Reviews by Gabrielle Brown
Madagascar The Musical
Gabrielle Brown
Madagascar the Musical, based on the DreamWorks animated movie, is a much-needed opportunity to drag your kids away from whatever device has sucked them in at the moment (in my case, my six-year-old ...
6 days ago
Madagascar The Musical
Vidura Bandara Rajapaksa: French Kiss Tunnel
Gabrielle Brown
I discovered Vidura BR, like all things necessary and good, via Instagram. I am addicted to the platform and frequently waste hours scrolling through reels of unknown-to-me comedians, cackling and ...
2 months ago
Vidura Bandara Rajapaksa: French Kiss Tunnel
Winnie and Wilbur - A Christmas Adventure
Gabrielle Brown
Winnie and Wilbur: A Christmas Adventure is a heart-warming production that will inspire the imagination of any young Winnie The Witch fan. Skilfully low-key, the show shuns the razzle-dazzle of ...
5 months ago
Winnie and Wilbur - A Christmas Adventure
The Addams Family: A New Musical
Gabrielle Brown
Who doesn’t love the Addams Family? A unit of unapologetic misfits living on their own terms and despite their morbid preoccupations and refusal to engage in anything ‘positive’, they’re ...
a year ago
The Addams Family: A New Musical
Rob Newman
Gabrielle Brown
Rob Newman appears to have carved out for himself a unique genre of comedy, which I’m going to call, ‘temperate anthropological humour’. In this latest show, he delivers a somewhat ...
a year ago
Rob Newman
Handel Messiah
Gabrielle Brown
Christmas is emotional; a concentrated cacophony of contrasts. We find ourselves socialising more than at any other time of year and yet there is more opportunity for – or poignancy to – those ...
a year ago
Handel Messiah
The Tale of the Beauty and the Tail of the Beast
Gabrielle Brown
Whether you’re a Scrooge or a put-your-tree-up-in-November kind of person, I think we can all agree that one big plus for the festive season is its capacity to get bums on seats in theatres and ...
a year ago
The Tale of the Beauty and the Tail of the Beast
Footloose
Gabrielle Brown
Footloose the musical is of course based on the 1984 hit movie starring Keven Bacon in ‘that vest’ and the stage version features all the hit songs you’d expect to cut loose to, and more. It ...
2 years ago
Footloose
Stewart Lee: Snowflake / Tornado
Gabrielle Brown
Like most of us, Stewart Lee has been lying low for the last couple of years, but he’s re-emerged like a magnificent middle-aged butterfly, a little plumper and greyer yet manifestly galvanised by ...
2 years ago
Stewart Lee: Snowflake / Tornado
School Of Rock
Gabrielle Brown
I am a firm believer that life happens away from screens, but the main reason I found myself at School of Rock at the New Theatre Oxford on Tuesday night was because of the big screen: my ...
2 years ago
School Of Rock
My First Ballet: Swan Lake
Gabrielle Brown
Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake is possibly one of the most famous ballets and the My First Ballet version does an admirable job of adapting it just enough to keep the kiddos enthralled whilst giving the ...
6 years ago
My First Ballet: Swan Lake
How To Hide A Lion
Gabrielle Brown
Based on the children's book by Helen Stephens, How to Hide a Lion tells the story of young Iris who befriends an escaped lion and struggles to convince her family that her new four-pawed pal can be ...
7 years ago
How To Hide A Lion
Shelf Life with David Baddiel
Gabrielle Brown
The Shelf Life series running at the Story Museum is a fantastic opportunity to get up close and personal with some of our favourite household names. It's an intimate evening, hosted by Nicolette ...
7 years ago
Shelf Life with David Baddiel
Sunny Afternoon
Gabrielle Brown
Whether you're a Kinks fan or not, this musical has a lot to offer. It's loud, energetic, playful and sincere. I find a lot of musicals a little too contrived; this one doesn't try too hard to ...
7 years ago
Sunny Afternoon
Christ Church Cathedral Choir
Gabrielle Brown
A cool, dark December night and the sight of a crowd gathering across Tom Quad at the Christ Church Cathedral entrance is a heart-warming thing. A single Christmas tree glistens from within the ...
7 years ago
Christ Church Cathedral Choir
Three Bears
Gabrielle Brown
Three Bears is a one-man show that, to my surprise, will keep tots thoroughly engaged despite requiring a decent dose of imagination and attention. It's easy to slip into the habit of choosing ...
7 years ago
Three Bears
Cinderella
Gabrielle Brown
What can we expect from a panto this year after 12 months of complete absurdity in the real world? The answer is a jolly good laugh and a show that actually represents Great Britain today: colourful, ...
7 years ago
Cinderella
Peppa Pig's Surprise
Gabrielle Brown
I was surrounded by crying pre-schoolers as I left the theatre this afternoon, and it left me with a warm fuzzy feeling. Not because I am evil, but because I had witnessed a rare and wonderful thing: ...
8 years ago
Peppa Pig's Surprise
Teddy Bears' Picnic
Gabrielle Brown
It's rare to come across a theatre production for the very young, but Teddy Bears' Picnic declares itself suitable for children age two and up – a bold proclamation considering, I would say, the ...
8 years ago
Teddy Bears' Picnic
Cats
Gabrielle Brown
Like it or not, Cats is a big deal. It's 35 years old and still packs out theatres with audiences of dedicated fans, as well as the merely curious who want to know what all the fuss could be about. I ...
8 years ago
Cats
Shelf Life – with Griff Rhys Jones
Gabrielle Brown
What is one to do when one invites a bookish sort of chap to talk about books and he admits he doesn't have the patience to read fiction? That was the quandary facing the Story Museum this evening ...
8 years ago
Shelf Life – with Griff Rhys Jones
Peter Pan In Scarlet
Gabrielle Brown
The boy who never grew up is back, and he's looking very different indeed (although not altogether unfamiliar...). This sequel to J. M. Barrie's legendary tale is a daring, satisfying continuation of ...
8 years ago
Peter Pan In Scarlet
In Praise of Bees: A Cabinet of Curiosities by Elizabeth Birchall
Gabrielle Brown
I am not a beekeeper, nor am I particularly fanatical about honey, but this book gave me a real buzz. It’s extremely elegant, incredibly informative, and fantastically frivolous in places. It is an ...
9 years ago
In Praise of Bees: A Cabinet of Curiosities by Elizabeth Birchall
Mies Julie
Gabrielle Brown
In director Yael Farber’s retelling of Strindberg’s famed play Miss Julie, the fated relationship between servant and master’s daughter takes place in the Karoo, a semi-desert ...
11 years ago
Mies Julie
Evan Dando
Gabrielle Brown
I find it hard not to get philosophical about Evan Dando. The man is an enigma; unpredictable, unbothered, unshaven, understated. Watching him play, I have no idea what he is thinking or ...
11 years ago
Evan Dando
Break The Floorboards
Gabrielle Brown
I am a sucker for anything fusion, so when I saw that Break The Floorboards promised to combine street dance with Bollywood I got very excited indeed. What could this mean? Twisting the light bulbs ...
11 years ago
Break The Floorboards
Dick Whittington
Gabrielle Brown
This is a very naughty pantomime, boys and girls, and you’re going to laugh your little Christmas stockings off.
Pantomimes are like marmite, you either love them or can’t even bear ...
11 years ago
Dick Whittington
9 to 5: The Musical
Gabrielle Brown
Working nine to five, what a way to make a living. I’d say – who works nine to five these days? Sounds like a cushy deal to me. 9–5 – The Musical takes us back to the very ...
11 years ago
9 to 5: The Musical
Chicago
Gabrielle Brown
Here’s why I love Chicago: it’s about women being badass crazy and getting away with it. There’s no moronic moral message, no sappy sentimental songs and, above all, no naff ...
11 years ago
Chicago
Paul Merton: Out of My Head
Gabrielle Brown
Have I got flying bunny rabbits for you.
Paul Merton’s first stand-up tour of the century is perhaps not what you would expect from a man most famous for his po-faced comebacks on TV panel ...
12 years ago
Paul Merton: Out of My Head
Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival 2012
Gabrielle Brown
Do you do voodoo like I do? Are you psyched by psychics? Potty for prayer? Are you staying in bed today because you’re a Virgo and the odds of having things go your way are not looking ...
12 years ago
Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival 2012
Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival 2012
Gabrielle Brown
Before writing this review solution I had to quickly fire off a memo to my colleagues at Business Solutions Solutions regarding diarizing a project agenda catch-up meeting that we had wanted ...
12 years ago
Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival 2012
Elektro Kif
Gabrielle Brown
Take a soupcon of break dancing, stir in a little je ne sais quoi of old-school rave arms, add a modicum of mime together with a pinch of ballet, and you have my very bad description of Electro, a ...
12 years ago
Elektro Kif
Full Circle
Gabrielle Brown
A fundraiser for local charity Helen and Douglas House, Full Circle was an evening of interviews with a twist: after the interviewee has been interviewed they then become the interviewer. The ...
13 years ago
Full Circle
Jaleo Flamenco
Gabrielle Brown
Before seeing Jaleo on Friday I had been trying to see some authentic, and preferably good, flamenco since the summer of 2004 when I was living in flamenco-capital Andalusia. I had been ‘stood ...
13 years ago
Jaleo Flamenco
The Sound Of Music
Gabrielle Brown
“The hiiiilllllllls are aliiiiive with the sound of meeeewwwsic…” You already know Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music, I suspect whether willingly or not you will have seen the 1965 ...
13 years ago
The Sound Of Music
The Big Fellah
Gabrielle Brown
As well as being superficially synonymous with cupcakes à la Magnolia Bakery, high-fashion frolicking à la SJP/Carrie Bradshaw and über-scrumptious weekend brunch dates, New York has, of course, ...
14 years ago
The Big Fellah
Cider with Rosie
Gabrielle Brown
I fear I may have my English Literature degree swiftly removed with this admission, but here goes: I have not read Cider with Rosie. Laurie Lee’s celebrated book about growing up in a ...
14 years ago
Cider with Rosie
West Side Story
Gabrielle Brown
West Side Story is a musical you can admit to liking without losing your street cred; unlike, say, Mary Poppins. It is unquestionably one of the coolest in its genre, or as the Jets would say, ...
14 years ago
West Side Story
Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers
Gabrielle Brown
“Tribal” is a word often associated with drumming and “hmmm” a sound often associated with percussion. It’s odd that this particular music form has such contrasting connotations. Mugenkyo, ...
15 years ago
Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers
Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers
Gabrielle Brown
Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers are the UK’s first and only professional touring taiko group. A Japanese tradition, ‘taiko’ means ‘drum’, but Mugenkyo’s founding member Neil Mackie is keen to ...
15 years ago
Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers
Spider's Web
Gabrielle Brown
Like ham sandwiches, wet summers and strawberries at Wimbledon, Agatha Christie is synonymous with Englishness. There is rarely a season on television when one of Christie’s much-loved characters ...
15 years ago
Spider's Web
O Duo - Percussion Duo
Gabrielle Brown
I have lost touch with modern pop music. What’s interesting is that at the same time the music industry appears to have lost touch with popular culture – in fact the people that tend to buy the ...
15 years ago
O Duo - Percussion Duo
Harvest
Gabrielle Brown
Harvest is an epic gallop across ten decades of family farm life. Richard Bean's new play, set in East Yorkshire, gently takes the theme of the changing nature of British agriculture and weaves this ...
15 years ago
Harvest
Michael McIntyre
Gabrielle Brown
Michael McIntyre reminds me of a naughty, though terribly bright, schoolboy; the kind likely to infuriate his teachers and be adored by his classmates. He has a cheeky pumpkin-like face, a naughty ...
15 years ago
Michael McIntyre
Sleeping Beauty
Gabrielle Brown
Majestic and magical, The English National Ballet’s production of The Sleeping Beauty is a sophisticated, sumptuous treat. From the moment the curtain lifts your senses are indulged: the set hangs ...
16 years ago
Sleeping Beauty
Seven Brides For Seven Brothers
Gabrielle Brown
Vibrant and virile, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is an unquestionably pert production. The cast members are devastatingly young, bouncy and smiley. The show delivers a generous helping of vigorous ...
16 years ago
Seven Brides For Seven Brothers
Enjoy
Gabrielle Brown
I associate Alan Bennett with the colour brown and images of a dreary northern England; until ‘Enjoy’ my most recent encounter with the playwright was the ‘History Boys’ which I watched on ...
16 years ago
Enjoy
Gertrude's Secret
Gabrielle Brown
Benedick West’s series of monologues is a swift and splendidly silly excursion into the lives of eleven very different individuals. Performed by a handful of quite famous British actors together ...
16 years ago
Gertrude's Secret
Edith Piaf - Celebration of a Legend
Gabrielle Brown
A quick scan of British jazz singer Tina May’s website establishes her to be not only a seriously accomplished performer but also a positively sunny character. Her career has centred on singing ...
16 years ago
Edith Piaf - Celebration of a Legend
Topless Mum
Gabrielle Brown
In this country ‘Don’t believe everything you read in the papers’ has become a cliché. It is a maxim we share with each other often without thought – we assume, and accept, that the press ...
16 years ago
Topless Mum
Oklahoma!
Gabrielle Brown
I don’t know why anyone would want to sit at home and watch reality TV when they can go out and experience a well-loved musical put on by a troop of gung-ho students. Oklahoma!, presented at Wadham ...
16 years ago
Oklahoma!
Derek Acorah
Gabrielle Brown
“For those who believe, no proof is necessary; for those who don’t, no proof is possible.” These are the words of Sam, Derek Acorah’s sprit guide (I Googled this phrase and they are also the ...
16 years ago
Derek Acorah
The Fall Of The House Of Usher by Philip Glass
Gabrielle Brown
January is an intense, discomforting month. It’s dark, moody and melancholy. For that reason, a gothic opera pledging to explore the themes of illness, death and incest seemed the perfect ...
16 years ago
The Fall Of The House Of Usher by Philip Glass
Free Beer Show - 2008 Season
Gabrielle Brown
I first went to see Reginald D Hunter last April and found the experience utterly satisfying – I left the theatre blissfully disturbed: I had been made aware that I knew nothing and that nobody ...
16 years ago
Free Beer Show - 2008 Season
One Night of Queen
Gabrielle Brown
I find the whole tribute band thing very odd. Going to see tributes to bands such as the Beatles or the Doors can only be a painful reminder of what could have been. I remember seeing a fake Kylie ...
16 years ago
One Night of Queen
Arias on Ice
Gabrielle Brown
I had forgotten that an ice rink was not likely to have central heating and had therefore not put on my thermal vest in preparation for the evening: two easy-to-digest half hours of ice skating to ...
16 years ago
Arias on Ice
Shaolin Kung Fu Masters
Gabrielle Brown
Whenever I’m on a dance floor, and especially if I’ve had one too many Babychams, I start to perform kung fu moves. I’m not sure why, but at the time it feels like the right thing to do. ...
16 years ago
Shaolin Kung Fu Masters
By Jeeves
Gabrielle Brown
Being English is great. We have Morris Dancers, we laugh at ourselves and even more so at the Americans, we honour strange pagan-inspired traditions and we have the ‘English Country Garden’. ...
17 years ago
By Jeeves
Blonde Bombshells Of 1943
Gabrielle Brown
In 1994 the most successful all-female pop group in history was formed: the Spice Girls. The group coined the phrase ‘Girl Power’, promoting it is a slogan representing strong, loyal friendship ...
17 years ago
Blonde Bombshells Of 1943
Captain Corelli's Mandolin
Gabrielle Brown
Until this evening I had, extraordinarily, managed to escape anything to do with Captain Corelli's Mandolin. I have not read Louis de Bernierès’ exceptionally successful 1993 novel nor seen ...
17 years ago
Captain Corelli's Mandolin
Riverdance
Gabrielle Brown
The Eurovision Song Contest has not propelled many performing artists into anything other than obscurity; however, it was during the interval of the 1994 contest that Michael Flatley’s dance ...
17 years ago
Riverdance
An Ideal Husband - Oscar Wilde
Gabrielle Brown
Last night I drove several miles from the leafy Oxfordshire countryside where I work to go for a picnic in the middle of a city on a somewhat chilly early June evening. To accompany my hummus ...
17 years ago
An Ideal Husband - Oscar Wilde
That'll Be The Day
Gabrielle Brown
Being just the right side of 30, I was the youngest person in the That’ll Be The Day audience: “Irene” was celebrating her 92nd birthday and “Charles” who had turned up to the occasion ...
17 years ago
That'll Be The Day
Hot Mikado
Gabrielle Brown
‘Hot Mikado’ is set in 1930s Japan; a Japan where accents are American and the population repeatedly forgets that they are Japanese. It is a 1980s revival of a 1930s adaptation of the ...
17 years ago
Hot Mikado
Reginald D Hunter
Gabrielle Brown
‘Pride & Prejudice & Niggas’, Reginald D Hunter explains, is not a title, nor a show, meant to cause controversy – it’s meant to be funny. Furthermore, Hunter despairs at the ...
17 years ago
Reginald D Hunter
Russian Cossack State Dance Company
Gabrielle Brown
I was introduced to Cossack culture around five months ago while attending a yoga class in the West Oxford Community Centre in Botley; I had just entered a state of deep relaxation when an outburst ...
17 years ago
Russian Cossack State Dance Company
Dancin' Oxford Festival 2007
Gabrielle Brown
Spiegel - Ultima VezTuesday 27 February 2007 A sparse, harsh stage garnished with a solitary upside-down chair hanging from the ceiling hosted Spiegel, a portfolio of fiercely energetic ...
17 years ago
Dancin' Oxford Festival 2007
Bobby Baker - How To Live
Gabrielle Brown
On the whole, I don’t think I’m doing such a bad job of living – in fact, I believe I live quite well. Nevertheless, being both open minded and ambitious, I embraced the opportunity to perhaps ...
17 years ago
Bobby Baker - How To Live
The Nutcracker
Gabrielle Brown
Ellen Kent & Ballet International present The Chisinau National Ballet in Grigorovich's Nutcracker
Early on Monday evening, knowing that I was going to see The Nutcracker, my thoughts had already ...
18 years ago
The Nutcracker
Memoirs of a Geisha [12A]
Gabrielle Brown
I lived in Japan for two amazing years, so I was really hoping that this film would take me back to some of the wonderful places and experiences that I encountered. However, I was bitterly ...
18 years ago
Memoirs of a Geisha [12A]
