@chrispoppe.bsky.social
AKA The Real Chrisparkle, where I review theatre, comedy and a lot more - check out therealchrisparkle.com. See pinned post for my Agatha Christie Challenge! Eurovision, travel, and the odd literary challenge.
Outstanding, exciting, powerful, technically brilliant. Yet there's still so much more to Top Gs Like Me at Northampton’s Royal and Derngate until March 7th. wp.me/pKXAt-d3e ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me!
Always a delight to see the brilliant Russell Hicks on tour, last night at Northampton’s Royal and Derngate in his “This Time It's Personal” show. Catch him on tour! therealchrisparkle.com/2026/02/22/r...
Lively and heartwarming, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind at the RSC in Stratford is an invigorating show but the presentation is liable to be messy and chaotic - nevertheless, the lead actors are superb! wp.me/pKXAt-d2k ⭐⭐⭐ from me!
Fantastic afternoon concert yesterday from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Northampton’s Royal and Derngate, and their Valentine's Opera Gala. Brilliant singing and wonderful work from the orchestra, in a truly entertaining programme. wp.me/pKXAt-d1J ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me!
Challenging and innovative, Whitney White's #AllIsButFantasy at the RSC in Stratford is a thrilling gig-theatre production that makes you think twice about your Shakespeare assumptions. wp.me/pKXAt-d19 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me!
Fun night of reminiscences and raconteuring with Sue Perkins in her Eternal Shame of Sue Perkins tour at the Royal and Derngate Northampton last night! wp.me/pKXAt-d0s
Be in no doubt: the far right in the UK - Reform, Farage, Tommy Robinson and their supporters - are looking at what is happening in the US and saying: “That’s what we must have here.”
The fascinating Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo at the Young Vic is a complicated and sometimes difficult watch, but it asks deep questions about war - and the Iraqi war in particular. wp.me/pKXAt-d01 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me!
It's always a pleasure to catch Stephen K Amos on tour and his current show, Now We're Talking, successfully mines the funny from the serious. Great stuff! wp.me/pKXAt-cZK
It's the most glamorous Sunday afternoon of the year - time for the Fifteenth Annual Chrisparkle Awards, for 2025! therealchrisparkle.com/2026/01/18/r...
Now closed, the Sheffield Crucible's Christmas show, A Christmas Carol, used the tradition of local carols to excellent effect and was a charming and enjoyable production. wp.me/pKXAt-cZn ⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me!
You just can't beat the Sheffield Lyceum Panto, so there's no point trying! This year's Aladdin, with Damian Williams and Kevin Clifton was just sheer joy from start to finish - as always. wp.me/pKXAt-cZd ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me!
Ivo van Hove's production of Arthur Miller's All My Sons at London’s Wyndham's Theatre is a terrific piece of blistering theatre, with some superb performances to match. wp.me/pKXAt-cZ3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐from me!
Playboy of the Western World at the National Theatre is a very authentic and reverent production; the strong accents are a barrier to communication for a London audience and it didn't really get the essence of the play across. wp.me/pKXAt-cYO ⭐⭐ from me!
Always a treat to see the panto at the London Palladium, and Catherine Tate is brilliant in this year's Sleeping Beauty. The nostalgia about ten years of panto at the Palladium goes on a bit though! wp.me/pKXAt-cYp ⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me!
Excellent analysis! Thank you!!
Once a school bully, always a school bully
I don't generally condone violence but happy Andrew Tate Getting Battered Day.
Despite all its excellent and positive attributes, the new production of Coward's #FallenAngels at the Menier Chocolate Factory never really comes to life. Solid but unremarkable. wp.me/pKXAt-cXj ⭐⭐⭐ from me!
A true delight from start to finish, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s new production of #TheBFG in Stratford brings out everyone's inner child and is simply magical. wp.me/pKXAt-cX4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me!
The panto at Northampton’s Royal and Derngate this year is #PeterPan and is a lively, funny and extremely musical production for all the family. The perfect Christmas show! wp.me/pKXAt-cWC ⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me!
A beautifully produced five hour epic of theatre, The RSC at Stratford with their two-part #ForsyteSaga has fantastic performances and brilliant storytelling. The second play can't quite keep up the momentum of the first, but it's still outstanding. wp.me/pKXAt-cW9 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me!
"There's a racist, a Russian traitor, a conman and a grifting liar walk into a bar.
The barman said, Hello Nigel, same as usual?"
Karim Khan's new play #BeforeTheMillennium at Oxford's Old Fire Station is an inventive exploration of friendship set in Oxford's Pakistani community - beautifully written and performed, and gets better the more you think about it! wp.me/pKXAt-cVq ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me!
Here's my interview with Claire Bramwell-Pearson, author of the new children's book #VitaliiPetrenko and the Secret of the Roman Baths. Hope you enjoy! wp.me/pKXAt-cUx
Good morning.
Gonna have a pop at multi-millionaire Dicky Tice this morning.
The same Dicky Tice that hates foreigners in our country, hates muslims, is an MP for Boston & Skegness but lives in Dubai under SHARIA LAW!
Having a pop at children wearing ear defenders because he's a class 1 knobhead.
Despite some iffy comedy interludes, #ThatllBeChristmas at the Royal and Derngate, Northampton, last night was good fun and really sets you up for the festive season. On tour till Dec 21st! wp.me/pKXAt-cUd ⭐ ⭐⭐⭐ from me!
As part of the Royal and Derngate Northampton’s GenFest season, Part of the Main's #Biosphere is a fascinating and engrossing account of four scientists locked away together to establish whether mankind can survive beyond Earth. wp.me/pKXAt-cTp ⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me!
The excellent #Dial1forUK finished its tour in Bedford last night, with a superb performance from Mohit Mathur and a riveting insight into how Indian workers are lured to the UK with the promise of a great life that never materialises. wp.me/pKXAt-cTd ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me!
#FawltyTowers at Northampton’s Royal and Derngate this week is an expert adaptation for the stage and boasts a committed cast with brilliant comic timing. wp.me/pKXAt-cSB ⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me!