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!

Edinburgh Fringe 2023: the app is back

Today, Tuesday 16 May, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is delighted to announce details of the new Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2023...

May 16, 20232 min read

At Last It's Summer - London Palladium

Is there an entirely original idea in this ‘new musical’? The musical numbers, presented as they were in concert format, were reminiscent...

May 2, 20232 min read

High Performance Live - London Palladium

I hadn’t had the opportunity to listen to any of the episodes of the High Performance Podcast before seeing the stage show version, High...

Apr 22, 20233 min read

Village Idiot - Theatre Royal Stratford East

The show’s programme is presented as an edition of The Syresham Times – there is an actual quarterly magazine of that name, established...

Apr 20, 20234 min read

Riotsville, U.S.A.

It’s a quirky documentary film, utilising footage from the 1960s that was either already broadcast and/or is in the public domain because...

Apr 11, 20233 min read

Everything Everywhere All at Once

The title is very apt – there was a lot to take in, especially as I opted for a cinema screening (in one of the few picturehouses still...

Apr 11, 20233 min read

Tár (movie)

Just as well I saw this at the cinema – had I attempted to watch it at home, I might have abandoned it within the first few minutes, as...

Apr 10, 20233 min read

Allelujah (2023 film)

I quite liked the stage play, even if I only saw the National Theatre Live broadcast in a cinema, but this movie adaptation of Alan...

Apr 3, 20233 min read

A Streetcar Named Desire - Phoenix Theatre

It’s been such a hyped-up production that it is almost disappointing that it’s not more of a radical reinterpretation of A Streetcar...

Mar 28, 20233 min read

A symphony, a small band and a singalong

The idea of Ronan Keating in concert flanked by the sixty-five piece City Light Symphony Orchestra intrigued me enough to pop along to...

Mar 22, 20235 min read

The Great British Bake Off Musical - Noel Coward Theatre

I can’t tell you which character wins The Great British Bake Off Musical. I have not been sworn to secrecy, I have not been asked to keep...

Mar 7, 20234 min read

Jim Steinman's Bat Out of Hell the Musical - Peacock Theatre

One of the greatest compliments anybody ever gave me in response to one of my reviews wasn’t even intended by the respondent as a...

Feb 21, 20233 min read

Disco Sucks - Hippodrome Casino

Photo credit: Jamie Alexander (https://lensworksphotography.format.com/about-me) At face value, the idea behind ‘Disco Sucks’ was fairly...

Jan 24, 20233 min read

Mamma Mia! - Novello Theatre (here we go again etc)

I’ve said this before, but it’s worth repeating simply because it’s true – there’s something about stepping away from the reviewing...

Jan 4, 20233 min read

Nothing to see here, just another list of top shows in 2022

2022 has possibly been one of the busiest years to date for me, thanks in part to the sheer amount of shows I wanted to see, and some...

Dec 24, 20224 min read

The Choir of Man - Arts Theatre

The thing about seeing a show on one’s own terms (as opposed to being part of a press allocation) is that you get to look at a theatre’s...

Dec 23, 20223 min read

Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial - Wyndham's Theatre

Invariably, friends and acquaintances want to know if I’m looking forward to seeing any shows in the near future. There’s one that...

Dec 21, 20223 min read

Jack Whitehall and Friends (in aid of Diabetes UK) - Savoy Theatre

Jack Whitehall is not the sort of person to be bashful about his personal life, and at this charity gig in aid of Diabetes UK, he...

Dec 20, 20224 min read

Standing at the Sky's Edge - Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

This was a historic visit to Sheffield for me, as it marks the first time I have ever stayed in a Travelodge hotel. Check-in was quite...

Dec 19, 20226 min read

Hex - National Theatre

A fairy (Lisa Lambe) called Fairy (yep, it’s one of those shows) puts a hex on Rose (Rosie Graham), or for the uninitiated like me, a...

Dec 17, 20223 min read

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