REVIEWS Archives - Page 142 of 346

10Mar

By Jennifer LaishleyNo Comments

London

Kites – Vault Festival

Kites is a coming of age play about two girls growing up in the post-war era in Cork. The girls use their vivid imaginations to escape their childhood trauma! The play teases the idea that the girls are in love but does not directly address their sexuality directly. Tzarini Meylers’ script captures the magic of childhood. The play has a good pace, with narration that helps to give a sense of time and place and creates suspense for the audience. Tzarini uses the powerful imagery of kites to represent how the girls are tied down but desperate to fly away. The story does a good job of establishing the characters and friendship between the girls, ahead of diving into the deeper issues. By introducing the issues gradually, the play allows each story of the girl's trauma to resonate powerful...

Death Drop: Back in the Habit – Opera House

10Mar

By Scot CunninghamNo Comments

North West

Death Drop: Back in the Habit – Opera House

Are they really going to make a habit of this? Get on your knees and say your prayers: another killer comedy in the Death Drop series has descended upon Manchester. Long-serving man of the cloth, Father Alfie Romeo (LoUis CYfer) has been told about strange goings-ons at the St Babs convent. He goes to meet the flock of eccentric nuns, but his holy presence doesn’t necessarily guarantee their safety from ungodly fates. There is a Holly Stars-shaped hole in this sequel, both on-stage and in the script; she established the original Death Drop as an uproarious, Northern powerhouse of a play. With frequent references to ‘The Great British Bake Off’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’, it seems that Rob Evans’ writing is instead intended to appeal to a much more mainstream audience. That being sa...

10Mar

By Roger JacobsNo Comments

Scotland

You Bury Me – Edinburgh Royal Lyceum

‘‘to’-bor-ni’, states author Ahlam’s notes, ‘a saying in Levantine Arabic used to express affection and love. ‘May you bury me’ is a declaration that one does not want to live without a loved one (or loved thing).’ As do the characters in this story, be it each other or the city of Cairo. It’s set in 2015 as the optimism generated by the ‘Arab Spring’ of 2011 (naively reported by many major news agencies worldwide) finally evaporated, authoritarian rule reasserting itself, extinguishing the joy of a younger generation believing they might finally have the freedom to express themselves as themselves… rather than as a product of their family, religion or politics. The action hurtled along pell mell, representing the vibrancy and volatility of Cairo but an occasional drop in tempo mig...

10Mar

By Zara OdetundeNo Comments

London

Sleepova – Bush Theatre

Sleepova written by Matilda Feyiṣayọ Ibini, is a celebration of black girlhood as a quartet of friends transition into their adult lives. We start in the months before their GCSE exams at the first sleepover of a group of four best friends. To celebrate Shan’s 16th birthday the girl’s share gossip, eat popcorn and explore their fears for their changing lives and their current struggles. Through their subsequent sleepovers, Ibini discusses issues like religion, grief, sexuality, maturing into adulthood and the struggles of living with chronic illness. Each of the characters had a distinctive flair and the quartet is bursting with chemistry, that you would believe they had been friends since childhood. Although 3 out of the four actresses are making their stage debut, you ...

Looking For Me Friend: The Music of Victoria Wood – Waterside Arts

10Mar

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Looking For Me Friend: The Music of Victoria Wood – Waterside Arts

As Storm Larisa battered the north of England, the near three hundred hardy souls who braved blizzard conditions to eventually reach the Waterside Arts in Sale were amply rewarded with this hugely entertaining and affectionate tribute to the genius that was Victoria Wood. Paul Martin aka 'Paulus' is our window into the world that Victoria created, using elements of her stand up comedy, sketches, sitcoms and above all songs, to weave an eighty minute show of affable geniality and insight that warmed everyone on a bitter evening. The simple staging without props betrays the Edinburgh Fringe origins of this show but it has developed from its humble beginnings with a confident breadth to the narrative of the production. Accompanied by pianist Michael Roulston, who's tart interjections and ...

10Mar

By Hannah EsnoufNo Comments

North West

Algebra – Unity Theatre

Amongst a packed-out audience, the debut performance of Algebra was well received, and I took the time to appreciate the platform for queer expression that Unity and Stuart Crowther provided. Being a play of two characters, the stage can become a big space. Yet, Stuart and Kieran Mason carried the story with a professionalism and flare, and the space felt perfectly filled. The connection of the actors, and the whole creative team for that matter, was noticeable. Due to the sensitive and intimate themes, it was evident that each artist supported each other in the space, allowing one another to explore the light and shade in the emotional rawness of the story. Sam McKay and Morven Currie chose an uncluttered, open space to frame the story. The plants brought a calmness to the...

Wildfire Road – Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse

10Mar

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Wildfire Road – Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse

This new ambitious play directed by Sheffield born Laura Keefe, written by Eve Leigh travels like its name sake at a breakneck speed, touching everything and everyone in its path. This exhilarating play is multi-faceted with observations addressing climate change, apocalyptic disaster, human nature, collective responsibility and survival. With a running time of 58 minutes, the audience hits more thought provoking turbulence than your average big budget disaster movie does in two and a bit hours! Flight BA 509 sets off (surprisingly for BA, but not if Fate takes a hand!) a little early on its flight to Tokyo. As the audience take their seats in the newly named studio theatre, the Thrust stage designed by Zoe Hurwitz becomes a section of the plane with two rotating rows of airplane...

10Mar

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

The Wolves – The Space Theatre

The one act play is a coming of age drama of a young American Female soccer team. Set around the gossip and warm up banter of nine adolescent female athletes it puts in spotlight issues of mental health, abortion, consent, teamwork and grief. The actors who have recently graduated from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts have set up Orange Peel productions following the success of their graduation shows. The play reflects the spunky energy of The Space Theatre (Isle of Dogs) is aligned very well with the production and the actors' energy lends it to be as big as a football pitch and as tiny as a player's mind. The Physical theatre that combines choreography, dialogue and authentic performances by each of the actresses is very moving. Though the beginning felt like a heady garble of...

10Mar

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

Ladies Day – Octagon Theatre

Ladies Day, a play by Amanda Whittington, is a delightful and engaging production that had me thoroughly entertained from start to finish. I had the pleasure of seeing the play at the Octagon Theatre in Bolton, and it was an absolute joy to watch. The play tells the story of four women who work at a fish processing plant in Hull and decide to take a day off to go to the races. As they prepare for the big day, they share their hopes, dreams, and struggles with each other, forming a bond that transcends their working-class backgrounds. One of the things that struck me about this play was how well the characters were developed. Each of the four women had a distinct personality and backstory, and I found myself invested in their lives and rooting for them to achieve their goals. Their i...

10Mar

By Max EdenNo Comments

North West

Opera North: Tosca – The Lowry

Opera North’s return to the Lowry this month is reason indeed to celebrate; even more so with the revival of Edwin Dick’s acclaimed production of Tosca being part of this year’s touring programme. Written over 120 years ago; Puccini’s Tosca is still just as thrilling, as captivating and gives you much more drama than anything you’d find on Netflix. The heroine is a renowned prima donna, her hero an artist, and the villain the corrupt head of the secret police. With everything from love and blackmail, to revenge and even murder… Tosca really will leave you questioning just how far you would go to save the ones you love. Giselle Allen returns as Floria Tosca alongside Ukrainian Tenor; Mykhailo Malafii as Mario Cavardossi, Both deliver powerhouse performances throughout with chemist...