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Susan Darlington
Jonathan Hanks in A Christmas Carol
Theatre Review / 23 December 2024
Keeping the audience enthralled
23 December 2024
SUSAN DARLINGTON enjoys, with minor reservations, the Northern Ballet’s revival of its 1992 classic
Tristan Sturrock and Katy Owen in Emma Rice’s Blue Beard
Theatre review / 6 March 2024
Bloody chamber theatre
6 March 2024
SUSAN DARLINGTON revels in an exhilarating adaptation of the gruesome fairytale that invokes the real-life horror of women lost to male violence
(L to R) Eddie Ahrens, Rachel Hammond, Hannah Baker and Harv
Theatre Review / 23 May 2023
Girls in blue
23 May 2023
SUSAN DARLINGTON is disappointed by a show that aims to highlight misogyny within the police but fails to arrest the audience's attention
Brett Anderson of Suede
Gig Review / 10 April 2023
Suede by passion and creativity
10 April 2023
SUSAN DARLINGTON revels in a band that know their own continuing relevance
GREAT INTERACTIONS: (L to R) Divina De Campo and Billy Pearc
Theatre Review / 19 December 2022
‘We need more laughter’
19 December 2022
SUSAN DARLINGTON enjoys a boldly reconfigured classic
NO WEAK LINKS: (L to R from top) Daniel Jacob as Lady Brackn
Theatre Review: / 13 September 2022
Chafing against society’s upright and uptight mores
13 September 2022
SUSAN DARLINGTON recommends an innovative production of Oscar Wilde’s classic
Theatre Review: / 4 May 2022
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
4 May 2022
STUFF OF NIGHTMARES: A kraken attacking a merchant ship, 181
BOOKS / 11 May 2021
Squid
11 May 2021
In search of answers to what makes the mysterious cephalopod tick
HIGHLY READABLE: Sue McCormick
FICTION / 31 July 2020
Small Acts of Courage by Sue McCormick
31 July 2020
Timely reminder of the power of individual and collective action to bring about positive change
ARTFUL ANACHRONISM: The Good Book
FILM ONLINE / 6 May 2020
Troubling times travel
6 May 2020
SUSAN DARLINGTON recommends a gripping near-future chronicle of a city on the edge of conflict
UNSPOKEN ANGER: Henry Petch (left) in A Hunger Artist
THEATRE / 11 March 2020
A Hunger Artist, Seven Arts Leeds
11 March 2020
Opaque exploration of art and the human condition
THEATRE / 1 March 2020
Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of), Leeds Playhouse/Touring
1 March 2020
Jane Austen goes pop in raucous rendition of one of her greatest hits
DANCE / 27 February 2020
Rambert Triple Bill, Alhambra Theatre Bradford
27 February 2020
Varied dance menu with agreeable aftertaste
CONFUSING HISTORY LESSON: Black Waters
Dance / 25 February 2020
Black Waters, Leeds Playhouse/Touring
25 February 2020
Impressionistic approach to colonial crimes muddies waters
ABSURDIST ACTION: Ubu! A Singalong Satire
Theatre / 7 February 2020
Ubu! A Singalong Satire, Leeds Playhouse
7 February 2020
Alfred Jazzy's anarchic satire gets an acute update
Seasonal Theatre / 18 December 2019
Sleeping Beauty, Lawrence Batley Theatre Huddersfield
18 December 2019
Pleasurable panto with a traditional touch
EARTHBOUND MOVEMENT: Dada Masilo's Giselle 
Year round-up / 4 December 2019
Best of 2019: Performance
4 December 2019
TREMENDOUSLY CAPABLE: Lucy Sherman (centre)
Musical / 1 December 2019
The Wizard of Oz, Leeds Playhouse
1 December 2019
Solid seasonal production of musical classic
Gothic feast: Dracula
Theatre Review / 4 November 2019
Dracula, Leeds Playhouse
4 November 2019
Northern Ballet's take on the vampiric legend is a gothic feast
Theatre Review / 20 October 2019
Under Three Moons, Carriageworks Theatre Leeds/Touring
20 October 2019
Effectively understated exploration of male friendship
Crackling with energy: Giselle dancers
Dance Review / 14 October 2019
Giselle, Alhambra Theatre Bradford/Touring
14 October 2019
Engaging: Shirley Manson
Music Review / 19 July 2019
Garbage, O2 Academy, Leeds
19 July 2019
Post-gothic pleasures from masters of rock, electronica and grunge
Captivating: Maxine Peake
Theatre Review / 19 July 2019
The Nico Project, Stoller Hall, Manchester
19 July 2019
Confusing quest for demons plaguing a countercultural icon
Gamine: Audrey Brisson as Amelie
Musical Review / 7 July 2019
Amelie: The Musical, Alhambra Theatre, Bradford
7 July 2019
Inventive staging of a contemporary film classic
Absurdist: bYOB
Festival Review / 7 May 2019
Transform 19, Leeds citywide
7 May 2019
Transform 19, Leeds Issues of gender, identity, state repression and digital surveillance figured large in a major festival of experimental theatre and dance
Displaced person: Brian Christinzio
Music Review / 1 May 2019
BC Camplight, O2 Academy Leeds
1 May 2019
The US singer-songwriter covers a lot of ground in a musically promiscuous set
Nimble: Darren Kuppan (left) as Fix of the Yard
Theatre Review / 22 April 2019
Around the World in 80 Days, Leeds Playhouse/Touring
22 April 2019
Inventive adaptation of Jules Verne’s globetrotting classic sets a relentless pace
Admirable: The cast of All Hands on Deck
Theatre Review / 22 April 2019
All Hands on Deck, Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield/Touring
22 April 2019
Unconvincing plot torpedoes exploration of naval women's contribution in WWII
Mariachi masters: Beirut
Live Music Review / 17 April 2019
Beirut, O2 Academy, Leeds
17 April 2019
Consummate delivery of indie-pop postcards from all over the world
Pepperland
Dance Review / 7 April 2019
Pepperland, Alhambra Theatre, Bradford/Touring
7 April 2019
The familiar enters unexpected territory in Mark Morris's take on a classic Beatles album
Voice of experience: Roy Harper
Live Music Review / 1 April 2019
Roy Harper, Leeds Town Hall
1 April 2019
Half a century on, the folk-rock veteran still knows how to connect with an audience
Rebellious youth: Tessa Parr as Hamlet
Culture / 12 March 2019
Theatre: Hamlet, Leeds Playhouse
12 March 2019
A gender-swapping production of Shakespeare’s tragedy disappoints
Ferocious: Abigail Prudames as Victoria
Culture / 12 March 2019
Dance Review: Victoria, Leeds Grand Theatre/Touring
12 March 2019
Northern Ballet delivers a history lesson through the relationship between Queen Victoria and her daughter Beatrice
Sweetly melancholic: The Lemon Twigs
Culture / 10 March 2019
Gig Review: The Lemon Twigs, Stylus Leeds
10 March 2019
The New Yorkers are more than a novelty act — they really can play
Joyous: Wise Children
Culture / 10 March 2019
Theatre: Wise Children, HOME Manchester
10 March 2019
An adaptation of Angela Cater's novel is a memorable love letter to theatre and Shakespeare in particular
Culture / 4 March 2019
Music review: Du Blonde
4 March 2019
Du Blonde has a unique yet sometimes meandering way with grunge, glam and classic rock
Culture / 4 March 2019
Musical review: Matilda, Alhambra Theatre Bradford/Touring
4 March 2019
The RSC's adaptation of the children's story Matilda is a brilliant exercise in gleeful anarchy
Minimalist miserablist: Lillie West
Music review / 26 February 2019
Brief sparks of hope among decluttered depression from LaLa land
26 February 2019
Review / 11 February 2019
Theatre: Random resonance at a time when knife killings are on the rise
11 February 2019
Random Leeds Playhouse
Unchanging: Lucas Button in Kes
Theatre Review / 4 February 2019
Kes adaptation never quite takes wing
4 February 2019
Album Review / 22 January 2019
Global women's music merits more than pick-and-mix compilation
22 January 2019
Interview / 15 January 2019
An ongoing anti-fascist inspiration
15 January 2019
The Young’uns’ SEAN COONEY tells Susan Darlington why a working-class hero from the 1930s is celebrated in their new show
The Unthanks at Castle Armoury Drill Hall, Bury, Greater Man
Live Music Review / 28 December 2018
Ill-advised turn to heritage industry
28 December 2018
Show-stealer: Robin Simpson in Aladdin
Theatre Review / 19 December 2018
Action-packed Aladdin ticks all the Christmas boxes
19 December 2018
Book Review / 14 December 2018
Fascinating language explorations with a global reach
14 December 2018
Impassioned: Ezra Furman
Culture / 3 December 2018
Best of 2018: Music
3 December 2018
by Susan Darlington
Skirt-whisker: Jessica Webber
Theatre Review / 3 December 2018
Dracula lacks bite
3 December 2018
Heart-warming: Lladel Bryant, Joe Alessi and Darren Kuppan i
Theatre Review / 28 November 2018
Dickens of a good time with this Christmas Carol
28 November 2018
Live Music Review / 25 November 2018
Tasty new strain of rock-hard Bean
25 November 2018
Book Review / 11 November 2018
Green Day digest strictly for diehard devotees
11 November 2018
Irreverent: Olwen Davies and Ollie Smith
Theatre Review / 4 November 2018
Poe classic lost in translation to the stage
4 November 2018
Comedy Review / 4 November 2018
Good intentions gone for a Burton
4 November 2018
Performance Aktion
Interview / 14 October 2018
Aktion stations to excavate buried history
14 October 2018
Susan Darlington talks to playwright MICK MARTIN about Bent Architect's new show, which unearths the story of the women whose active resistance helped bring WWI to an end
PIC CAP Outstanding: Pauline McLynn and Bea Webster 
Theatre Review / 8 October 2018
Brecht's anti-war parable gets acute update from Red Ladder
8 October 2018
Books Review / 7 October 2018
Female drummer on an unusual beat
7 October 2018
Feminist fun: Radical Acts
Theatre Review / 25 September 2018
Revelatory Radical Acts
25 September 2018
SUSAN DARLINGTON experiences a unique celebration of women engaging in social and political change
The Kingdom Of Back trailer
Dance Review / 21 September 2018
Kulashe's Northern Ballet debut a pointer to the future
21 September 2018
Theatre Review / 16 September 2018
Road runs out of mileage in new age of austerity
16 September 2018
Amy Winehouse performs during the Oxegen Festival 2008 at th
Photography / 3 September 2018
Blurred focus
3 September 2018
Blake Wood's photographs of the great Amy Winehouse are far from revelatory, says SUSAN DARLINGTON
On Behalf of the People
Theatre Review / 25 June 2018
Mining history to mark anniversary of coal industry nationalisation
25 June 2018
Music Review / 25 June 2018
Low-down on homeland insecurity
25 June 2018
SUSAN DARLINGTON sees the US band address the state of a troubled nation
Interview / 20 June 2018
‘Songs always boss you around’
20 June 2018
Indie hero KRISTIN HERSH talks to Susan Darlington about her new album's musical demands
Music review / 19 June 2018
Still some fire in Donelly's Belly
19 June 2018
Interview / 18 June 2018
‘You've got to stand up and keep shouting’
18 June 2018
Mikron Theatre's VASHTI MACLACHAN and MARIANNE McNAMARA tell Susan Darlington what the message of the company's play marking the suffragette centenary is all about
Theatre review / 16 May 2018
Clone comics keep abreast of Parton
16 May 2018
Theatre Review / 29 April 2018
Perceptive take on male bonding
29 April 2018
Theatre Review / 29 April 2018
‘The nearest thing English people have to a religion’
29 April 2018
SUSAN DARLINGTON recommends a cautionary tale marking the 70th anniversary of the NHS
Theatre Review / 24 April 2018
Distinctly rocky horror show
24 April 2018
SUSAN DARLINGTON is less than impressed by a misguided production of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Dance Review / 18 April 2018
Subtle subversion
18 April 2018
SUSAN DARLINGTON sees a nuanced reinterpretation of Beauty and the Beast as a feminist fable
Theatre Review / 26 March 2018
Stunning portrait of painter Chagall's turbulent life
26 March 2018
Comedy review / 20 March 2018
Gagging for it
20 March 2018
SUSAN DARLINGTON sees a uniquely comic dispatch from the front line in support of Palestine
Party time in Parliament: This House
Theatre Review / 12 March 2018
Prescient parliamentary power struggle
12 March 2018
Independent spirit: Dreda Blow as Jane Eyre
Dance Review / 12 March 2018
Feminist intent, uneven impact
12 March 2018
A contemporary interpretation of Jane Eyre doesn't quite hit the mark for SUSAN DARLINGTON
Moving: Sharon Small in Still Alice
Theatre Review / 19 February 2018
Dementia drama lacks emotional impact
19 February 2018
Unwelcome message: Windrush
Dance Review / 13 February 2018
Mixed blessings in Phoenix commemoration of Windrush arrival
13 February 2018
Book Review / 16 January 2018
Contrarian cross-dressing concepts of the ‘man-made woman’
16 January 2018
Theatre Review / 17 December 2017
Magic beanfeast makes for infectious panto fun
17 December 2017
Dance review / 7 December 2017
Water ballet waves goodbye to magic on dry land
7 December 2017
Dance Review / 30 November 2017
A powerful meditation on the transitory nature of life
30 November 2017
Fiction review / 8 November 2017
Weighty meditation on the traumatic heart of darkness
8 November 2017
Theatre Review / 6 November 2017
Monstrous victim of abuse and poor script
6 November 2017
Music review / 6 November 2017
Muted mood music from Goldfrapp
6 November 2017
Musical review / 6 November 2017
Pop Idol Young moves centre stage in Cabaret
6 November 2017
THEATRE REVIEW / 23 October 2017
Kneehigh drum up troubling totalitarian metaphor
23 October 2017
Cabaret review / 15 October 2017
Challenging cabaret on gender transition
15 October 2017
Theatre review / 15 October 2017
Soft-focus slant on capitalist corruption
15 October 2017
Theatre review / 10 October 2017
Women manfully tackle gender issues
10 October 2017
Theatre review / 5 October 2017
Shedding light on plight of street children
5 October 2017
SUSAN DARLINGTON sees a brutally honest depiction of young lives abandoned by society
Music Review / 28 August 2017
Lambchop lacking flavour
28 August 2017