Articles by Tim Holford-Smith

This play has its genesis in a documentary and televised drama written by Mark Hayhurst. It’s the fascinating, inspiring and tragic story of Irmgard Littten’s efforts to remove from jail her lawyer son who humiliated Hitler in the witness box in 1931 at the trial of four of his storm [...]

On  a cold, wet and gusty night in Brighton, there is every reason to stay indoors and not hear the world’s most depressing songs.  Someone once described his music as “music to slash your wrists by” and another observed that if you were driving home after a bad evening you [...]

The West End production of this famous Oscar Wilde play has come down to Brighton. The play is now 120 years old and the director gave it a new treatment. It was a play within a play as it was put on by the Bunbury players , an am-dram group. Thus there were those mistakes and flaws that arise in [...]

This was a traditional interpretation of the 1950 musical but all the better for that. It took no liberties with costume or characterisation but exploited the basic qualities of an enduring and much loved musical. It has the requisite of 3 great songs, a strong plot line and an interesting litany [...]

It’s not everybody – not even Robert Tickler- who gets prime billing on the Rust two days running and, folks, I will be reviewing Guys and Dolls at the Chichester Festival Theatre on Saturday for Sunday. Daytona is a play written by actor Oliver Cotton. Set in Brooklyn in 1985, the [...]

Last night I was invited to the opening night of the Dorfman Theatre, formerly the Cottosloe. This consummated the sponsorship of Lloyd Dorfman and the company he founded Travelex with the National Theatre. Travelex tickets at £10 have been available since 2003. The Dorfman Theatre was the [...]

Murder on Air is an attempt to recreate the atmosphere of  Agatha Christie radio plays on air. It does not really work. Once you get over the interest of the effects being created by someone in the corner you are left with actors walking up to their microphones and delivering the lines. This [...]