REVIEWS Archives - Page 26 of 548

23Sep

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

Emma – Rose Theatre

Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her. At least, Jane Austen’s Emma did. Ava Pickett’s Emma has got issues. Handsome and clever but decidedly not rich, her father is a crook, her sister is a crackpot, and her own disposition is anything but happy. This Essex-set adaptation of the literary classic opens at Oxford’s May Ball and is throughout infused with the vaguely sickeningly hedonistic energy of that messy melee. Blatantly dismissive of the traditional Regency aesthetic of horse-and-carriage romance, this production instead takes on the look and feel of a Piccadilly Circus rickshaw ca...

23Sep

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

The Buddy Holly Story – The Lowry

Written and produced by Alan Janes, The Buddy Holly Story has been delighting audiences worldwide since it first opened in 1989. Having toured across continents and played to more than 22 million people, the show has become a staple of jukebox theatre. Now, under the assured direction of Matt Salisbury, it arrives at The Lowry Theatre with a vibrant new cast who capture the energy, charm and tragedy of a legend of early rock ‘n’ roll. The production follows Buddy Holly’s short yet dazzling career between 1956 and 1959, classed as the golden years of rock ‘n’ roll. Starting out as a country musician in Lubbock, Texas, Buddy quickly realised his sound belonged to a new era. With The Crickets, he forged a distinctive style that blended country roots with rhythm and blues influences, produc...

20Sep

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Oscar at the Crown – The Crown

Oscar at the Crown follows the story of Oscar Wilde, reimagined in a dystopian futuristic world. This particular night marked the debut of Jan Sport stepping into the role of Wilde, and they delivered an electric performance. From the very start, the energy was high, with sharp, high-octane choreography lighting up the stage. The atmosphere is immersive from the moment you arrive. Walking down the stairs, you’re greeted with nostalgic clips from 90s TV classic The O.C., setting the tone before you even reach the venue. Entering feels more like stepping into a nightclub than a theatre, with a live DJ, dancers, and an audience swept into the action right away. The production lays out its “three rules,” encouraging the audience to move freely throughout the performance, following the ca...

20Sep

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

LENNY. – Omnibus Theatre

Lenny, also known as ‘big man’ by his best friend Carly is soon to be turning 30. Living with flatmates he doesn’t like, a job that fulfills him with no purpose and a huge burning desire to be loved. Written and performed by Alfie Webster and directed by Sarah Stacey, this 80-minute piece travels through the usual spots Lenny exists like the cinema, a nightclub, the nightclub’s cubicle and back in his room where even there he struggles to take up space. But on this particular day he is haunted by a dream, in which he had sex with a banana. This unravels him completely as he realises his own loneliness. His mission becomes clear, to prove the banana wrong and make sense of who he is. Location to location, Webster invites us into his lens of life. He finds humour in almost anything mundan...

20Sep

By Angela KellyNo Comments

North West

Macbeth – The Grange Theatre

On a damp and dark evening in September, rather suitably, Macbeth is gracing the stage at The Grange Theatre in Hartford. Directed by Thomas Frith and assisted by Ben Simon, the performance of one of Shakespeare’s finest tragedy’s is always a brave undertaking by any company.With a simple setting consisting of the points of a very large, upturned crown as a backdrop, that at times also formed part of the woods and even the castle, the stage as a visual was extremely effective. Sound on entering the theatre enticed the audience with consistent sounds of a drum beating at regular intervals, setting the scene perfectly and heightened the anticipation of what was to follow. Emily Stone as Sound designer must be congratulated for this.Matt Concannon performed the part of Macbeth and did so to a...

19Sep

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

The Lady From The Sea – Bridge Theatre

Simon Stone's extensive reworking of Ibsen's 1888 play relocates the action from the Norwegian fjords to Ullswater in the Lake District. In this idyllic setting, neurologist Edward (Andrew Lincoln) tries, and mostly fails, to be a good father to teenage daughters Asa (Gracie Oddie-James) and Hilda (Isobel Akuwudike). Now remarried to Ellida (Alicia Vikander) after the death by suicide of his first wife, Ed struggles to keep the peace within the family and particularly between his daughters and their stepmother. Ed's best friend, Lyle (John MacMillan) is a support for the family, although his involvement is not always regarded positively by Ed. Into this scenario comes Heath (Joe Alwyn), a young patient of Ed's who is awaiting the outcome of tests that will confirm whether his m...

Season Opening Concert: Dream Team at Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool

19Sep

By Johanna RobertsNo Comments

North West

Season Opening Concert: Dream Team at Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s season began tonight with a bold statement of intent by conductor Domingo Hindoyan, who welcomed the audience to the new season by asking them to “Cheer new composers and composers you’ve never heard of before in your life” as well as enjoying old favourites, and it is a mark of Hindoyan’s talent that while new pieces are clearly exciting and innovative, he can make familiar pieces seem fresh and draw out new insights from the orchestra. Tonight’s concert was no exception, demonstrating an orchestra and conductor at the height of their powers. The programme was very similar to that of the orchestra’s offering at the BBC proms this year, with the one change being Roldán’s La Remambaramba as the opening piece. The work by the Afro-Cuban compose...

Derby Days – Liverpool’s Royal Court Theatre

19Sep

By Bethany EastonNo Comments

North West

Derby Days – Liverpool’s Royal Court Theatre

Not a football fan? Feel like maybe this show isn’t for you? Think again! ‘Derby Days’ at the Royal Court is one for all with its witty dialogue, engaging pace and strong cast. With only four cast members, the play relies on the excellent dynamic between them all, and they deliver as a fantastic foursome. The play follows married couple Dave Derby (Dominic Carter) and Debbie Day (Sarah White) who both support the ‘other side’. Dave’s a red and Debbie is a blue which inevitably causes a wealth of arguing in the Derby-Day house. The pair are used to this though as is their daughter Chloe (Ellie Clayton) who navigates the fighting by pretending not to like football at all. However, Chloe visits home with her new boyfriend Mark (Elliott Kingsley) who possesses a secret he has to try and kee...

19Sep

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

To Kill a Mockingbird – Leeds Playhouse

Generations of school children have read To Kill a Mockingbird’s tale of racial injustice in 1930s Alabama as past history, but watching citizens in today’s America being arrested without any due process means it has once again become a warning. With his background as the creator of the unashamedly liberal The West Wing, it was obvious Oscar winning writer Aaron Sorkin would bring something new to the theatrical version of Harper Lee’s classic novel. Lee tells the story of a small town lawyer Atticus Finch, who agrees to defend a black man Tom Robinson accused of raping a white woman, much to the disgust of many in the fictional segregated town of Maycomb. The story is told by Finch’s feisty daughter Scout looking back at events that changed her family’s lives forever, and ther...

19Sep

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Dancing at Lughnasa – Crucible Theatre

Riveting and far reaching, a masterclass of storytelling. The Sheffield Theatres and Royal Exchange Theatre Production of Dancing at Lughnasa is inspired by its renown writer’s own life and Brian Friel’s powerful play is given an outstanding outing by the new Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres, Elizabeth Newman. Newman’s vision is crisp, captivating and concise, disregarding sentimentality and instead allowing the audience to witness the societal change on a generation with great intricacy and care. It is harvest time in 1936, rural Donegal, Ireland and we meet the five unmarried Mundy sisters. Their lives are marred with hardship yet laced with unfulfilled and often hidden dreams and in one season their mundane lives are changes irrevocably. Enter Uncle Jack, a clergyman of the...