REVIEWS Archives - Page 28 of 563

The Gateway Writing Festival: Day 2 – The Studio, Edinburgh

6Nov

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

The Gateway Writing Festival: Day 2 – The Studio, Edinburgh

Fresh voices, bright ideas, and the occasional spark of brilliance Now in its third year and newly housed at The Studio, the Gateway Writing Festival continues to prove itself as a lively testing ground for emerging Scottish talent. Curated by Artistic Director James Wood and produced in collaboration with Capital Theatres’ Creative Engagement team, with special thanks offered by James to Claire Swanson and Izzy Sivewright for their significant support, each night offers three short plays from young writers paired with equally fresh directors and actors. The second evening’s trio explored power, guilt and the future with youthful boldness and a few rough edges, exactly what you want from a new-writing festival. Utter RadianceWritten by Mayah Reid, directed by Briony Conaghan, with In...

6Nov

By Max EdenNo Comments

North West

Fawlty Towers The Play – Opera House

Few British comedies have stood the test of time quite like Fawlty Towers, a series that remains one of the finest examples of farcical writing and impeccable timing ever to grace our television screens. Now, John Cleese himself has adapted the mayhem of Torquay’s most dysfunctional hotel to the stage with Fawlty Towers - The Play, directed by Caroline Jay Ranger, and currently at the Manchester Opera House as part of a UK Tour. The play cleverly combines some of the most beloved episodes from the original two series, creating a sort of ‘best of’ Fawlty Towers experience. From the chaos of the missing salad to the unforgettable fire drill and the classic German guests, the production cleverly went from one disaster to another. The two-tiered set perfectly recreates the hotel’s familiar ...

6Nov

By Anna SmithNo Comments

North West

Little Women – Liverpool Playhouse

Louisa May Alcott's classic heartwarming story is one of my favourites and centres around the coming of age of the March Sisters and is adapted by Anne-Marie Casey for the stage and directed by Loveday Ingram. The American Civil War is the backdrop and follows the lives of the four March sisters Meg, Jo, Amy and Beth as they navigate their way through life dealing with love, loss, their different ambitions and the transformation they each go through. Ruari Murchison's clever set is simple but so effective. The bare tree trunks on the stage work so well letting us imagine the outdoors and there is even a gentle falling of snow. The clever use of Matthew Buggs atmospheric music helps capture the mood and completely suits the period Li...

Dinna Trust Anyone: Witches of Peebles – Eastgate Theatre

4Nov

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

Dinna Trust Anyone: Witches of Peebles – Eastgate Theatre

It’s 1629 in the market town of Peebles. There’s a war on, the harvest has failed, and rumours of witchcraft abound. The ghosts like to gather on Christmas Eve. A modern-day couple (Jennifer Bunyan, David Bon) settle into their hotel room. They gradually become aware that they are not alone. In the first act, the ghosts recount their grim stories. Some were convicted of witchcraft because they were childless, or gay, or foreign. Some seek to justify their role in the executions. But in this Peebles, the Devil wears a cassock. Reverend Syd (Will Tillotson) summons a storm from the pulpit. Examine your souls, my flock. Make a note of who’s absent from the congregation. The devil’s handmaiden has a barren womb. First-time playwright Kath Mansfield knows how to write words that come a...

Mozart Symphony No. 41, Jupiter – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

4Nov

By Bethany EastonNo Comments

North West

Mozart Symphony No. 41, Jupiter – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

Upon simply stepping into the Philharmonic hall there is a sense of calm to be felt and the concerts in this grand venue are a welcome outing to be had. The afternoon’s concert was principal cellist Jonathan Aasgaard’s last with the orchestra and so the afternoon began with a celebration of his career and a speech from the man himself. Here he celebrated his colleagues and noted how lucky Liverpool is to house the orchestra in the city. Aasgaard also noted how the musicians make playing look easy, but that they all work incredibly hard. The audience shared their agreement and the concert began on a high after a wonderful community moment. Conducted by Domingo Hindoyan, the afternoon focused around Mozart’s last symphony No.41 Jupiter which is split into four movements. Surprisingly, ...

Metagama: An Atlantic Odyssey – Traverse Theatre

4Nov

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Metagama: An Atlantic Odyssey – Traverse Theatre

Opening in the post-war Western Isles, guitarist and vocalist Willie Campbell of The Metagama Ensemble, along with his fellow musicians, set the scene of Metagama: An Atlantic Odyssey with its first musical number. We learn of the large groups of islanders, who due to a lack of opportunity, money, and depopulation from the war, decided to make the journey all the way to Canada on the ocean-liners SS Metagama, Canada, or Marloch. With traditional Scottish music being the focal point, it is accompanied with archival footage, illustrations (constructed by Doug Robertson), and narration by Dolina Maclennan and writer Donald S. Murray. Featuring not only original music by pianist and vocalist Liza Mulholland, Murray, and Campbell, traditional Gaelic songs are interspersed t...

Manchester Musical Youth’s 11th Anniversary Concert – Manchester College

2Nov

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Manchester Musical Youth’s 11th Anniversary Concert – Manchester College

Manchester Musical Youth (MMY) marked its 11th anniversary in spectacular fashion with a celebratory concert at Manchester College, showcasing the incredible breadth of talent that has become synonymous with this outstanding theatre group. With over 100 students taking part, from apprentices to main stage performers - this was more than just a concert; it was a heartfelt celebration of eleven years of nurturing young talent and transforming passion into performance. Headed by the dynamic husband-and-wife duo Kimberly Holden (Musical Director) and Dave Holden (Director), MMY once again proved why it is renowned for producing some of Manchester’s finest young performers, many of whom have gone on to excel on professional stages and screens. The evening featured 23 musical numbers s...

2Nov

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

The Laramie Project – The Cornerhouse

It’s been 27 years since the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard. His death sparked a media frenzy and led to candlelit vigils in cities across the world. For anyone unfamiliar with the story, Shepard was a gay, American student at the University of Wyoming who was beaten, tortured, and left to die, while tied to a fence near Laramie on October 6,1998. It’s easy to forget that this homophobic attack also created an instant ‘culture war. There were abusive letters sent to the hospital which treated Shepard and protestors descended on the young man’s funeral carrying placards which declared that ‘God Hates Fags’. Home Office figures published last month (9 October 2025) show in the year ending March 2025 there were a total of 115,990 hate crime offences, up from 113,166 the pr...

2Nov

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Shocktober – Tulley’s Farm

Tulley’s Farm in Crawley is well-known for hosting an array of events throughout the year, but when Halloween approaches, the farm truly comes alive with its spectacular Shocktober Fest. This annual event has grown into one of the UK’s most celebrated Halloween attractions, drawing thrill-seekers from far and wide for a night of spine-chilling entertainment, immersive scare mazes, live performances, and an electric festival atmosphere. The main highlight of Shocktober Fest is undoubtedly its collection of scare mazes, each uniquely themed and meticulously designed to deliver heart-pounding scares and unforgettable experiences. One of the standout attractions this year was Doomtown, a masterfully crafted maze that transported guests into a post-apocalyptic town overrun by the undead. The...

2Nov

By Savitha VenugopalNo Comments

London

Surinderella – Riverside Studios

Your regular pantomimes already come packed with beloved characters, popular music, and hilarity. Now give it a desi twist, and you have more colours, hip shaking, and drama than Bollywood itself can dish out. Written by Pravesh Kumar and directed by Ameet Chana, this is a bold new panto with lashings of South Asian flavour. As the name suggests, Surinderella is a retelling of Cinderella and when it comes to adding that desi-ness, the makers do not hold back. Surinder (Sonya Venugopal) lives on the edge of the Bolly Woods with her stepsisters Lovely and Bubbly, and her emotional support livestock and best friend, Basanti the cow. In the stepsisters we have our pantomime dames, played with sass and style by Neil Varu and Raheem Payne, whose crowd work and shenanigans were consistently...