REVIEWS Archives - Page 25 of 548

25Sep

By Carole BaldockNo Comments

North West

Stayin’ Alive – Liverpool’s Royal Court

Haha, haha… welcome to a funny peculiar comedy, and it needs to be full of laughs as Maggie’ tragic tale unfolds. What does she have to live for after all? About a year since her beloved Nan died, she has no friends, her sister is a bitch - her mother an even bigger one. She ricochets between clearing out the house where her grandmother brought her up, karaoke evening at the Blue Anchor and a therapist with problems of his own. Clearly written from experience, I was astonished to find that writer Victoria Oxley was taking the lead role. But wouldn’t be at all astonished to find that co-performer Emma Bispham is her BFF, such is the chemistry between them. And co-performer doesn’t start to cover the latter’s range: mother, sister, therapist, plus memorable tribute acts, by no means in a ...

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – Alhambra, Bradford

24Sep

By Phoebe Olivia Sian HobsonNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – Alhambra, Bradford

Picture this, utter silence, a dimly lit stage, bulbs of warm light scattered in each corner, a piano centre stage with a pianist lightly tickling the keys as a slow and steady rumble crowds the stage, like thunder across the theatre the music rises from a magnificent orchestra. Perfectly tense, just as you imagine the train from your family home to the other side of the country to be, in a devastating world war. Michael Fentiman really outdid himself with this show, by not only incorporating song dance and acting the three things we watch a play for, but by also having characters and the ensemble play instruments, creating an irresistible atmosphere across Alhambra theatre, where the arm hairs amongst spectators stayed pricked for the whole two hours. Not only that but the careful prec...

24Sep

By Dave SmithNo Comments

London

The Weir – Harold Pinter Theatre

Outside, it's gusting, the wind has picked up and outside isn’t the most welcoming. Inside the pub, it’s warm and welcoming, a proper locals pub where you can serve yourself and just put your money in the till. Not much happens, a few locals drink and chat. That’s The Weir, that’s Conor McPherson’s play. It is a slow-burn, more about mood than plot, and it's the beauty of the writing and the skill of the cast which envelops us, brings us along to the bar as we sit and share the evening. In this case, to welcome newcomer Valerie, a blow-in to the small village. As the drinks flow, the men swap local history, leading into ghost stories which get darker and darker. Valerie reveals her own story, moving the mood from mostly light banter to raw confession. The evening becomes less about the ...

Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell – Sheffield Lyceum

24Sep

By Nathan DunnNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell – Sheffield Lyceum

Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell arrived in Sheffield with all the pomp of a bold dance show and all the sincerity of a gripping drama. This piece of theatre is aptly both - a dramatic, human tale of intimate connections won, lost, enjoyed and destroyed. This New Adventures production is an acerbic piece of liquid, visual storytelling. The narrative is compelling, pulling inspiration from author Patrick Hamilton’s (of ‘Rope’ and ‘Gaslight’ fame) 1929 novel ‘The Midnight Bell’. A patient meditation on love, lust and relationships set on the backdrop of the titular Midnight Bell late night drinking spot rooted somewhere betwixt the alleyways of early 20th century London. The work covers all corners of human desire in romantic and sexual relationships. We share the intimate moments...

Measure for Measure – Royal Shakespeare Company

24Sep

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

Measure for Measure – Royal Shakespeare Company

Much like its persecuted and prosecuted heroine, this production of Measure for Measure has a lot to prove. Director Emily Burns draws some tight parallels between the scenarios of Shakespeare’s Vienna and the present-day political scene but keeps the play well within the lines of conventional adaptation. That this script lends itself so well to the current moment is more depressing than exciting, and this production does not shy away from, but rather leans into, this discomfort. Distressingly relevant and enduringly painful, this problem play doesn’t offer much in the way of solutions. Photo: Helen Murray Standout performances from Emily Benjamin as Mariana, Douggie McMeekin as Lucio, and Oli Higginson as Claudio only heighten the sense of unease that pervades the play space. Benjam...

24Sep

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

The Last Laugh – Liverpool Playhouse

Paul Hendy’s The Last Laugh arrives at the Liverpool Playhouse as both tribute and portrait of three of Britain’s most iconic comedians – Tommy Cooper (Damian Williams), Eric Morecambe (Bob Golding) and Bob Monkhouse (Simon Cartwright) with an imagined meeting of the three in a slightly dilapidated dressing room of an unknown theatre. It’s a warm-hearted evening and our trio of actors are clearly accomplished mimics. However, with a sense that the show is a bit of an excuse to show off these talents, the show occasionally struggles as it slips uneasily between original theatre, greatest-hits homage and meandering biographical lecture. Each actor has an expert ear for the vocal cadence and physical timing of our comedians, honed through their own solo tribute shows, making the imper...

24Sep

By Jan MellorNo Comments

North West

Fiddler on the Roof – Liverpool Empire

Fiddler on the Roofis a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein and is based on the story of Tevye a poor dairy man in imperial Russia around 1905. Entering the packed Empire theatre, the stage was set in a dark haze with the orchestra pit set at the back of the stage – it looked intriguing and inviting. As a lover of this wonderful story of a man’s fight for tradition in a Jew-hating world, the set was very fitting. I saw this play on stage many years ago when the lead was played by Topol who also played the lead in the film – it was great then and I was hoping that this would compete. The opening scene of the iconic fiddler sat precariously on a roof playing the melodic tune sets the scene wonderfully and below the straw roof canopy, th...

Di and Viv and Rose – Theatre by the Lake

24Sep

By Karen Morley-ChesworthNo Comments

North West

Di and Viv and Rose – Theatre by the Lake

I was transported back to the 1980s and student life in a northern town at Theatre by the Lake in Keswick through Amelia Bullmore’s play Di and Viv and Rose. A story of three girls who meet for the first time in their student halls of residence, this play captures their lives and friendship over the following three decades. The minimal set brought back to life the decade of the gettoblaster, bright sportswear, and a time when students had grants and no free tuition. The three very different characters - Di, a working-class, northern lesbian, Rose, a middle-class, innocent and yet promiscuous southerner, and the more mysterious Viv, a feminist whose wardrobe came from the 1940s, and who was determined to work her way to the top of academia. This funny and moving play takes us...

24Sep

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Pride & Prejudice – Hull Truck Theatre

On Tuesday evening, make-up intact, I took my front row seat at the Hull Truck Theatre to watch a performance of Pride & Prejudice. Nearly three hours later, at the show’s end, I had acquired panda eyes and could have kicked myself for not wearing waterproof mascara. The person responsible for my facial demise? Ben Fensome. In this Jane Austin classic, made extra famous by the TV series starring Colin Firth (who could forget that wet shirt scene), Fensome has a dual role - that of dashing soldier Mr Wickham and ingratiating clergyman, Mr Collins. It’s his portrayal of the latter that caused my tears of mirth. Tall and slim, every move he made in his all-black apparel had the audience in stitches. But it was his rubbery facial expressions that did the damage to my face. Y...

A Taste of Honey – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

24Sep

By Louise KershawNo Comments

North West

A Taste of Honey – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

Opening the Garrick Studio’s new season of Manchester based plays is the iconic A Taste of Honey. It’s hard to believe that Shelagh Delanay was just 19 years old when she wrote this funny yet furious piece which still manages to hit hard and square 65 years on from its first production. Set in Salford, in a damp and draughty bedsit, we meet Helen and her teenage daughter Jo mid moonlight flit as they decamp from one squalid living quarter to another. Described in the text as a ‘semi-whore’ Helen is a single mother, trying to make ends meet by whatever means she can and grasping on to whatever opportunities may come her way. Jo is weary of their lifestyle and is searching for love and security, for guidance and comfort, where none is likely to emerge. When her mother leaves her for Pe...