REVIEWS Archives - Page 26 of 428

28Sep

By Dave SmithNo Comments

London

Never Let Me Go – Rose Theatre

Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go has been adapted for the stage by Suzanne Heathcote. The story follows a group of clones raised at Hailsham, a boarding school where they learn about their purpose, born and bred to donate from their bodies. Here they make art, and they learn about their bodies and how to keep them healthy so that they can donate to the unknown people they are bred to serve. Although the specifics of the donation process remain shrouded in mystery, it’s clear that they are not expected to survive beyond their fourth donation. In the meantime, they take on roles as carers for those clones who have already started the donation journey. At the centre of this story are Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy. Kathy harbours feelings for Tommy, but Ruth, despite knowing this, e...

28Sep

By Anna Ní DhúillNo Comments

North West

Bowie Experience – Floral Pavilion

With a thirty-song, two-and-a-half hour set with a tight band and charismatic performers, Bowie Experience is a real triumph. The tone is set immediately, as the Bowie impersonator asserts that we, the audience, can take photos, sing along, even get up and dance. This breaking of regular expectations works excellently to get the audience even more excited for what’s to come. While it takes us the first half to get confident enough to rise to our feet, by the second half most of the audience are on their feet and swaying along in pure nostalgic glee. The show opens with Space Oddity, and while you can tell lead singer Oliver Slee is a natural Bowie, it takes him a minute to really ease into that Bowie-charisma. The negative space onstage ate him up a bit for the first few tunes, u...

27Sep

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Bad Girls the Musical – Romiley Forum

This musical is based on the television series of the same name and tells the story of a dozen or so inmates of Larkhall Prison who are incarcerated for various misdemeanours ranging from shoplifting through drug dealing and prostitution to murder. The characters are introduced individually at the start of the show, which was a nice touch by director Lucy Worthington in her directorial debut (and a marvellous job she did of it too; I have seen shows where she has acted as assistant director, but this is her first time in charge in her own right.) The plot as it is revolves around the relationships between the female prisoners and their mainly male warders, who are split between those wanting to take advantage of the girls and those who wish a better life for them. As the play progresses...

A Chorus Line – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

26Sep

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

A Chorus Line – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

A Chorus Line, originally performed in 1975, is one of the most successful musicals on all time. However, it’s reputation for highly technical choreography and of requiring a large cast of superb dancers, with equally big voices, make it one of those shows which the amateur companies tend to give an almighty body swerve, which actually makes it quite a rare beast. This fabulous touring production is a must see for all serious musos, in fact with only four Edinburgh performances it is very much a case of catch it while you can. This classic Broadway hit follows harsh Director Zach (Adam Cooper) as he puts 17 hopefuls through their paces and baring their souls in the hope of being one of the chosen 8 for the chorus of a new musical. Highlighting the brutal reality of what it takes to get ...

26Sep

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

The Real Ones – Bush Theatre

Romantic love is a road well travelled by storytellers, but what about its platonic counterpart? Olivier Award-winning playwright Waleed Akhtar seeks to shine a light on the similarly turbulent and complex dynamics within friendship in his new play The Real Ones, currently playing at Bush Theatre until 26th October. Set across a period of almost two decades, we encounter British-Pakistani best friends Zaid (Nathaniel Curtis) and Neelam (Mariam Haque) at various critical moments in their lives — and in their friendship — as they deal with growing up, family tensions, relationships, and identity. Closeted Zaid has his heart fervently set on becoming a playwright, and he’s also navigating his place in the world as a gay Pakistaniakistani man. Having developed a complex relationship with...

26Sep

By H.S. BakerNo Comments

Scotland

Blood Brothers – Edinburgh Playhouse

Blood Brothers is an emotional morality tale which is all about the narrative, less about the music. Poor and fecund Mrs Johnstone discovers she is expecting twins shortly after starting work as a cleaner for rich infertile Mrs Lyons. With her husband having done a bunk and too many mouths to feed already, Mrs Johnstone agrees to let Mrs Lyons have one of her twins. Conveniently Mr Lyons is away on business for nine months, so Mrs Lyons is able to create the pretence of pregnancy, fooling everybody including her husband, into believing the baby is hers. The show’s narrator constantly warns of the consequences of their actions and is the voice of impending doom throughout. Written by Willy Russell, directed by Bob Tomson and Bill Kenwright (resident director...

26Sep

By Jan MellorNo Comments

North West

King Arthur – The Lowry

I had never seen a production by the theatre group “Le Navett Bete” before. The theatre group decided on this name- as it loosely translates to “The Daft Turnip” and that being unusual, unique and fun- mirrors this talented theatre group impeccably. The show was being shown in the more intimate theatre at the Lowry and as we entered, we were met by an impressive backdrop/set of castle turrets, gothic windows, crenelations, scaffolds and towers (great work Fi Russell), and the opening scene of the three squires Edgar, Osbert and Dave in stocks and singing their woes. The audience (first two rows) had been given. latex fruit and vegetables to throw at these men and the audience loved it. As the three released themselves from the stocks – singing “I want to break free” we...

26Sep

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Pretty Woman – Sheffield Lyceum

With a £450 Million box office success, turning the blockbusting 1980’s film into a touring theatrical production was always going to attract curious followers and Sheffield Lyceum was no exception. I mean ‘Come on, who didn’t love the Cinderella–esque story! Pretty Woman is very much in the Pygmalion vein of down on their luck girl means the wealthy and dashing man of her dreams, this time set in Hollywood, A little old fashioned kind of theory by today’s standards?? But hey, it’s still a closeted nostalgic winner! With, to be honest, forgettable Music and Lyrics by Brian Adams and Jim Vallance and the book; which stays very close to the film; by Garry Marshall and J.F. Lawton, Director and Choreographer Jerry Mitchell works hard and does a great job of bringing the magic of the film back...

Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me – Summerhall

25Sep

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me – Summerhall

Ben Harrison and David Paul Jones were both teenagers in the 1980s. Both felt suffocated by their respective small towns, and both found solace in the music of the time. Harrison tells a selection of stories from his youth, and Jones performs his own interpretations of some of those songs. It’s a nostalgic revisit to a vibrant era that now seems defined by its contrasts. Emery Hunter’s integrated BSL interpretation drew me in right from the start. I am not a BSL user, but to me, her performance felt like poetry. Her flowing movements were beautiful to watch, with a rhythm that synchronised with the others on stage, but delightful in their own right. I hope that I will have more chances to see BSL poetry in future. Jones has taken well-known songs and made them his own, from the t...

Waiting for Godot – Theatre Royal Haymarket

25Sep

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

Waiting for Godot – Theatre Royal Haymarket

Well, these are two very well-spoken "tramps". A wired Didi (Ben Whishaw) jolts and flourishes across the space, amidst a more weighted, stony Gogo (Lucian Msamati). The two are equally as confounded as each other, torn between wavering uncertainty and resignation to the fact. As the title of the play reveals, they are waiting for Godot. In Beckett's classic, we are not entirely sure who Godot is or why he is being waited for, and neither, as it seems, are the characters. Whishaw and Msamati play their respective characters so beautifully. It is like watching a dance - their responsivity and spontaneity is glorious, and they find musicality in the repetition. This much studied play has plenty of meat to chew on. The real juiciness of it, as brought out by Whishaw and Msamati ...