REVIEWS Archives - Page 306 of 417

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – New Wimbledon Theatre

14Apr

By Zoё MeeresNo Comments

London

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – New Wimbledon Theatre

C.S Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe absolutely mesmerised me as a young child – and it’s a fixation that has followed me into adult life. Narnia has always held a special kind of magic for me. Notwithstanding the troubling alternative readings of C.S Lewis’s works, the concept of a door to another world full of talking beasts, dwarves and other mythical creatures, only accessible to children who are able to become national heroes, was just too seductive. Add some Christmassy undertones, some genuinely scary creatures and storylines and a feel-good character arch or two and it’s a pretty perfect story. It’s also a story that’s been told many, many times - from the 1988 BBC dramatization (which I tracked down on DVD in later years), listening to the full Chronicles of Narnia ...

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Leeds Grand Theatre

14Apr

By Jo TillotsonNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Leeds Grand Theatre

Christopher is 15 years old, and someone killed his neighbour’s dog in the middle of the night. He is determined to find out who is to blame. However, Christopher’s life just isn’t that simple, and this play is an exploration of relationship, trust, personal growth and courage, told often through Christopher’s own words. As one of the relatively few people who haven’t read Mark Haddon’s book of the same name, I have been wanting to watch The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time for a long time and it is a powerful production that was definitely worth waiting for. Adapted by Simon Stephens and originally produced by the National Theatre in 2012, this exceptional play shines a light on neurodiversity in a way that I have never seen before. The ingenious use of technology throu...

14Apr

By Melissa JonesNo Comments

Scotland

Orphans – King’s Theatre, Edinburgh

It’s the night before Rose Flynn’s funeral, and her children need to come to terms with their loss. Now they’ll face the future without their mother, but they need her more than ever. Eldest son Thomas grips onto his façade as family rock by guarding Rose’ coffin all night in the church. Michael has been stabbed in a pub brawl and must keep awake all night or else he’ll succumb to his potentially fatal injury. John wants revenge for his brother’s stabbing and Sheila has one last night of freedom before she becomes the new matriarch to her troubled brotherly trio. Orphans is a hilarious black comedy, that confronts life’s questions head on, directed by Scottish theatre treasure, Cora Bisset. It’s a joyful celebration of the stages of grief, of the connection of family and the importance ...

Zorro The Musical – Charing Cross Theatre

13Apr

By Robert BartleyNo Comments

London

Zorro The Musical – Charing Cross Theatre

The Phantom Of The Opera isn’t the only masked man in black running around the West End while singing about the woman he loves. He now has competition from Zorro, the Spanish vigilante whose story was developed as a musical back in 2008. This new production was beginning a run in Manchester in March 2020 when Covid got in the way, but now the swashbuckler with the flaming sword is back at London’s Charing Cross Theatre. Based on the origin tales of the famous fictional character (along with the 1998 film starring Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta Jones), the show follows the life of the wealthy young Diego who is sent away from California to study in Spain. Initially Diego resents being sent away, but soon falls for the Latin way of life, along with the intoxicating gypsy ...

Bedknobs and Broomsticks – Hull New Theatre

13Apr

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Bedknobs and Broomsticks – Hull New Theatre

Within two minutes of Bedknobs and Broomsticks hitting the Hull New Theatre stage on Tuesday evening, the stage setting fell apart. An almighty cock-up? No, just the most amazing and dramatic opening of any theatre production I have ever witnessed. It was breath-taking and the whole musical continued in the same vein throughout. Take a bow, set and illusion designer, Jamie Harrison, not forgetting the associate scenic and puppet designer Kenneth MacLeod (more of the puppets later). We in the packed theatre were transported to the dark years of the Second World War, hence the aforementioned stage setting collapse, the result of bombing on the London home of the Rawlins family. The three children, orphaned in the tragedy, are packed off to the safety of the countryside. Thirte...

13Apr

By Codie WrightNo Comments

North West

SIX – Empire Theatre, Liverpool

What would happen if you took hit musical Hamilton, gave it some Eurovision cheese, some Drag Race sauce, some Little Mix girl power and some unashamedly British humour - and then made it about Henry VIII’s wives? Six of course. Less of a musical, more of a concert, this empowering 80-minute sass-fest is something completely different. With a symbolically all-female cast and all-female band (the effortlessly cool Ladies in Waiting: Musical Director / Keys - Anna Senger, Guitar - Laura Browne, Drums - Migdalia Van Der Hoven, Bass - Ashley Young) it really does feel as though you’re at a sold-out high-production pop show. We meet the six queens (Catherine of Aragon - Chlöe Hart, Anne Boleyn - Jennifer Caldwell, Jane Seymour - Casey Al-Shaqsy, Anna of Cleves - Grace Melville, Katherine ...

13Apr

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Tapped – Theatre 503

Tapped by Katie Redford is a unique story following a mother, daughter and a local friend turned motivational speaker. Gavi’s (Max Hastings) goal is to start a group which encourages people to achieve their dream in 6 weeks, but that may be harder to achieve due to no one showing up except for a mother and daughter duo (Jennifer Daley and Olivia Sweeney) who have a growing frustration buried by years of misunderstandings. This trio work together, surpassing barriers of the mind and forcing positive thinking until it works but inevitably it doesn’t work, and the fall seems harder. This story is a heartfelt piece showing the depth of mental health in small towns full of people with much bigger dreams and how unforgiving parenthood can seem when struggling with the expectations of being a ...

The Liverpool Passion Plays: This is Our Story – Anglican Cathedral, Liverpool

12Apr

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

The Liverpool Passion Plays: This is Our Story – Anglican Cathedral, Liverpool

Written by Mark Lovelady and Daniel Bishop, who also directs, and produced by Nick Basson, the Liverpool Passion Plays are back with a…well yes, it’s obvious, but there was so much more to this though as using the Cathedral’s architecture and artwork as a backdrop, the audience ‘walk with Jesus’ through his story, starting as a young boy, and witnessing his entry into Jerusalem, his betrayal by Judas, and his subsequent trial and crucifixion. Congregating in the Nave of the Cathedral, Mary (Katherine Wikeley) and Joseph (John Zang) worry where their son has gone, when we meet Young Jesus (Thomas Holmes) in the temple questioning the Pharisees, before we move forward to an Adult Jesus (Tom Martin) challenging the moneylenders. In the Western Crossing, to the accompanying choir singing...

11Apr

By Donna M DayNo Comments

North West

Sunset Yellow – Hope Street Theatre

Sunset Yellow is a collection of three short, dark comedy plays, written by Jamie Pye and directed by Pye and Kieran Kidd. The first play, The Campfire, is set on the campsite of four friends who have not seen each other for a long time. It has a nostalgic feeling as the four friends tells stories around their warm campfire. It quickly becomes clear however that something is amiss as Abby tells a fun story from her childhood and Jo reacts like a petulant child throwing camping paraphernalia around in the background and pulling bored and impatient faces. She rudely interrupts Abby’s story and her friends react badly to her rudeness, but they cannot anticipate where Jo’s behaviour will escalate to. This is an interesting piece with plenty of twists and turns but could be strengthened b...

Doctor Doolittle Jr. – Rainhill Village Hall

11Apr

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Doctor Doolittle Jr. – Rainhill Village Hall

Rainhill Musical Theatre Company Youth’s latest production, under the direction of Tom Cain, is based on the original 1920 Dr Doolittle stories by Hugh Lofting, and with the assistance of Choreographer Kirsty Higgins and Musical Director Wayne Oakes, takes us on a journey from the small English village of Puddleby-on-the-Marsh to the far corners of the world. When wacky but kind Doctor Doolittle (Aaron Savage) decides he’s going to learn to talk to animals, friends Madeline Mugg (Eden Brennan) and Tommy Stubbins (Ella Andrews) are in disbelief but with parrot Polynesia (Poppy Trigwell) leading the lessons, it’s only a matter of time before he’s getting to grips with what’s ailing Jip the Dog (Marina Forshaw), Toggle the Horse (Emily Greenough), Sheila the Fox (Mandy Roberts), and Dab Da...