Paul Downham, Author at North West End UK

Talking Gods IV: Aphrodite – Arrows & Traps Theatre

9Apr

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Talking Gods IV: Aphrodite – Arrows & Traps Theatre

The penultimate episode of Talking Gods from Arrows & Traps Theatre, tells the story of Aphrodite, her marriage to Hephaestus and affair with Ares. Written and directed by Ross McGregor, this is a harrowing story of love, war and everything in between. Aphrodite (Benjamin Garrison) is the Goddess of Love and has very little patience for the moral meatbags around her, but does envy their ability to choose. Gods’ destinies are fixed from day one by the Fates, and her life is controlled by them, Zeus, Athena’s whims; everyone really, but herself. At one point she got into crafting, but Athena, Goddess of Handicraft, quickly puts a stop to that so Aphrodite resumes her life of lounging and lust. Love is accepting that it is always subject to heartbreak, unrequited feelings and pain, ...

Talking Gods III: Pygmalion – Arrows & Traps Theatre

8Apr

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

Talking Gods III: Pygmalion – Arrows & Traps Theatre

The third episode of Talking Gods from Arrows & Traps Theatre, tells the story of Pygmalion. Written and directed by Ross McGregor, this is a modern retelling of the story of a man who falls in love with his own creation. Pygmalion (Edward Spence) is a reclusive, award-winning game designer, who spends most of his time with Ratbag (Richard Baker), his sentient but virtual assistant. Editing his latest game, it quickly becomes clear that he is a perfectionist. Many people do reach out to him, including numerous nymphs sending over dating profiles and his mother trying to establish regular contact, but Pygmalion is determined to avoid any difficult conversations or conflict, and so responds by deleting the many messages he is left and ignoring news broadcasts. He does watch old vid...

Red Ladder are back with new show Homebaked – The Musical

7Apr

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Red Ladder are back with new show Homebaked – The Musical

Radical theatre company Red Ladder’s first post lockdown show is Homebaked – The Musical co-produced with Liverpool’s Royal Court. It’s a musical comedy based on Liverpool’s famous co-operative bakery inspired by the real-life group of local residents coming together to save their neighbourhood bakery - and their homes - from demolition. Back in 2012 the people of Anfield faced losing a huge slice of their local community to property developers. Things were looking bleak until a group of like-minded individuals got together to say ‘enough is enough’. They wanted a place for locals to earn a crust so they transformed a crumbling old bakery into Homebaked. What started with a half-baked idea rose and rose until it had spawned a thriving community business with plans to transform the...

Saving Britney: Prologue – Old Red Lion Theatre

7Apr

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

Saving Britney: Prologue – Old Red Lion Theatre

Hot on the heels of the recent television documentary Framing Britney Spears, this collaboration from Fake Escape and the Old Red Lion Theatre is a prologue for a live show opening in the Islington space in mid-May. It opens with a shadow puppet introduction which made me think back to the Barbie dolls which populated the film Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1988), although the words were borrowing heavily from Romeo and Juliet. This tells, very quickly, the story of the rise of Britney Spears from a child artist to a woman who is denied her financial and professional independence. As a one-woman show, Saving Britney: Prologue focuses on Shereen Roushbaiani as Jean, a moderator on a Britney Fan Group. She is around thirty-years old, seems to populate a room full of Britney memo...

Talking Gods II: Orpheus – Arrows & Traps Theatre

7Apr

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

Talking Gods II: Orpheus – Arrows & Traps Theatre

The second episode of Talking Gods from Arrows & Traps Theatre, tells the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. Written and directed by Ross McGregor, this is a modern retelling of a tragic love story of one man for himself and the woman he spends his life with. We are reminded that the Greek Gods are alive and well in our world, and then we meet Eurydice (Charlie Ryall) who tells us that her relationship with Orpheus (Christopher Neels) has left her a shadow of her former self. Blue lighting creates sharp shadows which emphasise the mood as she walks us through a depressive state where tiredness never abates and then we see Orpheus himself, sitting a few feet in front of her. They are on a train and, of course, he isn’t allowed to turn around and look at her. Orpheus is a rock star wit...

6Apr

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

Shrek the Musical – Netflix

When William Steig’s 1990 picture book ‘Shrek!’ was adapted for the screen in 2001, the subverted fairy tale became an ogre-whelming success. A musical version came to Broadway in 2008, which has now been made available to watch on UK Netflix for the very first time. Centred around the story of the first Shrek film, the unsociable ogre (Brian d’Arcy James) is outraged to find his swamp taken over by fairy-tale creatures, banished there by Lord Farquaad (Christopher Sieber). Travelling to Duloc, Shrek agrees to rescue and deliver Princess Fiona (Sutton Foster) to the knee-high ruler to get his home back. James’ commanding voice compliments the titular role, and he demonstrates his singing talents by making Act One finale ‘Who I’d Be’ a standout, but his Scottish accent is painfully un...

Talking Gods I: Persephone – Arrows & Traps Theatre

6Apr

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

Talking Gods I: Persephone – Arrows & Traps Theatre

The first episode of Talking Gods from Arrows & Traps Theatre, tells the story of Persephone. Written and directed by Ross McGregor, Nicolle Smartt plays Hestia, Demeter and Cora, in a series of interweaving monologues retelling the tragic story of Demeter and her daughter for a modern audience. The show opens with the audience being told that the Ancient Greek Gods are alive and well among us, and even have their own social media accounts. We first meet a tearful Hestia, Goddess of Home and Hearth, who is giving evidence in Court where Zeus is being held in shackles. As he is no longer worshipped by the masses, he has become weak and his wrath has burnt out. Hestia is nervous and unsure of her place in the world, having been a minor player in the Greek myths, but is still revolt...

Ben Brown’s new play A Splinter of Ice begins UK Tour on 8th June

6Apr

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Ben Brown’s new play A Splinter of Ice begins UK Tour on 8th June

Following a highly productive and successful season of online productions, Original Theatre Company is delighted to announce its first live stage production since March 2020. The UK Tour of Ben Brown’s new political drama, A SPLINTER OF ICE, will open on 8th June in Malvern and will tour until 31st July. The production, starring Oliver Ford Davies as Graham Greene and Stephen Boxer as Kim Philby and directed by Alan Strachan with Alastair Whatley, has also been filmed on stage at the Cheltenham Everyman Theatre and will be released online via originaltheatreonline.com from 15th April until 31st July 2021. Whilst Sara Crowe will play Rufa Philby in the online version, she is unavailable for the tour, so the casting for Rufa on tour is to be confirmed. Moscow 1987 and th...

Guns N’ Roses’ 2021 UK summer tour dates now rescheduled to 2022

6Apr

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Guns N’ Roses’ 2021 UK summer tour dates now rescheduled to 2022

Guns N’ Roses’ 2021 U.K. summer tour dates have now been rescheduled to 2022. Performances on Friday 18 June and Saturday 19th June will now take place on Friday 1st June and Saturday 2nd June 2022 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. All tickets remain valid and will be honoured for new the dates. The band says “We continue to be thankful for your understanding and support during these unprecedented times. Light is at the end of the tunnel and we are looking forward to getting back on stage...” Tickets for Friday 18th June 2021 will be honoured for Friday 1st June 2022 and tickets for Saturday 19th June 2021 will be honoured for Saturday 2d June 2022. Limited tickets are still available for fans to purchase for Guns N’ Roses at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for Friday 1st June and Saturday 2nd Ju...

Iconic show to resume record-breaking run on 17th May with all-star cast

4Apr

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Iconic show to resume record-breaking run on 17th May with all-star cast

Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap – the longest running show in the world, which has been suspended since the pandemic resulted in the closure of UK theatres in March 2020 – is to re-open in the West End on Monday 17th May 2021. Two sets of casts – comprising Olivier Award winners and highly acclaimed stars of TV and film – will come together for the iconic thriller as it re-opens at the St. Martin’s Theatre on the day that Stage 3 in the Government’s “Road Map” to ease restrictions across society comes in to effect. The new, all-star company includes: • Danny Mac - Strictly Come Dancing finalist, star role in the West End production of Pretty Woman The Musical • Cassidy Janson - Olivier Award winner in 2020 for her starring performance in the West End smash hit musical & Jul...