James Proctor as Ralph Wantage. Photo Richard Smith Photography. Frozen by Bryony Lavery, at The Loft Theatre, Leamington Spa, from 1 - 11 April 2026. Directed by Dave Crossfield. Review by Ann Evans Three talented actors portraying three very diverse characters, set the scene for a story that is every parent’s worst nightmare. The play by Bryony Lavery begins in the 1980s and ends 20 years on. At the start, mother of two young daughters, Nancy Shirley (Cheryl Laverick) is ha

Esther Atkin and Matthew Rutherford, Night Falls. Photo credit Riding Lights Theatre Company. Night Falls. Performed at The Bear Pit Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, from 31 March to 1 April 2026 by Riding Lights Theatre Company.  Directed by Paul Birch. Review by Charles Essex.   Although the story is around 2000 years old, Night Falls is a new look at the days leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion written and directed by Paul Birch. Riding Lights did a marvellous job to tour with t

Sharon Sully (Rita) and Stuart Lawson (Frank). Photo by Rach Davis.   Educating Rita by Willy Russell. Performed by the Young Performers Institute at The Dorothea Mitchell Hall, Claverdon. Directed by Pete Davis. Runs until 29 March 2026. Review by Charles Essex.   Willy Russell’s play is well-known and the story set in Liverpool could easily have been marred by mediocre clichéd acting.  Fortunately, director Pete Davis was blessed with terrific performances from the two lead

Jonathan Goodwin. Photo by Bindi Chauli.   The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Anglican Church in London Road Cemetery. Performed by Don't Go Into The Cellar Productions. Friday 27 March 2026. Review by Amanda Burden.   Human duality: the eternal tug-of-war between good and evil, light and dark, restraint and indulgence - the mask of ourselves we present to the world versus the savage brute lurking just beneath the surface, waiting for its chance to wreak havoc.   Admi

Claire and Tim Johnson. Photo courtesy of Consensus Opera. A Ring of Untruths, written and adapted by Tim Johnson, performed by Consensus Opera at The Bear Pit Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon from 25 - 27 March 2026. Review by Charles Essex   Following on from Consensus Opera’s 2026 production A Bitter and Twisted Cocktail,  Tim Johnson has written a wonderful thriller using his encyclopaedic knowledge of Gilbert and Sullivan music. The story starts with a lowly detective (Trac

Alfred Enoch as Henry V. Photo by Johan Persson. Henry V by William Shakespeare at The Royal Shakespeare Theatre until 25 April 2026. Directed by Tamara Harvey. Review by Wynne Lang. Alfred Enoch returns to Stratford in the role of Henry V, after his breakout debut as Pericles in 2024, and provides us with an engaging portrayal of a young king thrust into leadership in the cauldron of war, one refreshingly free of bombast. This Henry strives for the human touch, and it’s quic

The cast of My Fair Lady. Photo courtesy of Helen Ashbourne. My Fair Lady, Leamington and Warwick Musical Society, Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa, from 24 - 28 March 2026. Director and Musical Director/Conductor James Suckling. Review by Ann Cee   Lerner and Loewe’s ‘My Fair Lady’ throbbed with warmth, humour and very classy costumes and hats last night as the Leamington and Warwick Musical Society put on their annual show (this week only). Great voices led us through the P

Cast of Fishville. Photo provided by Coventry College. Coventry College - Fishville by Afsaneh Gray at Studio One - City Campus, 50 Swanswell Street, Coventry CV1 5DG, 7pm, Tuesday 24 March 2026. One night only. Review by David Court. There is something inherently melancholic about coastal towns, particularly those caught out of season. Worn down by salt air and time, they often exude a quiet listlessness — a curious tension between openness and confinement, freedom and entra

Sarah Agha in A Grain of Sand. Photo by Alan Blundell. A Grain of Sand written by Elias Matar and performed by Sarah Agha at the Belgrade Theatre on 23 March 2026. Review by Amanda Burden. An eleven-year-old girl full of fun, mischief and fart jokes – nothing unusual here. Except instead of entertaining her family and friends, Renad is homeless, alone and starving, a refugee orphan in the streets of Palestine. A Grain of Sand, written by Elias Matar and performed by the amaz

Gorgeous dogs enjoying the attention. Photos by Rob Tysall Pro Photography. As life gets back to normal for all the canine competitors and their owners and handlers who were involved in Crufts, Elementary WhatsOn looks back on our visit to this world famous dog show held over the four-day period of 5-8 March at the Birmingham NEC. We’ve put together a roundup of dogs and events that caught our eye, including some gorgeous dogs who may not have achieved Best in Show, but were

Cathryn Bowler (Debbie), Christine Evans (Elsa), Jon Elves (Peter). Photo courtesy of The Criterion. The Unfriend By Steven Moffatt at the Criterion Theatre, Earlsdon, Coventry from 21 – 28 March 2026. Review by Annette Kinsella.    The “stranger at the feast” is a well-worn literary device. From Shallow Grave and Single White Female, to the clinical yet deadly agents of domestic terrorism The Tiger Who Came to Tea and The Cat in the Hat, writers can't get enough of the unexp

Harvey Brough and Choir. Photo credit Vanessa Swann. Vox Populi. The Bells of Paradise. Performed at Holy Trinity Church, Leamington Spa, Saturday 21 March 2026. Review by Charles Essex.   Vox Populi thrilled an almost full audience at Holy Trinity Church in Leamington with four varied pieces that continue to demonstrate Harvey Brough’s community choir’s versatility and talent.   The first half featured two of Fauré’s pieces.  Cantique de Jean Racine, written by Fauré when he

War of the Worlds at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry. 18 March until the 21 March 2026. Adapted by imitating the dog. Review by David Court Photo courtesy imitating the dog It is generally considered poor form to invoke one’s own experience in a review, yet here it provides useful context. Some years ago, I attended a stage adaptation of Berberian Sound Studio  at the Donmar Warehouse - one of the most remarkable pieces of theatre I have seen. For those familiar with the film,

Vitamin String Quartet at Warwick Arts Centre. Photo by Sundeep Watkins.. Vitamin String Quartet, Warwick Arts Centre, 16 March. Review by Hilary Hopker   You may have heard of this quartet or you might not, but one thing’s for sure, if you’re a Bridgerton fan you will have already heard their music. Most string quartets specialise in classical music, but the Vitamin String Quartet take top classical talent and apply it to popular music. Their string versions of modern pop so

Ampleforth Abbey. Photo by Rob Tysall Pro Photography. It’s always good to discover new places, so if you’re travelling to York, you might want to take a trip to Ampleforth Abbey, situated in the foothills of the North York Moors National Park, just 19 miles from York. Ampleforth Abbey is set within 1,200 acres of peaceful countryside, with stunning views of the Yorkshire countryside. It’s a perfect place for those who enjoy being outdoors and there are routes and nature tra

White Liars. Baroness Lemberg (Viv Tomlinson) Photo by Chris Clarke. White Liars and Black Comedy, by Peter Shaffer. Directed by Richard Sandle-Keynes, Assistant Director Emma Purchase-Rathbone. At The Bear Pit, Stratford-upon-Avon from 13 - 21 March 2026. Review by Ann Evans. Two plays – White Liars  and Black Comedy both written by the same writer - Peter Shaffer and in total contrast to one another. The performances have a strange start with the cast members from both play

At the Belgrade until 14 March. The Reduced Shakespeare company present this updated version of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield and directed by Adam Long, currently on at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry until Saturday 14 March - matinee and evening performances. Review by Alison Manning.   The Reduced Shakespeare company in this updated version of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) by Adam Lon

Hannah McDermott as Peter Pan and Olivia Leaf as Wendy. Photo by Gwyn Davies. Talisman Youth Theatre present Wendy and Peter Pan at the Talisman Theatre, Kenilworth from 12 - 14 March 2026. Written by Ella Hickson. Adapted from the book by J.M.Bar rie. Directed by Ellie Wellicome. Review by Ashley Hayward. The bar has been set very high by the Youth Theatre in recent years but the cast and crew at The Talisman excel once more and do justice to this imaginative adaptation of

Frankenstein at the Albany Theatre, Coventry. 11 March until the 14 March 2026. Adapted by Nick Dear and directed by Alex Shinnick Review by David Court Frankenstein Poster Considering the source material — originally published anonymously — is now more than two centuries old, there has been a notable resurgence of interest in this cobbled-together collection of dead parts. Last year saw Guillermo del Toro release his own take on what is arguably one of the earliest works of

Dean Mills as Gerald Strange and Wendy Kay as Enid. Photo by Martin Pulley. The Stranger by Agatha Christie at Rugby Theatre from 7 - 14 March 2026. Directed by Debbie Hibberd. Review by Ann Evans. Rugby Theatre are staging Agatha Christie’s The Stranger all this week and last night they played to another packed house, captivating the audience with a thriller that's very different from Agatha Christie’s other plays. The Stranger tells the story of how Enid Bradshaw falls for

Game of Crones. Photo courtesy of the artists. Game of Crones at The Albany Saturday 7 March 2026. Review by Amanda Burden Game of Crones at The Albany. Women of a certain… ahem… vintage (cough50scough) will remember the all-encompassing, female-only girlhood cult of the Brownies in the 80s. Looking back, how did we not realise we were in a cult? The signs were all there: secret symbols to identify fellow members, all-powerful leaders (Brown Owl, I’m looking at you), and rit