Email: ReviewsgateReviews@gmail.com
Reviews
The Hallé plays Britten, Rachmaninov and Walton, Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham | 13 March 2026 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by William Ruff
“The Hallé: high drama and razor-sharp playing from conductor, orchestra and soloist.”
Photo credit: Susanne Diesner.
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, Richy Hughes & Tim Sutton, RSC, Swan, AD Performance | 07 March 2026 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by Roderick Dungate
“Fine but flawed.”
Photo credit: Tyler Fayose
Peter Grimes (Opera North), Theatre Royal, Nottingham |06 March 2026 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by William Ruff
“A grim but richly rewarding operatic experience.”
Photo credit: Bill Cooper
Opera North’s The Marriage of Figaro, Theatre Royal, Nottingham | 05 March 2026 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by William Ruff
“A Figaro that fizzes with joyful energy.”
Photo credit: Tristram Kenton
Irving Berlin’s Top Hat – The Musical, A Chichester Festival Theatre Production at Birmingham Hippodrome | 03 March 2026 untul 08 March 2026, then on tour ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by David Gray & Paul Gray
“A tap-happy joy of a show.”
Photo credit: Johan Perrson
Julian Bliss, Maxim Rysanov and James Baillieu play Mozart and Schumann, Lakeside, Nottingham | 26 February 2026 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by William Ruff
“Eloquent, civilised musical conversations.”
Photo credit: William Ruff
Korngold & Prokofiev, CBSO, Symphony Hall, Birmingham | 25 February 2026 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by David Gray & Paul Gray
“A well programmed and impressive performance of a glamourous concerto and an epic symphony.”
Photo credit: Andrew Fox
The Lightning Thief, The Percy Jackson Musical, Birmingham Hippodrome | Tue 24 February 2026 ‘til Sat 28 February, then on tour ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by David Gray & Paul Gray
“A big, bold, and hugely enjoyable, family-friendly show.”
Photo credit: Johan Persson
Sinfonia Viva plays Bach and Piazzolla, Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham | 22 February 2026 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by William Ruff
“Ancient meets modern with exhilarating energy.”
Photo credit: Royal Centre
Daniel Lebhardt (piano), Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham | 22 February 2026 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by William Ruff
“Playing of intellectual strength and poetic insight.”
Photo credit: Royal Centre
The Gladrags Secret Society (Gladrags Goes to the Legends Lounge), Rayne Theatre at Chickenshed, 290 Chase Side, London | 22 February 2026 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by Mary-Ellen Dyson
“I’m bringing my grandmother to the next one.”
Photo credit: Daniel Beacock
The Battle, 1995 Blur vs Oasis, The Rep, Birmingham, 19 Feb 2026 | until 07 March 2026⭐⭐⭐⭐Review by David Gray & Paul Gray
“A well-crafted, well-acted play, marred by a muddled ending.”
Photo credit: Helen Murray
Fantasia Orchestra with Jess Gillam: Electric Currents, Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham | 16 February 2026 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by William Ruff
“An explosion of joyful energy.”
Photo credit: Alex Rimell
Czech Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra, Symphony Hall, Birmingham | Thursday 12 February 2026 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by David Gray & Paul Gray
“A very fine orchestra, playing with power and precision.”
The Full Fatt Sound: Songs for Resistance, Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space, Symphony Hall, Birmingham | 11 February 2026 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by David Gray & Paul Gray
“Some powerful messages about today’s dangerous political landscape, delivered through uplifting music.”
The Hallé plays Sibelius, Shostakovich and Beethoven, Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham | 10 February 2026 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by William Ruff
“The Hallé delivers even more than the sum of its thrilling parts.”
Photo credit: Marco Grob
Dance Consortium presents Teaċ Daṁsa, Michael Keegan-Dolan, MÁM, The Birmingham Hippodrome | 06 & 07 February 2026, then on tour ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by David Gray & Paul Gray
“An irresistibly powerful, challenging and many faceted dance piece.”
Photo credit: Ros Kavanagh
Manchester Collective: Sky With The Four Suns, Lakeside, Nottingham, 05 February 2026, ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by William Ruff.
“Cutting-edge music that both provokes and illuminates.”
Photo credit: Manchester Collective
Brahms’ Fourth Symphony, CSBO, Symphony Hall Birmingham | 4 February 2026 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by David Gray & Paul Gray
“A luminous reading of Strauss’ Four Last Songs and a sturdy Brahms 4.”
Unpopular, Send in the ClownsThe Door, Birmingham Rep | 30 January 2026, on till 31 January 2026 then on tour ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by David Gray & Paul Gray
“A wild, raucous, bawdy and utterly BRILLIANT rollercoaster-ride of a show!”
Photo credit: Graham Braidwood