PRESS
CINDERELLA 2022
"Life in the fast Lane is inventive, inspired and ingenious, rooted in storytelling, physical comedy, multi role-playing, teamwork and individual flair in Fairlie’s fabulous, free-spirited cast." Charles Hutchinson *****
"Director Gemma Fairlie controlled the roller coaster with pinpoint accuracy." Yorkshire Times
On Yorkshire Magazine
"The show has razzmatazz, it shimmers, it shines, it has snow, amazing costumes, its funny, it’s fun, its a blast, it’s bonkers and crazy. It’s simply Christmas crackers." The Scarborough News
A Christmas Carol 2019
"Joyous, hilarious and heartwarming in equal measure" (Darlington & Stockton Times)
"Magical, delightful and hilariously funny." (Lancashire Life)
"This very witty and beautiful adaptation by Patrick Barlow is perfect for these times in which we live." (Cumbria Life **** )
"A really fun production which keeps the Christmas story's spirit alive." (North West End UK **** )
"This is the best Christmas play I have seen" (Keswick Reminder)
"A show not to be missed" (Cumberland & Westmoreland Herald)
"High energy and laugh out loud funny… will put you in the Christmas spirit for sure." (At The Theatre)
Blithe Spirit 2019
"Update of Coward classic hits the spot with timely wit and pathos." (The Times **** )
"Gemma Fairlie and a terrific cast make a brilliant job of demonstrating just how much Coward’s searing insights into love, sex and marriage still have to tell us about the way we live now." (The Scotsman **** )
"If you are looking for an afternoon in the theatre to whisk you away from today’s depressingly dismal world, then this is the show for you." (Wee Review **** )
"death becomes everyone onstage in a class-conscious take on Coward that breaks on through to the other side."
(Glasgow Herald **** )
"An energetic revival of Noel Coward’s old-fashioned supernatural comedy" (The Stage)
Martha, Josie & the Chinese Elvis
"Director Gemma Fairlie and her fab cast deliver bold, brassy but classy comedy" (York Press)
"Every comic beat is well played and the interaction between performance and technical elements is otherworldly and moving."
(A Younger Theatre ***** )
"hilarious and heartwarming" (The Stage **** )
"The New Vic hosts another beautiful, intelligent play" (Stoke Sentinal)
"...will have you captivated from the moment this fabulous play starts." (Baba Baboon ***** )
The Wizard of Oz
"This is large scale musical carried off with style" (The Stage **** )
"Gemma Fairlie treats the audience to a delightful, spectacular and inventive version... has the audience roaring its approval, and you have a musical production of real West End quality" (The Scotsman ***** )
The Rise & Fall of Little Voice
"A sharp new production by director Gemma Fairlie takes this well-known piece back to its roots in the theatre."
(The Wee Review ***** )
"...brilliantly brought to life in associate director Gemma Fairlie’s production" (The Scotsman **** )
"It's electric." (Glasgow Herald **** )
Before the Party
"It’s as if Chekhov had been rewritten for the English middle classes in Gemma Fairlie’s meticulously turned out production"
(Glasgow Herald **** )
"Gemma Fairlie’s take on Before the Party is a light-hearted piece of classic theatre which carries deep comment on today’s society just below the waterline." (The Stage)
"Pitlochry associate Gemma Fairlie’s seven-strong cast deliver it with ruthless force" (The Scotsman **** )
"The era of belt-tightening and make-do-and-mend is nicely evoked in Gemma Fairlie’s production for Pitlochry." (The Times)
Julius Caesar
"Director Gemma Fairlie's cleverly abridged, turbocharged production hit every apex to get to the point. Her use of women in some male roles worked perfectly in the context of modern society."
(Daily Express ***** )
"A lively contemporary spin on Shakespeare's political thriller." (The Stage **** )
Beryl
"Gemma Fairlie has directed a gem of a production and pulls out all the stops to create a totally absorbing story which is incredibly physical, blatantly funny and deeply moving." (The Reviews Hub **** )
The Hoard Festival
"Gemma Fairlie’s direction highlights strengths, while actors develop compelling characterisations. All in all, the Vic’s Hoard provides a rich and rewarding cache of stories." (The Observer **** )
Full Stop
"For sheer delight on a summer’s afternoon Light The Fuse’s Full Stop is a perfect performance piece." (The Financial Times)
The Merry Wives of Windsor
"Director Gemma Fairlie has brought together a very successful production full of charm and humour. Setting the action at a typical English garden fete, which then seamlessly turns into a spooky wood, was genius. It’s simply a perfect evening out for all ages."
(The Oxford Times ***** )
Fight Face
"a delightfully skewered snapshot of life outside a west London kebab shop… hosting some of theatre’s most inventive captions (meant for deaf audience members, but I found myself frequently reading them, they were so entertaining), part-animated and fully integrated into Woolley’s white-knuckle ride."
(Time Out **** )
"Fight Face is, to quote Tabitha, “a happy slappy” take on life today. It’s fast paced, funny, sad, violent, loving…everything that life can be." (What's On Stage **** )
Hangover Square
"Gemma Fairlie's dark, tense production... is always troubling, always absorbing." (The Times **** )