REVIEWS Archives - Page 167 of 342

<strong>The Addams Family – Waterside Arts</strong>

9Nov

By Hazel BumbyNo Comments

North West

The Addams Family – Waterside Arts

This was my first visit to The Waterside Arts Centre which contains The Robert Bolt Theatre. It’s very welcoming and the bar area was nice. The theatre is a very nice small-ish space but with tiered seating that was ample, comfy and deep to award you almost full view of all of the performance area. The set hidden away from view to begin with except for a couple of messy gravestones at the front nicely lit. Once revealed, it was clear to see a well-constructed set with staircase that seemed very sturdy as used several times (including running up and down them) – always good when your stairs don’t move, I’ve found. With cobwebs and dust everywhere, it was well designed and worked as the backdrop for every scene. With cast moving furniture and props, yet another show w...

<strong>Alexandra Palace Festival of Fireworks</strong>

9Nov

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Alexandra Palace Festival of Fireworks

Billed as the “Glastonbury of Fireworks’, Alexandra Palace’s Festival of Fireworks was back with a BANG this year, to entertain a crowd of thousands, and celebrate Bonfire Night in true London style. In every way captivating, what is now a consistent part of the London Autumn events calendar did not disappoint this year. Set against unrivalled panoramic views over London, this is the hottest ticket in London on Bonfire night, and not just because of the size and ferocity of the bonfire itself! Before the mega fireworks display, general ticket holders were treated to a brilliant line up of live music and world food stalls of every possible description in the ‘StrEATlife village’, which was set up well with plenty of cover from the miserable rainy weather. For those who had purchased ...

<strong>Bugsy Malone – Opera House, Manchester</strong>

9Nov

By Alison BainesNo Comments

North West

Bugsy Malone – Opera House, Manchester

Grab your sequins, pin-striped suits and splurge guns because Bugsy Malone is in town! This sparkling revival is packed with glamour, amazing choreography and a cast of future musical theatre stars. If you weren’t already aware, the show is performed by a complete cast of young people, however this is no school nativity, far from it in fact. The plot, light though it may be, follows the much-loved Bugsy Malone (Gabriel Payne) a penniless past boxer who just wants to take his new love, Blousey (Delilah Bennet-Cardy) to the shining lights of Hollywood to fulfil her lifelong dream of becoming a star. Bugsy gets mixed up in the New York gangster war of Fat Sam (Albie Snelson) and Dandy Dan (Desmond Cole). Custard pies are flung as rivalries flourish, but things get serious as the gangs ...

<strong>Peter Pan’s Labyrinth – The Vaults</strong>

9Nov

By Zoё MeeresNo Comments

London

Peter Pan’s Labyrinth – The Vaults

I always think of The Vaults (situated somewhere beneath the rail lines at Waterloo) as a cool if not entirely comfortable venue. A series of tunnels, bright graffiti, neon lighting - it's edgy for sure and a hive for exciting new theatre in an unusual space. So, the set up for Peter Pan's Labyrinth surprised me, although pleasantly so. Set up cabaret style with its own bar and themed cocktails, the effect is welcoming and cosy and were it not for the lack of phone signal I could easily have forgotten where I was. While Peter Pan's Labyrinth doesn't necessarily embrace its natural setting, the production itself is edgy and fun and definitely fits The Vaults' loud, non-conformist vibe. The plot is, simply, daft - Peter Pan needs to get back to Neverland to stop Tinkerbell's wedding,...

<strong>Seascapes and Mountains: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic</strong>

9Nov

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Seascapes and Mountains: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

On a grey, drizzly day in the city, a packed Philharmonic Hall is ready to escape the gloom outside for an aural expedition that will take us from the wilds of the Scottish Hebrides to the heights of Swiss Alps. Conductor Laureate (and ‘honorary Scouser’ as of 2009) Vasily Petrenko is greeted like an all-conquering hero and doesn’t hesitate to whisk us off on the first part of our journey as the familiar strains of Mendelssohn’ Hebrides overture, ‘Fingal’s Cave’ fill the hall. Petrenko is so ‘at one’ with his orchestra, it’s as if he never left. The magnificent harmonies swell together to bring the vast arches and columns of Staffa’s famous sea cave, and Mendelssohn’s musical inspiration, to life. The swaying of conductor and orchestra alike mirrors the waves that one can picture cr...

<strong>Strictly Ballroom The Musical – New Wimbledon Theatre</strong>

9Nov

By Maani WayNo Comments

London

Strictly Ballroom The Musical – New Wimbledon Theatre

Adapted by Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce from the 1992 film, Strictly Ballroom is the story of the rebellious Australian dancer, Scott Hastings (Kevin Clifton), who shocks the dance community and his parents by choosing to dance with newbie Fran (Maisie Smith) in the prestigious Pan Pacific Dance Final. The opening sequence is full of colour and energy, the bright sparkly costumes shining amongst Richard G Jones’ lighting design. The wings are curved, peeling back like an onion, with bright lights in each one, adding glamour and depicting a fitting dance stage. The ensemble cast are dynamic and precise, becoming the spirit and momentum of the show. The leads, Strictly Come Dancing’s Kevin Clifton and Eastenders star, Maisie Smith, had excellent chemistry which carried the show. Desp...

<strong>The Mousetrap – Liverpool Empire</strong>

9Nov

By Luke StephensonNo Comments

North West

The Mousetrap – Liverpool Empire

There's been a murder within the community. Now when you think of murder mystery shows you either get a 3-course meal or your gathered around a Cluedo board wondering if it was Colonel Mustard in the billiard room with the knife. But this, however, was a full-scale production at the Liverpool Empire theatre. Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap directed by Ian Talbot OBE and Denise Silvey. A new guest house has opened, and the hosts Mollie Ralston (Joelle Dyson) and Giles Ralston (Laurence Pears) are ready and waiting to welcome their guests. However, all is not as it seems, a murder has been committed by someone in a long coat, light scarf and a velvet hat. Everyone is a suspect. The first guest to arrive is Christopher Wren (Elliot Clay) an architect who loves to cook and find every perso...

<strong>Antigone: A Russian play essaying Authoritarianism – Cockpit Theatre</strong>

7Nov

By Akshay RahejaNo Comments

London

Antigone: A Russian play essaying Authoritarianism – Cockpit Theatre

Antigone: Sophocles' Greek tragedy is adapted-rewritten by Evgeniya Palekhova into a compelling two-hander anti-authoritarian debate between the transgressive niece, Antigone and the dictator Creon. The war has ended. Antigone learns that both her brothers are dead. Forced onto opposite sides, they have killed each other in battle. When dictator Creon takes control of the torn and hostile state, he buries one and proclaims the other as a traitor, leaving him to rot in the streets of Thebes. Antigone chooses to bury her brother despite the danger it entails. The director, Ovlyakuli Khodzhakuli is very sensitive to the use of the material in the play. Each property is either destroyed or broken by the end of the play. The continuous smoke and flashing lights appropriately create a post-w...

<strong>The Haunting of Blaine Manor – Epstein Theatre</strong>

5Nov

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

The Haunting of Blaine Manor – Epstein Theatre

Halloween may have passed, with thoughts turning towards mince pies and Maria Carey, but our ensemble tonight is not quite ready for us to completely escape all things that go bump in the night. Written and directed by award-winning writer Joe O’Byrne, ‘…Blaine Manor’ takes us back to the 1950s, introducing us to renowned American parapsychologist Doctor Roy Earle, (Peter Slater) famous for discrediting hauntings and exposing fake mediums. He has been invited to a séance at the most haunted building in England, but it soon becomes clear that there are more demons lurking than just the ones that Blaine Manor claims to house. As a storm sets in, secrets and lies are ripe for revealing, as well as the manor’s more unearthly inhabitants. The Epstein is an excellent choice for tonight...

<strong>The Shadow Whose Prey The Hunter Becomes – Leeds Playhouse</strong>

5Nov

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Shadow Whose Prey The Hunter Becomes – Leeds Playhouse

It’s hard to think of many pieces of work where actors with disabilities are lead actors and even less so where they have roles that offer them much more. This powerful piece was devised by Australian people with disabilities working with Back to Back Theatre in Geelong. It’s performed by three actors with different intellectual disabilities (the term used in their native land) and is a breath of fresh air as it makes the audience understand them as people with the same hopes, dreams and faults as anyone else as they explore what true equality might look like. Simon Laherty, Sarah Mainwaring and Scott Price have called a public meeting ostensibly to discuss what a civic society might look like, but soon turns into a passionate debate about what it means to be seen as just a disabled...