REVIEWS Archives - North West End UK

8Oct

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

An Oak Tree – The Other Palace

Tim Crouch’s interesting spectacle is back after a fiercely popular run at the Young Vic last year. Now placed at The Other Palace main theatre and the performance is led by Tim Crouch himself and a different second performer every night. On this evening, we had the wonderful Gwyneth Keyworth. The script doesn’t change but in essence the performance will, having a different actor every night who is unaware of the script or the journey that their character will take. Crouch leads this second performer into the abyss with small scripts on clipboards, headphones linked to his microphone or at some points leading them with ‘now you say…’. This journey follows a father coming to a hypnotist’s (Crouch) failing show to confront him as he accidentally killed his daughter. Through this jo...

8Oct

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Oh Zeus! – Queens Theatre

Oh Zeus! literally feels like a fever dream unfolding right before your eyes. We are introduced to three extremely talented and quick-witted actors: Al Dunn, Matt Freeman and Nick Bunt. Between them, the trio take on a range of characters in this fast-paced and wonderfully chaotic production, which sees the Greek gods descend upon the wedding of Hebe and Gregg. As the celebrations unfold, we get to see how the gods react to the unlikely union between a Greek goddess and a mere mortal, with Zeus, played by Al Dunn, in particular, not taking the marriage particularly well. The humour is very much in the style of pantomime, sitcoms and childish comedy, with the production embracing the ridiculous and never taking itself too seriously. At times, the jokes are so absurd that you cannot help ...

8Oct

By Prateek SonnyNo Comments

London

What Would Jarvis Do? – Omnibus Theatre

Absurd, uncomfortable, silly, and hilarious - What Would Jarvis Do? is an intriguing production that draws heavily on the themes of theatre of the absurd while also having its own unique voice. Written by Laura Grillo and directed by Maiya Pascouche, the play tells the story of best friends Didi (Annabel Smith) and GG (Isabel Butt) – superfans of Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker. Through their unconventional therapist, Ms Lacy (Maggie Daniels), they buy a pair of yellow trousers once owned by Jarvis Cocker – only they might not be Jarvis’ trousers at all. The play takes us on an unconventional yet familiar ride that explores the themes of materialism, identity, loss, grief, delusions, and recovery. You will see the shades of Beckett, Pinter, and Ionesco in its nar...

8Oct

By Dan GrimesNo Comments

North West

Rent – 53two

Set in New York’s East Village, Rent follows a group of young artists and friends as they deal with love, friendship, poverty and illness. The characters struggle to balance their creative ambitions and relationships with the realities of their financial pressures, housing insecurity and the impact of HIV/AIDS on their community. As time passes and their circumstances change, tensions grow between their personal choices, responsibilities, relationships and ideas about how they want to live. The themes at the heart of Rent are particularly significant when you consider the story behind the show itself. Jonathan Larson drew on the realities of the world around him when writing the musical, exploring HIV/AIDS, poverty, addiction, relationships and loss at a time whe...

8Oct

By Carole BaldockNo Comments

North West

The Last Laugh – Floral Pavilion

Humour being universal, maybe one of the worst insults is to accuse somebody of not having a GSOH – GOSH that would most certainly be true if you failed to find this show amusing. How could it not be, featuring Tommy Cooper, the surreal clown and shambolic magician who knew his audience so well he was damn near physic, whereas Bob Monkhouse could almost be psychotic, so obsessive, perpetually in search of perfection, maybe because of the tragedies in his personal life. And probably better known as a chat show host; the marmite comic, loved and hated in equal measure. As for Eric Morecambe, what more need be said. How about his being multi-talented, an actor, a musician (over half a dozen instruments) and a writer (over 30 books), including new TV series The Reluctant Vampire. All the mo...

8Oct

By Max EdenNo Comments

North West

Lord of the Dance – Liverpool Empire

Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance has been entertaining audiences around the world for an incredible 30 years and three decades on, this spectacular show proves it has certainly lost none of its magic. Since opening in Dublin in 1996, Lord of the Dance has become a worldwide phenomenon, playing to more than 60 million people across 70 countries, and now the show is back with a special 30th Anniversary Tour celebrating its incredible history. Ive seen the show in various forms over the years and I again got the pleasure of watching the show at the Liverpool Empire as part of this tour and from the moment the curtain went up, this was a fantastic night of pure entertainment. Lord of the Dance has always been much more than simply an Irish dancing show. There is a story, fantastic ...

8Oct

By Savitha VenugopalNo Comments

London

10 Loves – The Bread & Roses Theatre

If a law required you to tell your partner that you love them ten times a day, would you do it because you do actually love them, or because you have been told to do so? Would you trust your partner when they said it back? Does saying it change the way you feel about the person one way or the other? Written and directed by Sining Gui, 10 Loves brings to life a dystopian alternate reality. One in which the government sets the rules for relationships. In this world, the law requires every married couple to spend an uninterrupted half an hour alone with each other. Additionally, they are required to say “I love you” to each other ten times a day. Taking us through this reality is a young couple played by Moana Doll and Daniel Hintner. A constant presence in their lives is a screen monit...

7Oct

By Roger JacobsNo Comments

Scotland

Barnum – Edinburgh Festival Theatre

Of spectacle and razzamatazz there was no shortage. For pure froth, noise and escapism this production scores high. But absent were suspense and drama, although some comedy dribbled through here and there. Spectacle, like chocolate cake when relentless and overloaded, loses its flavour. History presents contrasting portraits of P T Barnum, but none were explored regarding his complex, contradictory personality. As a celebration of the man’s chutzpah the two themes to the fore were Barnum’s relationship with his wife Charity, and the ‘theory’ of humbug or, ‘trimmings’. Charmingly executed but devoid of any jeopardy concerning Barnum’s tougher episodes. All the cast gave it their everything, Matt Rawle (P T himself) and Monique Young (his wife, Charity) leading from the front, bringin...

Little Shop of Horrors – Hope Mill Theatre

7Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

Little Shop of Horrors – Hope Mill Theatre

This autumn the award-winning Hope Mill Theatre has been converted into Skid Row as Audrey II takes up residence until the end of November. If tonight’s press night was any gauge on how well this show is going to do, I would snap up a ticket NOW, as they will not last long. A shy florist, Seymour, discovers a mysterious plant that feeds on blood and names it Audrey II after his crush, Audrey. As the plant grows, Seymour gains fame and fortune, but its appetite becomes increasingly dangerous. With Audrey II demanding human victims, Seymour must choose between success and morality, while trying to protect Audrey, before the monstrous plant takes over his life and threatens everyone around him. I have to say Rob Kelly, the casting director could not have done a better job with this prod...

It Walks Around the House at Night – Hull Truck Theatre

7Oct

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

It Walks Around the House at Night – Hull Truck Theatre

As if I hadn’t jumped out of my skin enough on Tuesday evening, while watching the ghostly It Walks Around the House at Night, at Hull Truck Theatre, my worst nightmare came true. You see, there was nothing between me, on Row A, and a black, floor-length curtain through which anyone - or anything - could jump out and, shudder, get me. My imagination was running riot. Sure enough, halfway through the scary performance (a ThickSkin production), I heard a rustle nearby and my no-longer-imaginary figure emerged in the pitch dark. I managed to stifle an embarrassing scream - it was a fellow theatregoer popping out, I assume, to spend a penny. Her reappearance a few minutes later confirmed my assumption. Phew! Taking my seat a few minutes before the start, gave me time to peruse the sta...