, Theatre

Old Herbaceous - a night at the theatre that was a delight from beginning to end

Old Herbacious - Kick in the Head productions Alfred Shaughnessy’s sensitive adaption of Reginald Arkell’s novel is a delight from beginning to end, cleverly distilling not just the narrative, but also the spirit of Arkell’s… read more
Posted in Review, Theatre

Thomas Paine play was sometimes melancholy, frequently moving, and ultimately life affirming.

Thomas Paine’s To Begin the World Over Again Thomas Paine only worked in Diss for a year, but we still make a claim on him, so it was pleasing that the playwright and performer, Ian… read more
Posted in Heritage, Review, Theatre

David Vass talks to Ian Ruskin about his play Thomas Paine's To Begin the World Over - performed at the Corn Hall on Thursday 9 May

David Vass talks to Ian Ruskin about his play Thomas Paine's The Begin the World Over which will be performed at the Corn Hall on Thursday 9 May Ian Ruskin has acted all his life,… read more
Posted in Theatre

Gillian Anderson and Lily James - superb in the National Theatre live screening of All About Eve

This adaption of a 1950s movie films its actors while they perform live, projecting them onto a screen, while yet more the actors perform live on stage - all of which has then been filmed… read more
Posted in Review, Screening, Theatre

The Pantaloons inventive reworking of The Odyssey is a triumph!

The Pantaloons are no strangers to the inventive re-working of classic texts, but this must be their most ambitious attempt to date. Slimming down Homer’s epic Greek poem into two hours of knockabout fun is… read more
Posted in Arts Award, Review, Theatre

Super Happy Story - genuinely good theatre with real emotional impact

A Super Happy Story (about feeling super sad)  A musical about depression and self-harm is not an easy sell. It takes imagination to write, empathy to perform, and courage to programme. Silent Uproar’s collaboration with… read more
Posted in Review, Theatre

In an age of zero hour contracts and offshore sweatshops, Townsend productions provide a timely reminder of how effectively historical drama can resonate with the issues of today.

Rouse Ye Women – Townsend Productions Thursday 14th February Townsend Productions have been edging ever closer to contemporary issues over the last few years, with their last show - an examination of the Grunwick strike… read more
Posted in Theatre

Enter the Dragon - weird and wonderful but David Vass wants more like this

Enter the Dragons - review In what amounted to a significant gear change for the Corn Hall, Abigail Dooley and Emma Edwards presented a short, sharp shock of a show that was funny, provocative, and… read more
Posted in Comedy, Review, Theatre

Open Space's Browning Version - their finest ever

The Browning Version Never shy of a challenge, Open Space Theatre Company’s latest production is a play generally regarded as Terence Rattigan’s finest. Judging by the opening night at Wingfield Barns, it may well also… read more
Posted in Open Space Theatre Company, Review, Theatre

Common Ground's, The Mariner demonstrates just how good a touring company can be

The Mariner If there is one word to describe Common Ground’s latest production, it would be ambitious. Handsomely staged, this mix of song, music and theatre tackles both Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s life and his most… read more
Posted in Review, Theatre

4 star review of 'The Mariner' Common Ground's latest production - coming 26 Oct

Samuel Taylor Coleridge is probably as much remembered by the general public today for his troubled life and opium addiction as for his verse and association with Wordsworth’s circle. Of his poetry, the most likely… read more
Posted in Music, Review, Theatre

Young Reviewer thinks Water Babies is fantastic

"It was about a little boy who did work up a chimney, his boss forced him to do it. He jumped into the sea because his life was just work. But when he jumped into… read more
Posted in Family, Review, Theatre

String Theatre's inventive mix of puppetry and magic lantern entranced audience

String Theatre’s charming adaptation of Charles Kingsley’s novel is a delightfully whimsical version of what is frankly dubious source material, thankfully borrowing more Lionel Jeffries’s film than Kingsley’s sombre satire damning child labour. Using an… read more
Posted in Family, Theatre

Sour Puss - A magical performance according to our young reviewer

Recently I went to watch the heart-warming children's play, Sourpuss here at the Corn Hall in Diss. The acting capabilities of puppeteer Joanna May were so impressive the puppet strings disappeared and the puppets came… read more
Posted in Family, Uncategorised

Eastern Angles latest play is powerful and moving

Eastern Angles have something of a reputation for cannily focusing on regional topics which nonetheless touch on universal themes. In Nicola Werenowska’s Guesthouse, the company uses the device of a struggling B&B in Clacton to… read more
Posted in Review, Theatre

Julius Caesar from National Theatre a hit

Shakespeare’s essay on political expediency and the fragility of power is notoriously difficult to stage effectively. With an early exit for its eponymous lead, and the closing scenes largely taken up by folk shouting and… read more
Posted in Review, Screening, Theatre

ARTS AWARD STUDENTS TAKE A STAND

Tuesday 6th March saw our Arts Award students take a stand during the inspiring theatre performance of ‘We are the Lions, Mr Manager!’ at the Corn Hall. The students were treated to an exclusive workshop… read more
Posted in Art, Arts Award, Comedy, Theatre

RoughCast Theatre - a bold and comedic Measure for Measure

Despite Shakespeare’s prodigious output, only a relatively small number of his plays are regularly performed, so Roughcast are to be commended for tackling one of his trickiest, problematic plays, and for making such good sense… read more
Posted in Review, Theatre

Townsend Productions latest is another hit with our reviewer, David Vass

We Are the Lions, Mr Manager! Townsend Productions’ latest play sees the further development of Neil Gore as a writer of increasing confidence and individuality. In this unapologetic polemic, we still got his signature mix… read more
Posted in Music, Review, Theatre

Young Marx - A Preview

Karl Marx had been thrown out of Prussia, Germany, France and Belgium by the time he made a home for himself in London’s Soho, a tiny refuge for European dissidents that Richard Bean and Clive… read more
Posted in Comedy, Review, Screening, Theatre

Great Family Fun - Aladdin at the Corn Hall

As the first year of the newly refurbished Corn Hall draws to a close, it seems only fitting that the occasion be marked with resolutely old fashioned Pantomime. Handsomely staged and dressed, Aladdin brought songs,… read more
Posted in Comedy, Family, Music, Pantomime, Refurbishment, Review, Theatre

Audiences are loving Aladdin!

Here are some facebook reviews 5*  Just got home from Diss Panto...we had such a great time and we all vary in ages so it suited everyone. Full of laughter fun, singing, dancing..the lot!!! Lee Peck… read more
Posted in Comedy, Family, Pantomime, Review, Theatre

A woman of no importance review

This was the first of several Oscar Wilde revivals by Clear Spring, a company dedicated to celebrating work written and performed under the proscenium arch, and therefore needs to be seen as an education as… read more
Posted in Review, Theatre

Suddenly Last Summer at Wingfield Barns - A Preview

If allowed only one word to describe Open Space Theatre, then it would have to be ambitious. Not content to take on Tennessee Williams, a challenging and contrary playwright, the group have tackled one of… read more
Posted in Review, Theatre

Team Viking review

After his triumphant appearance in Jonny Donahoe’s Every Brilliant thing last year, expectation for James Rowland's return to the Corn Hall was high. Fortunately, his debut solo show proved to be worth the wait, showcasing… read more
Posted in Review, Theatre

The Old Curiosity Shop review

The Old Curiosity Shop by Common Ground Theatre Company The source novel for this production is an uneven, overly sentimental work that betrays its episodic origins. If you want to have a go at Dickens,… read more
Posted in Review, Theatre

A Strange Wild Song by Rhum and Clay - a review 

The Rhum and Clay Theatre Company use their considerable skills in physical theatre to tell the touching story of an American soldier, lost in a ruined French village, who befriends three children amongst the rubble.… read more
Posted in Theatre

Bleak House - The Pantaloons Theatre Company - a review

Adaptation of beloved texts, particularly those from the sacred canon, can be a tricky business. Stray too far from the source material and the purists are offended. Adhere too closely and nothing but a dreary… read more
Posted in Theatre