REVIEWS Archives - Page 289 of 417

Opera North: Parsifal – Bridgewater Hall

13Jun

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Opera North: Parsifal – Bridgewater Hall

Opera North’s production of Wagner’s final work for the stage arrives in a blaze of glory from director Sam Brown’s theatrical staging in Leeds but what is served up at Bridgewater Hall in Manchester is much more muted in its dramatisation, and although the work was originally written with the orchestra below the stage to add acoustic and psychological drama, here it was very much centre and fore. Running at just over four hours stage time, Parsifal tells the story of the Knights of the Holy Grail, much of it narrated by a veteran knight, Gurnemanz (Brindley Sherratt). The castle of Monsalvat has been established by Titurel (Stephen Richardson) as a sanctuary for the Holy Grail and the Spear that pierced Christ’s side, before retiring in favour of his son, Amfortas (Robert Hayward), who...

13Jun

By Louise BalaguerNo Comments

Scotland

Beneath the Surface – Traverse Theatre

Originally halted by lockdown in 2020 before the play had even had its initial run, Beneath the Surface will have had to remain just so for a little while longer. From tonight’s performance, I like to think that the extra lapse of time (and come on, when do you ever get that really?) will have only given the cast and crew the opportunity to hopefully make this show the best it could be. True to its name, the play explores what lurks beneath, what feeds the pressures that young people might feel today. As 5 friends are drawn to venture into a cave as a storm hits them and they are looking for a bit of adventure during the holidays, they find themselves pushed to confront their shadows. You know, those parts of ourselves that we don’t want to dig too deep for and would rather leave buried...

The Return of the Rainbow Monologues – Liverpool’s Royal Court

11Jun

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

The Return of the Rainbow Monologues – Liverpool’s Royal Court

The Return of the Rainbow Monologues is a collection of eight short LGBTQIA+ themed monologues from Grin Theatre. Presented during Pride month, the show both explores the difficulties faced by the Community and celebrates the intricacies of the individuals belonging to it. Directed by Dan Scott, with creative direction from Kiefer Williams, the production feels particularly intimate in the beautiful studio space at the Royal Court. All four actors sit on the stage throughout the entire show, creating a feeling of togetherness during the individual performances. Rainbow lighting is used in keeping with the theme of the show and each half opens with a snippet from Over the Rainbow, which is both on theme and especially resonant on Judy Garland’s 100th birthday. The costumes and m...

Bad Clowns: Invasion – New Wimbledon Theatre

11Jun

By Khushboo ShahNo Comments

London

Bad Clowns: Invasion – New Wimbledon Theatre

Promising an hour of absolute tomfoolery, laughter, and hoots, the Bad Clowns Trio presented Bad Clowns: Invasion at the New Wimbledon Theatre as part of their fringe festival. The Bureau for Alien Defence (B.A.D.) is faced with an arduous task which is to locate a mind-controlling alien and diffuse a time bomb that can wipe off the entire planet. Trying all kinds of unique and hilarious gimmicks to complete the task at hand, do Agents Sam and Christian succeed? The small black box theatre space known as the Studio welcomed the audience with two special agents curiously questioning spectators about their favourite planet, occasionally showing off their pistols. This interaction was enough to predict the laughter that was delivered quite efficiently in the due course of the play. The sho...

BenDeLaCreme is… Ready To Be Committed – Leicester Square Theatre

11Jun

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

BenDeLaCreme is… Ready To Be Committed – Leicester Square Theatre

BenDeLaCreme oozes charisma in her spectacular solo showcase. The show begins with her preparing for marriage, except she is missing a groom and a wedding dress amongst other “small” details. Coerced by a feisty and entitled wedding cake topper, BenDeLaCreme’s doubts are pushed aside as she plans her special day. She begins to question the notion of marriage and love, inspired by talking inanimate objects which come to life. Full of colour and range, from historical raps to a medieval version of Single Ladies, DeLa shows her talent as a performer, lyricist and creative director. The dramatisation of relatable events, of rejection, excitement and anticipation are almost cathartic to watch, as she allows her full emotional expression. The Grindr experience in which the men are ken dol...

Seven Minutes in Heaven – Traverse Theatre

11Jun

By Beth EltringhamNo Comments

Scotland

Seven Minutes in Heaven – Traverse Theatre

Strange Town Youth Theatre brings us a 1-hour short play written by Edinburgh writer Shelley Middler exploring the struggles teenagers face in this current world. We get a glimpse into serious issues such as the sharing of personal pictures, the sexual pressures on young people today and discovery of sexuality, all of this is brought together in the setting of a small house party. Every cast member has a chance to showcase their skills with an overwhelming abundance of characters, demonstrating some brilliant mime work and use of freeze frames and monologues. There’s an overall story that someone has been attacked and each of the characters have moments in which they are questioned by the police in their own spotlight. This is designed to keep the audience on their toes allowing them to...

10Jun

By Louise KershawNo Comments

North West

Find Me – Hope Street Theatre

Based on the true story of Verity Taylor, a young woman with undiagnosed autism, and the family attempting to understand and support her in a system that could not cope with her challenging behaviour, one could be forgiven for thinking this powerful play by Olwen Wymark is a modern commentary on a system in crisis, failing those who need it most. Not the case, I’m afraid. Written in 1976, Find Me depicts a family struggling to cope as they are failed and misunderstood by educators, medical staff, Social Services and the Crown Prosecution Service, the result being the conviction of a 20-year-old woman, institutionalized since the age of 11 years and 5 months, and admitted to a Psychiatric unit at Broadmoor, unable to be released without the express agreement of the Home Secretary. Her crime...

10Jun

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

On Air – Traverse Theatre

"On Air" mixes classic Fairy-tale characters and stories with modern sensibilities and need for "content". It evolved from small improvisations based around fairy tale characters in unusual settings, which were subsequently structured and developed by director Bradley Lewis Cannon. It is presumably from this latter stage we get the wraparound story involving a group of high-schoolers (an out-of-his-depth director played by Christie Gill, an ambitious Runner played by Emma Makin, and the genial sound-man Peter played by Jamie Duffin) trying to make a fake show as an audition piece for a TV channel together with its host, Kerry Minger (Finlay Gilzean). Within this structure we get three individual pieces, two of them involving tabloid talk shows around Sleeping Beauty (Layla Crombie-Su...

The Girl on the Train – Upstairs at The Gatehouse

10Jun

By Gemma PrinceNo Comments

London

The Girl on the Train – Upstairs at The Gatehouse

Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Able’s stage adaptation of Paula Hawkins’ hugely successful novel The Girl on the Train has been given a revamp in this new production, following its tour and West End debut in 2019. Directed by Joseph Hodges, the story focuses on Rachel Watson (Katie Ray), a struggling alcoholic that has lost her job and her husband Tom (Tom Gordon) who has moved on with his new partner Anna (Tori Hargreaves) and their baby. Rachel travels on the train to London every day, as it stops, she has a perfect view of the house where she lived with her ex-husband as well as the couple two doors down. As Rachel watches neighbours Megan (Chrystine Symone) and Scott (Scott Hipwell), she enviously imagines what life could be like for this couple she doesn’t know. When Megan suddenly goe...

Anything Goes – Palace Theatre, Manchester

9Jun

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

Anything Goes – Palace Theatre, Manchester

Manchester is basking in theatrical bliss right now. We’ve just bid farewell to Beauty and the Beast and are getting ready to welcome the Lion King back to the city later in the year, but before that the SS American has docked in the city with a stellar cast proving that literally Anything Goes. Originally opening on Broadway in 1934 the show has gone through many re inventions, the last being the 2021 revival which played in London’s Barbican Theatre and mirrors this UK tour before it returns to the Barbican this summer. Cole Porter sure knows how to pen a tune with some of his most famous songs featuring in this 2 and a half spectacle. For those not familiar with the plot, the story concerns madcap antics aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London. Billy Crocker is a stowa...