Julia Rank
Julia Rank is a critic with The Stage (UK). This account has been auto-generated, and does not indicate that this person is an active member of Show-Score.com. That said, if you "follow" this member, you will automatically be updated whenever s/he writes a new review.
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"It’s all perfectly watchable. But the plotting just doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. " Full Review
"The characters observe that it's quite confusing – metatheatricality is a lot of fun but needs careful consideration to transcend simple larking about." Full Review
"It’s really gorgeous and prepares the audience for a full Technicolor experience. ... The young audience’s audible response to such visual delights is hugely heartening." Full Review
"It has enough likability and musicality to balance out a rather clunky execution and a reliance on some familiar tropes." Full Review
"The plot twists are clearly signposted, and the writing can be repetitive...At its strongest, Sayers’ comedy is a vigorous celebration of working women who opt for 'the shoddy glamour of the footlights' over domesticity." Full Review
"Musically, dramatically and visually sumptuous - this is emotionally and intellectually stimulating musical theatre bliss... 'Rodgers and Hammerstein' end all their shows with some ambivalence." Full Review
Amy Hodge’s production is bawdy and more-or-less ahistorical, playing a bit like a pastiche. The production is probably most effective when it eschews the gimmicks. Debbie Korley and Anna Savva are good value as a pair of gossiping ragamuffins. Full Review
We Started to Sing is steeped in nostalgia. The highlight of the show is the nuanced performances by Barbara Flynn and Robin Soans as Peggy and Bert. Undeniably warm-hearted, it’s also a bit too cosy and sentimental, bordering on trite at times. Full Review
The most distinctive feature of Eliot Giuralarocca’s production is the Creature, which is represented by a puppet designed by Yvonne Stone and voiced by Billy Irving...It is not the most memorable rendition of Frankenstein, but it does the job of telling the story. Full Review
Allan Knee’s book is oddly paced and the story arcs lack momentum. Jason Howland’s songs have a largely generic ... [and] aren’t the most inspiring. The greatest strength of Lagan’s production is the energy and commitment of the cast. Full Review
[This] clumpy adaptation ... is all telling and very little showing. The dialogue tends towards the wooden and mostly involves the recounting of events that have taken place offstage. The cast struggles as a result. Full Review
Sean Holmes’ production of Twelfth Night is a conceptual oddity that’s part American Deep South, part Grand Budapest Hotel in terms of its visuals. Full Review
The cast of six (five women and one man) perform with vigour, capturing the fine line between exhaustion and exhilaration and love and pride for their work, despite the many frustrations. Full Review
for a previous production ...the honey-voiced Samantha Pauly is an Evita for the social media age: very modern, thoroughly calculating and scarily precocious...Pauly gives a performance of considerable bravery...' Full Review
"This play is neither educational nor dramatically effective. It feels as if it’s an early draft in need of serious revisions." Full Review
"This play feels like an outline for a novel that has yet to find its focus, rather than a compelling piece of drama." Full Review
"The framing music-hall presentation seems little more than a likeable gimmick, but towards the end, its purpose becomes clear." Full Review
"In some ways, it feels more like a screenplay, with its short scenes that move back and forth through the decades." Full Review
"This is a particularly dark offering for a theatre that has historically offered more pastoral fare. Programme diversification is, of course, a good thing but this production probably isn't likely to be one of most visitors' most cherished memories of this wonderful venue." Full Review
"Impressively, despite innumerable changes to the cultural landscape since the play was first performed, it doesn’t feel all that dated. ... This is a vigorous and multifaceted work." Full Review
Annabelle Comyn’s fortifying production has a contemporary/timeless setting. Eileen Walsh gives a hugely impressive performance as Clytemnestra. The nature of classical drama in which key events take place off stage can be disassociating. Full Review
This adaptation by Lulu Raczka (devised with the company) for ages 7-plus is a highly ambitious and technically accomplished family show that captures Swift’s weirdness with bold boisterousness and plenty of energy from the four-piece ensemble. Full Review
Lucy Morrison directs this intimate piece with a light touch and without the need for constant shouting to convey strong emotions...This is a thoughtful family drama that demonstrates the importance of active listening. Full Review
Annie asks Larry for advice as someone who is older, broke and unemployed, and his response is to tell her not to be any of those things. This ridiculous platitude rather encapsulates the hollowness of this piece as a whole. Full Review
[A] rather heavy-handed first half. Director Ellie Jones’ execution of the war scenes justifies Salmon’s [storytelling]. Cairns’ striking monochromatic set design is littered with scholastic and ecclesiastical debris, accentuated by Alexandra Stafford’s lighting. Full Review
Gilbert Taylor and Lizzie Wort perform the puppetry and vocals with charm and a light touch. It might not be the most memorable story (at least for someone without any prior attachment to the material) but was warmly received by the young audience... Full Review
As a writer of social comedy, Shaw doesn’t have the effervescence of Oscar Wilde, and small doses of his brand of artifice go a long way. The jokes and scenarios are more gently amusing than side-splitting... Full Review