REVIEWS Archives - Page 139 of 548

Ed Gamble: Hot Diggity Dog – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

22Oct

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Ed Gamble: Hot Diggity Dog – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

Perhaps better known for his award-winning podcast Off menu with James Allcaster or for winning season nine of Taskmaster, the man-child that is Ed Gamble was a regular on the Stand-Up circuit long before pod casts even existed, and returns to his roots tonight in a laughter filled show at the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh’s biggest stage. And despite the hurricane inspired winds outside it didn’t deter a packed house from enjoying almost two hours of lively entertainment. Ed is very ably assisted by noteworthy warm-up act, Chloe Petts, who fills the first thirty minutes with easy laughter, starting with her tales of being a ‘child geezer’, at age 13, six foot one tall, at an all-girls school and parents asking at ballet class lessons, why there is a bouncer in the room. She also hila...

Candlelight Original Sessions – Manchester Cathedral

21Oct

By Mary FoggNo Comments

North West

Candlelight Original Sessions – Manchester Cathedral

A beautifully intimate evening gracing Manchester Cathedral's skies with whimsical live music, storytelling, and candlelight. This Candlelight Original Session (that sold out in just 11 minutes!) brought Bastille fans to Manchester to celebrate the release of their new album Bastille Presents “&” (Ampersand) amongst the beauty and magnificence of Manchester Cathedral. It was on a very wet rainy evening that I made my way to the stunning Manchester Cathedral situated in the city to watch Bastille, who formed in 2010, with frontman Dan Smith perform a special candlelit live preview of Bastille’s new album “&” (Ampersand). On turning the corner and ‘doors opening’ not for a while yet, I was thinking surely no one will be queuing in this torrential rain. I was amazed to see the tops...

21Oct

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

reINCARNATION – Festival Theatre

Nigeria’s population is overwhelmingly young, and unemployment is high. Amidst the hardship, dance is a popular creative outlet, and many young Nigerians share their talents through videos on social media. In 2014, Qudus Onikeku returned to his home city of Lagos, having achieved acclaim as a choreographer in France. He was inspired by the abundance of creative talent, and invited some dancers to a workshop. The workshop grew into a school, and the Q Dance Company is a creative home for the school’s graduates. The rehearsal period began with an improvisation session. Onikeku instructed the dancers to allow their bodies to take the lead, and let the dance pass through them. Throughout the session, Onikeku sketched, and he refined the ideas to devise the piece. The resulting choreo...

21Oct

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Bridge Command – Mission: Intrigue

Bridge Command was a fully immersive experience from the moment you step inside. The actors and staff actively encourage you to engage and make the experience your own. Upon arrival at the venue, conveniently located near Vauxhall station, you're asked to suit up in your uniform, preparing for your mission. Next, you're taken through a “teleportation” sequence, which transports you to a new area: the bar. While the teleportation effect is very cool, it involves a lot of flashing lights. If you're sensitive to this type of lighting or have any conditions affected by flashing lights, it's a good idea to inform the staff beforehand, which they also check for before entry. The bar itself is fully decked out in a space-themed design. The bartenders were cheerful and chatty, making it a gr...

18Oct

By Klervi GavetNo Comments

London

1984 – Hackney Town Hall

George Orwell’s 1984 comes alive in this site-specific theatre production under the solid eye of Irish director, Jack Reardon. This immersive experience skilfully blends audience participation with the confined setting of Hackney Town Hall’s council chamber and atrium to underscore the novel’s themes of oppression and loss of individuality. The adaptation adeptly condenses the first half of Orwell’s novel, focusing on world-building and intrigue through an induction led by high-ranking Party officer O’Brien (Dominic Carter). A Big Brother rally, complete with patriotic singing, anti-sex league flyering, and party agents probing, welcomes the audience into the dystopian world where every word and movement are monitored under the ever-present eye of Big Brother. The initial slow burn a...

When We Are Married – Rainhill Village Hall

18Oct

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

When We Are Married – Rainhill Village Hall

Director Rosetta Parker’s superb revival of JB Priestley’s hilarious 1938 play takes full advantage of the wealth of talent Rainhill Garrick Society has to offer and even with a cast of fourteen, there was still plenty of talent remaining both back and front of house to deliver this thoroughly enjoyable evening. Set entirely in the sitting room of Mr and Mrs Helliman (Rick Young; Tracey Duffy), it is 1920 and they are entertaining two other couples – Mr and Mrs Soppitt (David Parker; Lynn Aconley) and Mr and Mrs Parker (George Lowe; Alison Mawdsley) - as they celebrate the silver anniversary of their triple wedding. They have got it in for Gerald Forbes (Tom Nevitt), the church organist, who has been seen out with a girl at night, something very shocking for that day and age. What they ...

17Oct

By Anna Ní DhúillNo Comments

North West

Am I Irish Yet? – Unity Theatre

Kate Kerrigan’s autobiographical one-woman show at Unity in Liverpool has the audience rapt as she shares anecdotes about her life in the media, working at a hair salon in London, and her deep connection to her Irish roots. Playing as part of the Liverpool Irish Festival, Am I Irish Yet? kicked off ten days of celebration as the city hosts theatre, commemorations, and talks celebrating Irish heritage. Photo: Alison Loredo My first takeaway of Am I Irish Yet? is that Kate Kerrigan is an amazing woman. Born in London in the sixties, to Irish parents from Ballina, Co. Mayo, Kate is an exceptional role model for any woman who might have been told they aren’t qualified enough. Over the course of ninety minutes, we get snippets of Kate’s life and the important characters that shaped her, a...

Pali and Jay’s Ultimate Asian Wedding DJ Roadshow – Octagon Theatre

17Oct

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Pali and Jay’s Ultimate Asian Wedding DJ Roadshow – Octagon Theatre

The wedding caterers may not have turned up, but Bhangra beats, Snapchat and sabotage are still on the menu of tonight’s performance. The show’s storyline is a simplistic one – DJ Pali (Jas Binag) is keen to permanently recruit his young assistant Jay (Viraj Juneja, who also wrote the show) to his Asian wedding DJ business, improve their Google rankings, and complete his LED-tile dance floor, goals that Jay seems a little reluctant to commit to. The show is described as am immersive experience, as various threats to Pali’s ambitions present themselves over the course of 75 minutes. Pali and Jay are certainly a likeable pair and the bursts of music certainly get the toes tapping but the rest is less convincing. For an energetic wedding party, it’s a slow burner that seems to only find...

Come Alive! – Empress Museum, Earl’s Court

17Oct

By Samantha CollettNo Comments

London

Come Alive! – Empress Museum, Earl’s Court

As a fan of ‘The Greatest Showman’ I was excited to see ‘Come Alive!’ Simon Hammerstein’s new creation to the world: circus meets musical theatre. ‘Come Alive!’ literally explodes in a blaze of riotous colour, big vocals and circus acts from the opening beat. It is a gorgeous assault to the senses and not one for those looking for a quiet night out. The acts in the 700-seater Big Top are daring and jaw dropping. With everything from acrobatic performers defying logic with their stunts in the sky, to chewing gum torso bodies twisting and tumbling across the stage to fire eating, tight-rope walking and so much more. This is a celebration of fun and madness. From the outset, the hit songs (‘This Is Me’, ‘Rewrite the Stars’, ‘A Million Dreams’) are in abundance and the soundtrack carr...

The Book of Mormon – Edinburgh Playhouse

17Oct

By Beth EltringhamNo Comments

Scotland

The Book of Mormon – Edinburgh Playhouse

It should be immediately noted that The Book of Mormon Musical is not a factual retelling of the original Mormon text, nor is it created to pay homage to the religion itself, in fact one could argue it does exactly the opposite. Brought to you by the creators of South Park, The Book of Mormon is a comedy musical designed to poke fun and indulge one’s dark humour needs. We follow the mission taken by two Mormon’s from the Latter-Day Saints Church who have embarked on their quest to convert the world into the all American religion that is Mormonism. Elder Price believes he is set to do great things, to change the world and to go to Orlando…..? His main issue now is that he’s been coupled up a pathological liar who hasn’t even read the book and instead of Orlando they are going to Uganda, ...