REVIEWS Archives - Page 118 of 548

29Jan

By Sadie PearsonNo Comments

London

The Gift – Park Theatre

What is the worst thing you’ve ever done? And what are the consequences you think you deserve for it? These are some of the questions which The Gift by Dave Florez seeks to answer. Colin is bereft, having received a beautifully packaged human excrement in the post. Unbeknownst to who it may have come from, Colin (Nicholas Burns), his sister Lisa (Laura Haddock) and his brother in law Brian (Alex Price) are subject, throughout the play, to a psychologically tormenting game of “who did it?” As the gift in question continues to anguish Colin, paranoia takes hold and domestic instability bubbles at the surface. More complex than meets the eye, this brilliantly absurd plot has the potential to travel to some truly dark places. Burns’ performance spanned a wide emotional range, veering fro...

28Jan

By Max EdenNo Comments

North West

Nutcracker in Havana – The Lowry

Carlos Acosta’s Nutcracker in Havana with Acosta Danza at The Lowry is a dazzling spectacle that breathes vibrant life into a timeless classic. I was mesmerised from start to finish! This fast-paced production takes Tchaikovsky’s beloved ballet and adds the energy, colour, and rhythm of Havana, creating an experience that left me smiling from ear to ear. From the very first scene, it was clear that this was a Nutcracker unlike any other. The staging was cleverly devised, blending traditional ballet with clever, modern touches that felt fresh and innovative. A standout moment came when a moving car drove onto the stage, seamlessly integrated into the storytelling. And the finale of the first half—a stunning deluge of artificial snow—was a breathtaking visual treat, earning audible gasps ...

27Jan

By Roger JacobsNo Comments

Scotland

Mary Poppins – Festival Theatre

In P.L. Travers’s book, ‘tossed and bent under the wind’, Mary is thrown ‘bag and all, at the front door’ by an east wind, at which ‘the whole house shook’. Here (as in the film), despite the proximity of Storm Eowyn, her arrival and appearance are ‘practically perfect’*, all spit-spot and efficiency. Which pretty much describes this abundant sweetshop of a production; it dazzled, shone, all slick, gloss and polish, which, given its producers (the hyper-successful Cameron Mackintosh and Disney Theatrical Group), was not surprising. Which can be an issue with these huge shows where the creative team includes no less than two responsible for ‘set design adaptation’ and two whose remit is ‘illusions’. Technically, everything (and the kitchen sink) is thrown in, from small prop details like...

27Jan

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Cinderella – Montgomery Theatre

Wales Community Theatre Players give the audience of the newly renovated Montgomery Theatre, Sheffield, a sparkling version of Cinderella as this year’s 80th Anniversary pantomime offering. An excellent script, detailed direction and excellent performance. Traditional all the way! Cinderella arranged by Stage Right Creative Ltd and written by Alan P Frayn is a well written script with gags galore and much more than the average tongue in cheek moments. In fact, this pantomime is really one for the adults as well as the children. Something that was milked to the hilt by the ugly sister duo of Gertrude and Grizelda. Directed by Ashley Booker with Claire Harriott as Choreographer and Musical Direction by Ray Gallagher the production team did a fine job creating a side splittingly funny show...

25Jan

By Stephanie WiswallNo Comments

North West

Breezeblock Park – Hope Street Theatre

Breezeblock Park, set in Liverpool, during Christmas of 1975, following the highs and lows of a Scouse family as they encounter a different class, a shock revelation and try with all their might to maintain their Christmas spirit throughout. Written by Willy Russell, directed by Clayton Travis and performed by Off Topic Theatre Company. This performance is lengthy, hard hitting and diverse. The cast did extremely well with such a performance and each character portrayed their own morals, characteristics and mannerisms well, meaning the audience had a good grasp of the types of personalities, temperaments and natures which graced our stage. The story follows rebel Sandra (Chloe Gratton) who is trying to break free from her family class and norms to experience a wider world. Her dy...

24Jan

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Cymbeline – Sam Wanamaker Playhouse

A show performed in the intimate setting of the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse is truly a unique experience. Nestled within the larger and more renowned Globe Theatre, this smaller, intimate space evokes a sense of stepping back in time. The theatre’s design, featuring wooden galleries with benches and the warm glow of candlelight, creates an atmosphere that perfectly complements a Shakespearean production. The ambiance alone feels like a time machine to the Elizabethan era, making it the ideal venue for such a performance. As someone who wouldn’t consider themselves a huge Shakespeare fan and only knows the most popular of his works, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Cymbeline. However, this production turned out to be a hidden gem. From start to finish, it was captivating, immersive, and tho...

24Jan

By Savitha VenugopalNo Comments

London

Santi & Naz – Soho Theatre

Pretty much every person that walked into the dimly lit, intimate space of Soho Theatre paused for a beat at the unusual sight of the actors already being present on the stage. Two young women lay on the floor, tracing lines on the ground and humming to themselves. They waited in that comfortably contemplative state as the audience settled in, like a visual preface. Santi and Naz are the best of friends, having grown up together in a little village in pre-partition India. Their meeting place is by a lake, under the shade of a tree, where they play-act, tell jokes, and talk about the hazy future. Naz is blissfully unaware of the political turmoil, while Santi reads and tries to keep up with what is going on. One Muslim and the other Sikh, neither of them knows just how much the events of...

24Jan

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

Animal Farm – Octagon Theatre

George Orwell’s Animal Farm comes to life in a vivid and unsettling adaptation that thrusts the audience into the heart of a revolution. The barnyard is transformed into a stage where animals overthrow their human oppressors, driven by dreams of equality and justice. Yet, as Orwell so keenly observed, power has a way of corrupting even the noblest intentions. What begins as a hopeful uprising soon unravels into a chilling reflection of authoritarianism, manipulation, and the rewriting of truth. Olivia Chandler stands out in her dual roles, first as Mollie, the delightfully vain mare who steals the audience’s attention with her superficial charm, and later as Moses, the revivalist raven whose flamboyant performance oozes charisma and false hope. Meanwhile, Shoroosh Lavasani's portrayal o...

23Jan

By Johanna RobertsNo Comments

North West

Ensemble 10:10 – Tung Auditorium

The audience at the Tung Auditorium were treated to what can only be described as a remarkable concert with several notable firsts. This was Domingo Hindoyan’s debut conducting Ensemble 10:10. Ensemble 10:10, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2022 and became resident at the Tung Auditorium in the same year, was established by members of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to showcase new music and to offer support to new composers, particularly those from the North West. With this in mind, last night’s concert began with the world premiere of a piece by Sam Kane, winner of the Rushworth Composition Prize in 2023. The Rushworth Foundation set up the prize in 2015 to nurture new talent and to support the commissioning and performance of new music. Danu’s Rhapsody demonstrates K...

The Merchant of Venice – Royal Lyceum Theatre

23Jan

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

The Merchant of Venice – Royal Lyceum Theatre

The Theatre for a New Audience production of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice is, of course, not set in Venice. Instead, we are in an American city in the near future, though the play's fidelity to Shakespeare's script largely confines this setting to its physical set, designed by Riccardo Hernandez (a brutalist concrete set of steps before two rectangular doors and a circular window), the presence of costume designer Emily Rebholz' suits and mobile phones and, of course, the Jewish characters being portrayed by Black actors (the link between two different intolerances aided by the fact the play has racist as well as antisemitic portions). This limits what the play can do to what Shakespeare did with it and, unfortunately, Shakespeare by today's standards is an antisemite. I...