Reviews by Lucy Ayrton
Kiri Pritchard-McLean: Peacock
Lucy Ayrton
This feels like a huge oversight, but I haven’t seen a lot of Kiri Pritchard-McLean’s work before, even though a) she is everywhere and b) I am a shouty feminist who loves shouty feminist comedy. ...
21 days ago
Kiri Pritchard-McLean: Peacock
The Tiger Who Came to Tea
Lucy Ayrton
The Tiger Who Came To Tea is a gentle, beautifully presented show for very young children. This fairly faithful adaptation of the children’s classic follows Sophie, her parents and a tiger ...
4 months ago
The Tiger Who Came to Tea
Oxford Comedy Festival 2024
Lucy Ayrton
Another evening of cracking comedy from the Oxford Festival Fringe Preview Comedy Festival! Tez Ilyaz - Before Eight Tez Ilyaz delivered an hour of stand up featuring some extremely smart, up ...
5 months ago
Oxford Comedy Festival 2024
Oxford Comedy Festival 2024
Lucy Ayrton
The
excellent, but ridiculously named, Oxford Festival Fringe Preview
Comedy Festival, is back for another year. For £15 you get two preview
shows that will be going to Edinburgh this summer - ...
5 months ago
Oxford Comedy Festival 2024
Tortoise & The Hare
Lucy Ayrton
The
Tortoise and the Hare tells the well-know fairytale of a shiftless hare
and a diligent but plodding tortoise, taking in various woodland
animals (my daughter’s favourite was a butterfly - ...
8 months ago
Tortoise & The Hare
St. Patrick's Day Ceilidh
Lucy Ayrton
Moonaroon
played a fun and inclusive ceilidh for St Patrick’s day, held at Tap
Social’s brewery site. The band played with energy and verve, the venue
staff and beer were great and the vibe ...
9 months ago
St. Patrick's Day Ceilidh
The Farmer and The Clown
Lucy Ayrton
The Farmer and the Clown is the story of an old farmer who, one day, discovers a baby clown who’s fallen off the circus train. He takes the clown in and together they build a sweet bond that ...
9 months ago
The Farmer and The Clown
Dear Father Christmas
Lucy Ayrton
It is nearly Christmas and there is so much work to do and Father Christmas is sad. Will we have to cancel Christmas? Not if your young child can become an elf and help to sort it all out, we ...
a year ago
Dear Father Christmas
Pirate Bonnie
Lucy Ayrton
Pirate Bonnie was a lofi selection of pirate songs and stories told with care and charm. This one woman show was told with warmth and flair. The actor created a friendly atmosphere quickly and ...
a year ago
Pirate Bonnie
Claytime: A Play with Clay
Lucy Ayrton
This deliciously anarchic and deeply engaging show is an educational treat for early years audiences.
The show consisted of three parts - the first used clowning skills to explore clay and built a ...
a year ago
Claytime: A Play with Clay
Room on the Broom
Lucy Ayrton
This
children’s play was a cheerful and imaginative telling of Room on the
Broom through song, puppetry and some nicely executed physical theatre.
The cast ‘flying through the sky”, a ...
2 years ago
Room on the Broom
Fairport Convention, Hannah Sanders and Ben Savage.
Lucy Ayrton
Legendary folk rockers Fairport Convention present a solid and extremely entertaining return to the Oxford Playhouse. The evening opened with a short set from Hannah Sanders and Ben
Savage, a ...
2 years ago
Fairport Convention, Hannah Sanders and Ben Savage.
Suitcase stories with Emma Boor
Lucy Ayrton
I thoroughly enjoyed this warm and fun puppetry and story telling show from Oxford kids’ favourite Emma Boor. Suitcase stories is a delightful monthly event at the Story Museum - each month ...
2 years ago
Suitcase stories with Emma Boor
A Christmas Carol at Millets Farm
Lucy Ayrton
This charming and surprisingly faithful adaptation of the Dickens classic features music, puppetry and projection in a show sure to wow children. The show was told using a small, tight ensemble cast ...
2 years ago
A Christmas Carol at Millets Farm
The Abominable Snowman
Lucy Ayrton
The Abominable Snowman is an inventive and engaging winter show from production company Wild Boor Ideas sure to delight young children. The story follows Daisy, a lazy girl whose mother sends her out ...
2 years ago
The Abominable Snowman
Oxford Festival Fringe Preview Comedy Festival 2022
Lucy Ayrton
I
saw Sara Barron and Sophie Duker at the lovely Tap Social Brewery - a
social enterprise brewery with a warm and welcoming tap room, plus
excellent street food pizza outside. This ...
2 years ago
Oxford Festival Fringe Preview Comedy Festival 2022
Oxford Festival Fringe Preview Comedy Festival 2022
Lucy Ayrton
In the top room of The White House (one of the best pubs in Oxford, I would say) I went to see a double bill of comedy acts (though tickets were available separately) - It’s Debatable! an improv ...
2 years ago
Oxford Festival Fringe Preview Comedy Festival 2022
SIX
Lucy Ayrton
I kept hearing about Six. A tweet, an insta post, someone mentioning it as the musical they next wanted to see, but so much about it passed me by, and this absolute delight caught me unawares, with ...
5 years ago
SIX
War Horse
Lucy Ayrton
I had never seen War Horse before, but it’s always been on my mental list of shows to see. It opened twelve years ago, when I was doing a degree in theatre studies, so naturally I was interested. ...
5 years ago
War Horse
Amelie
Lucy Ayrton
Oxford New Theatre, Mon 17th June 2019
Amélie The Musical faithfully follows the plot of the film, told mainly through song. The cast perform the music onstage - all very heavy on strings and ...
5 years ago
Amelie
The Horne Section
Lucy Ayrton
The Horne Section live show consists of five musicians and a comedian (Alex Horne) messing about for two hours. They do music-based jokes, comedy songs, and silly dances. It is incredibly accessible ...
6 years ago
The Horne Section
SOLD OUT: Ed Gamble: Blizzard
Lucy Ayrton
The title of the show is taken from an incident in which Gamble was trapped in New York by a blizzard. Pleasingly, BBC News reported on the story, but disappointingly (for him) the only description ...
6 years ago
SOLD OUT: Ed Gamble: Blizzard
Butt Kapinski
Lucy Ayrton
I
have heard of Butt Kapinski before. A couple of years ago we were both
at the Edinburgh Fringe and people would NOT stop talking about this
show. “Ohmigod,
have you seen Butt Kapinski?” ...
7 years ago
Butt Kapinski
Ghost Walk Bookshop Tour and Talk with Frances Hardinge
Lucy Ayrton
Blackwell’s
events are always a bit of a joy, but I was particularly excited to try
this one - a ghost walk around the spooky stairwells of the shop and
surroundings, then a talk from Frances ...
7 years ago
Ghost Walk Bookshop Tour and Talk with Frances Hardinge
No Such Thing As A Fish
Lucy Ayrton
Did
you know that there is a bell in Oxford that has been ringing constantly since 1840? It’s battery powered. This whole time, for 178
years, it has been quietly ringing away to itself, in a ...
7 years ago
No Such Thing As A Fish
The Little Matchgirl (And Other Happier Tales)
Lucy Ayrton
The
Little Match Girl and Other Happier Tales is the last show of Emma
Rice’s tenure as Artistic Director at Shakespeare’s Globe, and is
touring before returning to the Sam Wanamaker ...
7 years ago
The Little Matchgirl (And Other Happier Tales)
Rola Wala
Lucy Ayrton
Rola Wala, a small London chain of Indian street food stands, has opened a new outpost in Oxford. The stall is part of the Westgate Social food court, a collection of fast food places in the basement ...
7 years ago
Rola Wala
Testosterone
Lucy Ayrton
Testosterone
is a semi-autobiographical play telling the story of Kit, a trans
man’s, first visit to a male changing room. This scene broadens out,
through a divine force introducing ...
7 years ago
Testosterone
((BOUNCE))
Lucy Ayrton
((BOUNCE)) is a fitness class done on trampolines. I like trampolines, and I like dance based cardio, so I had high hopes for this class, and they were more than met. This is a very energetic but ...
7 years ago
((BOUNCE))
Beer Yoga
Lucy Ayrton
Beer
Yoga was a one-off yoga event (hopefully the first in an occasional
series) which took place at the Tap Social Movement brewery in Botley.
It was taught by Becky Varey of Yogascope. The ...
7 years ago
Beer Yoga
Giffords Circus: My Beautiful Circus
Lucy Ayrton
Giffords is a proper old-school circus. Featuring a live band, tricks with ponies, clowns and acrobats, this is a truly spectacular event for the whole family. Giffords is a very different ...
7 years ago
Giffords Circus: My Beautiful Circus
Cult Screens Outdoor Cinema 2017
Lucy Ayrton
Cult Screens is a company offering outdoor, pop up screenings of films in pretty locations around the UK, some of which are in Oxford. I went along to (finally) see Moonlight. The film is shown in ...
8 years ago
Cult Screens Outdoor Cinema 2017
SwingTrain
Lucy Ayrton
Would you drink a gin and tonic from a teapot? Do you own an item of polka dot clothing? Would you be delighted if you were invited to a vintage-themed wedding? If so - get ready for your new ...
8 years ago
SwingTrain
Silver Lining
Lucy Ayrton
Silver Lining, a new comedy by Sandi Toksvig, delivers a fun night out full of gentle comedy and bold characters. Silver Lining tells the story of a group of old women, awaiting a coach that will ...
8 years ago
Silver Lining
The Rocky Horror Show
Lucy Ayrton
Richard O'Brian's Rocky Horror Show is a musical telling the story of an innocent, newly engaged couple whose car breaks down in a storm. They call in at a local creepy castle to ask for help, but ...
8 years ago
The Rocky Horror Show
Stand-up History
Lucy Ayrton
In the upstairs room of the Jericho Tavern we were presented with six comics (including the compère). The whole place was packed with archaeologists having a wicked evening, which made for an ...
8 years ago
Stand-up History
Bridget Jones' Baby [15]
Lucy Ayrton
Bridget is back - older, slimmer, but with the same pep and impeccable comedic timing. The gang have all returned with her, with the exception of Hugh Grant and the excellent addition of Sarah ...
8 years ago
Bridget Jones' Baby [15]
All Tamara's Parties Festival 2016
Lucy Ayrton
All Tamara's Parties is a monthly music and performance night based in Oxford - always a reliably great night to discover new acts. This was their first day-long festival. The festival was held in ...
8 years ago
All Tamara's Parties Festival 2016
Ross & Rachel
Lucy Ayrton
Ross and Rachel is a shockingly dark, visceral and bleak exploration of what might have happened to TV's favourite couple a few years down the line. To put it briefly - nothing good. We catch up with ...
8 years ago
Ross & Rachel
Shaken Not Stirred: The Improvised James Bond Film
Lucy Ayrton
Shaken Not Stirred: The Improvised James Bond Film is a charming and light-hearted improv show in which two actors aim to make up a new James Bond film on the spot, based on audience suggestions. ...
8 years ago
Shaken Not Stirred: The Improvised James Bond Film
Dinosaur Park (The Jurassic Parody)
Lucy Ayrton
Dinosaur Park takes us to the memorial service for Madeline Park, where her children and ex-husband are screening a showing of Jurassic Park in her honour. When they can't find the tape, the family ...
8 years ago
Dinosaur Park (The Jurassic Parody)
Underneath
Lucy Ayrton
Underneath, written and performed by Pat Kinevane, shows a dead woman recounting her life on Earth, and the discrimination and abuse she has suffered there. This reasonably interesting premise was ...
9 years ago
Underneath
Luisa Omielan - Am I Right Ladies?! Xmas Special
Lucy Ayrton
Luisa Omielan gave us an hour and a half of hilarious, high energy stand up about depression, feminism and sex. I especially loved her material on depression - "Why do I know what a thigh gap is but ...
9 years ago
Luisa Omielan - Am I Right Ladies?! Xmas Special
The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, Hells Gazelles, Andrew O'Neil
Lucy Ayrton
Hell's Gazelles, the local opening act, are a tight hard rock band with uniformly excellent hair. There was some really decent musicianship and stage presence all round, but the lead vocalist was ...
9 years ago
The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, Hells Gazelles, Andrew O'Neil
Beans On Toast
Lucy Ayrton
Beans on Toast plus support play a cracking feel-good gig. The opening act Truckstop Honeymoon gave us quirky country/bluegrass delivered with energy and charm. The two are a couple with four ...
9 years ago
Beans On Toast
Spooky Tours
Lucy Ayrton
Oxford Castle's Spooky Tour is a thoroughly underwhelming experience, best avoided. Over the course of an hour, we were led around a handful of locations in the Oxford Castle, and told stories of the ...
9 years ago
Spooky Tours
Ralph McTell
Lucy Ayrton
Ralph McTell is one of the UK's most prominent folk performers, with an illustrious career stretching back to the '60s. He more than lived up to expectations by creating a warm, moving and highly ...
9 years ago
Ralph McTell
Eventide
Lucy Ayrton
Eventide is a funny, poignant and charming new play exploring the gentle falling apart and rallying of the British village, and the people living within it. This three hander shows us a snapshot of a ...
9 years ago
Eventide
Raw Diva | Urban Dance Classes | Oxford
Lucy Ayrton
The first part of the class is a warm up, cardio and conditioning session. This was surprisingly punishing - a decent workout, done quickly and efficiently. There wasn't any pressure to be able to do ...
9 years ago
Raw Diva | Urban Dance Classes | Oxford
Hatha Yoga
Lucy Ayrton
This yoga class is a nourishing, calming and fun hour and a half, set in a beautiful, new, little yoga space in East Oxford. The class was Hatha yoga, which is mainly slow and relaxing but with a ...
9 years ago
Hatha Yoga
Strike!
Lucy Ayrton
Strike! is a show seeking to blend circus and theatre to express the injustices of a Kafkaesque system a group of workers find themselves in. It does this through dance, mime, clowning and various ...
9 years ago
Strike!
Salsa
Lucy Ayrton
This salsa class is a great one for people considering getting into salsa dancing. It's presented very accessibly, but still quite technical and challenging at points. The instructor was friendly and ...
9 years ago
Salsa
Tasting - Theo's Tasty Tuesday
Lucy Ayrton
I've never been to a wine tasting before. It seemed a bit intimidating - terminology I don't understand, etiquette I don't know, spitting the wine out after tasting it - what's the point of that? But ...
9 years ago
Tasting - Theo's Tasty Tuesday
Oxford Wine Café (Summertown)
Lucy Ayrton
I've never been to a wine tasting before. It seemed a bit intimidating - terminology I don't understand, etiquette I don't know, spitting the wine out after tasting it - what's the point of that? But ...
9 years ago
Oxford Wine Café (Summertown)
Hatha Yoga
Lucy Ayrton
I’ve been working for a yoga charity for five years - so I’ve been to a lot of yoga classes in my time - and this was one of the nicest ones I’ve been to. This class was beautifully put ...
9 years ago
Hatha Yoga
Max Dickens, Chris Meeson and Andrew Bird
Lucy Ayrton
HAHA's at the Hatters is a new comedy night on at The Mad Hatter on the last Wednesday of every month. May’s acts were Max Dickens, Chris Meeson and headliner Andrew Bird. The Mad Hatter is an ...
10 years ago
Max Dickens, Chris Meeson and Andrew Bird
The Wellington Boot Club by Robert Holtom
Lucy Ayrton
The Wellington Boot Club, a new play by Robert Holtom, is a parody of and homage to the Oxford murder mystery. It shows student life as it really is, complete with binge drinking, banter, and rape ...
10 years ago
The Wellington Boot Club by Robert Holtom
Benefit
Lucy Ayrton
Cardboard Citizens' new play, Benefit, is a wonderful example of interactive political theatre-making, showcasing the very best of company and audience alike. The play shows three loosely connected ...
10 years ago
Benefit
Warzone + The Power Within
Lucy Ayrton
The Power Within was performed with conviction and passion by the young dancers. They used video and image projection as well as dance to tell stories of women overcoming oppression in various ...
10 years ago
Warzone + The Power Within
Free Beer Show: Richard Herring & Marcel Lucont
Lucy Ayrton
Returning after a two year hiatus, The Free Beer Show presented Richard Herring with an Edinburgh preview and Marcel Lucont in support, compered by Matt Richardson.
Marcel Lucont delivered a ...
10 years ago
Free Beer Show: Richard Herring & Marcel Lucont
Mark Thomas: 100 Acts of Minor Dissent
Lucy Ayrton
Mark Thomas is on a mission to commit 100 acts of “minor dissent” - basically, left wing mischief - over the course of a year. If he fails, he has to donate £1000 to UKIP. The show ...
11 years ago
Mark Thomas: 100 Acts of Minor Dissent
That Is All You Need To Know
Lucy Ayrton
That is All You Need to Know is “the untold story of Bletchley Park”, told through the scenes of those working at the Park, nicely choreographed summaries of wartime action, and some ...
11 years ago
That Is All You Need To Know
Cyrano de Bergerac
Lucy Ayrton
The Oxford Theatre Guild’s version of Cyrano de Bergerac was an enthusiastic delivery of a classic play. The story of Cyrano, a poet and swordsman with a massive nose who writes letters to his ...
12 years ago
Cyrano de Bergerac
Wasted
Lucy Ayrton
Wasted is the story of three friends who love taking drugs but hate being adults, as they wander around a London scene they feel like they've outgrown. The play nicely captured a certain kind of ...
12 years ago
Wasted
Ubu Roi
Lucy Ayrton
Cheek By Jowl's French language production of Ubu Roi was a clever and skilled but ultimately unsatisfying retelling of Jarry's pre-absurdist work. Set in an idealised, bright white Parisian ...
12 years ago
Ubu Roi
Live Stand-Up Comedy at the Glee Club
Lucy Ayrton
I've never been to a Glee club before. Normally when I go to see stand up, it's someone I'm already a fan of (or at least someone who's been strongly recommended) and I sit on the ...
12 years ago
Live Stand-Up Comedy at the Glee Club
Wonderland
Lucy Ayrton
Wonderland is a small exhibition, hosted by the O3 gallery, featuring work from 8 different female artists, all inspired by the Alice in Wonderland books. Timed to coincide with the 150th anniversary ...
12 years ago
Wonderland
The Beta Males in... The Space Race
Lucy Ayrton
The Space Race is a sketch show charting the exploits of a team of brave British spacestronauts in their mission to be first to the moon. It was totally awesome.
The show was an enjoyable pastiche ...
12 years ago
The Beta Males in... The Space Race
Thirsty
Lucy Ayrton
This is difficult. Because, as a company, Paper Birds are so likeable. The performances were excellent - especially the physicality of them - the sound design was superb, the cast were so incredibly ...
13 years ago
Thirsty
Fairport Convention
Lucy Ayrton
I find it difficult to be objective about Fairport Convention. I was raised by hippies in the 80’s, so happy folk-rock soundtracked my childhood. Whenever I hear Fairport, I’m six years old ...
13 years ago
Fairport Convention
Out Of The Blue CD Launch
Lucy Ayrton
Out Of The Blue, all male student a capella group, delivered a lovely launch of their tenth studio album, Rush, available to buy online here. The songs tend to be chart stuff spanning the last 40 ...
13 years ago
Out Of The Blue CD Launch
Macbeth
Lucy Ayrton
Macbeth, presented by the Oxford Theatre Guild in Trinity College Gardens, was a solid performance of a Shakespeare classic. The presentation was very traditional - “proper Shakespeare”, with ...
13 years ago
Macbeth
DNA
Lucy Ayrton
DNA is a gripping, extremely watchable production, played in promenade in the river gardens of St Catz. First time director Louisa Holloway has managed a difficult play extremely well. The staging ...
14 years ago
DNA
Julia's Eyes [15]
Lucy Ayrton
It is a truism of the horror genre that what you cannot see is far more frightening than what you can. With this in mind, horror films about blindness are not a new idea. Julia’s Eyes, however, is ...
14 years ago
Julia's Eyes [15]
The Chequers (central Oxford)
Lucy Ayrton
The Chequers, one of Oxford’s larger city centre pubs, has relaunched its food menu, taking the focus away from bog standard “pub grub” and placing more emphasis on the quality of the food. ...
14 years ago
The Chequers (central Oxford)
Valentine's Day Poetry Competition 2011
Lucy Ayrton
Every year me and my boyfriendstay in on Valentine's Day.We hate watching other couples hold hands,with their stupid, naked faces all glowing like that.Instead, we eat pizza and gently squabble over ...
14 years ago
Valentine's Day Poetry Competition 2011
Chicken Skin
Lucy Ayrton
Chicken Skin is an evocative, appealing retelling of a handful of fairy tales drawn from Hans Christian Andersen and Russian folklore, performed in the intimate, cave-like space of Wadham MCR.
The ...
14 years ago
Chicken Skin
Peter Pan
Lucy Ayrton
Performed in Worcester College JCR, this rendition of Peter Pan was a wonderfully charming performance. Stripping away the layers of Disney and panto tradition the story has become wrapped up in, ...
14 years ago
Peter Pan
Queen of Clubs Cabaret: Oxford's Vintage Variety Night
Lucy Ayrton
The Queen of Clubs Cabaret Halloween Spectacular was a fun night in a nice club with friendly people and a non boring music policy, where you could dance, chat and watch interesting acts. Surely this ...
14 years ago
Queen of Clubs Cabaret: Oxford's Vintage Variety Night
A Western
Lucy Ayrton
A Western, part of the Playhouse Plays Out, energetically presents the formula of a Western film in the Angel and Greyhound with much audience participation, running around and ketchup.While ...
14 years ago
A Western
Made in Dagenham [15]
Lucy Ayrton
Made In Dagenham tells the story of the women machinist strikes at the Dagenham Ford plant, which eventually led to the equal pay act. The women, who worked sewing the car seats together, were ...
14 years ago
Made in Dagenham [15]
The Vanishing Horizon
Lucy Ayrton
Vanishing Horizon is a visually stunning play about women in aviation. The history of women’s role in early flight is inter cut with the story of a young woman on a long journey in the present.The ...
14 years ago
The Vanishing Horizon
Land Lines: Drawn Lines: Stitch Lines
Lucy Ayrton
Amanda Hislop’s collection, Land Lines: Drawn Lines: Stitch Lines, at the O3 Gallery until the 17th of October, is a very beautiful and interesting collection of work using a combination of paint, ...
14 years ago
Land Lines: Drawn Lines: Stitch Lines
Antony and Cleopatra
Lucy Ayrton
The Oxford Theatre Guild’s version of Anthony and Cleopatra was a well paced, accessible and charming version of the play. Several cuts have been made from the original, with some subplots removed ...
14 years ago
Antony and Cleopatra
Out of the Blue
Lucy Ayrton
Out of the Blue are an all male a cappella choir made up of Oxford University and Brookes students, and about a million times more fun than that sounds. Now in their tenth year as a choir (with new ...
14 years ago
Out of the Blue
The Real Inspector Hound
Lucy Ayrton
The Real Inspector Hound by Tom Stoppard is a murder mystery farce in which the audience follows the stories of a group of people trapped in a country manor and also that of the critics watching the ...
14 years ago
The Real Inspector Hound
Criminal
Lucy Ayrton
The team behind the consistently good Jericho Comedy have created another winner with this warm-hearted and deeply fun improvised murder mystery. In the top room of the Jericho Tavern, we are ...
6 years ago
Criminal
