REVIEWS Archives - Page 3 of 563

24Feb

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Bird Grove – Hampstead Theatre

The great and the good were out in force for Bird Grove at Hampstead Theatre. Alison Steadman, Tasmin Grieg, Aneka Rice, Twiggy, Ian Hislop, Stephen Mangan and Joely Richardson, all in one room!? There was a buzz in the air for Alexi Kay Campbell’s return to writing for the stage. His glittering CV positions him as one the UK’s most celebrated authors. As an actor, Campbell worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Court, and Oxford Stage Company. His first play, The Pride, premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in 2008 and was awarded the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement, The Critic’s Circle Award for Most Promising Playwright, and The John Whiting Award for Best New Play. After a run of critically acclaimed productions, Campbell wrote the feature fil...

Priscilla Queen of the Desert – Palace Theatre

24Feb

By Scot CunninghamNo Comments

North West

Priscilla Queen of the Desert – Palace Theatre

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert first frolicked onto the big screen back in 1994, bringing a queer tale of friendship, drag and disco to audiences around the world. With a sequel on the way, what better time to board the lavender bus and relive this musical road trip all over again? Sydney-based drag queen Tick/Mitzi (Kevin Clifton) agrees to perform at his estranged wife’s resort on the other side of the country. Recruiting fellow performers Bernadette (Adele Anderson) and Felicia (Nick Hayes), the trio take a journey through the Outback, stumbling upon a host of beguiling folk along the way. The three leads typify the queens and their distinctive personalities: Clifton offers a level-headed yet anxious Mitzi, Anderson charms while calling the shots as Bernadette, a...

The Mirror Crack’d – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

24Feb

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

The Mirror Crack’d – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

Adapted by Rachel Wagstaff and Directed by Mike Shaw, The Mirror Crack’d graced the stage at the beautiful Altrincham Garrick Playhouse. Opening night played to an almost full auditorium, a testament to the theatre’s enduring reputation for quality productions. Under the assured direction of Mike Shaw, and in Rachel Wagstaff’s faithful and fluid adaptation of Agatha Christie’s novel, The Mirror Crack’d proved to be an absorbing and richly layered evening of classic mystery. Set in the village of St Mary Mead, the drama begins with the arrival of glamorous Hollywood actress Marina Gregg, who has purchased Gossington Hall. To mark the occasion, she hosts an elegant evening of cocktails, inviting the local community into her glittering world. During the party, a guest suddenly collapses af...

The Tiger Who Came To Tea – Sheffield Lyceum

20Feb

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Tiger Who Came To Tea – Sheffield Lyceum

Tea that hits the perfect spot! The Sheffield Lyceum Theatre welcomed a full house of young theatre goer’s to The Tiger Who Came To Tea. Expertly created and adapted by David Wood with Emma Clayton as Associate Director and Choreographer. The set design by Susie Caulcutt gave the visiting Sheffield tea party guests an open stage showing the detailed kitchen of the house. With an initial welcome by Aaron Andrews as Daddy/ Postman/Milkman and Tiger, Jenanne Redman as Mummy and Eleanor Meredith as Sophie, the audience are encouraged to interact with the characters, and this is maintained throughout the 55-minute performance. With Musical arrangers by Peter Ponzen and musical direction by like Cotton, this musical production is aimed at an audience of ages 3+. I took along my 8-year-old Gra...

20Feb

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Shenoah Allen – Soho Theatre

A therapist created a warning for Allen, ‘you have an unnamed dread’. He has been running from his endless tragedies growing up in his family’s unusual commune style living so Allen found humour in all that made him, himself. The show runs at 60 minutes with a mix of story telling and improv. Unfortunately, the momentum feels delayed and structured too loosely to feel completely free to let yourself go in the piece. Allen arrives on stage with a few fun punches to kick us off, a warm up to the dark material we may explore tonight but as we move through his deep family history, we feel lost by who the characters in his life really were. With no suitable introductions and niche impressions, we have a fairly blank impression on who these people are and therefore no reason to relate. ...

20Feb

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Road – Royal Exchange

2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Exchange Theatre, an occasion celebrated with a season of productions entitled 'A Homecoming', welcoming artistic alumni back to direct and perform in the Levitt Bernstein-designed "spaceship" nestled within the Victorian splendour of the old Exchange building. New Artistic Director Selina Cartmell launches the programme in strong style with a revival of Jim Cartwright's seminal 'Road', boasting a star-studded cast, astonishing design, and an unfortunate modern relevance forty years after its premiere. When the Royal Court Theatre first staged Road in 1986, Margaret Thatcher was at the height of her power and British society was beginning to see the effects of her political credo. While some prospered in this new "Gordon Gekko...

The Wizard of Oz – Northwich Memorial Court

20Feb

By Dan GrimesNo Comments

North West

The Wizard of Oz – Northwich Memorial Court

In recent years, and thanks largely to the popularity of its spin-off cousin Wicked, it feels like the whole world has contracted Oz-mania. So, I was very much looking forward to this trip to Northwich to revisit the original tale. I also have fond memories of playing the cowardly lion in my final year at high school approximately one hundred thousand years ago. I can’t believe there is a person in the Western Hemisphere who needs the story setting out for them but briefly The Wizard of Oz tells how young Dorothy Gale (Sidney Causer) and her little dog Toto (Jess Hazel) is swept from her farm in Kansas to a magical faraway place – the land of Oz. Guided by Good Witch Glinda (Amy Rattenbury) and tormented by the Wicked Witch of the West (Laura Slater-Hatton) Dorothy follows the Yel...

20Feb

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

The Last Picture – HOME Mcr

This may be a tale told by a dog, but it isn’t a shaggy dog story. It is a moving and perceptive tale about hate, shame, pain and ultimately humanity. In dangerous times, amidst the mess of human existence, light can shine, and there is hope. Storyteller Robin Simpson bounds onto the stage and tells us he is Sam, an emotional support dog trained to look after us all. He has been assigned to a Year 9 class, which means children aged 13 to 14. Catherine Dyson’s script is structured through a series of pictures described by Sam. We are invited to imagine these images sometimes from the kids' perspective, at times from our own, and even to envision how the people in those photos might have been feeling at the time. A swastika has been drawn on a locker, and even though the children mi...

Perfect Show For Rachel – The Crucible Playhouse

20Feb

By Nathan DunnNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Perfect Show For Rachel – The Crucible Playhouse

Zoo Co (co-produced with Improbable) brought ‘Perfect Show for Rachel’ to The Crucible Theatre Playhouse this week, and what a delight it is to have this production on Sheffield stages this February. The show is a beautiful evening of unrestrained creative exploration and recreation. As we enter the full cast are on stage, very relaxed and smiley as they allow the audience to filter into their pastel coloured living room stage space. An electronic drum-kit, piano and guitar stand upon a small raised area. Rachel O’Mahoney is the director, the all seeing eye, the creative arbiter and final say of this show. She sits behind a large desk adorned with dozens (some 40+) buttons. Her art adorns the walls, and her face is live streamed to a couple TVs attached to a colourful set evoking recrea...

18Feb

By Paddy Darnell-WalshNo Comments

North West

Single White Female – Blackpool Grand

Nineties nostalgia arrives in Blackpool this week, in the shape of the new stage version of John Lutz’s psychological thriller Single White Female, made famous by the 1992 movie starring Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Adapted by Rebecca Reid, the story is updated to the present day and relocated to the UK. Whilst many aspects are in keeping with the original, this stage adaptation certainly attempts to reinvent itself somewhat. The plot centres around Allie, following the breakdown of her marriage. As she moves into her own apartment, struggling for money, she advertises for a lodger. In an interesting twist to the original, Allie now has angsty teenage daughter, Bella instead of a dog (thank goodness no labrador puppies are harmed in this production!). When Hedy takes up the o...