Light a candle, dim the lights and prepare yourself for an unsettling hour in this macabre, otherworldly production from Creation Theatre. You might also want to get a stiff drink. Because this selection of Grimm’s fairy tales digs deep into the darkest aspects of those classic stories, taking us on an evocative, unsettling adventure. Creation are masters of Zoom theatre, giving a quality to the format that I’ve rarely seen elsewhere. In this production they take several ancient tales and ...

An ambitious and playful reworking of Shakespeare

Expect fantastic fun in this interactive online show

A muddled, static story greatly enlivened by powerful performances in a stunning location

Following the beautiful Dorian Gray this famous tale of vanity and Victorian “morals” is turned on its head when we have a buffet like selection of choice. With 4 alternative versions, the four actors change roles daily in various configurations in an imaginative gender-bending take on the story. Tonight I had a gloriously complex portrayal of Dorian from Helen Reuben, providing all the joys and contrast of a female protagonist, and equally as fascinating was Augustina Seymour’s Sybil Vane. This ...

As a Londoner born and bred, a book lover and aspiring writer to boot, I am ashamed to admit I’d never heard of the London Library. Tucked away in St James’s Square, just behind Piccadilly, it houses over one million books. First editions, antiquities and periodicals stretching back five centuries; a treasure trove of history, knowledge and wisdom. How could I not have known about this place? Another startling fact: Bram Stoker joined the library in 1890 and did his ...

Pros: The original twist of a Poe horror classic. Cons: Too much focus on how the play is delivered (headphones, projections) and less on the content of the play itself, which feels overloaded. There are many things in common between the Spanish Inquisition and the Guidance Patrol of Iran. Both were created to maintain religious orthodoxy and police people’s morals. Neither was particularly keen on women. Edgar Allan Poe’s short horror story The Pit and the Pendulum recreates the torments of ...

Emma Shone speaks to Tim Carroll, the director behind the all-male version of Twelfth Night starring Mark Rylance and Stephen Fry, about his latest project at the helm of The Factory's Odyssey.