Author Archives: Paul T. Davies

Colchester Fringe Review: Forest Of Truth

Paul T. Davies reviews Forest Of Truth, staged at the Headgate Theatre. Following their triumph [...]

29
Oct
Colchester Fringe Review: The Real Black Swann: Confessions of America’s First Black Drag Queen

Paul T. Davies reviews The Real Black Swann: Confessions of America’s First Black Drag Queen, [...]

29
Oct
Colchester Fringe Review: Flowers

Paul T. Davies reviews Flowers at the Headgate Theatre. What is femininity? From Sakai, Japan [...]

29
Oct
Colchester Fringe Review: So-Fa, So Good

Paul T. Davies reviews So-Fa, So Good at Firstsite. Brighton and Essex-based Tomfoolery Dance Theatre [...]

28
Oct
Colchester Fringe Review: Hide My Porn

Paul T. Davies reviews Hide My Porn, staged at the Headgate Theatre. A Fringe Festival [...]

28
Oct
Colchester Fringe Review: Spit It Out

Paul T. Davies reviews Spit It Out, staged at the Headgate. It’s a welcome home [...]

27
Oct
Colchester Fringe Review: Fresh Knickers and a Gin and Tonic

Paul T. Davies reviews Fresh Knickers and a Gin and Tonic, staged at the Headgate. [...]

27
Oct
Colchester Fringe Review: 4.48 Psychosis 

Paul T. Davies reviews 4.48 Psychosis, staged at the Headgate. Colchester Fringe, now in its fourth [...]

27
Oct
Reviewed: The Two Gentlemen of Verona at The Headgate

Among tribes of Macbeths, endless Midsummer Dreams, and more Romeo and Juliets than a school [...]

19
Oct
Reviewed: Ghost of The Toll Point Light at The Headgate

Paul T. Davies reviews Common Ground Theatre Company’s latest production at the Headgate Theatre. Known [...]

09
Oct
Top Picks from Colchester Fringe: Spotlight on Visiting Companies

With 67 productions over ten days, Colchester Fringe has something for everyone! Here’s my selection [...]

07
Oct
Top Picks from Colchester Fringe: Local Theatre

Paul T. Davies makes his picks of Colchester Fringe, starting with local theatre. With over [...]

24
Sep
Review: Macbeth, presented by Castle Park Theatre

This year, a production of Macbeth feels like the old adage about buses: you wait [...]

09
Jun
Review: Macbeth at the Headgate Theatre

Paul T. Davies reviews Macbeth, presented by Colchester Theatre Group, at the Headgate Theatre. These [...]

24
May
Review: Educating Rita at the Headgate Theatre

Finding the Authentic Self: Educating Rita at the Headgate Theatre. Launching R Bland Productions comes [...]

11
May
Review: Ghosts at the Headgate Theatre

In Ibsen’s 1882 classic, the sins of the father inherited by the son are explored [...]

25
Apr
Wilde About Alfie: A Man of No Importance

This beautiful, small-scale musical is given a perfectly judged staging by Headgate Theatre Productions. A [...]

28
Mar
Review: Snake in The Grass at The Headgate Theatre

For their first production of the year, Headgate Theatre Productions present a late Ayckbourn, written [...]

22
Feb
Review: My Fair Lady at The Mercury Theatre

Paul T. Davies reviews My Fair Lady at the Mercury Theatre, presented by Colchester Operatic [...]

30
Jan
Applauding a New Initiative: Treatment at Headgate Theatre

All credit to the Headgate Theatre for always seeking new ways to stage work and [...]

15
Jan
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.