REVIEWS Archives - Page 317 of 417

10Mar

By Donna M DayNo Comments

North West

Kerbs – Unity Theatre

Kerbs, written by Michael Southan and directed by Nickie Miles-Wildin, is a brutally honest and delightfully awkward story about dating with disability and fighting for your independence while keeping your relationships, romantic and otherwise, alive. Fully subtitled throughout, with audio description available, the play cleverly uses set and graphics to bring life to an original take on the boy meets girl story. Lucy (Maya Coates) has signed up to a dating app and it’s clear from the start that she’s looking for sex rather than love. As is always the way, there are a few cringey profiles that she quickly blocks, but sparks fly when she “meets” David (Jack Hunter) resulting in some heavy flirting in the DMs. They soon meet up in person for drinks, but a fun evening which both are hoping...

10Mar

By Luke StephensonNo Comments

North West

Billionaire Boy – Palace Theatre

When a boy has everything in the world you would think he was the happiest person ever. Gifted 1 million pounds every birthday and a further 100,000 pounds a week for pocket money. He had all the games and consoles you could imagine. What a life Joe Spud (Matthew Gordon) lead. However, poor Joe wanted the one thing that money can’t buy, a true friend. Everyone at his school would tease him because his dad (Matthew Mellalieu) made his billions from selling Bum Fresh toilet rolls, that also had a catchy jingle. Joe decides to go to a state school instead of his very expensive private school, as it was there that he could start a fresh. Because nobody knew him, he could be anybody he wanted and not be asked for money and deal with fake friendships. Joe Spud loved his new school he met all ...

The Scent of Roses – Royal Lyceum Edinburgh

10Mar

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

The Scent of Roses – Royal Lyceum Edinburgh

Scottish playwright and director Zinnie Harris' The Scent of Roses begins with a wife who takes her husband hostage to finally have an honest conversation, locking him into their bedroom for more than a night. But this isn't the whole story. In the five sections which follow we explore the interlocking lives of four pairs of people, each in their separate location, the first scene not so much sparking as giving the audience a way into a chain of conversations, obfuscations and revelations in this circle of connected lives. The constantly reconstituted set designed by Tom Piper is marvellous, starting off angled to contrast the natural shape of the stage and subsequently offering us four to five different locations mostly from the same pieces of wall, floor and slanted ceiling, the last ...

10Mar

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

Fiji – Omnibus Theatre

Conflicted Theatre’s Fiji is a morbidly quirky two-hander between Nick and Sam. We are drawn in as we witness them meeting for the first time. There is a rawness and intimacy as a wet-haired Nick enters the room and it feels like we are also complicit and an unspoken part of their relationship. What appears to be a slightly awkward and unconventional first date takes a shocking turn. With hints at the characters’ back stories, it inspires the audience to psychoanalyse and question the two whilst also empathising with their situations. The writing is witty, fluid and dynamic as it explores taboo topics with ease, without forcing opinions. It switches between highly personal moments and more casual chit chat, which are both subtly emotionally charged. Pedro Leandro is impressive as gaw...

10Mar

By Jan MellorNo Comments

North West

We Will Rock You – Brindley Theatre

At last, the near two-year wait is over, as amateur musical groups can return once more to the place they belong - in their local theatres, doing what they do best – entertaining. “Codys Productions”, a youth company of cast members aged between 11-18 years old, produced by Nick Cupit since its conception in 1996, are firm favourites at the Brindley theatre having played their last remarkable show there-“Battle of the Boat” in March 2020, just as the pandemic hit the nation, and so were welcomed with open arms for this show that depicts the story of a gang of youths who fight to regain the world that was once normal – quite ironic and very fitting – and bring back music to the world , the world 300 years from now when the post-apocalyptic world is controlled by Globalsoft and known as P...

Nora: A Doll’s House – Royal Exchange Theatre

10Mar

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Nora: A Doll’s House – Royal Exchange Theatre

Even though he resembled everyone's idea of a Victorian gentleman, Ibsen's radical 1879 study of a woman's place in a patriarchal, middle class Norwegian society, is often cited as a crucial accelerant to the nascent female emancipation movement at the end of the 19th century. It is therefore fitting that in the week we celebrate International Women's Day, that writer Stef Smith has adapted it to ' Nora: A Doll's House', examining how one of the most famous characters in theatre would have fared in three different time periods. The result is complex, confusing and frustrating in equal measure. We meet Nora as three separate entities simultaneously on stage. Nora 1918 (Kirsty Rider) cuts a frustrated figure, married and caged at the end of World War One as the suffrage movement is reachi...

Beauty and the Beast – Birmingham Hippodrome

10Mar

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

West Midlands

Beauty and the Beast – Birmingham Hippodrome

Disney has, for many years, been synonymous with quality family entertainment with works dating way back into the early part of the twentieth century which have woven themselves into the hearts and minds of children creating classics loved by successive generations. In recent years many of those works have found themselves translated to stage versions proving themselves a further cash cow for Mickey. Some may say this is just cynical cash-in exploiting previous works, but, oh, no, not I. It’s nearly thirty years since Disney’s renaissance with Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King brought the eye of the world back to their work and proved even sans Walt this company was going places! The theatrical wing of the business has proved itself time and again where Disney’s hea...

10Mar

By Louise KershawNo Comments

North West

As You Like It – The Lowry

Consistently one of Shakespeare’s most frequently performed comedies, this 30th anniversary Northern Broadsides production of As You Like It, by its’ own admission, attempts to provide the audience with an opportunity to consider ‘the transformative power of love and the natural world’ and the ‘crazy power of love to change the world’. Presented Arena style, square rather than in the round, and using a collection of hat stands and what looked like my Nana’s washing line to create the magical Forest of Arden, designer E M Parry has success in creating their ‘Narnia- like’ giant dressing up box in which the cast of 12 Northern actors were able to play. From naff shell suits to gorgeously coloured gypsy skirts, rigid bone corsets to shiny superhero capes and anything in between that glitte...

10Mar

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Opera North: Rigoletto – The Lowry

Femi Elufowoju Jr’s interpretation of Giuseppe Verdi’s 1851 masterpiece for Opera North by and large works although I’m yet to be convinced about the zebra. We open as the Duke (Roman Arndt) leads his courtiers in drinking and debauchery whilst his jester, Rigoletto (Eric Greene) mocks all those around. The arrival of Count Monterone (Byron Jackson) in a failed attempt to save his daughter results in a curse on the Duke and Rigoletto. Rigoletto is tormented by the curse, and we discover he has a daughter, Gilda (Jasmine Habersham) whom he jealously guards, but the Duke has already spied and fallen for her – or has he? The courtiers have also tired of Rigoletto’s antics at court and under the steer of Marullo (Themba Mvula), they trick him before carrying Gilda off to the palace. R...

10Mar

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

71 Coltman Street – Hull Truck Theatre

As a theatregoer, when you’re handed a complementary tub of chip spice along with your tickets, it does pique your interest. The chip spice came courtesy of Hull Truck Theatre, whose world premiere production of 71 Coltman Street brought to life this local theatre’s creation, 50 years ago. This week I have almost made myself ill by laughing so much at a Hull theatre production, but on Wednesday evening, at this intimate city centre venue, my chuckle muscles took a real battering. The play centres around Hull Truck founder, Mike Bradwell, who at 23, arrived in our city in 1971, renting the run-down house of the production’s title, setting up the theatre from there the following year. Written by Richard Bean, Bradwell admits not a word in the script is true, but that made not a j...