Reviews

In 2001, in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the USA closed its airspace. 38 planes, carrying around 7,000 passengers, were ordered to land at Gander International Airport in Newfoundland, Canada. Gander and surrounding towns, with a population of just 11,000, opened their doors to the unexpected influx of passengers, providing shelter, food, and kindness during a time of upheaval. This musical is based on these real events.

Based on the books by P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves at Sea is a campy and funny stage adaptation of one of the adventures of Bertie Wooster, eccentric and idle British gentleman and his steadfast and clever butler Jeeves. Presented by Darlington Theatre Players, and played tongue in cheek with spit and polish, this is a lovely way to end Marloo’s year. 

Dating Disasters’ premise was guaranteed to please: a verbatim cabaret built from anonymous audience confessions, stitched together with pop-rock standards and original musings on romance gone wrong. It was a format ripe for comic recognition, and the audience responded warmly, relishing the catharsis of shared misfortune. Yet while the show delivered charm, relatability, and flashes of strong character work, its musical execution remained a work-in-progress, with the overall production still seeking the polish needed to fully realise its ambitious hybrid form.

Shakespeare is having a good run this year: Othello, with a tight focus on jealousy; a ritualised Titus Andronicus; a sprightly Much Ado at the MTC; and, with Christopher Marlowe, The Breath of Kings, a compendium of Henry VI – Parts 1, 2 & 3 and Richard III.