REVIEWS Archives - Page 328 of 548

Love Talk – New Wimbledon Theatre Studio

28Apr

By Gonzalo SentanaNo Comments

London

Love Talk – New Wimbledon Theatre Studio

How would it feel to see a very toxic relationship described as love? How would it look like to see the representation of a separation letter gone wrong? In this production of Love Talk, written and directed by Emma Gueye, the audience is presented with the characters of Lauren, played by Megan Cooper, Adam, played by Will Charlton, and Ethan, by Chris Austin. The set and costume design are minimal and have little to no interest in the performance, but that will come back later. When the audience enters the theatre, there seems to be a party going on, with between 6 to 10 people having fun, talking, and laughing on stage. This is a very promising start that is, however, deceptive. The rest of the play will be surprisingly static, not only from a corporeal point of view, but from the ...

27Apr

By Emma WildNo Comments

North West

School of Rock – The Met, Bury

Without doubt The School of Rock is directorial triumph for Mark Rosenthal! Starting with the perfect casting of Alex Cohen in the lead role as dreamer, wannabe rock star, Dewey Finn. Once Cohen appeared, with the mannerisms and facial expressions of Jack Black (who starred in the 2003 film) down to a T, the audience knew they were in for a fun-filled night. Cohen’s energy, spectacular vocals and comic timing were superb throughout. Cohen’s acting was wholly believable as the unconventional rebel, who eventually changes attitudes in the prestigious Horace Green School. Tracey Dawson, as the Head Teacher of the elite, $50,000 a year school, perfectly contrasted Cohen’s anarchic character of Dewey Finn. Clearly a gifted actor, Dawson portrayed the different characteristics of Rosali...

27Apr

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

F**king Men – Waterloo East

F**king Men by Joe Dipietro is based on Schnitzler’s La Ronde, written in 1897 and first performed in 1920. It provoked an almighty scandal that escalated into anti-Semitic attacks on Schnitzler and a court case where he was accused (but acquitted) of obscenity. The primary text is laughably tame and early productions left the sexual encounters to the audience’s imagination, but the playwright was still labelled a ‘Jewish pornographer’. La Ronde dared to suggest that sexual desire cuts through class barriers and unwise copulation is a universal human frailty. This is no longer news in 2023 and perhaps Dipietro was chasing the original’s provocative vibes when naming this adaption and filling the stage with rampant, often naked, gay men. Either way, the gambit proved a box office smash. ...

27Apr

By H.S. BakerNo Comments

Scotland

The Mousetrap – Edinburgh Playhouse

Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” is most famous for being the longest continually running show in the world. Still being performed in the West End, it is now celebrating its 70th year with this anniversary tour. There is one original cast member still performing to this day! That is the voice of Derek Guyler, playing the radio announcer. Set in the early 1950s at a remote countryside guest house, five guests and the newlywed owners of Monkswell Manor are snowed in, with phone lines out of action and roads closed. Then a detective sergeant arrives on skis, with news that a killer is amongst them. The play was originally written for radio with the title “Three Blind Mice” and the somewhat eerie refrain of that nursery rhyme provides a suitably atmospheric th...

26Apr

By Gill LewisNo Comments

North West

Macbeth – Liverpool Playhouse

An explosive fusion of live action and multimedia technology pops off the stage and saturates the senses, with this self-described ‘neon noir thriller’ styled interpretation of the Bard’s ‘Scottish Play’. Technical theatrical ground breakers, Andrew Quick, Pete Brooks and Simon Wainwright, otherwise known as Imitating the Dog, produce and direct this postmodernist retelling of Shakespeare’s “Wonder Boy”, Macbeth, brilliantly portrayed by Benjamin Westerby. The multiple layers of this clever production really do test the senses with various points of action taking place simultaneously, taking us on a rapid adventure through this tragic tale of the psychological and physical effects that come with the pursuit of power. If you’re familiar with the aesthetic of DC’s Got...

26Apr

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Blood Brothers – Sheffield Lyceum

The ‘Liverpudlian folk opera’ known as Blood Brothers has been a theatrical success since its inception by Willy Russell, winning the 1983 Laurence Olivier Award as Best New Musical. Its 1987 revival saw 10,000 consecutive performances in its 24-year run in the West End. With a two year run on Broadway and UK and International touring productions, Blood Brothers has earned its place as a firm favourite of our time with its strong book, it has a tale to tell and is a musical that is loved by people who hate musicals! Blood Brothers is a very simple story but everything about it screams EPIC. The present touring production is directed by long associates of the musical - Bob Thomson and Bill Kenwright, designed by Adam Walmsley with lighting and sound design by Nick Richings and Dan ...

26Apr

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Jules and Jim – Jermyn Street Theatre

Henri-Pierre Roche's classic 1952 novel, which was made into a renowned 1962 film directed by François Truffault, has been adapted for the stage by Timberlake Wertenbaker and presented at the Jermyn Street Theatre. It tells the story over 25 years from 1907 of two young men, one German, one French, who meet and form a firm and long-lasting friendship based upon their love of writing. Their friendship is disturbed when they come across the enigmatic Kath, whose smile they liken to the statue of a Greek goddess they had been infatuated with when they came across it on holiday. Kath has a dramatic impact on the lives of them, but never destroys the firmness of their friendship. It is a play about the centrality of love and friendship to life. Wertenbaker's script is...

Tony! The Tony Blair Rock Opera – Leicester Square Theatre

26Apr

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Tony! The Tony Blair Rock Opera – Leicester Square Theatre

Relentlessly loud, unsubtle and lacking any pretence to charm or wit, Tony! The Tony Blair Rock Opera by Harry Hill and Steve Brown rattles through Blair's greatest life hits, from birth to eventual death, interspersed by his political rise and prosecution of four wars. It's an in-your-face puerile comedy at times hilarious but also cringeworthy. Blair is presented as weak, ineffectual and easily manipulated by those around him, particularly his wife, Cherie, Comms Director Peter Mandelson, and President Bush. A parade of political figures from Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden to John Prescott, Gordon Brown, Neil Kinnock and David Blunkett (with toy guide dog) populate the political landscape of Blair's career. The saving grace of the production is the cast. Full of energy and t...

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead – The Lowry

26Apr

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead – The Lowry

Based on a 2018 novel which won the author Olga Tokarczuk the Nobel Prize for Literature, 'Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead' certainly takes the award for the most intriguing title to arrive at The Lowry in 2023. When you add leading actress Kathryn Hunter to the mix, spearheading a Complicite production, then theatrical mouths start to water at the prospect of these quality ingredients being brought together. However, despite an astonishing central performance as well as inventive and arresting visuals, by the conclusion I was left slightly confused and personally slightly underwhelmed. The production takes its name from a line in William Blake poem 'Proverbs of Hell' and the 19th Century romantic poet is at the heart of this layered and dark story, combining e...

26Apr

By Louise KershawNo Comments

North West

Pronoun – Altrincham Garrick Studio

Evan Placey’s Pronoun is the fourth production in Altrincham Garrick’s LGBTQ+ themed season and was written as one of ten plays for the NT Connections 2014 programme. Inspired by a homophobic encounter, Placey wrote the pieces as honest plays for teenage audiences to help them make their own minds up about the world. The audience last night certainly appreciated his efforts as this snappy, witty and quick paced piece worked its magic in this very enjoyable production. The young cast worked as a strong ensemble to tell the story of Dean (Portia Dodds) a transgender teenager transitioning from female to male during his A Level years. Despite being supported by family and friends, their pre-conceptions, constant questions and well intended care do not hide the difficulties they experience ...