REVIEWS Archives - Page 311 of 549

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – New Wimbledon Theatre

23Jun

By Maani WayNo Comments

London

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – New Wimbledon Theatre

Roald Dahl’s iconic tale of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is back once more, this time in a magical musical stage adaptation. This beloved story is of Willy Wonka, the man who is famous for making something out of nothing, who invites five lucky children for a once in a lifetime opportunity to enter his famous chocolate factory by winning a golden ticket hidden inside his chocolate bars. The five children are Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde, Mike Teevee and remarkably, Charlie Bucket. As the audience arrives, they are met with an intricate set that is later revealed to be a junkyard full of treasures, arches either side of the stage in the wings create a whimsical feel. The show opens with a female Charlie Bucket (Amelia Minto) in a sweet solo ‘Almost Nearly Perfe...

The Addams Family – Rainhill Village Hall

22Jun

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

The Addams Family – Rainhill Village Hall

Director and choreographer Bryan Dargie takes us into the upside-down world of the Addams Family, where to be sad is to be happy, to feel pain is to feel joy, and death and suffering are the stuff of their dreams. Patriarch Gomez (Luke Montague) and his wife Morticia (Julie Robinson) are visiting the graveyard for an annual gathering of family members including the dead: Evangeline (Claire Heaton), Scarlet (Michelle Williams), Owenna (Claire Jones), Missy (Meg Charlton), Veronica (Annie Topping), Lizzy (Fiona O’Gorman) and Octivia (Anita Shaw). But Uncle Fester (Ben Greenall) stops them returning to their graves to enlist their help, as while torturing brother Pugsley (Tyler Lloyd), Wednesday (Sarah Johnson) has admitted to inviting her new ‘normal’ boyfriend Lucas (Cameron Gilbert) ...

My Fair Lady – The Forum Theatre, Romiley

22Jun

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

My Fair Lady – The Forum Theatre, Romiley

This production is based on the book and music by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, which were adapted from George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion. The original musical production of 1956 took place on Broadway before transferring to the West End and starred Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews in both productions. I have to confess a soft spot for this show as it was my first introduction to musical theatre as I can remember sitting on my auntie’s knee as a pre-school toddler with her singing “I could have danced all night” to me and from then on I was hooked! The storyline is based around a cockney flower-seller, Eliza Doolittle, who is taken under the wing of Professor Henry Higgins, a phonetician, who undertakes a wager with his linguistic colleague, Colonel Pickering, that within six mo...

22Jun

By Alison BainesNo Comments

North West

Julie: The Musical – Hope Mill Theatre

To most, the name Julie D’Aubigny may not mean anything at all, but once you’ve seen Julie: The Musical, you’ll be enthralled by her life, leaving as if you’d almost known her. Julie D’Aubigny (otherwise known as La Maupin or as known as in this musical, ‘that b*tch’) was a 17th century opera singer, who was quite a dab hand with a sword, and widely believed to be one of the first openly bisexual public figures. Julie: The Musical takes us on a journey of her flamboyant life, through her turbulent career, scandalous love life and of course the tale of her romp with a nun (I’ve tamed the language for the sake of this review). From the offset, audiences know they’re in for something a little different. The gig style performance is led by a cast of 5 wonderfully talented actor/musicians...

Wish You Were Dead – The Alexandra, Birmingham

22Jun

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

West Midlands

Wish You Were Dead – The Alexandra, Birmingham

I’ve never heard of Peter James, but to be fair he’s probably never heard of me. So, when his voice echoed around the auditorium of the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham last night we all felt we’d been given special treatment. Though rumour has it Dolly Parton used to do it on “9 to 5”. It added an element of personal involvement and validation as James wouldn’t personally be joining us that night. Now there were those in the audience last night who may have regarded what followed as preposterous hokum, cut and pasted from the Crime Writer’s Handbook riddled with a litany of hackneyed cliches smothered with lashings of clunky exposition. But no, I disagree. At first we’re confronted by a selection of our favourite mystery tropes - a crashing storm, no wi-fi, electricity gone out and the ...

Fastlove: A tribute to George Michael – Adelphi Theatre

21Jun

By Samantha CollettNo Comments

London

Fastlove: A tribute to George Michael – Adelphi Theatre

With all the current talk about George Michael (it would’ve been his 60th birthday on June 25th and July 9th is the 40th anniversary of Wham’s debut album) I decided to hotfoot it to the West End for some music therapy. I’ll admit now, I’m not a massive George Michael or Wham fan, but I am fed up with the constant gloom and doom so I was in the mood for a pick-me-up. Fastlove ticks this on every box. And what did surprise me was how many of the songs I knew all of the words to! From the outset Michael Joseph (the tribute act to George Michael) sets the audience expectations. He proclaims: ‘There will only ever be one George Michael, we are just here to honour the music.’ It’s an honour they do well. The hits come thick and fast and every song you’d want to hear is played. Michael ...

21Jun

By Jo TillotsonNo Comments

North West

Julius Caesar – The Lowry

‘Friends, Romans, Countrymen; lend me your ears!’ Julius Caesar contains some of William Shakespeare’s most quoted lines, and in fact this play begins with Caesar celebrating the height of his power and influence and being faced with a stark warning to ‘Beware the Ides of March’. What follows is a dramatic exposition of the struggles of power, that is equally relevant today in 2023 as it was when it was published in 1599. This play calls on us to consider whether our actions can be justified on the basis of their goal, and whether it is a right or a duty to speak truth to those in authority. The design of the production (Rosanna Vize) is for the most part outstanding. The creeping introduction of colour into a monochrome space was really powerful, and really made me think; why is it ...

Titanic the Musical – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

21Jun

By Beth EltringhamNo Comments

Scotland

Titanic the Musical – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

We all know the story of the Titanic, a tragedy on the seas brought about through malpractice, ego over practicality and safety. The name of the show alone is sure to bring in the masses, generations of people interested in the ships’ story and downfall. A whole audience entering the theatre with the expectation to cry, an expectation that I’m afraid fell short. The music of this show is without a doubt beautiful with an incredibly talented cast of vocalists and performers, each song alone could work well if not for the over use of ‘I want’ ballads in succession of each other throughout act one. It is clear the production set out with the plan of showing the multiple classes on the ship, trying to give its audience a multitude of people to build a connection with before some of their un...

20Jun

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Haribo Wedding -Traverse Theatre

Established in 2009, Edinburgh’s Strange Town Youth Theatre has developed into something of an institution for theatrical experimentation in the City and is known for pushing the boundaries of what young people are capable of. Tonight is the turn of Thursday 14 – 18 group to strut their stuff, in the third outing of Strange Town in as many days, and it is good to recognise some already familiar faces on stage. The stage is set within the three-sided intimacy of the subterranean Traverse 2. On stage is a tableau of a wedding party, complete with the recognisable bride and groom, best man and bridesmaids, set like statues, or perhaps caught momentarily on camera, fixed in time. But as the lights drop and the action starts it is clear that this is no ordinary wedding, this is a fake ...

20Jun

By Bev ClarkNo Comments

North West

O’Brien’s Dream – Hope Street Theatre

Enthusiastic community theatre present a subject which resonates today. The last play by the late Bill Morrison, one of the giants of theatre in Liverpool, examines the plight of the Irish Émigré after the potato famine of the 1840s. Morrison, an Irishman himself, also had strong links to community drama in the city and a personal link to Keyhole Theatre, who have been running for twenty five years. This play premiered at the Unity Theatre in 2009. The songs by Frankie Connor and Alan Crowley offer some pleasant, musical telling of the tale. Sean O’Brien, desperate to get to America, arrives in Liverpool, falls in love, loses the little he possesses but eventually, settles and finds happiness with the sweet-faced but level-headed Mary. There can’t be many Liverpudlians who don’t have...