Welcome to The Crazy Chris Website

Loving London life...

Hello and welcome. This is the third version of my personal site - the first two just developed technical problems which I couldn't resolve so I had to start over. Basically it's mostly about theatre as that's where I often find myself outside of work. I'm still not technologically minded so this one might well fail too at some point.

One of these days I might get around to putting up old content from the previous websites. Thanks for stopping by!

Another year, another reflection

You’ve probably had your fill of reflections for the year 2023 – or otherwise you’ve been good at avoiding such things. Or – full...

Dec 31, 20237 min read

How to find a good state primary

Ask to see the admission policies for your preferred schools. Reading is one of the most important things children learn in primary...

Dec 30, 20231 min read

Criteria for selecting a prep

Know your child. If you've got an academic son or daughter, do everything you can to get them into an academic school. If they're not...

Dec 29, 20231 min read

Wicked - Apollo Victoria Theatre

Photo credit: Matt Crockett It’s been just over fourteen years since I saw Wicked – and just under four years since I last set foot in...

Dec 6, 20234 min read

Diana in Concert - Eventim Apollo

“Another night with Charles’ friends / I pray to God that it soon ends / Nights like this, I envy the poor / Their parties can’t possibly...

Dec 4, 20233 min read

London Show Choir: Live for Doddie - Cadogan Hall

I still know next to nothing about the London Show Choir, except they are a very large group – by far the biggest choir I’ve seen perform...

Nov 26, 20233 min read

Trevor Noah: Off the Record - The O2 Arena

The observational comedy is on point, for the most part – there was a bit about the German national anthem, which these days has only one...

Nov 26, 20233 min read

Sunset Boulevard - Savoy Theatre

Were there laptops in 1950? Apparently so, according to this production of Sunset Boulevard, or Sunset Blvd. as it insists on marketing...

Nov 9, 20233 min read

The Time Traveller's Wife - Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue

Not every musical has to be entirely sung through, of course, but there were moments in this stage adaptation of The Time Traveller’s...

Nov 7, 20233 min read

Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends - Gielgud Theatre

Opinion was divided amongst fellow theatregoers about Bernadette Peters in her West End debut. “I love her,” one said. Another said she...

Oct 16, 20233 min read

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour

Two hours and forty-eight minutes and no interval. That would be quite tortuous for a theatre show, and indeed at the cinema screening of...

Oct 13, 20234 min read

Melonade - Camden People's Theatre

I only went to this show at the invitation of the Camden People’s Theatre, who offered me a complimentary ticket, as I was there anyway...

Oct 12, 20233 min read

Bowie Experience - New Wimbledon Theatre

There is The Bowie Experience, headed by Laurence Knight, which has apparently been doing the rounds since 1997. And then there’s Bowie...

Oct 8, 20232 min read

It's Her Turn Now - The Mill at Sonning

Michael J Barfoot’s adaptation of Ray Cooney’s Out of Order has been modernised to an extent, although it’s telling when Rebecca Willey...

Oct 8, 20232 min read

Noises Off - Theatre Royal Haymarket

It seems slightly odd that in a world that seems so much more chaotic than it was when Noises Off premiered in 1982 that a show, as well...

Oct 8, 20233 min read

The Little Big Things - @sohoplace

This show has the potential, if the producers play their cards right, to run and run. It would have to adapt to go out on tour: the show...

Sep 16, 20234 min read

Oppenheimer (2023 film)

I am reminded of a social media post I responded to about someone who went to the first preview of a new production in London. The...

Sep 5, 20233 min read

Next to Normal - Donmar Warehouse

There’s been some debate in theatrical circles about spoilers in reviews, specifically with regards to the London production of Next to...

Sep 5, 20232 min read

Barbie (2023 film)

According to the movie’s own narrative, before the Barbie doll was invented (by, as it is much later revealed in the film, by Ruth...

Sep 3, 20233 min read

Edinburgh Fringe 2023: #FillYerBoots

Birthmarked, starring Brook Tate. Photo credit: Paul Blakemore. Well, it was different this year. The ‘100 second challenge’ hadn’t...

Aug 28, 20235 min read

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