REVIEWS Archives - Page 12 of 563

ROTUS: Receptionist of the United States – Park Theatre

22Jan

By Eleanor HallNo Comments

London

ROTUS: Receptionist of the United States – Park Theatre

What is the role of the ROTUS? Keeper of cue cards to remember the music tastes and coffee orders of Washington's VIPs? Or is it a surreptitious post for sleuthing? For Chastity Quirke, this front-facing job descends from one into the other... After a sold-out run at Fringe, Leigh Douglas’ one woman show starts off with a whirlwind. Her obnoxious protagonist is doing a whip round of the White House, showing off in front of her Kappa Gamma Zeta sorority girls and militantly reaffirming the importance of American ‘Hotness'. The it-girl-giggling soon sharpens into a satire on the marked crop circles of cronyism. We watch Chastity dabble in manipulation, then wholeheartedly embed herself into the surrounding political fabric. From the show's commencement, Chastity's smart but dolefu...

22Jan

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Miss Saigon – Hull New Theatre

The musical, Miss Saigon, has been watched by over 33 million worldwide. You can add probably a few more thousand on to that figure, if Wednesday night's attendance of the show at Hull's New Theatre is anything to go by. The place was packed. Miss Saigon is in the city as part of a major UK and Ireland tour and relates to events during the last days of the Vietnam War, in 1975, exactly 50 years ago. As soon as the opening stage screen, depicting a huge sacred bird, rose, it was non-stop drama all the way. Many theatre productions now have glorious video backdrops which, brilliantly, showcase much of the story that there would be no time to explain in words. And this production was no different with opening images of bombing, fighter aircraft et al showing us the horrors of w...

21Jan

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Into The Woods – Church Hill Theatre

Edinburgh University Savoy Opera Group (EUSOG) opens their production of Into The Woods this week at the Church Hill Theatre. Sondheim's notoriously complex and finicky musical score provides quite the challenge for both the performers and musicians, especially given this is an amateur company. EUSOG's ambition in taking this musical on cannot be denied, but I'm not sure the company was quite prepared for the challenges this musical demands. Co-directed by Tai Remus Elliot and Hunter King, with assistance from Elise Chan, their take on Into The Woods follows the typical fairytale style of the show. In the director's note, we are told that this production has been made more 'relatable', by making the 'characters feel more connected to the modern world'. I'm not qu...

21Jan

By NewsdeskNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Top Hat – Sheffield Lyceum

Irving Berlin’s classical romantic spectacle ‘Top Hat’ slides its away across Sheffield Theatres’ stages with pomp and playfulness, marking a highly respectable and enjoyable musical instalment to the current season of live entertainment in the heart of the city. Matthew White & Howard Jacques author the piece, based on the 1935 film of the same name starring icons Fred Astaire and Ginger Roberts. Their script is almost a clean emulation of the original work, the plot unchanged bar some superficial rearrangements, with even many of the lines mirrored. This is both admirable and unavoidably slightly kitsch. It is inescapably of its time which lends itself to nostalgic and historic appreciation, but in 2026 it draws few parallels to our days. The show functions as glitzy escapism, whi...

21Jan

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Murder at Midnight – The Lowry

The latest outing from writer Torben Betts is a gleefully farcical affair that never once pretends to be believable. From the opening moments where the audience is faced with the aftermath of what is described by a policeman as murderous ‘carnage’, Murder at Midnight announces itself as broad and proudly and knowingly over-the-top. The decision for our theatregoers tonight is not whether any of what they witness makes sense but if they are willing to go along with the foolishness. If they do, there is a great deal of fun to be had. Resistance will result in the play’s relentless absurdity becoming quickly wearing. The vague plot centres around the home of Jonny Drinkwater, a local gangster, on New Year’s Eve, where a series of events will lead to a body count that rivals a Tara...

20Jan

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

The Bodyguard – Palace Theatre

The Bodyguard returns to the Palace Theatre Manchester under the direction of Thea Sharrock, bringing with it all the high-stakes drama and musical spectacle audiences have come to expect from this stage adaptation of the Warner Bros. film. With a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and a stage book by Alexander Dinelaris, charged with delivering drama, romance, and some musical theatre’s most challenging songs, the production faces inevitable comparison to its celebrated origin. The story centres on Rachel Marron, an internationally adored singer whose fame places her in serious danger. When anonymous threats escalate, former Secret Service agent Frank Farmer is brought in to protect her. Initially resistant to the intrusion, Rachel clashes with Frank’s rigid professionalism, yet as the thre...

20Jan

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Later Life Letter – Southbank Centre

‘Later Life Letter’, a book of poems, written and performed by Luke Wright, is a quietly extraordinary piece of contemporary, poetic storytelling that reminds us of the power of spoken word when it is rooted in lived experience and delivered with absolute sincerity. This autobiographical work blends poetry, memoir, and stand-up storytelling to explore Wright’s very personal experience of adoption and the complex questions of identity, belonging, and family that follow him into adulthood. Structured as a reflective “later life letter” (a letter written to adopted children, to be opened at a later point in their life), the show unfolds with clarity and confidence, allowing the poetry to do the emotional heavy lifting without ever tipping into sentimentality. Each piece feels carefully sha...

The Olive Boy – Southwark Playhouse Borough

20Jan

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

The Olive Boy – Southwark Playhouse Borough

In Ollie Maddigan’s The Olive Boy, he tells us how his mum used to compare him to the stoned fruit not only because he was born with a condition where his skin looked green, but because he is “pure and sweet”. Of course, Maddigan thinks this is “bullshit” — everyone knows olives are bitter and too salty. This story feels like the perfect way to summarise Maddigan’s solo show, now playing at Southwark Playhouse Borough. In his portrayal of his 15-year-old self, over 70 minutes we see classic teenage delusions, selfishness and crassness slowly melt away to reveal a truly sweet heart at the centre of this very funny show about love and grief. As the sole performer on stage, with nothing more than a chair for a set piece, Maddigan is an absolute firecracker who immediately has the au...

Dick Whittington – Montgomery Theatre Sheffield

17Jan

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Dick Whittington – Montgomery Theatre Sheffield

Wales Community Theatre Players give the Montgomery Theatre - Sheffield audience a heart-warming pantomime that is traditional in every way with a fast moving script, detailed direction and some excellent performances. Dick Whittington by arrangement with Stage Right Creative Ltd and written by Alan P Frayn takes us on Dick’s quest to make his fortune with the lure of London’s streets paved with gold, but after meeting Tom, who becomes his travelling companion ,he finds more rotten rats than glistening gold on his journey. But, with the help of his new found friends (the horde of traditional panto characters) much laughter, a sprinkle of fairy stardust and panto magic, a voyage on the seas, a 3D shipwreck, a funny, fantastical frolic is had by all…. except the rats of course! The we...

16Jan

By Stephanie WiswallNo Comments

North West

Rapunzel – Rainhill Village Hall

Looking for a fun filled magical night? Look no further than Rainhill Musical Theatre Company's wonderful production of Rapunzel. Rainhill pleasantly surprise me every time I see them by adding magical moments which are unexpected and fun within their shows. The show is opened by the adorably ditzy Fairy Dandruff (Lauren Bewley) who appealed beautifully to the kids in the audience with her dozy but sassy character. In perfect contrast, you are then introduced to Mother Gothel (Lynsey Corner), mean, vindictive but with an element of Edina from Absolutely Fabulous which gives her a brilliant all round comedic edge. A character you love to hate. Moving on to Dame Fanny (David Flanagan), Pascal (David Stevens) and King Bouffant (Gavin Simpson-White) they had good chemistry on stag...