Claire Parsons

Claire Parsons is a UK-based arts reviewer who has previously written for such platforms as InDaily.

Claire Parsons's Latest Articles

Under a projection of infantry and horses are two life size puppet horses and actors playing soldiers. War Horse.
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War Horse review: the stage show now gallops into Birmingham

A haunting, visually breathtaking revival that still gallops straight into the heart.

Two men: one is standing, another sitting and a woman. Surrounding them are paintings.
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Theatre review: Picture You Dead, The Alexandra, Birmingham 

The real crime is this production.

A woman in a red dress singing on stage. Tina The Tina Turner Musical
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Musical review: Tina –The Tina Turner Musical, Birmingham Hippodrome

A flawed but fierce celebration of survival.

cast lining up for curtain call of Dear Evan Hansen on stage at the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham
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Theatre review: Dear Evan Hansen, The Alexandra, Birmingham

A gripping story of grief and deception in the digital era.

in an old crofter's cottage set, a young woman sits next to an older (potentially ghostly) one who is pointing off to the right
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Theatre review: The Croft, The Rep, Birmingham

A play about ghosts that struggles to find a soul.

Two male dancers in an intimate pose, the weight of one man's body holding up the other. They stand within a small cube representing Giovanni’s room. The room also contains a chaise lounge and a lampstand. The photo is a scene from the dance theatre production 'Inside Giovanni’s Room'.
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Dance review: Inside Giovanni’s Room, The Rep, Birmingham

A fearless and tender dance adaptation that confronts queer desire, shame, and selfhood with aching vulnerability.

A woman in white furs is standing above a glacial hill. On the right is a lion puppet and a man in shades of brown. Black-clad puppeteers are also visible on stage. A scene from the stage production, 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'.
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Theatre review:  The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham

A moody, imaginative take on Narnia where puppets prowl and actors play their own score.

The company of 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat' perform on a brightly lit stage, with the titular character standing centre-stage, arms raised triumphantly. Many of the other characters point towards him, as if in celebration.
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Theatre review: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Birmingham Hippodrome

A gloriously bonkers blast of musical mayhem.

A man in a yellow high vis jacket shining a torch in a small room.
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Theatre review: Ghost Stories, Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham

More haunted house than haunting drama, 'Ghost Stories' offers a jolt to the senses but lacks the quiet dread that…

Against a dark stormy backdrop a man stands in a light brown trench coat on the left. On the right is a young woman with an apron over her drab clothes.
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Theatre review:  An Inspector Calls, Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham

With its stark visuals and pointed messaging, this enduring production still holds a mirror up to a society reluctant to…

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