Author Archives: Paul T. Davies

Review: Little Woman at Colchester Fringe 2025

Created and performed by local theatre artist Tia Winterbottom, this thought-provoking solo show at Colchester [...]

31
Oct
Review: The Chai Queens at Colchester Fringe 2025

What a privilege it is to have work like this performed at the Colchester Fringe, [...]

28
Oct
Review: The Toilet Monologues at Colchester Fringe 2025

A sacred space. That’s what men are led to believe about women’s toilets, a place [...]

27
Oct
Review: Fish Outta Water at Colchester Fringe 2025

This is a gorgeous, tender semi-autobiographical play created by Jess Ashley, offering an insight into [...]

26
Oct
Review: A Two Woman Hamlet at Colchester Fringe 2025

“The play’s the thing”, as Hamlet famously puts it, and here it literally is the [...]

26
Oct
Preview: National and International Productions at Colchester Fringe

With a record-breaking number of submissions this year, the growing reputation of Colchester Fringe saw [...]

21
Oct
Preview: LGBTQ+ highlights at Colchester Fringe

Fringe festivals have become a vital space for LGBTQ+ work, and Colchester is no exception. [...]

20
Oct
Review: One Man Two Guvnors at the Headgate

Theatre editor Paul T. Davies reviews One Man Two Guvnors, presented by Headgate Theatre Productions [...]

09
Oct
Paul T. Davies previews local productions at this year’s Colchester Fringe

There are three things that signal the arrival of autumn: the return of Strictly, a [...]

06
Oct
Review: The Trials at the Headate Theatre

Paul T Davies reviews The Trials, presented by Headgate Young Company As we face the [...]

11
Sep
Review: Hobson’s Choice at the Headgate Theatre

Theatre Editor Paul T. Davies reviews Hobson’s Choice, presented by 3 Wishes Theatre at the [...]

21
Aug
EastWord 2025 – New Plays from Mercury Theatre’s Playwriting Graduates

Theatre Editor Paul T. Davies reports from EastWord, a showcase of new writing from playwrights [...]

13
Aug
Review: A Beautiful Thread – Thomas Hardy in Words and Music

Take one of our finest actors, with a voice that can add kudos to the [...]

30
Jul
Review: There is a Light and a Whistle for Attracting Attention

Paul T. Davies reviews There is a Light and a Whistle for Attracting Attention at [...]

28
Jul
Review: Chopped Liver & Unions at The Headgate Theatre

Blue Fire Theatre Company aim to tell the “important untold stories of the people of [...]

17
Jul
Review: The Chalk Garden presented by Headgate Theatre Productions

Theatrical legend has it that when John Osborne crashed onto the scene with Look Back [...]

23
Jun
Review: Flumps at The Mercury Studio

Paul T. Davies reviews Flumps, a Mercury original production now playing at the Mercury Studio. [...]

11
Jun
Review: Boys from the Blackstuff at the Mercury Theatre

To help a younger generation understand the impact of Alan Bleasdale’s TV drama, I often [...]

30
May
Review: The Return at the Mercury Theatre Studio

Written and performed by Natasha Stanic Mann, The Return is an autobiographical piece about migration, [...]

29
May
Review: In Search of Goldoni at the Mercury Theatre Studio

The Mercury Theatre’s second space is on a roll at the moment, with touring productions [...]

23
May
About the author:
Dr. Paul T. Davies was awarded his PhD from the University of East Anglia for his research on AIDS, Queer Theory, and Theatrical Discourses 1983-94. He is a playwright, and among his plays are the two Colchester Fringe award winners, The Miner’s Crow and Living With Luke, Jacky, and Bury Me In Colchester Mud. He is also a theatre director (NETG Award for Best Production, Frankenstein) and occasional actor, most recently in Tartuffe, NETG Award for Best Supporting Actor as the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet, and Rupert in How We Love at the Vaults Festival 2020 and the revival at the Arcola Theatre in 2021. He is an active researcher, theatre reviewer, mentor, and teacher. He will be directing Dragging Your Heels, a new play with music by Terry Geo, at the New Wimbledon Theatre and the Camden Fringe in the summer of 2025, and is developing new scripts.

When reviewing for Keep Colchester Cool, we always aim to:

Provide a professional, fair assessment of the theatre we see, balanced in both praise and criticism.

Be sensitive to the non-professional aspect of community theatre when reviewing amateur productions.

Aim to post reviews within 48 hours of attending, or as close to as possible should circumstances prevent that.

Not review theatre we are personally involved in, but will ask a team member to review it.

Be accurate in terms of spelling names, respecting gender definitions, and providing information the reader may need, as long as the information is provided to the reviewers.