REVIEWS Archives - Page 100 of 549

All-Star Armando – Scottish Storytelling Centre

24Mar

By Beth EltringhamNo Comments

Scotland

All-Star Armando – Scottish Storytelling Centre

After a weekend full of improv for the participants of The Edinburgh International Improv Festival, in came the All-Star Armando team to finish the festival off with a bang! Consisting of performers: Keiko Agena, Alex Berg, Lilan Bowden, Todd Fasen, Alex Fernie and Jiavani along with a couple of invited guests from other productions within the festival. As with any improv show there can be a fine line between creating a priceable show and producing something that can be compared to a bunch of performers playing warm up games. A structure is needed but not so much that the show is scripted, something to work from and ground the performers without losing the audience's trust. In this case the cast’s structure came in the form of a chosen word from the audience and a guest actor spouting a...

24Mar

By Klervi GavetNo Comments

London

SPENT – Old Red Lion Theatre

In this daring one act, Greek Austrian playwright and performer Nikoletta Soumelidis and co-star Charlie Collinson draw us into a corrosive dance of love, power, and self annihilation. Soumelidis’s incisive writing examines the intoxicating pull of a BDSM inflected relationship — not for erotic spectacle, but as a stark metaphor for the emotional bondage we too often mistake for passion. Each night, tables turn, roles swap, and the dominant becomes the submissive. By watching both configurations, audiences confront ingrained assumptions about control, romance, and gender roles—as well as the earliest red flags of abuse. When Collinson dominates, his stripped back charisma evokes the familiar lure of a thrilling yet self-destructive darkness that irresistibly draws in Soumelidis’s naï...

23Mar

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

Mary and Hyenas – Wilton’s Music Hall

‘Mary and Hyenas’ recreates the life and times of trailblazer Mary Wollstonecraft with tongue-in-cheek humour and peppy indie rock music. Written by Maureen Lennon collaborating on original music and lyrics by Billy Nomates and directed by Esther Richardson, it is a sincere adaptation that must not be missed. Laura Elsworthy brings alive Mary’s bold and assertive character. We are moved by her portrayal of the vulnerable child singlehandedly questioning patriarchy to her pining for unrequited love and inspired by her passion to live a life different from the sensibility imposed on her. We resonate with the tiredness and humaneness of a leader who is making mistakes and figuring out her purpose, safety and vocation while battling poor mental health herself and making bold choices like ch...

Northern Ballet: Hansel & Gretel – Festival Theatre

23Mar

By Nazaret RaneaNo Comments

Scotland

Northern Ballet: Hansel & Gretel – Festival Theatre

If you’re looking for a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon with the family, Northern Ballet’s Hansel & Gretel is an absolute must-see! I had a lovely time at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre, completely swept up in this magical, modern twist on the classic fairy tale. It’s got adventure, laughs, and a really important message about looking after our planet—perfect for both kids and grown-ups. Hansel and Gretel, played by Archie Sherman and Julie Nunès, were these city kids totally obsessed with their video games. Their dad, hilariously portrayed by Andrew Tomlinson, was so fed up he dragged them on a woodland adventure. The forest set, designed by Ali Allen using recycled materials, was stunning—whimsical and creative but also thought-provoking. The whole production was bursting w...

Raintown and Bumnotes – Scottish Storytelling Centre

23Mar

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Raintown and Bumnotes – Scottish Storytelling Centre

Never in my life did I expect to see grown men pretending to be raccoons, or see the bible rewritten to be about jelly babies instead of Jesus, but I suppose that’s the fun of the Edinburgh International Improv Festival. In the penultimate double bill of Saturday night at the Scottish Storytelling Centre we saw the Irish musical improv group Bumnotes belt out show tunes completely off the cuff, with Glasgow-based group Raintown performing right afterwards. Musical improv is becoming increasingly popular and after watching Bumnotes’ performance I have no questions as to why. Funnily enough the suggested word was ‘garbageman’ which was a reference to an earlier performance done by The Imposters - clearly the audience are enjoying the improvisation as they are coming back f...

The Lightening Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical – The Other Palace

23Mar

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

The Lightening Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical – The Other Palace

This musical began as a 60 minute Off-Broadway production in 2014. It returned to the New York stage in an expanded two-hour version in 2017. It tells the story of the first book in a series of six books written by fantasy novelist Rick Riordan. Joe Tracz and composer and lyricist Rob Rokicki have “chosen to hone into the first book in the series The Lightening Thief “written with a modern-day twist. Centred around a New York teenager ‘Percy Jackson’ played by Morgan Gregory who discovers he is the half-blood son of the Greek god Poseidon. He gets caught up in an unexpected adventure where he starts a journey of self-discovery, and he soon begins to realise that the people around him are not quite who they seem. Knowing the back catalogue of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians se...

ImprompTwo & Nice Things & Hog – Scottish Storytelling Centre

23Mar

By Roger JacobsNo Comments

Scotland

ImprompTwo & Nice Things & Hog – Scottish Storytelling Centre

Three for the price of one. A busy hour flashed by, we’ll try to remember... First up were ImprompTwo (Kathy and Joe Rinaldi from across the pond) illustrating several comic aspects of a New York apartment block; the Deli on the ground floor where debates on sandwich fillings leads to a customer’s ejection, a couple’s upstairs apartment where debates concerning the title of a podcast (is it Love or Romance?) lead to some testy exchanges, and a further debate about what to do when an unwanted guest threatens a visit. Funny, entertaining, slick, with snappy dialogue, but was it improvised? Next up were Nice Things (Charles Dundas and Steven Millar) who took the audience input and ran with it, kicking off with bus drivers Terry and Terence and the surreal suggestion that a sma...

The Imposters and Funfdollar – Edinburgh International Improv Festival

23Mar

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

The Imposters and Funfdollar – Edinburgh International Improv Festival

Hosted by the Scottish Storytelling centre, the Edinburgh International Improv Festival hit us with three full nights of improv by actors from all across the globe. In this double bill we saw The Imposters from Shetland tell a tale fit for a soap opera, followed by Funfdollar all the way from Berlin who left us in stitches with their dry, quick-witted humour. Kicking things off with The Imposters, this group took the word ‘dragon’ from the audience. How this improvisation transpired from the word dragon I am unsure as the only reference to the source word was a clever remark from one of the players, with him saying “this is dragging on.” Get it? To begin with it did seem that the team was struggling a little for inspiration but once they found the basis of their im...

23Mar

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Buckled – 53two

It’s Wine O’Clock somewhere. Hic-Hic-Hooray. Eat, sleep, Gin, repeat. How many of us can honestly say we haven’t reached the end of a working week and our mind has turned to relaxing with friends or family and a few drinks via an alcohol-themed pun or two. But where is the line when enjoying a bevy becomes a serious problem? Helen Jeffery’s slick and thought provoking one-act play, Buckled, which she also directs, gives us a glimpse in the consequences of out-of-control drinking. A simple set of a table and two chairs is thoughtfully used and, through a mix of mono- and dialogues and ensemble speeches, delivered by three excellent actors, and a cleverly curated Britpop soundtrack, we have the opportunity to consider our own relationship with the ‘demon drink’ (and possibly feel s...

Playhouse Creatures – Orange Tree Theatre

23Mar

By Savitha VenugopalNo Comments

London

Playhouse Creatures – Orange Tree Theatre

In the intimate setting of Orange Tree’s theatre-in-the-round, the 1660s came visiting. Charles II is on the throne, theatres have reopened, and there is a new creature on the stage – a female actor. The theatre, we are told, was once a bear pit and people came in to watch dancing bears. Now they come to see the women. Directed by Michael Oakley, April De Angelis’ play about five actresses – who were among the very first women in the profession – brings to life real stories from the period. Some of the themes seem like lasting legacies of showbiz, like the way younger faces edge out the old, and pregnancy becoming a full-stop to vibrant careers. Mrs Betterton and Mrs Marshall rule the roost, playing myriad roles from Amazon warriors to powerful queens, before thickly packed audiences...