REVIEWS Archives - Page 263 of 549

Jasdeep Singh Degun and the Scottish Ensemble – The Queens Hall, Edinburgh

8Oct

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Jasdeep Singh Degun and the Scottish Ensemble – The Queens Hall, Edinburgh

At The Queens Hall tonight Jasdeep Singh Degun sits cross-legged smiling and calm, cradling his sitar, on a raised Dias in the middle of the stage, and at his shoulder equally laid-back, Harkiret Singh Bahra, his regular accompanist on the Tabla, a pair of hand drums from the Indian subcontinent. In a semi-circle around the pair the Scottish Ensemble quintet are assembled, the violins of Jonathan Morton and Donald Grant, the viola of Jane Atkins, Naomi Pavri on Cello and Diane Clark on Double Bass. The striking difference is that Degun and Bahra do not have iPads in front of them streaming the music. As Degan explains in the excellent programme notes, ‘In Indian Classical music, we don’t get caught up in notation,… instead you should learn and embody the music in its entirity’. In an...

8Oct

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

West Midlands

Head Set – Midlands Arts Centre

“Head Set”, Victoria Melody’s autobiographical performance piece of self- examination, seems to inhabit the little chartered hinterland between stand-up comedy and one-person show and feels unsure which camp it truly belongs to. That, however, doesn’t necessarily detract from all the truly positives this show offers. It’s the first date on a 26 date tours so a few minor glitches are to be expected. The stage is scattered with various props and flotsam and jetsam which have little to do with the show and are soon tidied away within the first few moments as Melody introduces her idiosyncratic personality, her mother and her comedy teacher both of whom work as a kind of Greek chorus throughout. The crux of the show is Melody’s inability to perform stand-up comedy. This may be a thinly veiled ...

Mozart, Made in Manchester – The Stoller Hall, Manchester

8Oct

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Mozart, Made in Manchester – The Stoller Hall, Manchester

It goes without saying that Mozart was a genius, the ultimate prodigious talent who could pick out tunes on the piano at the age of three and at four or five years old had started composing his first pieces of music. This concert was a celebration of the early Mozart and all the pieces played were composed before he was 15 years old. To think that this sublime music came from the pen of a teenager is amazing. The orchestra performed the overtures from Apollo et Hyacinthus and Bastien und Bastienne as well as the first four piano concertos. Conductor Gábor Takács-Nagy was an entertaining guide not just to the music but to the role of the conductor. He admitted he “talked too much” in rehearsal and his effusive love and passion for the music was clear and contagious. In an interesti...

8Oct

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Othello – Riverside Studios

The features which set this production of Othello apart are its length, only 100 minutes without an interval, and the casting of three actors to play the villain Iago. A full production of the Othello text would probably run to about three and a half hours although few productions are totally uncut. So, cutting it down so severely inevitably means that a lot of the background and subtlety of Shakespeare's text is lost, although the main plotline was preserved and presented in Shakespeare's language. The casting of the three Iago's was the defining characteristic of this production. The director Sinead Rushe, had apparently explored a similar methodology with Hamlet and says in an informative interview in the programme that this was intended to underline the conflict...

8Oct

By Donna M DayNo Comments

North West

Part Vampire – Hope Street Theatre

Part Vampire, written by Kenny O’Connell and directed by Zara Marie Brown, with music by Matt Shaw and the cast, is a musical comedy which plays with classic and contemporary horror tropes om a fun and exciting story of the cutthroat environment of showbusiness and what people are willing to do to achieve success. The set features an ornate chair, polished coat stand and floral sofa, creating the impression of a well-kept, if slightly old fashioned home for Jack Moody (Phil Jones), a 67-year old former Hammer Horror extra who lives with his mother (Linzy Boden). The show does a good job of exploiting the cringey and camp reputation of Hammer Horror with its darker undertones and genuine scary moments. Jack enters the stage in a threadbare dressing gown and plays an emotional piece on...

And…And…And – Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

8Oct

By Tom ScottNo Comments

Scotland

And…And…And – Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

Isla Cowan’s beautifully written new play is a gem. It focusses on the relationship between two young women in their last year at school whose lives are overshadowed by the climate emergency. The play opens on a beach where the two seventeen year olds are collecting litter (including a lot of plastic items). Their characters are brought to life by Caroline McKeown (Cassie) and Tiana Milne-Wilson (Claire). Those two very talented actors are totally convincing as the best friends. They have a very relaxed natural rapport but as the play develops and they seem to be growing apart, their emotionally charged scenes are perfecting pitched, and engrossing. Two wonderful performances. Cassie and Claire are both concerned by the climate crisis, but it is Cassie who is the activist. She wants ...

Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense – Octagon Theatre, Bolton

7Oct

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense – Octagon Theatre, Bolton

For many years a book that sat close to my bedside was a Jeeves Omnibus by the masterful Pelham Grenville ‘Plum’ Wodehouse. I’ve always treasured the world of Bertie Wooster and his unflappable valet; a quintessentially English place, chock full of indomitable Aunts and hopeless nephews always getting into scrapes, tales that are always happily resolved in time for tea and crumpets. In 2013, brothers David and Robert Goodale took one of Wodehouse’s early stories ‘The Code of the Woosters’ (1938) and adapted it into this Olivier winning comedy for a West End audience, a show which the team at Wiltshire Creative have now co-produced with the Octagon in Bolton to excellent effect. Anyone with a passing knowledge of the ‘Wodehousian’ milieu, will know that a large part of the beauty is d...

6Oct

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

The Wizard of Oz – Z arts

The Manchester Musical Youth (MMY) production of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ graces the Renaker Theatre, Z-Arts for 2 days only. This glorious rendition of L.Frank Baum with music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y.Harburg is an adaptation of the 1900 children’s fantasy novel ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ which became the classic 1939’s film we all love and adore starring Judy Garland. MMY Apprentices Director Shannon Holland has done a sterling job on creating a magnificent production with the students, it is hard to believe that these talented youngsters on stage are aged 8 to 13 as they shown a maturity beyond their years. MMY has always prided themselves on igniting passion, nurturing talent and showcasing success and this is a prime example of their ethos as each, and every young person s...

6Oct

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Kinky Boots – The Brindley Theatre

D&S Productions presented Kinky Boots at The Brindley Theatre in Runcorn. D&S Productions are an award-winning community theatre group based in Ellesmere Port/Chester who regularly perform at The Brindley Theatre. D&S is a company that took to the stage in 2021 and belong to the National Operatic and Dramatic Association (NODA). D&S are passionate about creating quality theatre, they pride themselves on valuing people, they’re deliberately inclusive and are committed to raising money for good causes and charities close to their heart. Director Donna Dale is no novice when it comes to theatre being both on stage as a performer and as a fabulous director - she has been involved in performances since the age of 3. Kinky Boots is no easy task to produce as it requires both p...

6Oct

By Khushboo ShahNo Comments

London

Noises Off – Theatre Royal Haymarket

Celebrating the 40th Anniversary production of Michael Frayn’s Noises Off garners peals of laughter for nearly 2.5 hours straight! An exceptional piece of comedy, performed by a stellar cast with supreme comic timing, directed by Lindsay Posner with profound detail, this rendition successfully churns out maximum hilarity from Frayn’s brilliant writing. The play opens with Dotty (Felicity Kendal) who plays Mrs. Clackett, a housemaid for Nothing On. We are in a bright house owned by Mr and Mrs Brent (Jonathan Coy and Tamzin Outhwaite) who are seemingly holidaying in Spain. Director Llyod's (Alexander Hanson) rising frustration is probably at its lowest at this dress run at midnight as Dotty keeps messing up the “sardines”. Garry (Mathew Horne) and Brooke (Sasha F...