REVIEWS Archives - Page 314 of 548

Mozart’s Double Concerto – Liverpool Philharmonic

12Jun

By Donna M DayNo Comments

North West

Mozart’s Double Concerto – Liverpool Philharmonic

Mozart’s Double Concerto, performed by pianists Katia and Marielle Labéque, accompanied by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Karel Deseure, is preceded by Dvořák’s The Wood Dove and followed by Prokofiev’s Symphony No.3 to create a magical and dramatic afternoon of music. The opening of The Wood Dove features a lovely contrast of heavy bass and percussion and light woodwind. This proceeds into a repetitive double bass and cello section which guides the rest of the orchestra along the progression. Gentle cymbals add a sense of drama as the piece moves into a march with a military feeling as the intricate brass blends with ominous pizzicato to create a sense of eerie magic. The piece is ideal for the summer creating a feeling of the world waking up, and a sense of d...

You Win Again, Celebrating The Music Of The Bee Gees – Edinburgh Queen’s Hall

12Jun

By Roger JacobsNo Comments

Scotland

You Win Again, Celebrating The Music Of The Bee Gees – Edinburgh Queen’s Hall

This wasn’t billed as a comedy but of laughs there were plenty. The first occurred when collecting tickets, the box office charge d’affaires keeping a completely straight face while informing us it was a ‘fully seated show’. Two prospective walk-ups turned on their heels, which was a shame as the audience clearly had different ideas. Two hours later, as the band finished everyone off with a stomping version of ‘Tragedy’, the venerable hall was literally bouncing. It was, in truth, a gig, albeit with a theatre-style interval; from a mighty song-writing canon, underlined by a second half medley of songs written for icons such as Diana Ross and Dolly Parton. A pedestrian start threatened to turn cringe-worthy with some of the between-song patter but it was difficult to take ones’ eyes off ...

Rubbish Midsummer Night’s Dream – Shakespeare North Playhouse

11Jun

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Rubbish Midsummer Night’s Dream – Shakespeare North Playhouse

“The course of true love never did run smooth” goes the line and never has a stronger argument been made than tonight’s raucous take on one of the Bard’s most popular comedies. And never before have we been able to settle that age old debate – do camels live in the woods? In the sunny surroundings of the Sir Ken Dodd Performance Garden, and armed with a series of violently coloured wigs, water-pistols and wings that are most definitely not bedsheets, the Rubbish Shakespeare Theatre Company has brought its latest family-friendly production to the stage, channeling the sensibilities of pantomime, as our players mercilessly tease the audience throughout, whilst sprinting through the salient points of the well-loved tale. Just in case you weren’t paying attention during your English Lit ...

11Jun

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

Carmen – Edinburgh Festival Theatre

Bizet’s 1875 opera Carmen, based on the novel by Prosper Mérimée, tells the story of an obsessive love affair between soldier Don José (Alik Kumar) and flirtatious factory worker Carmen (Justina Gringytė). The musical scenes are punctuated by spoken dialogue between Jose and a detective known as the Investigator (Carmen Pierracini) and begins with José confessing to the murder of Carmen. I liked Pieraccini’s strength and stillness, watching quietly as the story unfolds, examining evidence and providing a moral compass for the work. In this production, the libretto has been translated into English by Christopher Cowell. Opera can be a particularly challenging genre for a translator, but Cowell’s version flows beautifully. I enjoyed hearing the opera in English, and felt more connected to...

11Jun

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

Childminder – Traverse Theatre

Written by real-life child psychiatrist Iain McClure, the titular ChildMinder (or at least one of them) is Joseph (Cal MacAninch), a man with a secret. Several in fact, and not the kind that live harmoniously with a successful and public career as a child psychiatrist. But buried things often rot and fester, and these secrets have a habit of suddenly robbing even the most pleasant moment of its security as the ground gives out from under him, until the question becomes one of life or death... Or at least that's my byline for the show. The one on the Traverse website talks about "being haunted", "didn't realise", "a modern ghost story" and an "eerie psychological thriller" which, while not entirely inaccurate, really only reflects about twenty minutes in the last quarter of this 90-minut...

11Jun

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Idlib – Theatre Porto

Written and directed by Kevin Dyer, and produced by Laura Duncalf, Idlib started as a piece of prose as a prelude for a play that morphed into a short story before becoming the script for a monologue first performed online in 2021. Based on the story of a Syrian baker who wanted to return home and real interviews with Syrian refugees and escapees across Europe, it tells the story of a woman (Anoush Kendrick) who has hope, but it is both the prelude to this tale and what follows afterwards as well that make this such a special evening. I have seen this production twice before – online and in-person at an intimate space several months ago – but I couldn’t resist the attraction of participating again at a new venue (for me) and with a new performer. It transpires that this is the start ...

11Jun

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

The Mikado – Wilton’s Music Hall

Take one classic operetta, mix it up a bit, add some brilliant choreography, phenomenal singing and a fantastically talented all-male ensemble and you have a witty and joyful new show. Gilbert and Sullivan purists might object, but Sasha Regan's imaginative take is stuffed full of all the elements that make a hit show. First performed in 1885, Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado was set in Japan so they could take sideswipes at the British establishment and idiotic laws, but with plausible deniability, by referencing a far-off land. At the heart of the convoluted plot is the law enacted by the Mikado that makes flirting a capital crime. Along comes the Mikado's son, in the guise of a wandering minstrel, who has fallen in love with a young lady who is the ward of the Lord High Execut...

My Uncle Is Not Pablo Escobar – Brixton House

11Jun

By Gonzalo SentanaNo Comments

London

My Uncle Is Not Pablo Escobar – Brixton House

Matters of representation have become an important issue in the globalized world. What if a group of immigrant misfits could topple one of the most powerful banks in the world? The play written by Valentina Andrade, Elizabeth Alvarado, Lucy Wray and Tommy Ross-Williams and co-directed by Wray and Ross-Williams deals with several of the problematic issues of being a Latin American Londoner woman. The piece portrays four characters played by Cecilia Alfonso-Eaton, as Lucia, Yanexi Enriquez as Alejandra, Pía Laborde-Noguez as Catalina, and Nathaly Sabino as Honey. The play starts with a promising introduction, listing the categories included in University admission forms for ethnicity: the intention was to highlight the non-existence of a "Latin American" category in that list. It conti...

Vardy v Rooney – The Wagatha Christie Trial – The Lowry

11Jun

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

Vardy v Rooney – The Wagatha Christie Trial – The Lowry

We all remember that day in October 2019 when Colleen Rooney posted that now infamous line on social media "It's......Rebekah Vardy's account". After a turbulent court case, the transcript has now found its way on stage. While Lisa Spirling's adept direction lends a captivating dynamism to the court scenes, as attorneys demonstrate their prowess in a thrilling simulation of a tennis match, it's hard to ignore the signs of rushed production in "Vardy V Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial". Despite its moments of brilliance, the production bears the unmistakable marks of hasty assembly and never really distinguishing if it's a comedy or drama. This theatrical piece offers a fresh take on a tale that has already etched itself into the public consciousness. However, it fails to seize the opp...

9Jun

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Lear – Hope Mill Theatre

The opportunity to see any new interpretation of one of Shakespeare's 'biggies' is never one that this reviewer will pass up, so when my June list included HER Productions' all female twist on ‘King Lear', I was excited to see what fresh perspective they could offer. Unfortunately, what we witnessed was uneven performances, poor delivery and confused themes, only partially redeemed by a couple of strong performances. We open with a sparse set and red curtain backdrop with the small brick lined theatre at Hope Mill harshly lit by overhead fluorescent strips. Lear (Christine Mackie) is relinquishing her power and dividing the realm between her three daughters according to the love they demonstrate, the resulting decisions leading to civil war and the fall from grace of this all powerful m...