REVIEWS Archives - Page 183 of 339

Ride: A New Musical – Charing Cross Theatre

1Sep

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Ride: A New Musical – Charing Cross Theatre

In 1894, Annie Londonderry set off on a solo circumnavigation of the world by bike. That her name and this radical accomplishment is almost entirely unknown is as big a mystery as is the real story of her travels. She was born in Latvia, emigrated to the US as a child and suffered the loss of her parents, leaving her at just 16 to care for her younger siblings. She married in an attempt to achieve financial stability and had three children. But it seems it was the death of her younger brother that was the seminal moment that propelled her towards her pioneering ride around the world. There's talk of a wager, adventures with the myriad people she meets along the way, relationships developed and abandoned. On her triumphant return to the US in 1895, following an initial wave of media ...

Bugsy Malone: The Musical – Leeds Grand Theatre

31Aug

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Bugsy Malone: The Musical – Leeds Grand Theatre

It’s hard to believe Hollywood legend Jodie Foster’s movie career was launched in Alan Parker’s innovative gangster spoof where all the roles were played by a cast with an average of 12. For this stage production of the battle between gang bosses Fat Sam and Dandy Dan for control of the soda pop racket in 1920s New York, as hustler Bugsy Malone vies for the affections of nightclub singer Blousey, the producers have decided to cast some very young performers as the leads. This left some of the diction a little indistinct up in the gods and some of the big numbers a touch underpowered. Many of these committed young performers will no doubt go onto successful professional careers as more experienced performers have often struggled to fill this big space. Some of those issues are amplif...

31Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Rock of Ages – King’s Theatre, Glasgow

“Amazing!” Blondie exclaimed as she dried her hands in the loo at the end of the night, while “It’s a game of two halves,” might have been uttered by the man watching football on his mobile at half-time. What he actually said was: “It’s not great. I’ve seen it before. It must be understudies.” So, there you have it. The first half was rushed and heartless. The diction was unclear. Less than half the audience were clapping along. For an audience-participation-style show that’s not great. The second half, however, brought a smile to my face and roars of appreciation from a very loyal fan-base. The final number was brilliant and had everyone on their feet. If only there had been more of that. If only they’d played to win from the start. The Page Three depiction of females as sex obj...

Horse Country – Assembly George Square Studios

29Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Horse Country – Assembly George Square Studios

Roll up! Roll up! Let’s talk car sales, magic tricks, Piaget, coercion and bedroom slippers. If you like your theatre slick, then Horse Country, directed by Mark Bell and featuring Daniel Llewelyn-Williams and Michael Edwards of Flying Bridge Theatre Company is for you. Fast paced and jam-packed with allusions to well-kent faces, films, songs and writers (Samuel Beckett, Arthur Miller and F.Scott-Fitzgerald come to mind), this ode to The American Dream with all its frailties is crafted for speed and requires quality performers to do it justice. C J Hopkins has written both character, Sam and Bob, with boundless energy and buzz. They spend their time trying not to address the underlying issues of a macho, capitalist society while constantly talking around the issues of oppression, domin...

Like a Sack of Potatoes – theSpace on the Mile

28Aug

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

Like a Sack of Potatoes – theSpace on the Mile

This ‘hillbilly gothic tale’, written and performed by Ric Siler, draws the audience into an Appalachian farmer’s world. The space is small, intimate, with seating on two sides of the stage. A sign with a greengrocer’s apostrophe, ‘tomato’s for sale’, hangs on a wooden crate. The old farmer enters, in his checked shirt and worn-out jeans, and genially offers his homegrown wares to a member of the audience. He is polite, thoughtful, welcoming. His Appalachian accent, Siler’s own, has a gentle musicality and a stillness that makes you want to listen. He tells us that he grows pole beans, potatoes, tobacco, and tomatoes on his farm, and that he isn’t afraid of anything – except women, maybe. However, we learn that he is willing to do whatever it takes t...

28Aug

By Ella CatherallNo Comments

Scotland

Boom Town – theSpace @ Surgeons Hall

‘Boom Town’ is billed as a story of family, morality and feminism. Set during the Gold Rush in a town named Crimson, the show focusses primarily on Beau Barton, the daughter of the town’s sheriff, as she tries to find where she fits in her hometown. The main selling points of this show are the performances by the actors, and the score. Vocally, it is very difficult to fault the actors, who effortlessly knock out incredible solos and ensemble numbers, with some really nice-sounding harmonies. This was also all done while singing in an accent, that was well-executed and consistent both throughout the show, and with each other. With regards to the score, Matilda Booth has managed to effectively fuse classic musical theatre with country-and-western influences, to give an end-product that d...

Kelty Clippie: The Musical – Greenside @ Nicolson Square

27Aug

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

Kelty Clippie: The Musical – Greenside @ Nicolson Square

This lively musical, set in Fife, returns to the Fringe and with memorable characters, delightful songs and plenty of laughs. The show is based on John Watt’s folk song of the same name and written by Willie Logan and John Murray. The Kelty Clippie is Maggie Blair (Jacqueline Hannan), who follows her dream and becomes a bus conductress in 1970s Fife. She is excited to wear her uniform and blows her whistle with gusto. On her first day she meets Boab the Driver (Linton Osborne) and finds herself going weak at the knees when he puts on his sunglasses and serenades her with a sensational performance of Are You Lonesome Tonight – who wouldn’t fall in love with such a man! The bus makes its way through Fife, from Kircaldy to Kelty. The plot is simple, with a s...

Descendants: Ghost Written – Museum of Comedy

27Aug

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

London

Descendants: Ghost Written – Museum of Comedy

As a fan of improvised comedy, I was keen to go along to see The Descendants, who are a part of Hoopla Impro’s house team, who on this occasion are offering a long form improvised show, with suggestions being taken at the beginning only. This style of improvisation allows the performers to make the decisions as to the direction the story will take, but they use the initial suggestions given by the audience. Tonight, the team asked for a place that the play should be, the weather, and a name of a character. The audience suggestions were a maternity ward, snow and Gill Jacobi, let’s see what The Descendants can make of that little lot! Tina and Colin are having a baby, and Tina is already in labour in the maternity hospital being supported by Donovan, a work colleague who ...

Elizabeth Fry: The Angel of Prisons – Canning Town Library

27Aug

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

London

Elizabeth Fry: The Angel of Prisons – Canning Town Library

Created and written by James Kenworth, this production is the latest instalment of The Newham Plays. These are locally focussed plays, site-specific and digging into Newham’s history. This collaboration between writer James Kenworth and director Martin Charlton, draws upon the talent from the local schools of Newham, and youth theatre groups, under the guidance of a director and professional actors. Staged at the Canning Town Library, this celebration of the life of Elizabeth Fry, who fought for the improvement of conditions in prisons, especially for women. Fry and her husband lived locally in West Ham and she helped the local gypsy community by giving them food, clothing, and medicine. Elizabeth Fry or Betsy as she was known, is played by three different pe...

David Hoyle: Ten Commandments – Soho Theatre

27Aug

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

David Hoyle: Ten Commandments – Soho Theatre

Humanity is paying a price for not listening to David Hoyle. In the heady ‘90s, when Hoyle performed as the Divine David, he would howl at the crowds, ‘Don’t go to the gym, go to the library’. The message, delivered with smeared mascara, spit and rage was driven by a righteous fear that society’s obsession with external appearance would destroy intellectual evolution and spiritual growth. That sage decree was delivered long before Twitter thirst traps, armies of Instagram charlatans and the quiet destruction of public libraries. Hoyle was a queer canary down the mine. Today, young children are increasingly cursed with eating disorders, Botox is bigger than de Beauvoir and since 2010, at least 773 libraries have closed. Even if we wished to heed Hoyle’s advice, it’s too l...