REVIEWS Archives - Page 314 of 549

Towards Zero – The Little Theatre, Birkenhead

14Jun

By Bev ClarkNo Comments

North West

Towards Zero – The Little Theatre, Birkenhead

Agatha Christie is ‘marmite’ and for me personally, not something I would spread on my toast, but it is the case that audiences love them, and many amateur theatres will always include one in their catalogue in their season as they know its bums on seats. Carlton Players being no exception, regularly produce her plays and this week its Towards Zero, a complicated mix of the usual group of suspects: house guests gathered in a large house. No surprise there’s a murder, everyone has a motive and finally, by some clever deduction, the police uncover the truth. The script, like all Christie, is pretty static and all exposition and one way a director might approach it is to find the comedy and irony: play it over the top with lots of movement and action. This director didn’t q...

The Spongebob Musical – Blackpool Opera House

14Jun

By Daniel CoxNo Comments

North West

The Spongebob Musical – Blackpool Opera House

Are you ready, Blackpool? Aye-aye, Captain! I can’t hear you! AYE-AYE, BLACKPOOL! The Spongebob Musical splashed onto stages in April as it embarked on its UK & Ireland Tour and this week it finds its home at Blackpool Opera House. But does Bikini Bottom fit in so close to The Blackpool Tower? Well, you’ll have to read to find out. The Spongebob Musical tells the story of the impending threat to Bikini Bottom and its residents that we all know and love as a nearby volcano is soon to erupt if somebody doesn’t take action. So, the question is who will save the day and protect Bikini Bottom and SHOULD YOU TRUST THE GOVERNMENT? Firstly, it is a rarity to find a musical that has various aspects that complement one another so well. But it has to be said that this musical un...

14Jun

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

London

Il Trovatore – Royal Opera House

Verdi wrote Il Trovatore hot on the heels of Rigoletto, with its premiere at Covent Garden in 1853 a mere two months before that of La Traviata, but of the three it is the more conventional opera, although Director Adele Thomas’ production has steered clear of the traditional, opting instead for a more modern interpretation whilst remaining rooted in its original medieval setting and themes of jealousy, revenge, and love. The Count di Luna (Ludovic Tézier) loves Leonora (Rachel Willis-Sørensen), but she loves Manrico (Riccardo Massi), the Count’s military enemy. Manrico’s mother Azucena (Jamie Barton) tells him how her mother was burnt to death for supposed witchcraft against the Count’s baby brother, with the subsequent unravelling story reflecting differing perspectives with only Azuc...

Adam Riches: The Beakington Town Hall Murders – Soho Theatre

14Jun

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Adam Riches: The Beakington Town Hall Murders – Soho Theatre

Adam Riches’ captivating performance in ‘The Beakington Town Hall Murders’ at Soho Theatre delivered a boisterous evening of entertainment, leaving the audience in stitches from start to finish. This highly interactive and participatory production showcased Riches’ remarkable talent for comedic storytelling, combining it with an immersive and unique “whodunit” style play. Despite the London audience being much smaller than anticipated, the intimate setting of Soho Theatre only enhanced the overall experience. With the theatre barely half-filled, an atmosphere of anticipation and exclusivity was palpable, providing an immediate connection between the performer and the audience, and with the threat from Riches that “no one is safe”, Riches was able to engage directly with spectators, draw...

13Jun

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Greatest Days – Sheffield Lyceum

A pure Band of 24k gold! Originally under the title of The Band, the musical changed its name to The Official Take That Musical Greatest Days and relaunched a new tour. But why? It would seem people were expecting to see a show about the band itself and the musical is certainly not that. With a book written by Tim Firth and the music and lyrics by Take That, it tells the tell of a group of five young fans in the 90’s who live their lives to the soundtrack of their favourite band. Their lives can be seen to mirror that of the bands as together they live, laugh and suffer loss, eventually going their own ways. 25 Years later, like their idols, they too reunite and go on their own reunion tour of re discovery. Greatest Days is a story of friendship, dreams, growth and survival with a famil...

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...