REVIEWS Archives - Page 318 of 551

8Jun

By Bev ClarkNo Comments

North West

The Crucible – Gladstone Theatre

A bold, original attempt at this classic, which ascends to a powerful ending. The Crucible is one of the seminal and most popular plays of the mid 20thcentury. Miller’s chilling parable of mass hysteria parallels the Salem witch-hunt of 1692 against The McCarthyism of 1950s America, and it is still examined in school rooms, as well as being performed by amateurs and professionals. It is a play which should feverishly bubble and burn, as it builds from what was a girlish prank, to a community that destroys itself from within with its frantic frenzy of accusations. It is a claustrophobic, intense ‘wailing’ of a play that can fall victim to overflowing and reaching boiling point too soon. The alchemy is in getting the temperature and consistency right as the plot thickens. It is a bo...

8Jun

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Patriots – Noel Coward Theatre

It’s hard not to be struck by the ironic luxury of witnessing a West End play about Russian politics, as the war continues to rage in Ukraine. The collapse of the Kakhova dam means that up to 42,000 Ukrainians are being displaced while I sip on Aperol spritz outside the Noel Coward theatre. Russian hackers are being blamed for a massive cyber-attack that’s screwed the BBC, Boots and British Airways. There are fears that Putin may bomb the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, but al fresco revellers at The Salisbury on St. Martin’s Lane appear untroubled at the prospect. Life, and the show, must go on. Peter Morgan’s Patriots arrives with such pedigree at its helm that it’s hard not to be dazzled by the prospect. Morgan is responsible for The Queen and Frost/Nixon on both stage and sc...

8Jun

By Zoё MeeresNo Comments

London

Bounce – The Lion and Unicorn Theatre

We begin at the beginning - so to speak - of a motivational seminar; the lights flash, the music booms and our presenter, Jesse (Nick Robinson), is propelled onto the stage, an energised picture of confidence seemingly powered on his own self-belief. Jesse, a self-help guru and his own personal hype man, is here to tell us how we can own our own destinies by facing forward, not seeing unwanted surprises as problems and pretty much every other self-improvement trope you can think of. If that sounds flippant then that is far from my intention - in this snappy 70-minute show, writer Tom Derrington creates a caricature of self-help culture that pinpoints why so many people are caught in its thrall, and why this is so problematic. There’s a precision to Derrington’s writing that from the sta...

Last Summer at Bluefish Cove – Lauriston Studio, Altrincham

7Jun

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Last Summer at Bluefish Cove – Lauriston Studio, Altrincham

For the final production in their season of LGBTQ+ plays in the Lauriston studio, Altrincham Garrick have produced a masterful retelling of a play that is little known on this side of the Atlantic. Not only is it extremely funny and touching, it should also be seen as an important milestone in the development of queer theatre history. For the first time it allowed gay characters to be portrayed as three dimensional beings, rather than the troubled stereotypes which had populated the theatre prior to its production. We arrive in the eponymous Long Island resort with Eva (Madeleine Healey), recently divorced from husband George, she is emotionally lost and confused and still grieving the loss of her son Lenny six years earlier. She meets Lil (Phillipa Shellard) whilst walking on the beach...

7Jun

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Dirty Dancing – Leeds Grand Theatre

‘Bloody hell’. That was the involuntary cry from the dark as the ripped Michael O’Reilly playing roughneck dancer Johnny Castle peeled off his shirt during one of the steamier scenes in this faithful stage version of the cult classic movie. Like The Shawshank Redemption the celluloid version of Dirty Dancing was a box office flop, but this little B-movie earned cult status playing endlessly on digital TV making it perfect for the stage. And Eleanor Bergstein’s book of her original screenplay has very wisely kept the live version pretty much scene for scene to the delight of a crowd really up for enjoying a cultural icon that has real meaning for them. In truth the romance between working class Johnny and privileged New York teenager Baby is the classic rite of passage piece, with ...

7Jun

By Emma LambeNo Comments

North West

Annie – Liverpool Empire

This timeless classic is about Annie who’s a confident, fiery 11 girl waiting for her parents to come rescue her from Miss Hannigan’s orphanage. Set in the 1930’s during the Great Depression Annie’s optimism shines through when she’s chosen to spend Christmas with famous billionaire, Oliver Warbucks. Of course, Annie is delighted to spend time away from scrubbing the floors and sets out to search for her real family. Knowing there’s a $50,000 reward to find Annie’s real parents, Miss Hannigan hatches a plan with her crony brother to reap the benefits. Any musical that you recognise the songs from without having seen it before shows that it’s iconic. My foot was tapping along with the orphan girls polished rendition of ‘It’s the hard knock life’, if you’ll pardon the pun. This w...

7Jun

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Sully – Hull Truck Theatre

Take a bow Chris Bewers and Luke James of The Yorkshire Workshop for creating the most basic stage setting for a production of Sully, which came to the Hull Truck Theatre, on Tuesday evening. Basic, but genius. I loved it. Let me explain… Sully tells the story of Hull’s favourite adopted son, Welshman Clive Sullivan, who played for the city’s two rugby league teams in his amazing career - Hull Kingston Rovers (yay, up the Robins), and Hull FC (whatever). The red and white strip of Hull KR is supported by those Hullites living east of the river Hull; the “other team” wear black and white and enjoy the loyalty of those living to the west of the river. I’m east Hull born and bred; my dad (Arthur Lewis) played for Hull KR, so my loyalty has never been in doubt. Back to the afore...

The Commitments – Opera House, Manchester

6Jun

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

The Commitments – Opera House, Manchester

The Commitments Musical, stopping off at the Opera House in Manchester on its nationwide tour, takes on the daunting task of bringing a classic film to the stage. The result is a performance that might be aptly described as 'Commitments Lite', yet it is filled with sensational soul and a cast rich in talent. The story is simple. Jimmy, played by James Killeen, forms a soul band from a group of unlikely characters in the town who draw on the essence of being Dubliners to create their original sound. The band experiences a fleeting moment of massive success before falling apart. This narrative is supported by a plethora of fantastic numbers, performed by an array of talented actor-musicians. James Deegan stands out as Deco, a character brimming with charisma and a voice that rises to a s...

5Jun

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Pibroch – Scottish Storytelling Centre

Pibroch is a multimedia theatre production exploring parallels between the 1988 Piper Alpha disaster and our current climate crisis. Bolland’s lyrical spoken word show deplores the sanitisation of traumatic events and the tragedy of disabled self-direction as, sheep-like, we follow the rules and meekly meet our death. The Piper Alpha tragedy caused 165 deaths because safety measures on paper did not translate to reality, just as in the Bhopal gas tragedy in 1984, and the Grenfell Tower in 2017: emergency services were tardy, safety standards were jeopardised and human flesh was sacrificed to balance the books and up the profit margin. Public Inquiries simply create a sanitised record and a statistical translation of guttural human anguish and suffering - wretchedness which impa...

A Midsummer Night’s Dream – The Charterhouse

5Jun

By Samantha CollettNo Comments

London

A Midsummer Night’s Dream – The Charterhouse

Having watched hundreds of productions, it’s hard to surprise me. But stepping into Charterhouse gardens, a small patch of green in the shadow of the Barbican towers, I found myself confused by the set up. In the corner, under some ancient trees, was a primitive looking stage reminiscent of a village fete. In front of said stage were a collection of people joyously picnicking on camping chairs and mats. The atmosphere was peaceful, happy, relaxed and easy. It was hard to believe you were in central London amidst this little gathering chowing down on wine and home-made sandwiches. It was also hard to believe the production I was about to see was to be performed by The Handlebards - cycling actors who tour across the world presenting Shakespeare. It was at that point I knew I was in fo...