REVIEWS Archives - Page 163 of 342

<strong>Madame Bovary – Jermyn Street Theatre</strong>

23Nov

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Madame Bovary – Jermyn Street Theatre

If you have read this incredible novel, you’ll perhaps be quite confused why Jermyn Street Theatre has chosen this to be their super cheerful Christmas show. Writer Gustave Flaubert wrote of the mundaneness of the bourgeoisie, the all consuming ambition of Emma Bovary for French luxuries and expensive silks- completely ignoring the whispers from her small community. The tragedy is held in Emma’s ever growing debt following her as she aims to impress her lovers with expensive fabrics grows overwhelming high, so much so that she has completely ruined her family without her husband ever knowing. In result of her decisions, she turns to the pharmacy and eats arsenic leaving her devoted husband and 7-year-old daughter to die in poverty. This adaptation completely flips the table on the ...

<strong>Mrs Warren’s Profession – Richmond Theatre</strong>

23Nov

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Mrs Warren’s Profession – Richmond Theatre

George Bernard Shaw wrote Mrs Warren's profession in 1893. It was immediately banned by the Lord Chamberlain, and it was not until 1925 that it had its first public performance. A lot has changed in the last hundred years, and there is little in the text now which would scandalise. Indeed, given that it is dealing with issues of prostitution it is surprisingly coy in its use of language. The core of the play is the relationship and conflict between Mrs Warren, who has made a prosperous living through her prostitution business, and her daughter, who has benefited, largely unknowingly, from the financial security and educational and economic advantages which her mother's wealth has provided her. In this production, the mother and daughter are played by real mother and daughter Caroline a...

<strong>The Rocky Horror Show – New Wimbledon Theatre</strong>

23Nov

By Lewis DownhamNo Comments

London

The Rocky Horror Show – New Wimbledon Theatre

The cult rock and roll musical is back and better than ever. With its cult following providing witty heckles, further improving the show experience and welcoming new and old fans alike. The Rocky Horror Show immerses you within the film of a ‘science fiction double feature’ starring Brad (Richard Meek) and Janet (Haley Flaherty). A typical good old-fashioned couple on their way to meet their high school professor Dr Everett V Scott (Joe Allen), where an oncoming storm changes the fate of the budding couple for a night they'll never forget. The show was narrated by Jacky Clune for this performance, adding quick comebacks to the audiences heckles and providing well-read narration throughout. Haley Flaherty (Janet Weiss) was a standout performance in my eyes. Her vocal control was supe...

<strong>Dinner With Groucho – Arcola Theatre</strong>

23Nov

By Akshay RahejaNo Comments

London

Dinner With Groucho – Arcola Theatre

In 'Dinner with Groucho', Frank McGuinness tells the story of Groucho Marx and T.S. Eliot having dinner in a strange restaurant on the edge of heaven. There is a brilliant moment in the play when Shakespeare is contradicted by the host proprietor of the restaurant. ‘To Be is to not be’ she says. Life is death. All past, present and future are now, have been and will be. It seems to echo the themes of Eliot's 'The waste land'. The production is aesthetically lit by Paul Keogan with a unique combination of natural and artificial lights. Ingrid Craigie was the stand-out performer as the Proprietor. Her performance was fresh, unpredictable and seemed enigmatic -at the same time- clear. The absurdity in the play’s design shines because of the brilliant treatment by the director, Loveday ...

<strong>Love Goddess: The Rita Hayworth Musical – Cockpit Theatre</strong>

22Nov

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

Love Goddess: The Rita Hayworth Musical – Cockpit Theatre

The Rita Hayworth Musical will leave you transfixed by the energetic dance, heady with the drama behind the scenes of Hollywood and mesmerised by the music. Almog Pail’s new production with music arrangements by Logan Medland is a fitting tribute to the charisma of Rita Hayworth. The Cockpit is the most suitable venue for the production, and the actors and dancers engage the audience by weaving the tale of the star intimately. Don’t be deterred by not being familiar with the fame of Rita Hayworth. The play takes you through all the milestones of the creation of the star. In doing so, it also unmasks the glamour of Hollywood. Rita had an unsafe childhood with adults around her making her work from a young age and taking advantage of her. To think in the era of black and white film, Holl...

<strong>Opera North: Orpheus – The Lowry</strong>

20Nov

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Opera North: Orpheus – The Lowry

Opera North’s latest venture into Orpheus is a collaboration with Leeds-based South Asian Arts as their respective musical directors’ fuse Monteverdi’s operatic masterpiece, led by Laurence Cummings, with original compositions composed by Jasdeep Singh Degun reflecting the Indian classical tradition. Whilst the individual parts entertained and demonstrated some great musicianship and singing, it didn’t really add up to a satisfying whole which was often confusing on the eye and ear with its interrupted flow. Whilst billed as a reimagining, the story of Orpheus (Nicholas Watts) the musician trying to retrieve his dead wife, Eurydice (Ashnaa Sasikaran), from the underworld remains the same as does the devastating conclusion when he looks back too soon and loses her forever. The interpret...

<strong>Redcoat – Traverse Theatre</strong>

20Nov

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

Redcoat – Traverse Theatre

Lewis Jobson treats us to some extra sparkle, joy, and magic in this exuberantly light-hearted one-man show. He celebrates his youthful adventures as a Redcoat in Bognor Regis, a world where you are never fully dressed without a smile, and a public altercation with Barney the dinosaur can earn you a verbal warning. If you like singing and clapping along to unashamedly cheesy music, you will certainly love this show. A group karaoke rendition of I Will Survive is a delightfully guilty pleasure, and there are plenty more of your favourite songs included. This is a tale of a young adult living away from home for the first time, and Redcoat Lewis reminisces about his crush on The Slushy Guy, cooking pizza on a George Foreman grill, and cheerfully entertaining children at ...

<strong>The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show – London Palladium</strong>

20Nov

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show – London Palladium

Rib tickling funny and hopeful! The divas of the queer universe of RuPaul’s Drag Race have arrived in London. And in a blink, this marks the duo’s fifth self-written holiday show produced and directed by BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon. In London for three days with a UK-wide tour, they bring oomph, holiday cheer and pragmatism. They bring together the best of drag, dance, and duets with entertainment that is sharp as chilli and cuddly as your favourite teddy bear. They sleigh through the decades trying to find that one moment that must have led to this ever-declining hellscape we face. They take us through the past eras of change. A critical look also at how the ‘save the planet’ jargon has transformed over the past years, always putting the onus on individual actions to avert commu...

<strong>Variations – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall</strong>

20Nov

By Kiefer WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Variations – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

This concert performance by one of Europe’s leading orchestra’s The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra is conducted by the recently appointed Domingo Hindoyan. Hindoyan exudes a great deal of passion throughout tonight’s eclectic and varied programme of classical music. The programme consisted of four pieces of exquisite music from three of the most outstanding composers of their generation – Bartok, Dohnanyi and Dvorak. Dvorak’s Slavic Dance op.72 no 2 is performed as a heartfelt tribute to former principal conductor Libor Pesek (1987 until 1997.) This is a short but sweet piece of melodious classical dance with sweeping strings and delicate lightness of touch. It is performed to perfection by the orchestra. Dohnanyi’s Variations on a Nursery Tune is a delightful and w...

<strong>Stuffed – unity Theatre</strong>

19Nov

By Andrew LeeNo Comments

North West

Stuffed – unity Theatre

‘Stuffed’ is a fantastic piece of theatre, there is absolutely no doubt about that. A series of coherent physical theatre and clown sketches serving to highlight food poverty in this country, social attitudes to it, and the regime’s lack of meaningful action. A concept that seems so important, and something we expect the viewing public to be aware of but told in a way that changes everything we think we know about food poverty and the use of food banks. Every bit of the piece made sense and felt meaningful. There were moments where laughter was closely followed by guilt - how can we as an audience make light of such a dire situation? However, when the piece was ready to get serious you could hear a pin drop in the furthest corner of the room. ‘Stuffed’ is very well choreographed and...