REVIEWS Archives - Page 141 of 545

3Oct

By Tom ScottNo Comments

Scotland

Ruckus – Traverse Theatre

Jenna Fincken’s revival of her one woman show, which premiered during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2022, is timely. Violence against women was recently declared a ‘national emergency’. Two million women a year are estimated to be victims of violence by men. Nearly 1.4 million women are victims of domestic violence. Fincken has written and performs this intriguing, thought-provoking drama. We in the audience are her confidants, and she promises to tell us ‘everything’. She starts with 824 days ‘to go’ and this is emphasised by the projection of a countdown clock. Lou is a primary school teacher in her late 20s. She meets Ryan at an engagement party for her friend, Jess. Ryan is a manager at a homeless charity. He seems a really great guy, charming and considerate. When Lou gets dr...

3Oct

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

My Period the C*ckblock – Brixton House

Today is going to be a fantastic day, according to Bolade (Ruth Oyediran). Why? She’s discovered a pill that can delay her period, which means she’s pain-free to hit the biggest day party of the year — featuring her dream man Tion Wayne — with her best friend Jessica (Lara Grace Ilori). This is where we meet the two pals at the beginning of My Period the C*ckblock, written by Oyediran and directed by TD Moyo in this production at Brixton House. What transpires over the next hour is a remarkably well-written exploration of Black British sisterhood, female pain, and the taboos around menstruation. Oyediran’s vibrant and incisive dialogue depicts a charming and authentic portrayal of friendship — and all the entanglements it can bring. Bola and Jess are shown to have grown apart in the ...

Blue Man Group: Bluevolution World Tour – The Lowry

3Oct

By Nicky LambertNo Comments

North West

Blue Man Group: Bluevolution World Tour – The Lowry

Blue Man Group are a long established (since 1987) group of performers with their own unique brand of entertainment, the main feature of which is their phenomenal drumming. They always appear as a trio and are completely silent, in that they do not speak a word throughout the whole performance. Their current world tour, “Bluevolution” features a female drummer who provides them with excellent support but also gets her moment in the spotlight. I have seen Blue Man Group on the television and I wasn’t really sure how they could make their act stretch to a full ninety minute show (there is no interval) but they have crafted a wonderful evening’s entertainment, full of fun and joy and I was so sorry when it came to an end. The Blue Men mingled with the audience before the ...

3Oct

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Look Back in Anger – Almeida Theatre

Renowned as a theatrical landmark, John Osborne's 1956 play changed the face of British theatre forever with its gritty realism. For such an important play it is surprisingly infrequently performed. I have only seen it once before and had forgotten what a powerful piece of drama it is. Staged at the Almeida Theatre in repertory with 'Roots', Arnold Wesker's renowned play of the same era, it forms what they have titled 'Angry and Young' season. The most striking thing about director Atri Banerjee’s production is the dispensing of a realistic set, which was one of the hallmarks of the original production and presenting it on a bare circular stage with an outer ring revolve and an inner ring lift. The lift was used for raising the few pieces of set furniture that were needed, a table and t...

3Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Heathers The Musical – Sheffield Lyceum

Heathers: The Musical offers a darkly comic take on American high school culture, that whilst not asking to be taken too seriously successfully manages to dismantle the nihilistic allure of teenage angst with bopping, in-your-face musical numbers. Kevin Murphy and Laurence O’Keefe’s musical adaption of the 1989 film by Daniel Waters has impressed audiences initially in the mid to late 2010’s. This production demonstrates it has no signs of growing stale. Set in the misery-inspired yet typically relatable school of Westerberg, the plot follows new girl Veronica as she navigates numbskull jocks and the notorious ‘Heathers’ - three girls of the same name who offer very little in individuality but plenty in toxic reputation management. On her journey, Veronica runs into the mysterious JD, a...

3Oct

By Gill LewisNo Comments

Wales

Kin – Theatr Clwyd

A two-hander which deftly weaves together and unravels an abyss of unexpected, shocking revelations and emotional depths. An end of seat dark comedy drama exploring the complexities of a strained sister-in-law relationship amidst a backdrop of loss. The affluent McGregor family, steeped in privilege, is rocked by the sudden death of Robert McGregor, leading to a tense reunion between his logical wife, Kay (Roberta Kerr), and her free-spirited estranged sister-in-law, Steph (Kerry Willison-Parry), Robert’s younger sister. As Kay attempts to navigate her grief with a veneer of control, Steph’s irreverent probing unearths some deep-seated resentments, particularly with Kay’s pointed comments about Steph’s financial irresponsibility, and Steph’s disdain of Kay’s working-class roots, incl...

3Oct

By Katy GilroyNo Comments

North West

Sister Act – Liverpool Empire

Disco nuns and mobster boyfriends – Sister Act is an iconic film, and Alan Menken’s musical adaptation turns it into a glitzy stage production with plenty of fun. Starring Coronation Street’s Wendi Peters as the disapproving Mother Superior and West End star Landi Oshinowo, this was set to be a sparkling show. When disco singer Deloris witnesses her boyfriend murder one of his cronies, she is put into protection at a convent – the last place she would ever have expected to end up. From not knowing anything about life as a nun to transforming the church choir and finding a sisterhood she never knew she needed, Deloris’ life takes a massive turn. Landi’s voice and incredible acting skills brought this sassy character to fruition in an amazing way, allowing the audience to truly connect wi...

Opera North’s The Magic Flute – Leeds Grand Theatre

28Sep

By Mark HumphreysNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Opera North’s The Magic Flute – Leeds Grand Theatre

Opera North’s Magic Flute, reviving James Brining’s 2019 production of Mozart’s final opera, comes with literally all of the bells and whistles. (Well, magic bells and the eponymous magic flute, together with an ever-so-slightly-irritatingly out-of-tune set of pipes.) And, being sung in English in Jeremy Sams’s excellent translation, it’s also an ideal introduction to opera for newbies, as well as a season-opening treat for those notsos. A pre-show message from company Music Director Garry Walker proudly reminded us that Opera North delivers learning and engagement to no fewer than 3,000 school children per week, and has a full time chorus, orchestra and technical crew. A not so subtle message for the CEO of Arts Council England, in tonight’s audience, perhaps. The ...

28Sep

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

A Doll’s House – Crucible Theatre

A Masterful production of a Masterpiece of Theatre. ‘All my life I have been a Doll that is taken out to play with and discarded when boredom dictates, I have no voice and I have no opinion, I am never heard, I am what you want me to be... never what I truly am… but what and who am I?’ This famous Henrik Ibsen play was originally written in 1879 and was inspired by real events. In 1878 Ibsen wrote ‘There are two kinds of moral law, two kinds of conscience, one for men and one, quite different, for women. They don’t understand each other; but in practical life, woman is judged by masculine law, as though she weren’t a woman but a man’. In this statement stands the heart of this play. Shocking as it was in its time it still now remains so, although with less poignancy but y...

The Lieutenant of Inishmore – Liverpool Everyman

28Sep

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

The Lieutenant of Inishmore – Liverpool Everyman

Martin McDonagh’s darkly satirical exploration of violence, extremism, and the cyclical nature of retribution resonates as much with today’s challenges of nationalism, radicalism, and unchecked ideology as it did to Ireland’s troubled past when, having been written in 1994, it eventually premiered in 2001. For all the talk of good luck when a black cat crosses your path, Donny (Alan Turkington), Davey (Taylor McClaine) and wayward Republicans Christy (Cameron McKendrick), Brendan (Michael Tient), and Joey (Jason Kelly) are about to discover what ensues when you cross a black cat belonging to Donny’s son, Padraic (Julian Moore-Cook) – a man so mad that much to his chagrin, most mainstream terrorist organisations won’t have him as a member. Throw in a wannabee rebel in Davey’s sister, Mai...