Miller’s A View From the Bridge explores family life, working class struggles, and illegal immigration. The Touring Consortium Theatre Company portray the story menacingly well, creating tension where needed, and taking the audience with them on an emotionally explosive journey.

Jonathan Guy Lewis plays the pivotal character Eddie Carbone, the proud doting Uncle and hard-working husband who blurs the lines between reality and fantasy, his frustration and persistence ultimately leading to the family’s downfall. The role is incredibly well played, charged with anger and passion the audience are torn between feeling pity or hate for this lost soul on the verge of self-destruction.

With a fixed set there are no scene changes, however props covering 3 settings make for a busy stage. The large company carry the production at a steady pace with the real drama kicking off in the action-packed second half. Michael Brandon plays Alfieri, a Lawyer, and though his role appears surplus to requirements his narration provides a background story and allows the audience to fill in any blanks. 

The tale is a tragic but predictable one. Lacking twists and turns the only excitement comes from the anticipation of violence. Certain Italian-American accents are dodgy at times, but the bleak costume design from Liz Ascroft perfectly captures the poverty and depression of the Red Hook neighbourhood. 

All in all the play makes an enjoyable evening at the theatre, celebrating the centenary of Arthur Miller’s birth. The production runs at Belgrade Theatre, Coventry until Saturday 11 April.

Emteaz Hussain's Blood premiered in the B2 studio space at Belgrade Theatre, Coventry this week. In a collaboration between Tamasha and Belgrade Theatre, this was a beautifully crafted show.

Set in the Midlands Pakistani community, the play looks closely at familial ties and the impact this has on a young couple who are fiercely chasing their own wants and desires. The two-hander saw Krupa Pattani playing Caneze and Adam Samuel-Bal as Sully, and their onstage chemistry brought this heartfelt story to life. You instantly connected to both of their characters and this connection was never lost. The play was sprinkled with humour and, without question, both actors captured the dark and light of the play superbly. 

What at first appeared to be an interesting, yet simple set, turned out to be inspired from Sara Perks. With each scene you were transported to a new place, and through clever use of props and lighting you could instantly identify where you were.   

Filled with twists and turns, it was a compelling piece of theatre and Esther Richardson's dynamic direction brought this searing play to life. 

Blood runs at Belgrade Theatre, Coventry until 11 April and returns to the Midlands in May, when it plays at Birmingham Repertory Theatre from 19 - 23 May.

The Theatre Royal Stratford East production of Oh What A Lovely War, by Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop, opened at Belgrade Theatre, Coventry last night as part of its UK tour. 

This beautifully poignant musical is still as relevant as ever, illustrated last night by a talented ensemble of performers. Summarising the First World War in just over 2 and a half hours, there is an equal mix of humour and tragedy. 

Ian Reddington's comedic narration eased the change of time and place, including a hilarious mix-up with a donkey photo, but the stand-out performance came from Wendi Peters who was utterly brilliant. I'll Make a Man of You and Sister Susie's Sewing Shirts were particular highlights and Peters seamlessly transitioned between a variety of characters expertly. 

Other notable performances came from Mark Prendergast delivering a beautiful rendition of When This Lousy War is Over, Alice Bailey Johnson's Keep the Home Fires Burning packed an emotional punch and Lauren Hood's Belgium Put the Kibosh on the Kaiser elicited many a laugh. 

With 41 songs and numerous scene changes, the direction of this play is no mean feat, but Tony award-winning director Terry Johnson has injected a new lease of life into this revival. The set design from Lez Brotherston was inspired and made for an incredibly touching Christmas Truce scene.

As the number of soldiers died, injured and missing during WW1 scrolled across the screens, the pause in performance made it all the more impactful and was a stark reminder of the horrors of war. 

This really is a gem of a play. With infectious energy, fantastic ensemble numbers and stirring harmonies, it is sure to have a successful run at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, as well as the rest of the tour.

Oh What A Lovely War runs at Belgrade Theatre, Coventry until 4 April and returns to the Midlands in May, when it plays at Birmingham Repertory Theatre from 5 - 9 May.