Photo credit: Mihaela Bodlovic Written by Franco Milazzo for Theatre & Tonic Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review. Presented as a conference for fans of “the greatest band no-one has heard of”, This Is Memorial Device is a eulogy of sorts for the subject of David Keenan’s 2017 cult novel of the same name. A bravura solo turn from Paul Higgins brings to vivid life the music scene of early-Eighties Airdrie, a town near Glasgow. While the New Romantics grabbed the headlines and the coveted Radio 1 slots, the lo-fi aesthetic of post-punk became the sound of the underg ..read more

Review by Laura for Theatre and Tonic. Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review. Trigger warnings: Blood, violence The Greeks are eager to sail to Troy to retrieve Helen, Menelau’s wife, but there is no wind to propel the sails, which they attribute to Artemis’ rage over the destruction of her forest. Iphigenia, daughter of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, is summoned to be sacrificed by her father to appease Artemis and be able to go to war.  This play is an adaptation of Iphigenia in Aulis and Iphigenia among the Taurians. It deals with themes of violence and its perpetra ..read more

Nick Hayes and Matthew Stathers in Remembrance Monday. Photo by Danny Kaan Written by Charlotte for Theatre & Tonic Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review. Michael Batten’s new two-hander Remembrance Monday looks almost immediately like a queering of Nick Payne’s landmark two-hander Constellations. Unfortunately, as much potential as such a piece undoubtedly has, Remembrance Monday fails to deliver the subtlety and focus necessary to pull off its conceit. The play follows husbands Julius and Connor through a selection of scenes in their relationship–from their first ..read more

Written by Joseph for Theatre & Tonic Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review. Harry Houdini is a well-known escape artist and arguably the most famous entertainer of his time. He is married to Bess Houdini, and they travel to England from America to try and perform for King Edward, however, their trip quickly turns sour when Harry finds himself framed for robbery and murder by a gang of criminals aka The Barkers. Who is behind this heinous crime I wonder, could it be Houdini’s rival, Mystic Agatha?  The cast is made up of four individuals, Ben Higgins as Harry Ho ..read more

Photo by: Creative Studios Written by Joseph for Theatre & Tonic Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review. This was my first experience of attending the Theatre Royal, Wakefield, (also situated on Drury Lane like its London counterpart) It is a small but cosy regional theatre with comfy seats and a nice, raked stage. Diva Productions presented a high-energy, high-quality piece of theatre for an up-for-it crowd. The brightly lit and colourful stage was adorned with a large screen, which helped to set the scene throughout. There were odd uses that enabled it to work, howe ..read more

The Legend of Ned Ludd, Menyee Lai, Reuben Johnson and Shaun Mason - photo © Marc Brenner Written by Beth for Theatre & Tonic Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review. The Legend Of Ned Ludd takes individual scenes all based around the increase in the use of machinery within a capitalist society, throws them into a randomiser machine and performs a selection. 256 possible shows and each audience sees 1 chosen at random: this show is cleverly orchestrated to leave the audience feeling they are missing out and desperately wanting to see the other versions of the play. T ..read more

Written by Hollie for Theatre & Tonic Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review. Set in two contrasting parts of Liverpool in the 1970s, this story of family, trust and friendship tells the story of twins separated at birth, who are brought up in very different circumstances. One is kept by their mother Mrs Johnstone and one is given away. As a pair that goes together, how will the boys do throughout the years and what legacy will they leave?  With book, lyrics and music by Willy Russell, Blood Brothers is probably one of the most notable musicals produced by Bill K ..read more

Written by Zoe for Theatre & Tonic Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review. From either side of the Big Pond, Dougal and Robin couldn’t be more different from one another. Robin is cool, calm, and collected. She’s sharp and fiercely independent. Whereas Dougal, in the words of Robin, is ‘a golden retriever with no boundaries’. He’s funny, naive, and to Robin’s dismay, overtly positive. So, what will happen when their worlds collide in New York. Two Strangers. One city. Four cakes. What could possibly go wrong… Jim Barne and Kit Buchan’s Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Acro ..read more

From the nationally acclaimed British theatre company Deafinitely Theatre comes a striking new world premiere inspired by the extraordinary experiences of deaf people living with dementia. The Promise is a production written by Paula Garfield and Melissa Mostyn and combines the company’s renowned style of combining British Sign Language and English into their work. At the heart of the production is profoundly Deaf Australian born artist and performer Anna Seymour who today chats with Theatre and Tonic about her journey. 1. To begin with Anna, can you tell us a little bit about what inspired y ..read more

Jonah Williams as Jamie and Anna McAuley as Cathy. Written by Natasha for Theatre & Tonic Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review. Last night I attended a staging of The Last Five Years, Jason Robert Brown’s 2001 song cycle about two young people who fall in love, get married - and experience the disintegration of their relationship. The show took place in a studio theatre in the East Midlands town of Mansfield, but despite the unassuming set and reasonably-priced bar, I felt I could have been in the West End due to such an exquisite performance (that was immediatel ..read more