REVIEWS Archives - Page 313 of 549

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...

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – Epstein Theatre

15Jun

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – Epstein Theatre

There’s a bittersweet note to tonight’s performance, in the beautiful surroundings of the Epstein, knowing that the theatre will shortly be shuttering its doors permanently having failed to secure vital funding. Indeed, Bentley Operatic Society has performed here for around 100 years and, like our titular character, are therefore about to find themselves in temporary exile whilst they find a new home. Based on tonight’s performance of Joseph though, any theatre will be lucky to have them. The society have recently moved away from their previous offerings of Gilbert & Sullivan and other operettas to include mainstream musical theatre shows, and in Joseph they have found a one that plays perfectly to their strengths. Despite its exotic ancient Egyptian setting, Joseph – based on th...

Sadlers Wells Breakin’ Convention 2023 – Birmingham Hippodrome

15Jun

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

West Midlands

Sadlers Wells Breakin’ Convention 2023 – Birmingham Hippodrome

A smorgasbord of hip-hoppery whooped and hooted and hollered and exploded on the stage of the Birmingham Hippodrome last night as “Breakin’ Convention 2023” delivered a gobsmacking, head spinning array of some of the finest hip-hop dancers from “around the corner and around the world” and the audience lapped it up. This was a whole new world to me. Our host, Jonzi D (MC, spoken word artist, dancer and director) entreated us to “give it up” and “big it up” and “make some noise” which we were only too eager to do. The cast included Gloucestershire’s victorious street dance company, CoadyCrew, Company Apidea and Gfunk Collective. Apart from the first the programme tells us nothing of these people or where they are from, but wherever it is they must be very proud. But my guess is they are y...

The Buddy Holly Story – Alhambra Theatre Bradford

14Jun

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Buddy Holly Story – Alhambra Theatre Bradford

Paul McCartney remarked that without Buddy Holly there would have been no Beatles, so it’s no wonder his short but rich creative life was one of the first jukebox musicals. Unlike many jukebox musicals who bolt on ludicrous storylines to shoehorn the hits in, Alan Janes’ book is a straight run from his early days in Lubbock Texas as he rejects the country music establishment to become one of first rock and roll stars who wrote his own smash hit songs. And what tunes he wrote in a white hot eighteen months of creativity before his untimely death aged only 22. Listen to the pure pop energy of Peggy Sue and you can see what Macca meant, or the delicate beauty of Raining In My Heart hinting at what might have been if he’d not boarded that fateful flight with Big Bopper and Richie Valens....

14Jun

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

Dirty Dancing – Liverpool Empire

You are bound to have the time of your life with this current production of Dirty Dancing. Telling the story of Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman and Johnny Castle, in the summer of 1963, Dirty Dancing is a classic and a film that pretty much every person on the planet has seen at some point in their lives. Which, in a way, makes it harder to transfer it onto the stage as authentically as possible. However, the current touring production of the show manages to do just that. Whilst some of the audience decided to treat it like a pantomime, where they pleased, the cast remained professional and the behaviour couldn’t detract from the performances on the stage. Michael O’Reilly’s Johnny Castle, was definitely the hit of the night, with the ladies in the audience. From the Patrick Swayze-style hai...

Blonde Bombshells of 1943 – Octagon Theatre, Bolton

14Jun

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Blonde Bombshells of 1943 – Octagon Theatre, Bolton

On an evening where the mercury on the temperature gauge almost touched thirty degrees, the Octagon Theatre's air conditioning system was a blessed relief to the packed press night audience. They were rewarded for their dedication to the theatrical cause with a nostalgic and tender memory play that simultaneously pulled at the heartstrings and got the toes tapping. The eponymous 'Blonde Bombshells' are an all-girl swing band touring wartime Britain entertaining the troops. Due to their membership being unexpectedly depleted by three of the members running off with American GI's after a recent concert, they are forced to hastily audition for replacements ahead of their big break on BBC radio later that evening. The eclectic new recruits include naive sixth former Elizabeth (Lauren Chinne...