REVIEWS Archives - Page 312 of 548

The Return of Benjamin Lay – Finborough Theatre

16Jun

By Gonzalo SentanaNo Comments

London

The Return of Benjamin Lay – Finborough Theatre

Can one make a statement and beg to be brought back to the fold, renouncing all principles? Can one's desire to be accepted be stronger than one's principles? The Return of Benjamin Lay, written in collaboration between Naomi Wallace and Marcus Rediker, under the direction of Ron Daniels, and with acting by Mark Povinelli as Benjamin Lay, is a striking piece about a very interesting historical character. The treatment Povinelli gives the character is on its own, remarkable, and hits all the right nerves. The stage of the Finborough Theatre is made almost bare, with the windows letting in the noise and images of the cars from outside, and from the place where this reviewer was sitting, the sun was hitting in the faces of the audience. The set design, by Riccardo Hernandez and Isobel N...

16Jun

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Over The Waves – 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. And like all experiments, perhaps not every project works or turns out exactly as planned. There is a feeling, in this hour long show of a great idea which has not been fully realised, and yet should nevertheless be applauded for its vision and its scale and its courage. The stage is set within the steeply banked Traverse 1 with a central great grey monolith carved with lists of faded names, reminiscent of a war memorial. At the front apron of the stage a chalk outline of a body suggests a recent murder. Around the stage buzz five characters questioning each ot...

15Jun

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

West Midlands

I, Daniel Blake – Birmingham Rep

There’s a palpable, visceral fury coursing through the core of “I, Daniel Blake” which makes for compelling drama and infuriating truth. For those of us who first came across the story in its cinematic incarnation it’s good to see it has lost none of its bite, bile and bitterness. And, though the theatre version loses some of the reportage and cinéma vérité authenticity in its imagery, it more than makes up for it in heart and soul driven home by some startling and sincere performances. It’s the story of a good, honest man. Not a hero, not special. Just straight and centred ensnared in the obscene and labyrinthine benefits system inflicted on this country by Tory administrations. The tweets and voice grabs of living, breathing politicians expounding the virtues of their cruel system whi...

15Jun

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

42nd Street – Sadler’s Wells

Sadler’s Wells was in full swing for the opening night of 42nd Street. Red carpet, paparazzi and velvet ropes graced Roseberry Avenue, adding a giddy razzmatazz to this high-kicking comeback. The show was created in 1980, based on the 1933 movie of the same name. The Broadway production won Tony Awards for Best Musical and Choreography, becoming a long-running hit. It wowed London in 1984 (winning the Olivier Award for Best Musical), launching the career of a teenage Catharine Zeta-Jones. In a mirror to the plot of 42nd Street, Zeta-Jones was elevated from chorus girl to West End legend when both the lead actress AND her understudy fell ill. Jones stepped up and a star was born. In a cynical era of irony, apathy and algorithms, are people really in the mood for a cheery homage to old sc...

15Jun

By Carole BaldockNo Comments

North West

Vernons Girls – Liverpool’s Royal Court

What could be better on a hot Summer’s night than a feel good show celebrating 50’s red hot property, the Vernon Girls? Hot – weather that is: were this horror, the hairs on your neck would be too plastered down to stand up. Horror? Well, although a cheerful, intriguing blend of music and history, it is horrific, judging by the gasps from the audience at some points. On the one hand, a bunch of talented teenagers whose dreams come true, from company choir to showbiz glamour, on the other – the iron fist, barely clad in a velvet glove, their big bosses, manipulative (the usual platitudes about being one big happy family) and exploitative, don’t see their actions as such. It’s just the way it is. And what an easy way to make lots of money, for them. When Equity points out the girls are ...

School Girls or The African Mean Girls – Lyric Theatre Hammersmith

15Jun

By Zara OdetundeNo Comments

London

School Girls or The African Mean Girls – Lyric Theatre Hammersmith

This show wows with sharp witted remarks and a hilarity that surpasses cultural barriers. The London premiere of Jocelyn Bioh’s 2017 comedy is a commentary of female friendship and feeling of isolations in school, dealing with bullies and hierarchy is set against the backdrop of Aburi Girls Boarding School in 1986 Ghana. Paulina is the queen bee, the most popular girl in school who picks girls up out of obscurity and makes them feel special. That is until her status starts to be questioned upon the arrival of new transfer student Ericka. The main group of girls attend the best Girls school in Ghana and are awaiting the arrival of a recruiter for the Miss Ghana pageant. Paulina (Tara Tijani) is the group leader and believes she is the only choice for the pageant but Ericka’s (Anna Sha...

Much Ado About Nothing – Shakespeare North Playhouse

15Jun

By Jan MellorNo Comments

North West

Much Ado About Nothing – Shakespeare North Playhouse

So, for those that do not know what Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing (and many do ask!) the story is a comedic play by William Shakespeare about misunderstandings, love and deception. Benedick, Claudio and Don Pedro arrive at Leonato's house in Messina. Beatrice and Benedick bicker with each other and Claudio, a soldier, falls in love with Leonato's daughter, Hero. Don John, who is Don Pedro's evil half-brother, tricks Claudio into believing that he has seen Hero being unfaithful. Meanwhile, Don Pedro and others plot to bring Benedick and Beatrice together. Claudio accuses Hero of infidelity and refuses to marry her. Leonato is persuaded to pretend that she is dead. Hero's innocence is proven, and Claudio repents. He agrees to accept Antonio's daughter in marriage, and she turns...

9 to 5 The Musical – The Alexandra, Birmingham

15Jun

By Robert BartleyNo Comments

West Midlands

9 to 5 The Musical – The Alexandra, Birmingham

Dolly Parton’s instantly recognisable hit “9 To 5” became the signature anthem behind the film of the same name, which kicked off the 1980s with a huge dose of female empowerment. The film’s legendary cast (Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Parton herself) made the film an instant classic still beloved today, and as is often the way these days, went on to inspire a stage musical. Though it was short-lived on Broadway, running just a few months in 2009, it has found a larger audience here in the UK, with a year-long West End run (curtailed by Covid) and two successful national tours. The uplifting and empowering musical is the latest choice for the long-running BMOS group based in Birmingham. Incredibly this is their 166th production in a history spanning nearly 140 years...

15Jun

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

Lost in Music – Adelphi Theatre

Lost in Music a production? not quite, a night at the disco? yes, full of fun singing and dancing to the classic tunes of the seventies; Musical director Tony Wood on the keyboards has created a trio of musicians to recreate the ‘funk’ of disco and a band to drive the sound forward for the five-piece singers who romp through a non-stop set list of classic music memorabilia. A trip down memory lane including songs from, CHIC, Earth, Wind and Fire; Gloria Gaynor Donna Summer, Sister Sledge and many more, the Adelphi theatre came alive with the first song from Chic, which had the audience up on their feet within the first 5 minutes, quite inspirational. It is clear from the start that this is ‘party time’ with the audience encouraged to be a part of the show, sing loud, dance and r...

When Winston Went to War with the Wireless – Donmar Warehouse

15Jun

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

When Winston Went to War with the Wireless – Donmar Warehouse

Just like the BBC, which is the subject of this new play by Jack Thorne, both inform and entertain. It is set in the early days of the general strike in 1926 when the British Broadcasting Company, as it was then known, was in its formative days under the leadership of the redoubtable John Reith. Since the strike led to the temporary closure of all the print media, this provided a golden opportunity for the new broadcaster to become a premier news channel. This brought it into conflict with the government's own alternative press media, the British Gazette, overseen by Winston Churchill, then Chancellor of the Exchequer. Reith, played by Stephen Campbell Moore, is the central character of the play. He struggles both with trying to position the new company as an impartial media o...