REVIEWS Archives - Page 109 of 549

28Feb

By Klervi GavetNo Comments

London

Pandora – Coronet Theatre

Under the masterful direction of Riccardo Pippa, PANDORA marks the second coming of the Italian physical theatre company Teatro Dei Gordi at the Coronet, and it’s nothing short of a gem. Set in a public toilet at what’s likely the most transient, eclectic train station in town, the stage transforms into a delightful playground for a colourful parade of modern "stock characters," sharing surprisingly intimate moments. From a clumsy germaphobe facing a grandpa with childlike incontinence, to a failed cook and a struggling office manager finding solace in a quick smoke, ballroom dancers battling stage fright, and my personal favourite, an appalling street performer whose memory and confidence are restored by a caring commuter, each character bursts with quirks and backstories. The shee...

27Feb

By Carole BaldockNo Comments

North West

Rita, Sue & Bob too! – Floral Pavilion

Yes of course, this play comes with a trigger warning, pointing out that it’s the original 1981 script. No surprises there - except that it is still as shocking today as it was over 40 years ago, although the emphasis is more on the bawdy humour than the disturbing issues it addresses. Even more shocking, for all the audience gasped at the arrant sexism, things haven’t changed that much. Improved seems far too much to hope for. You still get dodgy blokes cruising around secondary schools in their flashy cars, tho Bob’s looks like a second hand Trabant, and bright orange to boot. You still get stubborn, self-obsessed, giggly teenage girls interested in little else but sex: there’s nowt else to do here, as one student proclaimed years ago. Blame their parents? The usual suspects are here as ...

27Feb

By Paddy Darnell-WalshNo Comments

North West

Bat Out of Hell – Palace Theatre

Bat Out of Hell is back in Manchester… and it’s back with a bang! The rip-roaring, high-octane Meat Loaf musical returns to its roots, the home of the show’s premiere, for a limited run. Showcasing the iconic anthems from Meat Loaf’s thumping debut album, with music and lyrics by the wonderful Jim Steinman, this production is a real crowd pleaser from start to finish. Set in the post-apocalyptic, fictional city of Osidian, Bat Out of Hell is loosely based on Peter Pan, following Strat, leader of ‘The Lost’, a group of misfits frozen in time as 18-year-olds. Strat has fallen in love with Raven, daughter of Falco, Osidian’s tyrannical ruler. With a Romeo and Juliet-esque narrative, crossed with an epic rock concert, the show is brilliantly bonkers and unapologetically over the top. Gle...

Now That’s What I Call A Musical – Edinburgh Playhouse

27Feb

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Now That’s What I Call A Musical – Edinburgh Playhouse

It’s big, bold and cheesier than a Swiss Fondue, but if you can put up with the variably dodgy Brummie accents there is a lot to enjoy in this jukebox musical based on the best musical decade there ever was – the eighties of course! The story, set in Birmingham, follows two school chums Gemma and April and their friends and family between the year 1989 and a class reunion in 2009, and music is the elixir that never grows old – as powerful and evocative twenty years on as it was when they first heard it. It is certainly an interesting and well thought out concept for a musical and on the whole, it works, helped in no small part by a brilliant set which flips very cleverly from bar to lounge to park to video shop (remember those!). The clever and at times very funny script also skips alon...

Cruel Intentions: The 90s Musical – New Wimbledon Theatre

27Feb

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Cruel Intentions: The 90s Musical – New Wimbledon Theatre

Cruel Intentions: The 90s Musical is a bold and exhilarating reimagining of the cult classic 1999 movie Cruel Intentions. Blending drama, comedy, and nostalgia, this production takes audiences on a thrilling ride through seduction, deception, and power plays, all set to an electrifying soundtrack of beloved 90s hits. Staying true to the original storyline, the show follows the cunning and manipulative duo of Sebastian Valmont (played by Will Callan) and Kathryn Merteuil (played by Lucy Carter) as they scheme their way through high school, using their charm, wit, and ruthlessness to control and destroy those around them. One of the standout aspects of this production is its use of music. Packed with some of the most iconic songs of the decade, the show transports the audience back in ...

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake – Liverpool Empire

26Feb

By Grace AnnabelNo Comments

North West

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake – Liverpool Empire

Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures company returns to revive the timeless classic ‘Swan Lake’ on the 30th Anniversary Tour. Bourne names the production ‘next generation’ for a distinct reason. This production brought Swan Lake into the new age, which included amending characters to reflect a truthful modern-day production (such as the prominent character of the Swan/The Stranger being played by a male performer rather than female, executed seamlessly by Jackson Fisch). If you attend the show expecting to see an exact replica of the original Swan Lake, this show might not be for you, however it may just be even better. As the house lights dimmed and the show began, I was thrilled to hear the addition of a live orchestra for this production, which was a treat. There is something so specia...

Only Fools and Horses: The Hit Musical – Leeds Grand

26Feb

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Only Fools and Horses: The Hit Musical – Leeds Grand

Once upon a time before catch up TV millions of people used to sit around in their millions on Christmas Day to watch hit shows with Only Fools and Horses being an annual festive ratings buster. So, it was obvious it would become a stage show, but what was more surprising that the antics of dodgy Peckham street trader Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter and his gormless bruv Rodney would end up as the sort of musical Cockney knees up you might have dahn the boozer. Thankfully the producers have gone for early Fools and Horses before the show really jumped the shark when the Trotters actually became millionaires, so Granddad is their sidekick rather than that unfunny buffoon Uncle Albert. The TV series was created by legendary comedy writer John Sullivan, and his son Jim, working with comedy grea...

26Feb

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

The Merchant of Venice 1936 – The Lowry

The timing of this production could not be better, setting as it does one of Shakespeare’s most problematic plays amid the rise and fall of Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists in mid-thirties England. With certain tech giants performing “Roman salutes” and the frightening rise of fascist political parties taking place across Europe, we seem to be returning to the dark days of the 1930s. This adaptation of Shakespeare’s play powerfully brings to life the vicious remorselessness of bigotry and how it can be fought and defeated. Projected onto the back wall were the sensationalist antisemitic headlines of the day, newsreel clips of fascist marches and Mosley’s call for “Britain First.” The frightening echoes of what is happening now were stark but the play also reminded us that th...

26Feb

By Louise KershawNo Comments

North West

Ghost Stories – The Lowry

It was with a definite buzz in the air that I settled into my seat at Salford’s Lowry Theatre for the opening night of Ghost Stories. The packed theatre hummed with excitement and anticipation and a slightly nervous edge could be felt in the air enhanced by gentle, quietly eerie music With the Safety Curtain still lowered, all that could be seen was a trim, modern lectern holding small glass of water and a light awaiting a lecturer to come along a breathe life into it. As the opening moment screeched into the auditorium the audience screamed their response and 90 minutes of captivating theatre began. Photo: Hugo Glendinning Entering the stage as leading parapsychologist we meet Professor Goodman who immediately took control of the space and the narrative. Clad in the corduroy armo...

Pride & Prejudice (Sort of) – Richmond Theatre

26Feb

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

Pride & Prejudice (Sort of) – Richmond Theatre

Welcome to the story of Jane Austin’s most famous novel Pride & Prejudice like you have never seen it before. This is not a serene period drama, but a love story between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, and the Bennet’s family race against time to get their five daughters married off for financial security. Yes it is familiar, but this is five women calling themselves the ‘servants of house’ telling the story from a whole new perspective. Right from the first few lines you start to get a feel of what is to come ‘in a good way’ comedy, mayhem and female drama. The story lands in the present day, with familiar language and terminology, including expletives not for the faint hearted which drew gasps from the audience. The five female performers acted out ‘...