REVIEWS Archives - North West End UK

Until Proven Human – Barons Court Theatre

11Sep

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

Until Proven Human – Barons Court Theatre

Until Proven Human invites its audience into a fictional ‘civic assembly’ following a series of troubling incidents. Through a sequence of questions, votes and collective decisions, citizens are asked to determine who among them might be a “monster”, gradually turning a seemingly simple civic exercise into an examination of conformity, authority and the consequences of individual choice. Created by Xiaomin Fan and directed by Jingwen Lu, the show is a spirited and ambitious piece of interactive theatre. Staged in the basement of Barons Court Theatre, the production begins before the performance has formally started. As we walk down the stairs, we encounter newspaper cuttings, recordings, objects and fragments of information that establish the world we are entering. There is an immed...

Bigfoot Ripped My Dog in Half I Saw It – Soho Theatre

11Sep

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Bigfoot Ripped My Dog in Half I Saw It – Soho Theatre

Flying high after a fourth Fringe First award at Edinburgh, NYC duo Xhloe and Natasha bring Bigfoot Ripped My Dog in Half I Saw It to Soho Theatre for a victory lap. Having previously seen the pair perform What If They Ate The Baby? in the theatre’s studio space, I was delighted to see their unique blend of clowning, physical comedy and social commentary shine on Soho Theatre’s main stage. The extra space lets them play more with movement and allows a giant STOP sign, text projections on the back wall, and an imposing representation of Bigfoot to offer extra visual intrigue. Set in a small mountain town in the US, Bigfoot introduces us to a pair of teenagers who pretend they’ve spotted Bigfoot in the area to cover up their own misdeeds. This singular lie soon spirals into a web o...

Woody Sez: The Life and Music of Woody Guthrie – Underbelly Soho

11Sep

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Woody Sez: The Life and Music of Woody Guthrie – Underbelly Soho

A massive hit at the Edinburgh Fringe, this show is a timeless, joyous, authentic exploration of the life and times of Woody Guthrie, "the original folk hero" (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame). Guthrie was born in 1912 into extreme poverty in Oklahoma, the family struggling to make ends meet after a catastrophic house fire. When he grew up, he would find scraps of work throughout the Great Depression, but often there wasn't sufficient work even in the orchards of California and desperate families would find themselves in debt to the Company Shop. He lost his mother to mental illness, which was eventually diagnosed as the Huntingdon's Disease that would also cruelly afflict him in later life. Having sung songs at his mother's knee, he took his guitar all over the US, playing songs of social prot...

Come From Away – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

11Sep

By Stephanie WiswallNo Comments

North West

Come From Away – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

Some musicals are written to entertain, some are emotional and then there's Come From Away, which takes you on a journey through both and leaves you with a sense of hope in humanity. Altrincham Garrick Playhouse's performance is a wonderful reminder of why this extraordinary musical has captured audience’s hearts around the world. Set in the aftermath of the events of September 11th, Come From Away tells the remarkable true story of the small Newfoundland community of Gander, which suddenly found itself welcoming around 7,000 passengers whose flights had been diverted and grounded. What could have been an overwhelming crisis became a story of kindness, generosity, friendship and human connection. What makes the story so powerful is that it doesn't focus on the tragedy itself. Instead...

11Sep

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Dear Evan Hansen – Hull Truck Theatre

On Wednesday evening, the Hull Truck Theatre audience gave Hessle Theatre Company’s production of Dear Evan Hansen well-deserved thunderous applause at the show’s end; with the leading actor getting a standing ovation. The young actor in question, Liam Hatt, in his debut with the company, took the part of Evan Hansen, giving a mesmerising performance. Dear Evan Hansen revolves around a socially anxious teenager, desperate to belong. Set in modern times, social media plays an enormous part in proceedings and the amazing stage backdrop portrays moving images relating that. It’s social media that causes heartache, tragedy, shock, sadness, regret and shame when Evan inadvertently prints out a letter to himself, part of his assignment given by his therapist who charges him to wri...

9Sep

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

High Society – Edinburgh Playhouse

Well-bred socialite Tracy Lord (Helen George) is about to marry oddball accountant George Kittredge (David Seadon-Young), much to the dismay of her upper-crust family. Journalists Mike (Freddie Fox), and Liz (Carly Mercedes Dyer) infiltrate the glitzy wedding, hoping to get a lucrative scoop for their tabloid. Meanwhile, Tracy’s rehabilitated ex-husband Dexter (James Hume) has his own agenda. It’s never a good sign when the characters hold a big party the night before the wedding. Cole Porter’s music and lyrics are timeless, accompanied by a live jazz band. I loved Who Wants to be a Millionaire, sung by Fox and Dyer as the astonished journos explore the mansion and discover how the other half live. As the rowdy party gets underway, the full company performance of Let’s Misbehave capture...

The Silence of The Lambs – Festival Theatre

9Sep

By Beth EltringhamNo Comments

Scotland

The Silence of The Lambs – Festival Theatre

If you are unfamiliar with The Silence of The Lambs as a book or movie, there’s still a very good chance that you are familiar with the name Hannibal Lecter and his masked faced that has freaked out many a generation since the 1991 movie starring Anthony Hopkins. This production delivers us a wonderfully disturbing and pulse raising performance in which every detail has been thought of. The Silence of The Lambs follows trainee detective Clarice Starling as she is sent to deliver a questionnaire to infamous killer cannibal Dr.Hannibal Lecter, however the interaction leads to Lecter building an interest in Starling and in order to learn more about her, delivers intelligence on the current serial killer known as “Buffalo Bill”, to keep her around. Meanwhile we see James Gumb (aka Buffalo B...

Operation Mincemeat – Leeds Grand Theatre

9Sep

By Adam CraddockNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Operation Mincemeat – Leeds Grand Theatre

Last night I had the pleasure to be invited along to the always wonderful Leeds Grand Theatre to review the latest leg of the UK tour of “Operation Mincemeat”. I was very much looking forward to this one, I’m a massive World War 2 history buff and I have always found the story of “Major William Martin” fascinating but didn’t know too much about some of the background players in the story so this was definitely right up my street. My only holdup going into it was how it was going to translate as a musical and now seeing the program littered with ex members of Mischief Theatre I have to say… it translates perfectly. The plot follows a struggling MI5 trying to come up with a plan to invade Sicily. We see various plans to kill Hitler thrown out until an unbecoming scientist pitches “O...

9Sep

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

The Obituary – Jack Studio Theatre

The obituary in question is that of the migrant mother of three Chinese siblings, and the play deals with the decisions her children must make in dealing with the disposal of the family home where they grew up. They do this by completing a detailed property report to a very short deadline. The process of doing so brings back conflicting memories of their childhood and parents. This is a new play by Xinyu Lu, premiering at the Jack Studio Theatre. It is simply and stylistically staged, with the acting area demarcated by a white border, with representations of items wrapped for disposal. The floor is covered with sand and blank pieces of paper, used by the cast to represent photographs and artefacts to prompt their memories. The three actors, Kevin Ip, Chen Xu and Yijia Go...

9Sep

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

The Tempest – The Golden Hinde

Just when you think there can't possibly be any more ways to re-imagine a Shakespeare play, along comes Rebekah King's condensed version of The Tempest, performed in the unique surroundings of the iconic Golden Hinde, the Elizabethan galleon that was the first English ship to circumnavigate the globe. Director Callie Nestleroth uses the ship as part of the storytelling of the play, with creaking boards and cramped spaces creating an intense, almost claustrophobic, atmosphere. The Golden Hinde is presented as an additional character to Prospero, Ariel, Caliban and the rest as the tale of shipwrecks, magic, relationships, vengeance and eventual reconciliation unfolds, with the audience on board as shipmates. The ensemble cast of six navigate the tight spaces, avoiding audience limbs a...