REVIEWS Archives - Page 192 of 548

The Importance of Being Earnest – Royal Exchange

20Jun

By NewsdeskNo Comments

North West

The Importance of Being Earnest – Royal Exchange

When a play is so ubiquitous that most people with even a passing interest in the Arts have seen a theatrical production or filmed version of it, anyone thinking of purchasing a ticket should always ask themselves the question ‘Why bother?’ Fortunately, the Summer offering from the Royal Exchange provides the answer, giving a fresh, funny and resolutely modern take on this classic which should serve to please both new audiences and Wildean purists equally. Director Josh Roche and Designer Eleanor Bull initially present us with a stunning visual treat, the set taking its inspiration from the floral displays in a plethora of shops and coffee houses that infest our modern world. Suspended from the ceiling an enormous imitation flower display acts to illustrate the fake nature of the world ...

20Jun

By Miranda GreenNo Comments

North West

Lovestruck – Everyman Theatre

Hammy and hilarious, Paperwork Theatre’s Lovestruck describes itself as a “multi-location theatrical adventure” but is, at heart, a romping, interactive treasure hunt, accompanied by a roving cast. The experience begins before you arrive at the Everyman bar; participants are invited to create their profile for the allegedly wildly successful dating app, Lovestruck, to browse the testimonials of its love-hungry clientele. But exploring the website, the slightly deranged tones of the clients, the suggestion of a “resistance”, it’s clear that beneath the surface there is something dark and unpalatable lurking. It should be obvious from here that the audience are turned participant, made victim and detective at once, and that this production is in large part game with added spectacle. So...

20Jun

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

Kiss Me, Kate – Barbican

What rhymes with Coriolanus? Kiss Me, Kate is one of Cole Porter’s musical and lyrical triumphs with each melody seeming catchier than the last and every turn of phrase pushing the envelope further. Although its source material, Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew is hardly considered radical, Porter’s daring sense of humour and lecherous joy in lewd lyricism give this show an undeniable boldness. Its characters are imperfect. Not only are their love lives tempestuous, but every aspect of their personal lives is magnificently messy. Director Bartlett Sher in this production attempts some half-hearted tidying of the grand imbroglio that is this play within a musical within a musical but achieves much the same effect as using a dab of Purell to clean up mud-caked hands. Adrian Dunbar is ...

19Jun

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

Ballet Black: Heroes – Festival Theatre

The theatre is packed, and full of anticipation. These artists have something new to say. I have enjoyed many ballet performances in my time, but I have never seen anything like this. Nevertheless, this double bill from Ballet Black is rooted in tradition. It is also technically excellent. This feels brand new, always ballet but with influences from other dance styles, and a dynamic soundtrack that recognises the modern and the classical. Throughout the double bill, the intention of the performers is expressed with a powerful intensity. I am always inspired by the ability of dance, and dancers, to cut through the busyness of words, and get to the guts of a story. If At First, choreographed by Sophie Laplane, is a meditation on power, which is represented by a crown. Initially one dan...

Frankie Goes To Bollywood – Bradford Alhambra

19Jun

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Frankie Goes To Bollywood – Bradford Alhambra

One of the joys of theatre is it can transport to worlds that you have no experience of in real life, and Frankie Goes To Bollywood takes us into heart of a flamboyant billion dollar movie industry that puts millions of bums on seats in India and entertains diaspora South-Asians around the world including the UK. Every year Bollywood filmmakers based in Mumbai churn out hundreds of films taking people away from their daily grind to a glitzy world where they can forget their troubles for a few hours. That was the inspiration for the book by RIFCO Theatre Company’s Artistic director Pravesh Kumar - who has worked in Bollywood - that he says is an ode to those movies, but also a call to action for an industry still rife with sexism. Like so many Bollywood movies it is a fantasy where na...

Michaela’s Fluent Aphasia – Bush Theatre

18Jun

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

Michaela’s Fluent Aphasia – Bush Theatre

This play’s tongue twister title is aptly representative of the confusion its performance elicits in audiences. The direction is uninspired and although not entirely difficult to follow, neither is it enticing enough to engender much investment in the play’s plot or characters. The non-linear nature of Christina Carrafiell’s script most severely hampers this process and results in plot twists that feel like a dog chasing its own tail rather than a cohesive narrative unfurling. Individual scenes are punctuated with sharp, immediate, and absolute blackouts but despite the story featuring multiple shifts in time and place the elements of set and costume remain completely static. The play’s cast of four is forced then to flutter around the playing field without any grounding context ...

Pull My Goldfinger – Hen and Chickens Theatre

18Jun

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

Pull My Goldfinger – Hen and Chickens Theatre

Shaken, not stirred, both intoxicating and disgusting, the worst of James Bond is what we love most. Fearless and feckless, this secret agent is on a mission to make a mess. From the deranged mind and nimble body of writer/actor, Carlos Sandin, Pull My Goldfinger is a seductive wingding of a play and a delight to behold and be held by. This absurd and interactive one-man clown show is chock full of buffoonery. Performed with aplomb, surprising sound effects, bare bravado, and unmitigated waggery, this hour’s entertainment is sure to amuse and arouse. Woodwind enthusiasts will be either delighted or horrified to see the tremendous use Sandin manages to put his clarinet to. In fact, there is very little in the playing space that Sandin doesn’t manage to pervert in some delightful a...

The Trials and Passions of Unfamous Women – Brixton House Theatre

18Jun

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

The Trials and Passions of Unfamous Women – Brixton House Theatre

Throughout mythology and history, women who go against societal norms face the judgement of others and come up against a justice system that appears to be designed against them. Theatre makers Janaina Leite and Lara Duarte here produce a journey exploring the nature of judgement - by others, by the legal system, by other women and too often by themselves. The show presents a gamut of historical figures such as Jean d'Arc and Mary Queen of Scots, alongside mythological goddesses, plus the contemporary, personal stories of women who are seen as transgressive. Told in three parts, the first, in promenade form, focuses on the goddesses, forthright and full of passions, and chastised and pilloried as a result. Act 2 moves to the courts in what is part drama, part TED-talk on the evolution of...

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – Hull New Theatre

18Jun

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – Hull New Theatre

This week Hull New Theatre plays host to the hit musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, a production inspired by the 2011 TV documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16 which features County Durham lad, Jamie Campbell, who, from a young age, liked to dress in girls’ clothes. The theatre was packed on Monday evening; would everybody be talking about Jamie at the show’s end? Sixteen-year-old Jamie New (the super talented Ivano Turco) lives on a Sheffield council estate with his mum Margaret (a passionate performance from Rebecca McKinnis). Single mum Margaret’s best friend is bargain-loving Ray (the amusing, sassy and protective Sejal Keshwala). The opening scene shows Jamie and his classmates with patient teacher, Miss Hedge (the irrepressible Sam Bailey), discussing their career aspe...

Merrily We Roll Along – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

18Jun

By NewsdeskNo Comments

North West

Merrily We Roll Along – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

With an uncanny sense of timing, Director Joseph Meighan and the creative team at Altrincham Garrick Playhouse open their production of Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ on the same day it was announced that the current Broadway production won 4 Tony awards, including Best Revival of a Musical. So, if a trip to New York is beyond the budget of south Manchester residents, this week they get the opportunity to see a superb rendition of this poignant commentary on the nature of friendship at their local theatre instead. On its initial run in 1981, ‘Merrily’ closed after just two weeks and was a commercial disaster for Sondheim and co-writer George Furth, critics at the time found the storyline confusing and the characters unsympathetic and audiences agreed. But, as with many Sondh...