REVIEWS Archives - Page 25 of 457

2Feb

By Zara OdetundeNo Comments

London

Play On – Lyric Hammersmith

Play On is a jazz reimagining of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night set in 1940s Harlem. Vy is a talented songwriter looking to get her start in the music industry but soon finds it is a man’s world and she’s going to have to change to achieve her dream. With a convincing disguise Vy is soon entangled in the lives of major players of the Harlem music scene, the owner of the cotton club, world-famous songwriter The Duke and captivating songbird Lady Liv. Play On is embarking on a UK Tour, finally being brought to the UK in a co-production between Talawa and various theatres and producers, after previous runs on Broadway. This is a jukebox musical that relies on the timeless music of Duke Ellington, with over 20 of his songs featured in this show. The live jazz band is present on stage...

2Feb

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

La Bohème – Hull New Theatre

Opera lovers were transported to 1830s Bohemian Paris on Friday night when a new production of La Bohème came to the Hull New Theatre. I admit to not being an opera buff, even although I have reviewed quite a few, but there was something special about this Ellen Kent Production with the Ukrainian Opera and Ballet Theatre, Kyiv, that had me gripped from curtain up. Stage settings help enormously to reel us in from the get-go and this was no exception. Though not lavish, the setting was a Parisian garret studio graced with an easel displaying a huge painting of the Red Sea; a single bed, table, chairs etc, plus a painted backdrop of buildings. A simple scene, but it piqued my interest, even more so with the comic antics of its occupants - poet Rudolfo (Hovhannes Andreasyan) and pain...

1Feb

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Robin Hood – The Montgomery Theatre

A sure-fire Hit – It’s a Bullseye! With a strong immersed cast of 40, Handsworth and Hallam Theatre Company hit the stage at the newly refurbished Montgomery Theatre in Sheffield and score a bullseye with their pantomime Robin Hood. The hilarious script is written by Tom Whalley and the cast make sure every arrow, although anything but straight and with plenty of quiver, hit their target audience! With traditional backdrops we are transported from village to woods and even ‘fungeons’. The story follows the well-known tale of Robin Hood and his love for Maid Marion pitted against the evil Sheriff of Nottingham and his scheming for power and wealth. Add in in true pantomime tradition the very Merry Men, the obligatory Dame Nanny Fanny Flapjack and her hapless son Silly Willy (who is anyth...

As Long as We Are Breathing – Arcola Theatre

1Feb

By Zak RosenNo Comments

London

As Long as We Are Breathing – Arcola Theatre

Modern life is not known for giving us opportunities to sit, and think, and be. We are constantly moving, working – there is very little time to do anything else. What is valuable about theatre and about storytelling is the space it gives us to contemplate the kind of lives we live and want to live, whether we want to progress or regress. What it means to more than just survive. A moment, to inhale, and to exhale. This is what great theatre, what As Long As We Are Breathing, does. A woman walks up and starts chatting about porridge, the same kind of interaction I might have with a particularly sociable soul on the street – the lights are still up, the audience is still chatting and taking their seats; this is a kind of immersion into theatre so smooth I didn’t realize at first that the ...

My Mother’s Funeral: The Show – Yard Theatre

1Feb

By Sadie PearsonNo Comments

London

My Mother’s Funeral: The Show – Yard Theatre

Theatre at its best is an incensing experience. Something which puts vital stories to stage. Which affirms you of humanity’s strength. And fills you with light, as well as heartache and rage. My Mother’s Funeral: The Show written by Kelly Jones at The Yard Theatre does just that. Without a doubt, this is the most moving piece of theatre I have ever been privileged enough to experience. Quite possibly the best thing I’ve ever seen on a stage. Abigail is a working-class writer, recently bereaved. Suffering the fresh and painful loss of her mother, she is confronted with the reality of economic inequality at a time where what’s crucial is support and humanity. She cannot afford the funeral. Her grim luck: she happens to work in an industry which is hungry for ‘authentic trauma’ from ‘peopl...

A Man and His Circumstance – Hope Street Theatre

31Jan

By Stephanie WiswallNo Comments

North West

A Man and His Circumstance – Hope Street Theatre

A man and his circumstance is a thought provoking and educational piece of theatre based around breaking the stigma of talking about male health issues and opening the floor for men to talk. Written and produced by Tom Cain, owner of his own independent theatre company Tom Cain Theatre. The performance is portrayed by three very talented actors, some of whom take on multiple roles throughout the performance. Firstly, Matthew Swinnerton who plays Joel, a friendly, down to earth, relatable lad next door type. He is the main character and narrates the whole story. You empathise with his health struggles, and he portrays a guy's different personalities within different settings and social groups extremely well. Also, portraying touching more delicate moments with ease. Thoroughly ...

Demi Adejuyigbe is Going To Do One (1) Backflip – Soho Theatre

30Jan

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Demi Adejuyigbe is Going To Do One (1) Backflip – Soho Theatre

Demi Adejuyigbe is Going To Do One (1) Backflip. That’s both the title of the show and the UK-born American comedian’s very literal mission statement for his kooky comedy hour. Having previously earned him a Best Newcomer Nominee at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2024 for its fringe run, Adejuyigbe’s zany show has arrived at Soho Theatre. A true comedian of the internet age, Adejuyigbe packs the show with powerpoint presentations, songs, a one-man musical in which he threatens to do a Lin-Manuel Miranda-esque rap, and plenty more bits for one sole purpose: to impress his crush. As he builds up to performing his promised singular backflip—because it’s the ultimate way to woo a woman, supposedly—Adejuyigbe goes on to explain his six-part method for winning over a crush, from deliverin...

30Jan

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Moments – The Studio

In the classic time-loop film Groundhog Day, tv reporter, Phil (Bill Murray) attempts over and over again to create the perfect day, a series of carefully choreographed ‘moments’, with his attractive producer Rita (Andie MacDowell), in an attempt to win her heart. Only to be thwarted, often at the last moment, hilariously, time and time again. Some fans calculate the time-loop at 12,403 days! Theatre Re bring their own, thankfully shorter, time-loop to The Studio tonight to wordlessly consider, and reconsider, the powerful bond between a father and a son, and the ‘casting off’ which marks the end of one generation and the beginning of the next. Twelve and a half years after Theatre Re, premiered their particular brand of thoughtful and thought provoking theatre at Pleasance Dome...

29Jan

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Chicago – Sheffield Lyceum

Flawless flirtatious perfection! The Sheffield Lyceum hosts one of the biggest musical triumphs of all time, over 50 international awards – Grammy, Olivier, Tony, the longest running American Musical. We are greeted by a bare stage except a spot lit single chair and a Bowler hat, enter one performer, sassy, sexy, seductive, sensual, sinuous, sophisticated and slinky and so it begins… ‘Murder, Greed, Corruption, Exploitation, Adultery, Treachery… all those things we hold near and dear to our hearts… Thank you’. It could only be Kander and Ebb’s Chicago. Originally directed and choreographed by the legendary Bob Fosse in 1975, this UK touring production stays true to his genius giving us the instantly recognisable, classic tone and style. Based on the true story as reported in the C...

29Jan

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

1984 – Omnibus Theatre

George Orwell's 1984 is prescribed reading for most schools in Britain, but it is still banned in Russia. To mark the 40th anniversary of Orwell's narrative, inspired by Nick Hern's play, Withintheatre, a London-based collective of professional Slavic performers, has assembled a physical theatre interpretation of the piece. Founded in 2022 by Sofia Barysevich, Withintheatre's performance platforms the play as an act of defiance and activism. The play lasts until 2nd February at the Omnibus Theatre, London, following their sold-out, award-winning run at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe. Recreating moments of violence, subjugation, and interrogation, The play's themes are topical. Observing authoritarian regimes around us twist facts and swoop in to control private lives increasingly. '1984' ser...