REVIEWS Archives - Page 299 of 548

Ahoy! Ballad of the Time Kraken – Salford Arts Theatre

30Jul

By Scot CunninghamNo Comments

North West

Ahoy! Ballad of the Time Kraken – Salford Arts Theatre

A confusion of school disco music, playground lyrics, art room props, nativity choreography and dress-up box costumes make this poorly performed, barely-plotted absurdity of a musical unfit for performance in front of a paying audience in its current state. You wouldn't swab the poop deck with this two-and-a-half-hour shamble. ‘Ahoy! Ballad of the Time Kraken’ continues at Salford Arts Centre until 29th July with tickets available from https://manchester.ssboxoffice.com/events/ahoy-ballad-of-the-time-kraken/ Reviewer: Scot Cunningham Reviewed: 28th July 2023 North West End UK Rating: ★

30Jul

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

Word-Play – Royal Court

Artist – audience - resonance - reflection - WEIRD - discomfort - indifference - values - public - harm - community - responsible? – cracked - so many tiny pieces. Rabiah Hussain has made a masterpiece. Word- Play is evocative, heart-wrenching and poignant. Kudos to director Nimmo Ismail for the skilled use of light, space, and direction. Each of the actors painted with broad strokes scenes from across London. Some we have observed, some we have heard of and many that clawed into our skins and made us feel deeply. From scenes of bastions of power making guffaws to the playground to dinner-time social niceties, the drama uncovers the discomfort that often remains unexpressed in social interactions using words that give light to our unconscious biases and blind spots. Also, how we lean...

30Jul

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Top Hat & Heels – Pontins Southport

Wayne Billany (aka Miss Kitty) and JoJo the infamous duo from Newcastle Upon Tyne’s Pure Entertainment Group are on the road again to entertain thousands of holiday makers! Starting their lengthy summer tour in Southport Pontins, these two are no newbies to life on the road as they have become seasoned favourites on the holiday/club circuits with their high energy comedy drag act. This summer alone they have over 40 venues booked across the length and the breadth of the UK. For as long as I remember I have loved to watch drag performers, from the pantomime dames to Foo Foo Lammar, Dame Edna Everage, Lilly Savage, Betty Legs Diamond - this flamboyant world has always caught my attention. Remembering the drag performers in history that changed our world such as Coccinelle, Marsha P. Johns...

The Rubbish Shakespeare Company’s Romeo and Juliet – Liverpool Theatre Festival

28Jul

By Bev ClarkNo Comments

North West

The Rubbish Shakespeare Company’s Romeo and Juliet – Liverpool Theatre Festival

The theatre gods smiled on Liverpool’s Bombed Out Church this afternoon and kept the rain away for The Rubbish Shakespeare Company’s Romeo and Juliet. Three actors present this comic tomfoolery with plenty of physicality, energy, adlibs, bad wigs and a packet of sausage rolls. This immersive theatre relies heavily on audience participation and luckily there were lots of young people in the audience willing to get up and be part of the show, so us adults didn’t have to. Lee Hithersay, Alex MacDonald along with Thomas Galashan, who was making his debut this afternoon, showed that underneath all their clowning about and slapstick they can actually act. They are professions as Hithersay reminds us. This funny, accessible, hour-long show gives us the main gist and characters ...

28Jul

By Louise KershawNo Comments

North West

Baggy Bra – The Squad House, Stockport

Meet Barb. Barb loves bras. Her daughter designs and makes them. Together they sell them to grateful women, keen to have something comfortable, stylish and well fitted to wear each day. From Barb’s little shop they welcome women in need of advice, support and a proper fitting. Starting in the bar of this great new venue, Barb (Sian Parry-Williams) welcomes the audience into the space where cabaret style seating awaits, glitter sparkles, Welsh flags proudly adorn, and we enter her world of all things mammary. Parry-Williams takes immediate control of the action and the audience takes to her instantly. A well-rounded character with sharp wit and enormous warmth, she shatters the fourth wall conspiratorially and instantly gains our loyalty, which remains throughout. The play itse...

28Jul

By Max EdenNo Comments

North West

Message In a Bottle – The Lowry

Based on the songs of Sting; Message in a Bottle is a breathtaking dance production that immerses its audience in a captivating narrative of hope, resilience, and human connection. It is really quite incredible! From the opening scene to the final curtain call, this show delivers an emotional rollercoaster that will leave your heart so full, following the story of one family and their three teenage children as they are uprooted and displaced by civil war and go through the harsh reality of fleeing for safety. The choreography by Kate Prince is nothing short of extraordinary. Every movement, every gesture, and every leap conveys a profound story, captivating the audience and creating a powerful visual spectacle. The dance sequences are executed flawlessly, blending contemporary ...

Tick Tick … Boom! – St Mary’s Creative Space, Chester

28Jul

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

North West

Tick Tick … Boom! – St Mary’s Creative Space, Chester

This is the first Productions from Disley Theatrical Productions (the brain child of Luke Disley) and what a show to open with. Tick Tick...Boom! is a Semi-autobiographical musical of writer, Jonathan Larson. It follows the story of Jon who lives in New York in 1990. As he approached his 30th birthday, he begins to question his life choices and career path to be part of the performing arts. Larson began performing this piece as solo work in 1990, but after his death in 1996, it was revamped by Playwright, David Auburn, as a Three actor piece. Tick Tick...Boom! Include incredible songs including 30/90, Therapy and the glorious Louder Than Words. The cast is made up of three fantastic performers, Phil Cross as Jon, Ceri-Lyn Cissone-Hunter as Susan and others and Calum Craine as Mich...

26Jul

By Donna M DayNo Comments

North West

Transistor – Hope Street Theatre

Dark Horse Theatre Chiang Mai’s Transistor is an exploration of gender and sexuality and its effects on family life. Written and directed by Kelly Holliday this is a very funny and dramatic piece of theatre which takes an issue which is currently causing a lot of controversy and arguments, particularly online, and makes it something which can be talked about albeit without minimising the strength of emotions people feel about it. The set is overwhelmed with busyness, with clutter and cardboard boxes littering most of the stage. The chaos contrasts well with a peaceful looking bench on a patch of grass. Empty picture frames hang over the stage and the boxes are labelled to illustrate that their contents are the result of an ongoing clear out. The play opens with Vivian (Judy Mandel) c...

Same, Same, But Different – Brixton House

26Jul

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

Same, Same, But Different – Brixton House

‘Same, same, but different’ is a rocking blockbuster. It packs the romance, the relationship's transformation and deepening, and almost a decade of the queer couple in an hour-long play! With its keen perception of the lived realities of mixed-race couples, heteronormative families, and insensitive work environments, it is crafted with finesse to hit a nerve across broader demographics. This play must be seen, celebrated, talked about and seen again. We meet the endearing characters of Cam and Jesse at the age-old queer meet cute outside the dance hall. Though one is familiar with all the beats of romance, it is refreshing to see a queer and non-binary couple express their love, friendship, commitment and decision-making on stage. The agony and ecstasy of romance is scene painted with t...

26Jul

By Scot CunninghamNo Comments

North West

Cruise – HOME Mcr

After two crowd-pleasing West End runs, this vibrant, gritty HIV-based drama journeys outside London for its first time. Through a tell-all phone call to Switchboard answered by the young and inexperienced Jack, Michael recounts his supposed final years in London following a HIV diagnosis that gave him 4 years left to live. Jack Holden imbues the piece with wholehearted zest as he bounces, climbs and dances around Nik Corrall’s versatile industrial set. Capably taking on all roles- that’s some thirty characters, though a few may be surplus to requirement- Holden never wavers, captivating the audience with his energy alone. This is by no means a one-show, though: on-stage music producer John Patrick Elliott supplies an intense electronic score, the beats, tunes and synth of which t...