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Friday, February 21

REVIEWS

Animal Farm – Stratford East
London

Animal Farm – Stratford East

George Orwell's Animal Farm was published in 1945, in a world radically different from the modern political scene. Much may have changed in that time, but the themes of human nature, the lure of power and greed remain scarily relevant.  Tatty Hennessy's revised working of Orwell's iconic novel highlights the changing work landscape, the loss of an industrial base, the realities of factory farming, and the roles of equality and fairness in society. On the run-down Manor Farm, owned by cruel farmer Jones, the animals long for a world in which they can be equal, free and happy. Major, the elderly and respected boar, calls on the animals to work together to overthrow the farmer. On Major's death, Napoleon and Snowball, two young pigs, assume the informal leadership of the group and org...
One Punch – HOME Mcr
North West

One Punch – HOME Mcr

Everything can change in a moment, sometimes to devastating effect. Demonstrating that is the ambition of ‘One Punch’, a unique one-hour production from the John Godber Company in partnership with the charity One Punch Hull. Opening on minimalist staging, a square outlined with police tape symbolic of a boxing ring, our story is narrated by three NHS paramedics Corey (Ellis Basford), Sarah (Camille Hainsworth-Staples) and Jack (George Reid) detailing the stresses of their jobs. Setting the scene for the story ahead, it is clear from the beginning this is a cautionary tale. Our narrators smartly guide the audience through the oncoming scenes making up the events of this poignant but fatal day. The company of three performers switch through multiple characters as they tell the story of...
Shirley Valentine – Octagon Theatre
North West

Shirley Valentine – Octagon Theatre

Heartfelt, Humorous, Honest The Octagon Theatre Bolton's production of Shirley Valentine offers a refreshing and deeply relatable take on Willy Russell's classic one-woman play. The Lancashire setting offers a subtle but effective change that makes Shirley’s story feel even more personal and relevant, infusing the narrative with local charm. Directed by Lotte Wakeham with warmth and sensitivity, the play follows Shirley Bradshaw (née Valentine), a middle-aged housewife who finds herself stuck in a monotonous routine of cooking tea for her unappreciative husband. As she reminisces about her younger, more adventurous self, she receives an unexpected opportunity to escape to Greece, where a simple holiday becomes a journey of self-discovery. Mina Anwar, best known for her work on tel...
Teechers – The Forum Theatre
North West

Teechers – The Forum Theatre

Before I set off to watch this show this evening, I was trying to remember previous occasions when I had seen NK put on this play by John Godber (who is one of the authors who they seem to visit on a regular basis, having seen “Bouncers and Shakers” a number of times also) and if my memory is correct, I think this is the third time I have seen it in the past 8 years or so. Previous casts have utilised more adult actors, but this production is much more realistic in that all the cast are still in their teens so are genuinely playing characters of their own age. Teechers is actually a play within a play, which the students perform for their teachers, taking on twenty or so different roles throughout the show. The stage setting is very basic, consisting of a noticeboard, blackboard, a coup...
Blithe Spirit – Hope Mill Theatre
North West

Blithe Spirit – Hope Mill Theatre

Director Hannah Ellis Ryan of Her Productions illuminated Hope Mill Theatre with her production of Blithe Spirit. Ellis Ryan has had some fabulous successes in her previous direction of ‘Vignettes’ and ‘Taming of the Shrew’ at Hope Mill, so I was thrilled to be asked to review her latest masterpiece. Blithe Spirit is a High-Spirited Comedy by the Masterful Noël Coward, the play was first seen in the West End in 1941 and ran for 1,997 performances, which was a new record for a non-musical play in London. It also did well on Broadway later that year, running for 657 performances. The play was adapted for the cinema in 1945; a second film version followed in 2020. The plot relates to Charles Condomine (Peter Stone) a novelist, and his wife Ruth (Ntombizodwa Ndlovu), who have invited the...
Sweet Revenge – Rainhill Village Hall
North West

Sweet Revenge – Rainhill Village Hall

Sophie Brogan has selected a real cracker for her directorial debut which plays to the strengths of both the company and their venue with an almost full house for opening night. Francis Durbridge is one of Britain’s most popular crime novelists and playwrights, and while it was his last play, Sweet Revenge is considered to be his best. Dr Ross Marquand (Rick Young) has it all: a high-flying career as a cardiac consultant, a wonderful home, and a beautiful wife, Fay (Alison Mawdsley) as well as the respect of medical colleague Sam Kennedy (George Lowe), businessman Bill Yorke (Tom Nevitt), and assistant Judy Hilton (Liz Munro). In spite of the immediate support of her brother Alan (Peter Cliffe) and close friend Marian (Angela Vose), Fay is not a happy woman, more so since she met...
More Life – The Royal Court
London

More Life – The Royal Court

More Life is an exceptional and bold production, taking an ambitious and complex story and realising it expertly on stage. The play takes us inside the research lab of Edius, who are trying to upload the consciousness of dead people back into new, robotic bodies. After many failed attempts, Bridget is uploaded, and the promising signs she displays lead Victor (Marc Elliott) into a spiralling obsession with making her ‘work’, no matter her suffering and despite the objections of his lab assistant, Mike (Lewis Mackinnon). This torment leads Bridget (Alison Halstead) to break free of her captivity, running to the only place she can, the house of her former husband, Harry (Tim McMullan), and his wife Davina (Helen Schlesinger). Through this, the play explores the ethics of this search for ‘...
Ordinary Madness – Riverside Studios
London

Ordinary Madness – Riverside Studios

“There’s a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out, but I pour whiskey on him and inhale cigarette smoke.” Bukowski’s famous poem opens Ordinary Madness, the latest literature-based production from international ensemble company Art Theatre London. Cleverly staged into a series of sleek vignettes, the production attempts to stitch together Bukowski’s short stories and poems, but something crucial fails to connect. Bukowski’s world is dirty, grim, and visceral — his words make you taste the cigarette smoke, smell the sweat, and inhale the sensual perversion of our human condition. Here, under Anya Viller’s direction, the show too often feels like a sleek Drama Center showcase of its best and brightest: too safe, too clean, too polished. The young, dynamic cast struggles to capture ...
Escaped Alone & What If If Only – Royal Exchange
North West

Escaped Alone & What If If Only – Royal Exchange

Caryl Churchill has been feted amongst the theatrical fraternity for over half a century. Through her associations with The Royal Court and Joint Stock companies and their exploration of feminist themes and sexual identity, she was in the vanguard of gender politics, her style of writing and staging drawing comparisons with Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter. My exposure to her work has been limited to a production of ‘The Skriker’ at this theatre for the Manchester International Festival a decade ago, so I was keen to delve deeper into her worldview with this presentation of two of her later works as a double bill. Photo: Johan Persson Helmed by Sarah Frankcom, who, as the acclaimed former Artistic Director of this theatre, knows the opportunities and pitfalls of directing in this uni...
Boys From The Blackstuff – Richmond Theatre
London

Boys From The Blackstuff – Richmond Theatre

James Graham is one of the most celebrated playwrights working in the UK today, and Boys From The Blackstuff is one of the newest jewels in his crown. Starting off at Liverpool’s Royal Court in 2023 before transferring to the National Theatre and the Garrick Theatre last year, Boys From The Blackstuff is now embarking on a UK tour to treat more audiences across the country to its masterful blend of brilliant writing, heartbreaking characters, and deeply evocative depiction of 1980’s Liverpool. Based on Alan Bleasdale’s era-defining BBC drama of the same name, Boys From The Blackstuff weaves together the stories of five men: Dixie (Mark Womack), Chrissie (George Caple), Loggo (Jurell Carter), Yosser (Jay Johnson), and George (Ged Mckenna). As we watch them navigate life in a city plunged...