REVIEWS Archives - Page 103 of 409

23Dec

By Grace AnnabelNo Comments

North West

Sleeping Beauty – M&S Bank Arena

On 20th December I had the pleasure of watching ‘Sleeping Beauty’ at the M&S Bank Arena Auditorium, which turned out to be a truly wonderful evening of seasonal entertainment for an audience of all ages. The abundance of customary double-entendre did not fail to provoke giggles from the adults without detracting from the traditional family-friendly format of the great British institution of Christmas panto. The eclectic mix of popular music was adapted perfectly to the storyline with some notable pieces perfectly showcasing the beautiful vocal ability of Lucy Kay, playing The Fairy in our tale. Audience members, young and old, thoroughly enjoyed clapping and dancing along to the well-known songs throughout. A particular highlight and example of this was the ever-popular ‘YMCA’ which...

Kevin Quantum – Waldorf Astoria (The Caledonian Hotel), Edinburgh

23Dec

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Kevin Quantum – Waldorf Astoria (The Caledonian Hotel), Edinburgh

A fantastic and intimate performance in front of an audience of just 30, by one of Edinburgh’s finest magicians kicks off this year’s Edinburgh Magicfest 2023, now in its 14th year. On top of the multiple shows involving Kevin and many other talented magicians over the next eleven days, he is also the programme director for Magicfest and recently a father as well! He is certainly juggling quite a few balls. Kevin Quatum, once described by David Williams on Britain’s Got Talent, as ‘like a sexy Dr Who’ has come a long way from the Channel 4 show ‘faking It’ that launched his career in magic in 2006. An inexplicable an unexplainable levitation trick involving a dollar bill floating in midair is the undoubted star of the show tonight. A t...

A Town Called Christmas – Sheffield Theatres Playhouse

18Dec

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

A Town Called Christmas – Sheffield Theatres Playhouse

‘Wrongsemble’ bring an intimate theatre experience for young children to the Playhouse at Sheffield Theatres. A Town called Christmas tells the story of the decline of Christmas Spirit. Clementine (Eve Tucker) is left a Christmas Ornament from her much loved Aunt and memories abound of a wonderful place called Christmas. Armed with her suitcase, some Christmas Cracker jokes and the precious ornament, Clementine boards a train in Sheffield to find the town she has heard so much about. On arrival the only inhabitants are a ‘glitchy’ Robot guide aptly named Glitch (Florence Poskitt) and a miserable Caretaker (Terence Rae). The town is run down, broken and no longer used. Together the three find that warm, fond memories and Christmas spirit will bring the town back to its form sparkly, heart-w...

18Dec

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Cinderella – Hull New Theatre

I don’t know what panto favourite, Neil Hurst, had eaten before taking to the Hull New Theatre stage on Sunday evening, but whatever it was had really oiled his make-‘em-laugh muscles - he was in top comedic form. As Buttons, in the age-old favourite, Cinderella, Hurst was on stage for most of the evening, delighting what looked like a sell-out theatre, from curtain up. And what a curtain! Featuring just one word - the panto’s title - dripping in glitter, bedazzling and making us impatient for what was to come, as did the images swirling around the walls and ceiling. The plot of this fairytale needs no explanation, so I’ll keep it short - poor girl, Cinderella or “Cinders” (Rebekah Lowings), mistreated by her two Ugly Sisters, Hernia (Peter Peverley) and Verruca (Jack Land Noble),...

18Dec

By Max EdenNo Comments

North West

Cinderella – Buxton Opera House

Buxton Opera House's annual pantomime is always a highlight in the festive calendar and this year’s production of Cinderella might be the very best one yet! Directed by Paul Kerryson and produced by Sarah Kell, this year’s pantomime is an enchanting spectacle that has all the ingredients of the perfect panto! The star-studded cast, featuring the hilarious James Holmes as Tess (returning due to phenomenal demand), larger than life David Dale as Claudia, the talented Georgia Gallagher as Cinderella, the charming Ross Clifton as Prince, Charlotte Hannah Jones delivering powerhouse vocals as the fairy godmother, and the loveable Aidan Bailey as Buttons, all delivering a performance that was nothing short of magical, backed by an incredible ensemble of dancers, Buns the Rabbit played by F...

18Dec

By Jennifer LaishleyNo Comments

London

Stranger Sings – Southwark Playhouse

Stranger Sings bursts back onto stage at the Southwark Playhouse this winter. This is an incredibly funny spoof of Netflix favourite Stranger Things that promises audiences a night of adventure, musical ear worms and non-stop laughter! This cast of incredibly talented performers use their captivating energy and beautifully blended voices to make this a musical that you will want to see over and over. Stranger Sings returns to the Southwark Playhouse for a second run, after a sell-out season in the vaults last Christmas and a tour around the country that has excited audiences night after night. Jonathan House’s script is a love letter to the 80s, with lots of musical theatre jokes that are entertaining if you’ve not managed to binge the Netflix series before seeing the show. The songs ar...

18Dec

By Hannah EsnoufNo Comments

North West

The Wizard of Oz – Liverpool Empire

Aston Merrygold as the Tin man and The Vivienne as the Wicked Witch of the West, star in a vibrant and colourful stage adaptation of the classic film. Transferred to the Empire from their stint in London’s West End Jeremy Sams version stays true to the innocence and magic of the original tale. With new songs, written and composed by longstanding musical theatre icons Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, friendship and fantasy were at the forefront. Full of flair, this production lived up to the expectation of the full crowd. Not only did the A-list names pay homage to their classic roles, they did not over play and stayed true to the production as a whole letting other cast members have their moments of too, of which there were many. Aviva Tulley’s Dorothy was understated but stoic. The Em...

16Dec

By Angela KellyNo Comments

North West

Jack and the Beanstalk – Regent Theatre

Well, it's here again (oh yes it is!), one of the most important dates in Stoke- on-Trent’s calendar. Its panto time! Written by Alan Mc Hugh, this year it is ‘Jack and The Beanstalk’ being performed at The Regent Theatre and perhaps more importantly, it is the return of Stokes very own and very much loved, Jonny Wilkes. Directed by Wilkes and Owen, both who also perform in the production, most must be familiar with this popular story of Jack who is asked to sell Daisy the cow at Market and returns with a bag of beans. The beans grow into a colossal beanstalk that Jack must climb to get to the top and save the day. Wilkes plays the part of Jack, a (very) simple soul who sells the families beloved cow ‘Daisy’ at the market (Leek Market that is). Wilkes is a master at treading the fine...

16Dec

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

White Christmas – Sheffield Crucible

‘Alistair David’s choreography is simply the ‘glitter glue’. Originally a 1954 film starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Vera Ellen and Rosemary Clooney, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas as become a staple of our festive celebrations. The title song was originally written for the musical Holiday Inn and is a multimillion copy seller with Bing Crosby’s version making up half of the sales. Sheffield Theatres bring this classic to the stage at their Crucible Theatre (in-the-round) and it has a stellar cast who are both in tune with its sentimentality and its splendidly relentless song and dance spectacle. The story includes a retired General who is now an Innkeeper in Vermont and two of his former platoon members Bob and Phil, who are now successful entertainers. Their paths cross again as ...

Same Team – A Street Soccer Story – Traverse Theatre

16Dec

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Same Team – A Street Soccer Story – Traverse Theatre

From the pens of Robbie Jack and Jack Nurse, comes the story of five disparate women all struggling in their own way, but brought together as a team to represent Scotland at the Homeless World Cup in Italy. Created alongside the women from the Dundee Change Centre, an initiative which uses football to inspire and empower the excluded, the marginalised and the homeless. The high-charged atmosphere of the five-aside pitch is brought brilliantly to life in a cleverly conceived gymnasium set by Alisa Kalyanova, complete with floodlighting and pitch lines. The Traverse 1 auditorium could hardly be better proportioned, with its steep terraced seating and wide rectangular stage, and successfully turns normally placid audience into screaming spectator by the end of the production. ‘The Bee’,...