REVIEWS Archives - Page 3 of 629

Unofficial Roxelana – Barons Court Theatre

22Sep

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

Unofficial Roxelana – Barons Court Theatre

It is always exciting to encounter multilingual theatre in London, particularly in a city with such a complex mix of languages, histories and communities. Unofficial Roxelana, performed in Turkish with English surtitles, is an example of the kind of work that can bring a specific cultural history into a shared theatrical space without having to translate away its original language. Written by Turkish playwright Özen Yula, the play tells the story of Hürrem Sultan, one of the most powerful women of the Ottoman Empire. Her journey from concubinage into the centre of the Ottoman court becomes a way of exploring power, gender, political ambition and the ways in which women's histories are remembered and retold. Rather than presenting Hürrem's story as a straightforward historical accoun...

The Opera Boys: The Farewell Tour – Floral Pavilion

22Sep

By Kevin EcclestonNo Comments

North West

The Opera Boys: The Farewell Tour – Floral Pavilion

There are some concerts where you know from the opening notes that you’re in for an evening of big voices and bigger emotions. The Opera Boys – The Farewell Tour, at the Floral Pavilion on 19th September 2026, did exactly that, with Britain’s Got Talent star Paul Potts joining the group for what is billed as a special farewell tour. The combination of The Opera Boys’ operatic crossover style and Potts’ instantly recognisable voice makes for an intriguing pairing, bringing together classical music, musical theatre and popular favorites in a format designed to appeal well beyond the traditional opera audience. The Opera Boys have built their reputation around bringing opera and classical crossover to mainstream audiences, and their performance combined vocal precision with plenty of pe...

CSI: Crime Scene improvisation – Underbelly Boulevard

22Sep

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

CSI: Crime Scene improvisation – Underbelly Boulevard

Following their success at the Edinburgh Fringe, here comes CSI: Crime Scene Improvisation at the Underbelly Boulevard in Soho London. There’s been a murder and no one knows why, how, what or who did it. It’s up to the audience to decide … everything. Admittedly, I think my audience was a little shy so after some coaxing from our Detective, we finally decided on our scenario and off we go. I wasn’t expecting as much audience participation however it was really welcomed, especially after we had warmed up to a much more involved experience. We followed the actors through the initial discovery, world building scenes to finally coming to the hot seat section where we got to ask our questions. We also got to decide which of our suspects are the most suspicious and therefore definitely did...

The Lover & A Slight Ache – The Questors Theatre

22Sep

By Prateek SonnyNo Comments

London

The Lover & A Slight Ache – The Questors Theatre

Desire, dysfunction, and drama doubled. The Lover & A Slight Ache, directed by David Erdos, is a double bill of classic Harold Pinter plays. While the two plays were written separately, the similarities between their themes create an intriguing convergence when performed together. Erdos' direction and the cast's performances create a sense of continuity between the two plays, making the transition from one to the next feel deliberate rather than a coincidence. The Lover tells the story of Richard (Harry Roebuck) and Sarah (Catherine Luff), a married couple in their thirties. It is soon established that they have settled into a seemingly amicable arrangement where Sarah welcomes her “lover” into their home in the afternoons. Whereas Richard visits his “mistress” after work. It is a s...

22Sep

By Klervi GavetNo Comments

London

Current/y – Coronet Theatre

Current/Y is a genuinely interesting but uneven 50-minute piece exploring our relationship with AI, social media and algorithms. Some sequences offer a genuinely sharp commentary on human experience in the age of technology; others remain so opaque throughout that it becomes difficult to understand what is being watched. Taiwanese dancer Chen Yi performs with motion capture, while an avatar appears on the screen behind her. The opening sequence sees the avatar multiply, followed by a largely silent interaction between performer and screen. Without much framework, it is difficult to know what this interaction is meant to convey: the plurality of our internet presence? Our lack of control over it? The strongest sequence sees Chen Yi become an influencer selling beauty products. Her ava...

Letter to Brezhnev – Liverpool’s Royal Court

22Sep

By Carole BaldockNo Comments

North West

Letter to Brezhnev – Liverpool’s Royal Court

We begin with quite a dilemma because the curtain rises on one of the most intriguing, complex sets I’ve ever seen - but no wish to spoil the impact, so let’s call it multi-level, multi-layered and multi-purpose, covering a lot of ground, from Russia to the UK: ship and Kremlin to a council house, pubs and the Kirkby Chicken Factory. The set ingeniously changes the scene with fittings sliding in and out, back and forth, or even turned around, while manhandling the props is skilfully done. However, considering so much care has been taken, the devil is in a couple of details: Elaine threatening somebody with using her stilettoes as a weapon when she is wearing flats, and Nan’s 80th birthday party – with no sign of Nan. On the bright side, set in 1985, when two Liverpool lasses meet up wit...

21Sep

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

Cluedo – Blackburn Empire

Blackburn Drama Club’s staging of Cluedo is an absolute blast of nostalgic entertainment. Based on the beloved board game and the iconic cult classic film, this production delivers a fast-paced, laugh-out-loud whodunit that keeps the audience guessing - and giggling - from the opening storm to the final reveal. The premise is as timeless as it is chaotic. On a dark and stormy night, a colourful array of eccentric guests arrives at the ominous Boddy Manor for a mysterious dinner party. With aliases assigned, a sinister butler handing out lethal weapons, and a host who rapidly turns up dead, the iconic roster - Miss Scarlet, Professor Plum, Mrs. White, Reverend Green, Mrs. Peacock, and Colonel Mustard - must race against time to unmask the killer before they become the next victim. Wha...

18Sep

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

In the Dark – St Bartholomew the Great

The declaration that ‘humanity is doomed’ has been haunting our imagination for millennia. In the past, extinction predictions came from tripping mystics or religious loons. Concerns regarding an apocalypse at the ‘hands’ of AI are currently spilling from Silicon Valley bigwigs, heavy with evidence and free from the delusions of historical doom mongers. If future generations exist, they’ll be mystified as to why we ignored the red flags and built data centres instead of houses. The digital revolution has changed art and entertainment in a multitude of ways. Technical innovations are impressive, but our ‘online lives’ have overwhelmed the creative sphere with uniform impact. People are less present. Phones are everywhere. Geriatric Facebook addicts are babysitting toddlers on iPads a...

18Sep

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

Emma or Emily – Cockpit Theatre

Emma or Emily, written and directed by Moon Kim, with music by Ábel Misha Gille Esbenshade, is an experimental play-opera that brings together spoken theatre, live opera, movement and multimedia. Emily Carmichael plays Emily, a failed opera singer who has retreated into domestic life as a housewife, who’s carefully maintained world begins to unravel when her old friend Emma, played by Eva Stone-Barney, arrives. Her encounters with Emma draws out the parts of herself she has suppressed, and the boundary between the life she has chosen and the life she once imagined for herself becomes increasingly blurred. The opera singer she has tried to silence begins to resurface, bringing her artistic ambitions, insecurities and unresolved sense of identity back into the room. The most striking aspe...

A Brief Case of Crazy – Hull Truck Theatre

18Sep

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

A Brief Case of Crazy – Hull Truck Theatre

On Thursday evening, I sat for an hour at the Hull Truck Theatre, watching three performers who never uttered one word - and I laughed from start to finish. The three - writer, director and producer Rowan Armitt-Brewster as Thomas, Samuel Cunningham as Simon and Lennie Longworth as Daisy - mimed all the way through a production of A Brief Case of Crazy; I never knew miming could be so energetic. Their shenanigans took place in the theatre’s small Godber Studio amidst a stage setting featuring a large orange filing cabinet, orange seating on wheels, a static painting of colourful buildings on the right, plus a huge round light centre stage which I took to be a railway tunnel, as a lot of the action takes place in and around what could be the Tube (that’s how I saw it, anyway). Not for...