If there’s one topic which occasionally penetrates the news agenda through the cacophony of the Brexit debacle, it’s the ongoing refugee crisis, as the displaced population of war-torn Syria continues to strive desperately to reach some sort of safety in Europe. Jonathan Brown’s extremely accomplished play introduces us to Saif (Vincent Kerschbaum), Hassan (Hamza Siddique), Amira (Natali Servat) and her tiny baby, who have trekked through Egypt to the Mediterranean coast, whence they hope to board a boat to Italy, ...

Charles DickensPresented by Brother Wolf Adapted and Performed by James Hyland★★★ Pros: Incredible acting from James Hyland brings the story to life. I could visualise every scene despite minimal set. Cons: I expected a slightly different perspective on the classic tale as suggested by the production’s subtitle (“As told by Jacob Marley”) but found it to be a fairly traditional telling. Our Verdict: A classic tale, cleverly told with one actor portraying all the characters. However, room for further interpretation ...

Robert Louis Stevenson (Adapted by James Hyland) Directed by Phil Lowe★★★★★ Pros: This one-man show is incredibly demanding and physically taxing with multiple characters and non-stop dialogue. Award-winning actor James Hyland proves how talented he is, and sets a very high standard for theatrical performance. Cons: This not-to-missed production has a very short run: one night at the Tara Theatre. Our Verdict: James Hyland knows exactly what he’s doing and it’s a pleasure to watch someone with this incredible level ...