REVIEWS Archives - Page 109 of 409

27Nov

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Amplifi – The Queens Hall, Edinburgh

Amplifi is a series of gigs showcasing the best in modern Scottish music, held every few months in the quirky bar space venue of The Queens Hall, Edinburgh. Performed mid-week I was somewhat surprised to find such a large diverse and enthusiastic audience, ready to heartily support the three acts on display tonight. Presented by Arusha Qureshi in association with Halina Rifai and supported by Creative Scotland and The City of Edinburgh Council, and We Are Here Scotland this is a really nice initiative to support the fringe musicians and minorities looking for a stage and platform to showcase development. First up on the mini stage is Elaine Cheng, Edinburgh based composer/sound artist who takes us through an electronic soundscape featuring her own voice, rising and falling, at times ...

National Theatre Live: Skylight – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

27Nov

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

REVIEWS

National Theatre Live: Skylight – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

A cold and wet Sunday evening in November finds me forsaking the warmth of hearth and home in favour of a trip to Altrincham Garrick Playhouse to watch an encore screening of the 1996 Olivier award winning 'Skylight' by David Hare, brought to us by National Theatre Live. Hare is a playwright who is chiefly known for his deftly crafted satires examining British society in the post World War II era and 'Skylight' was first performed in 1996 during a particularly productive period, when new works were seemingly an annual event for the NT in their concrete castle on the South Bank. This revival was filmed at the Wyndham's Theatre in 2014 and features Bill Nighy and Carey Mulligan as Tom Sergeant and Kyra Hollis, ex-lovers with memories of a shared passion who have subsequently pursued very ...

27Nov

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Play Pretend – Traverse Theatre

A brand new play from writer Katie Fraser, directed by Laura Walker for Framework Theatre, a Scotland-based charitable organisation which supports emerging and early-career theatre makers. This play certainly has the feel of a development piece, a bit rough in places, but also fresh with clever ideas, enough to keep you leaning in and invested to the end. Chemistry, synergy, comradeship, trust, improvisation; all elements of acting which are extremely important and which are played out as exercises in drama schools everywhere. But in today’s society have the methods of building on-stage and on-screen relationship with your fellow actors become outdated, dangerous even. And how close is too close today? This play-within-a-play sees seasoned actor Greg rehearsing his role as Bonnie Pri...

23Nov

By Gill LewisNo Comments

North West

Cinderella – Everyman Theatre

More pop panto than rock ‘n ‘roll with hits performed live by its talented cast. Does well to send out all the right messages but at the sacrifice of its charm through its inflated sense of self-awareness. Our tale begins with the sassy Cilla Black of Fairyland, Dame Fairy Godmother (Ben Welch), aka the DFG, who emerges holding a red heart shaped balloon reminiscent of Banksy’s ‘Girl with the Balloon’, the significance of which, new hope and love, is a taste of things to come with this journey of self-love and acceptance. Along with successor and apprentice, ‘our Graham’, (comfortably played by natural panto veteran Adam Keast), our matchmaker DFG heads over to the Ooglay’s where they find Ellanora (Grace Venus), whose life resembles that of Cinderella - who ...

23Nov

By Karen Morley-ChesworthNo Comments

North West

A Little Princess – Theatre by the Lake

The retelling of a classic children's story provides the perfect family production for Christmas at Theatre by the Lake in Keswick. The World Premiere of A Little Princess at the Lake District theatre brings to life the magic of storytelling that touches the heart with the highs and lows of Sara Crewe's young life - the daughter of a British Army Captain and a low-cast Indian woman during the time of the uprising against Colonial rule. When Sara is brought to Lancashire, England for her education, the story of her life changes forever. The original Frances Hodgson Burnett novel set in 1901 glamourises the British Empire, as we discovered in an interesting exhibition about the production in the first-floor bar and gallery space. However, Amanda Dalton's adaptation is set in 1...

23Nov

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

A Christmas Carol – Old Vic

Dickens' classic tale of redemption, empathy and love remains a powerful and timely reminder of the gross discrepancies between rich and poor. Seeing the intense deprivation many Londoners were experiencing, Dickens took up his pen and created Scrooge, a character whose name has become synonymous with miserliness. First published in 1843, the message of A Christmas Carol sadly remains just as valid in 2023. Ebenezer Scrooge is a man alone whose only love is money who literally receives a wake-up call on where his life will end up if he doesn't change his ways. Berated by a harsh father who showed no love to his son, but inculcated in him a need to pursue wealth, Scrooge leaves Belle, the love of his life and a secure position with Belle's father to take up an opportunity as Marle...

22Nov

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Hamilton – Palace Theatre, Manchester

The Palace Theatre: 'The Grand Old Lady of Oxford Street', was dressed in her finest bib and tucker last night with a host of Northern glitterati present for the opening night of the much anticipated inaugural UK Tour of Hamilton. Anyone who has already booked their seats for a performance over the next sixteen weeks of its residency here is in for an absolute treat, this production brings the beauty and complexity of the West End and Broadway productions, whilst the cast to add their own unique interpretation of the characters combining to demonstrate musical theatre in its finest modern form. For those who are unaware of the cultural phenomenon that is 'Hamilton', it tells the story of Alexander Hamilton (Shaq Taylor) and his rise from Caribbean poverty to become one of the founding f...

Around the World in 80 Days – Octagon Theatre, Bolton

22Nov

By Hannah WildeNo Comments

North West

Around the World in 80 Days – Octagon Theatre, Bolton

Around the World in 80 Days is a brand-new musical adaptation of the classic novel by Jules Verne, written by Kate Ferguson and Susannah Pearse, and directed by Kash Arshad. What a spectacular show, this trio have created! Rarely have I seen a show that is both technically brilliant and so superbly acted, with costumes and set design that are second to none. While the medium of theatre can be a cornucopia of new and innovative ideas, it does have its limitations in terms of how this is presented to the audience. That said, this adaptation of Around the World in 80 Days was absolutely seamless in its visual storytelling, moving from place to place with graceful fluidity and depicting the characters’ journey by land, sea and sky with staggering ingenuity. The two standout scenes for...

22Nov

By Samantha CollettNo Comments

London

Wishmas – Bauble Factory, London

I love the spirit of Christmas. I may not have kids and be in my forties, but I love the festive cheer the season brings. It was for this reason I was so excited to be going to ‘Wishmas’. Billed as an all-age fantastical immersive Christmas experience, I was all over it. Sadly, Wishmas was not my Christmas wish. From the very start, I felt awkward: I did not have a child. This is the sort of experience where you are expected to have a child, the younger the better, because otherwise you not only feel like an imposter, but also the parents will look at you strangely. If they don’t, you will feel like they do. This is because all of the activities - and that’s a term I use loosely - have been based on the skills a three-year old would have. From spinning a giant spongy cog to placin...

La Bamba: A Musical – Grand Theatre, Blackpool

22Nov

By Gill LewisNo Comments

North West

La Bamba: A Musical – Grand Theatre, Blackpool

Danceathon with an infusion of Latin America and traditional rock n roll, is entertaining enough to excuse its style over substance in this bilingual jukebox musical. La Bamba introduces us to Sofia (Ines Fernandez), a young Latino woman with an upbringing immersed in Latin American heritage enriched with colourful cultural traditions. Sofia narrates us through her younger years as she pursues her dreams of becoming the next big Latino music star which is abruptly hindered by industry execs who insist that she changes her name, and water down her cultural identity to make her more acceptable to American audiences. The musical is inspired by Richard Steven Valenzuela, better known as Ritchie Valens, whose quick rise to 50s fame with the Mexican folk inspired ‘La Bamba’, made hi...