Theatre & Dance

A handsome revival: 'The Winter's Tale'

The Winter's Tale, Roundhouse, London (Rated 3/ 5 )

Now that we know that the Royal Shakespeare Company will present their Stratford-upon-Avon productions in the Roundhouse from 2012, we can start to get used to the occupation with this taster season.

Inside Theatre & Dance

The Animals and Children Took to the Streets, BAC, London
Once Bitten, Orange Tree, London
Bea, Soho Theatre, London

Sunday, 2 January 2011

A subversive multi-media story set in a stinking slum; a convoluted French farce that hits the mark; and a sickbed drama that dares to deal in humour

Flawless, Royal Festival Hall, London

Sunday, 2 January 2011

Bling on the dancers, but add an old hand

There's a buzz about ballet

Sunday, 2 January 2011

Susie Mesure: The worlds of film and fashion have got the point at last – dance is hot.

Tin Soldier, Royal Exchange Theatre Studio, Manchester (Rated 4/ 5 )

Friday, 31 December 2010

"Sometimes a song is better than a tear; sometimes a song can rescue us from fear," which is certainly the case with the catchy score in this vivid production of No�l Greig's dark but gripping take on the tale of the steadfast Tin Soldier.

Once Bitten, Orange Tree, Richmond (Rated 4/ 5 )

Thursday, 30 December 2010

Brian Rix was once asked if he was dismayed that, after all these years of heroic trouser-dropping for England, in any word-association game the term "farce" would still trigger the response "French". Not that our knowledge of Gallic ooh-la-la is particularly deep. But the admirable Orange Tree has unearthed several rarities in this rich seam. Now, just as the Old Vic revive the Feydeau classic, A Flea in Her Ear, Sam Walters directs a highly entertaining production of Once Bitten, a spiritedly witty adaptation by Reggie Oliver of a pre-Feydeau farce from 1875 by Alfred Hennequin and Alfred Delacour.

Les Patineurs, Royal Opera House, London (Rated 3/ 5 )

Thursday, 30 December 2010

Snow is falling, this time on stage. Frederick Ashton's ballet Les Patineurs shows skaters at play, showing off or slipping on the ice. When the snow starts to fall, they react as people do react: they look up, reach out to touch it, rush into a new round of activity, a whirl of movement.

Salad Days, Riverside Studios, London (Rated 4/ 5 )

Tuesday, 28 December 2010

"We said we wouldn't look back" goes the wistful refrain but, like Lot's wife, we always do, and we don't even turn into a pillar of salt. Just jelly. The last West End revival of this delightful 1954 revue-cum-musical was a bit of a trial. Everyone tried too hard. But the little opera company Tête-à-Tête really does it delightfully well. "Oh, look at me, I'm dancing," cry the helpless Hyde Park habitués as they are spun into limb-wrangling postures of marionettish animation – brilliant choreography by Quinny Sacks – at the touch of an outdoor magic piano.