REVIEWS Archives - Page 307 of 417

11Apr

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

The Bone Sparrow – Theatre Peckham

In a country where the Home Office ponders sending asylum seekers to Rwanda for ‘processing’ and Navy battleships intercept people crossing the Channel on a lilo, The Bone Sparrow couldn’t be timelier. It’s ironic that Boris Johnson can fly to Kyiv with ease, while Ukrainians fleeing war, can’t get to the UK for love nor money. The UK’s discourse on migration feels endlessly toxic, but the Brits are far from alone in their unbridled ignorance with regards to this topic. Pilot Theatre have landed at Theatre Peckham to shine a light into this darkness. Their welcome pitch is a stage adaptation of Zana Fraillon’s book about Subhi, a boy born in an Australian detention centre after his mother escapes genocide in Burma. Like the prisoners in Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, Subhi has no concept...

Madama Butterfly – Opera House, Manchester

10Apr

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Madama Butterfly – Opera House, Manchester

Madama Butterfly is a staple of the operatic repertoire, so it is hard to believe that the original two-act version was so poorly received at its premiere in 1904 at La Scala in Milan. Puccini rewrote it in three acts to great success before reverting to the two-act formula that we see performed today. Marriage broker Goro (Ruslan Pacatovici) shows US naval lieutenant Pinkerton (Vitalii Liskovetskyi) round the home he will share with his bride-to-be in Nagasaki, although American Consul Sharpless (Vladimir Dragos) warns him of the tragic consequences that may follow. The Butterfly duly lands in the form of young Japanese girl Cio-Cio-San (Elena Dee) supported by maid Suzuki (Irina Sproglis), and they are married by the Commissioner (Vitalii Cebotari). Her love makes her willing to sacri...

10Apr

By Jo TillotsonNo Comments

North West

The Jungle Book – Oldham Coliseum

If you are looking for a family-friendly show that everyone can enjoy this Easter, then look no further than this musical adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book! Written by Jessica Swale with music by Joe Stilgoe, this production, which was first performed in 2017, is a very creative retelling of the story we all know: Mowgli, a man cub, is raised in the jungle as part of a wolf pack after his father is killed by the tiger, Shere Khan. We follow Mowgli as he grows up and learns to recognise all the wonderful things that make him unique, and then as he finds his courage to follow his true path. Performed by a cast of just seven, this musical has everything you could want, from drama and tension, to comedy and friendship. Stilgoe’s music reminds the audience of the songs from the...

I Know, I Know, I Know – Southwark Playhouse

10Apr

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

I Know, I Know, I Know – Southwark Playhouse

I Know, I Know, I Know, at the Southwark Playhouse was originally in place for The Vaults festival however with this year’s cancellation has moved. Starring Ethan Moorhouse, Hannah Khalique-Brown and Martha Watson Allpress, we are split between two locations: one where friends drive to a wedding discussing the success of the band they created and the other we watch a young woman writing the article, expressing her experience with this band member from the age of 16. The two scenes run side by side, weaving through each other as we grasp on what is truth and who could be lying. The tragedy of this piece is its relevance and the violence against the victims who come forward. It can take some attention to keep up with the pace of this piece, the rhythm is very tight and so harmonious with ...

10Apr

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

North West

Carmen – Opera House, Manchester

Written by French composer Bizet and first performed in 1875, and an adaptation of Prosper Merimee’s novella Carmen, which was judged by French society to be utterly improper. This may explain why the opera was initially delayed because of fears that the themes of betrayal and murder may offend. The opera received negative press, Bizet was accused of plagiarism by Gounod whose music had a great influence on Bizet, and died aged 36, believing that his opera was a failure. Bizet was described as a child prodigy, admired by Liszt and even though Bizet himself felt that he had written something special, he did not live to see its success. In Ellen Kent’s and Opera International’s adaptation with the Ukrainian National Municipal Opera, the opening Act I reveals a set design...

10Apr

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

Richard II – The Vaults

This inventive take on a Shakespearean classic finds itself in the grizzly, ambient Vaults. Quandry Collective presents a world in which a woman disguises herself as a man to hold onto the throne. The story follows Richard II’s demise starting from the moment he banishes Bolingbroke to his bitter end. The cast is all male with the exception of Coco Maertens who plays Richard. They convey a harsh, sterile environment full of dormant aggression and angst which often explodes into violence and you appreciate her precarious position as a woman. The set designed by Valentine Gigadet is cluttered with pieces of fence and other units amongst bric-a-brac that double up as percussive instruments used by the performers. This sets an ominous tone and with the pulsating electronic beats, they both ...

Giovanni Pernice: This is Me – Bridgewater Hall

9Apr

By Hannah WildeNo Comments

North West

Giovanni Pernice: This is Me – Bridgewater Hall

For those who are not well versed in the Strictly Come Dancing universe, Giovanni Pernice is one of the most loved professional dancers on the BBC show, having started his Strictly journey in 2015 and only last year managing to win the series with Strictly’s first ever deaf contestant, Rose Ayling-Ellis. Giovanni has long been a programme and an audience favourite, with his suave good looks, his sensual dance moves, and his Italian cheeky-chappy persona. With all this in mind, I was under no illusions that Giovanni, a natural-born performer, would put on a great show - and oh, he did. From the beginning I did question the choice of venue for this production - I didn’t feel the Bridgewater Hall was able to contain the amount of energy and exuberance that a show like this would h...

9Apr

By Luke StephensonNo Comments

North West

Me & Thee – Empty Space

Salford based theatre company Farewell Theatre opened their show Me & Thee at the Empty Space Theatre last night for a two-night run. The show was written by James Ward making his writing debut with this piece. Based on true events set in a flat after a night out. One played by Ross Thompson and Two played by Reece Hallam, had come home a bit worse for wear from a few cans of larger it also appeared after a few drinks they had become involved in a fight. Now we’ve all got friends who are a bit.. well.. eccentric and that was definitely Two. Two opened up about his past and the decisions he made, he wanted to see his son again, but he had to prove he had changed by going on the straight and narrow and not get involved with scams or drugs. Whilst One gave his account of what it was like ...

A Good Time Was Had by All – The Hope Theatre

9Apr

By Khushboo ShahNo Comments

London

A Good Time Was Had by All – The Hope Theatre

A black box theatre, dimly lit, with a lack-lustre dinner table placed at the centre, invites the audience to settle on chairs laid on nearly all four sides of the room. The suspenseful score foreshadows the action in the play and Liz (played by Bethany Monk-Lane) inconspicuously starts setting up the table, arranging it with precision and control. Her serious demeanour yet again foreshadows what is to unfold- stark, bizarre, and powerful. Written and directed by Sam Smithson, A Good Time Was Had by All poses important questions about exercising justice and blows the extent to which one can go to take a stand - “I acted when it mattered.” A dinner party hosted by Liz, who has recently returned from a war zone, for a bunch of university friends quickly turns into a surreal amalgamation o...

Bourgeois & Maurice: Pleasure Seekers – Soho Theatre

9Apr

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Bourgeois & Maurice: Pleasure Seekers – Soho Theatre

As people ponder eating their pets due to a cost of living crisis, and war crimes bleed from the airwaves, it was a cheering prospect to spend the night with Bourgeois & Maurice and their new show, ‘Pleasure Seekers’. The habitually dark and subversive cabaret assassins burst onto the stage with unhinged glee and in their opening song, promised to serve unbridled hedonism, positivity and joy to a world drowning in sadness. They didn’t disappoint, with lyrics that pledged taking ‘sixteen pills’ at a rave in Berlin and adopting hedonism as a ruling strategy. The Friday night, Soho crowd lapped up this ecstatic decree and clapped along with bawdy delight, but we were lulled into a party vibe that was about to curdle and veer into darker pastures. Essentially, the show is...