REVIEWS Archives - Page 3 of 569

Operation Mincemeat – Wolverhampton Grand

18Mar

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

West Midlands

Operation Mincemeat – Wolverhampton Grand

“Helsinki!” It seems diversion, deception and misdirection are the mainstay of world politics and a swift scroll through todays newsfeeds uncovers a strew of devices and ploys employed by the most powerful people (mostly men) in the world to distract the same world from uncovering their doings. I think you know who I mean without naming names. So, it’ll come as no surprise people (mostly men) throughout history have been doing the same and in tonight’s case we’re looking at the British deception operation in World War Two intended to disguise the 1943 invasion of Italy. I’m not sure how you disguise an invasion. It surely must be very noisy. Apparently, it involves the body of tramp dressed as a royal marine, loaded with fake ID, fake info, fake uniform and, yes, fake news. This vers...

18Mar

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

The Battle – Manchester Opera House

In the mid-90s the UK music scene saw the explosion of Britpop where bands such as Pulp, The Charlatans and Elastica dominated the airwaves. The power of Britpop was nowhere more keenly seen than in 1995 when the titans of the genre, Blur and Oasis, went head-to-head in a battle to the number one chart spot when their singles Country House and Roll With It were released on the same day. It became more than just a fight between two bands who were known for their disdain for each other but was seen as a duel between North vs. South: posh art graduates versus working class lads. The media seized upon the apparent battle for the nation’s musical soul and a legendary rivalry was cemented. Author-turned-playwright John Niven has focused his attention on this musical milestone for The Battl...

18Mar

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Meursault – Traverse Theatre

There is something slightly incongruous about seeing Meursault at the Traverse Theatre. The venue is best known for drama rather than indie music, and that theatrical context inevitably shapes the experience. What might feel like a raw, emotional gig elsewhere becomes something closer to a performance piece here, with an audience inclined to listen politely rather than react. The evening opens with a generous half-hour set from Stefan Honig, the Cologne-based singer-songwriter. Performing solo with guitar, Honig delivers an intimate and understated opening to the night. His songs, which he admits he isn’t always entirely sure how to explain, lean towards reflective folk, delivered with quiet confidence. One highlight is For Those Lost at Sea (2012), which stands out for its...

The Legend of Davie McKenzie – Traverse Theatre

14Mar

By Roger JacobsNo Comments

Scotland

The Legend of Davie McKenzie – Traverse Theatre

From the duo who brought us Dancing Shoes at this venue before Christmas (and The Scaff prior to that) comes another play providing a comic, tragic and moving portrait of life on the ‘other’ side of the tracks. In their latest offering Stephen Christopher & Graeme Smith bring us Sean and Davie who meet as kids on a housing scheme and, both father-less, hang out together escaping their drab surroundings via their favourite films. Their perspectives on life are betrayed as they frequently play characters set against the world whether it’s Butch and Sundance or Tony Montana. Davie is clearly the more gallus of the two, claiming to have seen every single film ever made. Unsurprisingly his vibrant, imaginative approach to life knows few boundaries. The two end up in prison for ...

14Mar

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Opera North: Peter Grimes – The Lowry

In the week Timothée Chalamet made his ill-advised claim that “no one cares about ballet and opera anymore”, the 1,700 people gathered at the Lyric Theatre in Salford to watch Opera North’s revival of Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes would strongly disagree. Chalamet might revise his opinion were he ever to see this production. Karolina Sofulak’s revival of the 2006 original presents Britten’s music in all its brooding glory while sharply revealing the paranoia and groupthink at the heart of the story. The opera begins in silence. Peter Grimes (John Findon) stands in the dock before an inquest into the death of his young apprentice, William Spode. The townspeople of The Borough are deeply suspicious of Grimes, a loner and outcast in their close-knit and introspective society. His acquitt...

13Mar

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Ancient Grease – The Vaults, London

Few venues could host something as gleefully ridiculous as ‘Ancient Grease’, but The Vaults proves the perfect playground. By taking the familiar DNA of the much-beloved musical Grease and hurling it backwards in time to Mount Olympus, the production, written by Lady Aria Grey, creates a riotous, camp, and unapologetically adult parody that revels in theatrical mischief. The result is a night of theatre that feels mischievous, raunchy, and irresistibly fun. Set at the fictional Olympus Academy, the story “loosely” echoes the structure of the original Grease narrative, but with gods, goddesses and mythical chaos replacing high school antics. Zeus (Peter Camilleri) and Hera (Philippa Leadbetter) find their relationship under the watchful manipulation of the Fates whilst other Olympian...

13Mar

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

Iron Fantasy – Soho Theatre

Do you feel strong? Harder? Better? Faster? Stronger? She Goat’s Iron Fantasy is putting in the work to achieve all of the above. Shamira Turner and Eugénie Pastor are a formidable two-woman operation dolled up and scrubbed in to peel back every layer of each other’s armour both literal and metaphorical. A seventy-five-minute romp through song, dance, farmer carrying, tire slinging and fight choreographing, Iron Fantasy is fun and funny. The performers have a beautiful chemistry and obvious ease with each other that enables them to connect with the audience as well but despite the inherent vulnerability of staging the show’s autobiographical themes their bond insulates them from much of the audience’s scrutiny. A testament to the power of female friendship and the strength gained...

13Mar

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

The Marriage of Figaro – The Lowry

Opera North’s 2026 production of The Marriage of Figaro proves that a thoughtful modernisation can illuminate a classic without dimming its original sparkle. Rather than forcing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Lorenzo Da Ponte’s comedy into a contemporary mould, this staging updates the setting with a light touch, trusting the intelligence of the audience and the resilience of the material. The result feels both fresh and recognisable. Often cited among the greatest operas ever written, the story unfolds over the chaotic wedding day of Figaro, valet to Count Almaviva, and his beloved Susannah, maid to the Countess. Their hopes of marital bliss are threatened by the Count’s relentless pursuit of Susannah and by the arrival of a housekeeper armed with a contract demanding marriage from Figaro...

The Grand Babylon Hotel – Hull Truck Theatre

13Mar

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Grand Babylon Hotel – Hull Truck Theatre

London’s Savoy Hotel became a second home to the famous author Arnold Bennett, who, it is said, based his 1901 novel The Grand Babylon Hotel on the luxury establishment. And on Thursday evening, watched playwright and ex-Coronation Street actress, Deborah McAndrew’s adaptation at the Hull Truck Theatre. McAndrew is a co-founder (along with the show’s director Conrad Nelson) of the Claybody Theatre, based in Stoke-on-Trent, and it’s that venue’s production, in association with the New Vic, that is gracing Hull Truck’s stage this week. Classed as a “rollicking comedy thriller”, my seat in row B afforded me a grand view of the stage setting - a patterned floor in greys, white and black upon which stood a reception desk, table, chairs, suitcases, brass Bellboy trolley and a butler’s s...

One Day: The Musical – The Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh

13Mar

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

One Day: The Musical – The Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh

When a beloved novel arrives on stage, the question is always the same, what can theatre add that the page or the screen cannot? With One Day, The Musical, adapted from the best-selling novel by David Nicholls with book by David Greig and music and lyrics by Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano Ramirez, the answer lies not only in performance but in space itself. When I go to see a musical, I am essentially judging three things, the story, the staging, and the performances. In other words, what is said, how the piece is physically realised, and how convincingly the cast bring it all to life. In this case, all three come remarkably close to full marks. David Greig’s script adaptation works remarkably well, keeping the structure of the original story while translating its episodic nature to...