REVIEWS Archives - Page 225 of 548

8Mar

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

West Midlands

Wicked – Birmingham Hippodrome

“There’s No Place Like Brum!” There’s certainly no place Brum for the next few weeks as the international green-faced, broomstick-wielding, hit-stuffed mega-musical drops its house on the stage of the Birmingham Hippodrome which it will be calling no place like home until the 7th April. “Wicked” erupted on Broadway in a flume of green smoke 21 years ago and has been dazzling us with a rainbow of pizzazz ever since. Stemming from Gregory Maguire’s 1995 revisionist exploration of the characters from L.Frank Baum’s 1900 novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” itself adapted into the cloyingly sentimental and techo-surrealist 1939 movie starring Judy “Slippers” Garland, “Wicked” has become the mainstay of both West End and Broadway with many an actress donning the Shrek-hued make-up and defyi...

8Mar

By Eleanor HallNo Comments

London

Uncle Vanya – Orange Tree Theatre

Trevor Nunn directs this powerful reincarnation of Uncle Vanya, which meditates on human love, the spaces we inhabit, and the purpose we cultivate for ourselves. The design and setting of this version remain in 1897 - the time contemporary to Chekhov’s writing - while the written text itself also remained largely faithful to the original. The added humour was refreshing, which invited the essence of the piece into the mouths of the 21st Century actors without diverting or detracting from Chekov’s original. For example, the professor’s demand “Friends, lend me your ears” was quickly followed by the quip “I’ll give them back at the end” - with no harm done to the plot! The acting was simply faultless; phenomenal performances were offered by each and every actor. In particular, Andrew Rich...

8Mar

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Oedipus Electronica – Brixton House

Of all the iconic Greek myths that have firmly held their place in our collective consciousness, the story of Oedipus is one of the most infamous. So, what do you get if you take this tragic tale and add a 21st century London setting, strobe lighting, and live electronic music? You get Pecho Mama’s Oedipus Electronica, currently playing at Brixton House until 9th March. Flipping the notorious story of Oedipus, the plot centres around Jocasta (Mella Faye), a writer struggling to complete a script ahead of a rapidly approaching deadline. But when she discovers she’s pregnant with her husband Laius (Kwame Bentil), she feels an almost supernatural compulsion to write about the son she had taken away from her when she was young. Propelled by a force greater than herself, she unknowingly star...

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – Gladstone Theatre

7Mar

By Bev ClarkNo Comments

North West

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – Gladstone Theatre

High energy last night at Bebington Dramatic Society’s production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, starting its run at the Gladstone Theatre until Saturday. Many will still remember the famous Oscar-winning film, but it was originally a novel (1962) by Ken Kesey, which was adapted for the stage the following year by Dale Wasserman. The play continues to be performed around the world after 70yrs. This story of rebellion against authority, instigated by the anarchic, time-bomb that is McMurphy, has a lot to say about mental health in a US psychiatric ward, showing both the brutality and humour of the ‘therapeutic community.’ Director James Kay has brought together a strong local cast to recreate these unforgettable characters. An excellent set which uses the stage well, wit...

7Mar

By Rebecca CaseyNo Comments

North West

Legally Blonde – Opera House, Blackpool

A wonderful, vibrant, colourful evening of song and dance this evening at The Winter Gardens, Blackpool. Encore Productions brought us an array of local talent taking us on a journey of the classic story that we all know from the movie of the same name. The show follows the character Elle Woods on a journey from a Barbieesque sorority girl, to attending Harvard law school, in the hopes of winning back her ex-boyfriend. With choreography and musical direction from industry professionals the cast were in good hands, Natalie Pollard provided creative routines and ‘Whipped the dancers into shape’ Ed Rugman ‘used the talented singers to provide a well rounded, strong ensemble with nice clean harmonies. The cast were full of energy and some outstanding performances this evening that would ...

A Song For Ella Grey – Hull Truck Theatre

7Mar

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

A Song For Ella Grey – Hull Truck Theatre

Before sitting down to write my review of A Song For Ella Grey, a production I watched at the Hull Truck Theatre on the afternoon of Wednesday, March 6th, I felt the need to reacquaint myself with the ancient Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice, around which this play is centred. Orpheus, though invisible, features hugely in this darkly romantic tale and, never having read David Almond’s book from which this production is adapted, I had to ensure I understood proceedings before engaging my keyboard. As I took my seat on the front row, I was confronted by a stage setting of ceiling-high white voile curtains. Billowing gently, they draped over what appeared to be huge beds, again in white. Despite this abundance of white, Hull Truck itself was very dimly lit throughout, resulting i...

Crab Tragedy: A Greek Myth told Sideways – Capstone Theatre

7Mar

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Crab Tragedy: A Greek Myth told Sideways – Capstone Theatre

A special adaptation for families of their previous ‘Sirens, Men and Crabs’, Teatro Pomodoro’s Crab Tragedy is an hour-long surreal comedy that turns Ancient Greece upside down with this performance pre-empting a soon to follow national tour. A cast of three take on the fishy tale of Ulysses (Simone Tani) and the Siren (Carmen Arquelladas) but it’s all about the Crab (Miwa Nagai) thrown in for good measure with the cast taking on other characters to keep the story sailing on to its inevitable albeit unexpected conclusion. There’s a low-budget atmosphere reminiscent of The Play That Goes Wrong but here the money has been spent wisely with thoughtful and considered staging and expertly adapted props that aid and support strong performances: don’t be fooled, the creative skill and artis...

6Mar

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

Rika’s Rooms – The Playground Theatre

The world premiere of Gail Louw’s Rika’s Rooms is adapted from the playwright’s novel of the same name and based on the real-life experiences of her late mother’s childhood flight from Nazi Germany, uneasy teenage settlement in Israel, marriage and immigration to apartheid South Africa, and eventual deterioration and disintegration living with dementia in England. Despite the weighty nature both of the story itself and the delivery method of its storytelling, this harrowing one woman show is suffused with love and light. Emma Wilkinson Wright is a revelation as Rika, where many a singular actor might seem overburdened and stoop under the heft of so dense a series of monologues, she acts with a potent naturalism, ruthlessly efficient in both vocal and physical transformation to the point...

52 Monologues for Young Transsexuals – Soho Theatre

6Mar

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

52 Monologues for Young Transsexuals – Soho Theatre

Despite the apparent universal agreement that ‘culture wars’ are destructive, divisive and politically debilitating, there’s little sign of a ceasefire. In fact, the bad faith battles which raged with ugly fervour on social media have become the lingua franca of senior members of the cabinet and the UK’s Prime Minister. Vindictive conflict, which bins truth for fraudulent punches has been normalised on a global scale. Caught in the relentless crossfire, the trans community has been widely forced to retreat, for self-care and preservation. While the ‘trans agenda’ obsessively preoccupies the media, it’s rare to actually hear a trans perspective that isn’t then trounced and savaged by a ‘gender critical’ diatribe. High kicking and lip synching into this grim mise-en-scène are Laurie Ward ...

The Boy at the Back of the Class – Sheffield Lyceum

6Mar

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Boy at the Back of the Class – Sheffield Lyceum

Sheffield Lyceum opened its doors and its generational spanning heart to the adaptation of Onjali Q. Rauf’s well known and much loved book A Boy at the Back of the Class. Adapter Nick Ahad’s does not disappoint in his stage version, retaining all the wit, the power of a collective sense of humanity and the eternal hope we all deserve to experience. Monique Touko as Director strives to paint a desired world stating, ‘May this play push for further actions of kindness, promote equality and depict a world where people are seen as people’. Aimed at children, teachers and parents alike this production is a full, dynamic and impactful theatrical experience bringing the characters and their story to life. The set and costume design by Lily Arnold creates the backdrop of a school setting with P...