REVIEWS Archives - Page 295 of 417

19May

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Snatched – Soho Theatre

Snatched currently running at Soho Upstairs and is written and performed by previous Coronation Street actor Melissa Johns, following her life prior to her dreams of becoming an actor, dating in her teens and mastering riding the bike. Melissa was born missing a forearm, of which only seems like a big deal to everyone else. We are taken through a rabbit hole all the moments that revealed something new to her. From the first moment of feeling romantic love, where she strategically hid her arm to avoid any prior judgement to the moment her agent rang her to reveal that her naked pictures were leaked and about to be in the papers. Johns is a firecracker as she dances around from scene to scene revealing how the comments from others pushed her into heavily critiquing the things she cannot c...

19May

By Maani WayNo Comments

London

Patricia Gets Ready – Brixton House

“When the person you love hits you, it hurts.” Patricia Gets Ready is an honest, engaging, and compelling story, dealing with the struggles of meeting not only an ex-boyfriend, but an abusive ex-boyfriend who Patricia was forced to leave. After bumping into him on the street after almost a year, Patricia is too stunned to speak and unable to articulate her feelings. She struggled to voice her well-prepared speech that she had been sitting on since the relationship ended, instead agreeing to meet him for dinner that evening. We follow Patricia through her journey of getting ready for this rendezvous, as she reminisces, questions her actions, and reflects on her mental turmoil. The star of this one-woman show is Yasmin Dawes. Portraying Patricia as charismatic, funny, and most importan...

19May

By Robert BartleyNo Comments

London

Grease – Dominion Theatre

‘Grease’ is one of those shows that everyone knows, even people who don’t like musicals. Who among us hasn’t performed one half of the legendary megamix (badly) at a wedding or Christmas party? Steeped in kitsch 1950s nostalgia, the original “high school musical" premiered on stage in 1971 before being immortalised on film with the world’s tightest trousers in 1978, cementing the careers of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Now, 15 years after it was last seen in London, the show is back in town. Reimagined by Nikolai Foster (Curve’s resident Artistic Director), and featuring choreography by Arlene Phillips, ‘Grease’ has moved into the Dominion Theatre for a summer run on the back of a successful UK tour. But with such a well-known and often-visited show, ...

19May

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

North West

Anything Goes – The Brindley Theatre

Centenary Theatre Company brings Cole Porter’s Anything Goes to the Brindley Theatre after two and a half years in the making. With the dreaded Covid putting a hold on things, they were able to bring most of the original cast back to display the hard work they have put into this show. Set aboard the Luxury liner S.S. American as it travels from New York to England, we follow the comings and goings of a nightclub singer, a wealthy English Aristocrat, a public enemy, and many more in this fast paced, music filled show. The show started with the house curtains closed as the band played the Overture, sounding incredible and stayed sounding amazing throughout. When the curtains opened, we were introduced to the very impressive looking set, mostly the deck of the liner with pieces wheeled on ...

two Palestinians go dogging – Royal Court

19May

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

two Palestinians go dogging – Royal Court

Shireen Abu Akleh, celebrated observer of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Al Jazeera correspondent was recently shot and killed in Jenin in the West Bank. The 51-year-old reported on every flashpoint in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem over three decades. As the Arab world reeled from her death, accusing Israeli forces of wilful assassination, her funeral became an explosive scene as Israeli officers beat mourners while they carried her casket. The circumstances around Abu Akleh death are so inflammatory, emotional and horrific that it seemed sure to ignite new grievance and escalate the conflict. In fact, after 3 days, it’s fallen off the news agenda. There are other wars to focus on. Fresh, shiny battles that aren’t as complex and divisive as the atrocitie...

19May

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

The Cher Show – Opera House, Manchester

After six decades of a career encompassing pop and film stardom, political activism and television success, it was a no-brainer that the life of Cherilyn Sarkasian, aka Cher, would eventually make the transition to a stage musical. Now, the 2018 Broadway show (with a significant overhaul courtesy of Leicester Curve Theatre) lands at Opera House in Manchester to a rapturous reception on press night. The audience here is knowledgeable and primed (unlike at Sunderland Empire, where people left the theatre when they realised it wasn't Cher performing!) and they were not to be disappointed in the depth of detail with which the show represents her early life. Cher has long been a spokesperson for LGBTQ+ rights and her story of early marginalisation, mistreatment and oppression is a story that...

Alistair McGowan: The Piano Show – Cadogan Hall

19May

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Alistair McGowan: The Piano Show – Cadogan Hall

Alistair McGowan's show is a "game of two halves", a unique blend of stand-up impressions and classical piano. McGowan's self-titled debut album reached No 1 in the Classical Album charts, launching his rebranded career as a classical pianist. His second classical album has also just been released. In this new show, he combines his abilities as well-known impressionist and comedian with his more recent classical music talents. His career so far has been as eclectic as this show; he starred in The Big Impression, one of the BBC's top-rated comedy programmes for four years, has worked in the West End (Art, Cabaret, Little Shop of Horrors, Mikado), written plays and books and provided voice-overs for Spitting Image. McGowan's impressions are spot-on, with some well-known voices mixed...

19May

By Louise KershawNo Comments

North West

Oh Mother – HOME

If you have ever had a child, been a child, had or been a mother, cared for someone you love or if you have ever had a dishwasher, at some point during this perfectly paced piece of physical theatre you will be struck, right in the heart and soul. Oh Mother is made up of fragments of stories that are interrupted and cut off, woven together to create the dreamlike world you can live in when you are taking care of someone, at the beginning or the end of their life. The stories are interspersed with sequences of movement and music that adventure into epic domestic, rage, gender, bonding, attachment and climbing into that fantastic beast of domestic white goods… The Rashdash Company of three, present a brilliant Brechtian bonanza which looks at women’s roles as key carers to their own...

19May

By Lewis DownhamNo Comments

North West

Chicago – New Wimbledon Theatre

New Wimbledon Theatre had it coming as the show razzle dazzled its way onto the stage, with popular musical hits such as Cell Block Tango, Mister Cellophane and many more. The show is set in 1920’s Chicago and follows the story of Roxie Hart (Faye Brookes) and Velma Kelly (Djalenga Scott) as they battle for a space on the front of the newspaper to gain fame and stardom, after murdering various lovers after not getting their way. Billy Flynn (Russell Watson) takes the case of the two stars. The set for this production was stripped back, which by no means takes away from the show but frames the stage and band quite literally as they take centre stage while being immersed into the show and given a character of their own. Interacting with the cast led by Andrew Hilton (Musical Director) ...

Ross & Rachel – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

19May

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

Ross & Rachel – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

They were arguably the biggest on-screen couple of the 1990s. But what happened after the cameras stopped rolling on Ross and Rachel? After all, no one told life was gonna be this way. Written by James Fritz, strangely this isn't a play about the iconic couple from Friends. Instead, it is about a young couple navigating their way through life until they're delivered a massive blow. What starts off as relatively light hearted takes a more sinister turn. To add to this, the play directed by Carole Carr, is essentially a series of monologues delivered by one actor. In this case Fiona Primrose rose to the challenge. Her dramatic scenes were when she shone brightest, but personally I would have preferred a more distinguished difference between the two characters. I did have the joy of see...