REVIEWS Archives - Page 331 of 549

Abigail’s Party – Churchill Theatre, Bromley

20Apr

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Abigail’s Party – Churchill Theatre, Bromley

It's the 1970s, the decade of social aspiration, middle class pretensions, horrible wallpaper, Estee Lauder's "Youth Dew", cocktail cabinets, gin and tonic and cigarettes. Beverly is awaiting her guests and anticipating the pleasure of showing off her new kitchen. Newcomers Angela and Tony have been invited for drinks to welcome them to the area and Susan, the next-door neighbour, has been asked to join them while her daughter, the titular but unseen Abigail, is having a party and wants mother out of the way. Alcohol flows, cigarettes are smoked, cheese and pineapple on sticks and crisps are handed around. Beverly lords it over her guests as she forces more and more alcohol and cigarettes on them and browbeats her stressed-out estate agent husband, Laurence. Eventually, t...

Village Idiot – Theatre Royal Stratford East

20Apr

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

Village Idiot – Theatre Royal Stratford East

Village Idiot is a sincere, hearty, and refreshing story about two families and the different needs for freedom, independence and community. Riddled with stereotypes and generalisations, we watch the prejudice crumble under the light of community spirit. Presented by Ramps On The Moon, the portrayal of people with disabilities is acute and uncompromising, with strong characters, showing the liberties and infringements that they deal with. We see the characters at cross roads in their lives as a high-speed railway line being built forces them to up and leave. All of this is administered by Peter who has no qualms about evicting his grandma and brother. With lots of different goings on, the grandma, Barbara somehow finds out, peering through binoculars and causes chaos as she spills the s...

20Apr

By Akshay RahejaNo Comments

London

Little Scratch – New Diorama

A Thought-Provoking and Emotionally Charged Exploration of Trauma Little Scratch, adapted from Rebecca Watson's novel by Miriam Battye and directed by Katie Mitchell, is a powerful and unconventional portrayal of a day in the life of a rape victim. The performance is narrated by four voices in her head, played with great coordination and nuance by Eleanor Henderson, Rebekah Murrell, Eve Ponsonby, and Ragevan Vasan. Their narrations are accompanied by foley sounds that enhance the play's visceral effect with occasional moments of poetic rhythm that feel like music to the ear. The sound and score by Melanie Wilson are also remarkable, as they accurately compose the protagonist's life experiences and trigger the audience's memories of daily sounds we usually ignore. Through this rapid i...

20Apr

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Home, I’m Darling! – Sheffield Lyceum

Clever, humorous, warm – Laura Wade’s Olivier-award winning comedy Home, I’m Darling! appropriately leans into the mythologised tonal tropes of the 1950’s. Jessica Ransom, Neil McDermott, Matthew Douglas, Cassie Bradley and Shanez Pattni all excel in this fun and fresh text.Despite its comedic sensibilities, oftentimes Wade’s piece translates better as a drama than a comedy. Of course, the two are not mutually exclusive, but Wade’s commentary is at its best and most biting when it’s polemical and astute. Feminism is often framed expertly against the backdrops of 1950’s nostalgic delusion, #MeToo, gender roles and even against itself when the validity of feminism is questioned (if feminism is about making choices, is the choice to play a role that supports patriarchy still feminism as it is...

Pass Out: Utter Filth – Traverse Theatre

19Apr

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

Pass Out: Utter Filth – Traverse Theatre

For their HND showcase, the emerging performers from PASS at Edinburgh College devised and performed two pieces of theatre, both inspired by the provocative theme of “Utter Filth”. In the first performance, “Utter Filth” is a nightclub. The kind of place young people go to when they want to test their boundaries, with illicit substances aplenty. There are some nice group scenes, with collective movement and chit chat between the clubbers. We are introduced to “Josh” (Joshua Thomson), a likeably awkward young man. He is introduced to a group of friends by a mutual pal (Dan Webb) and there is some amusing dialogue between the two as Dan asks Josh to tone down his geekiness with these, clearly judgemental, new friends. The group discuss what to do on their big night out.&...

The Ocean at the End of the Lane – Festival Theatre

19Apr

By Beth EltringhamNo Comments

Scotland

The Ocean at the End of the Lane – Festival Theatre

If it’s the Stranger Things style poster that caught your attention or simply the usual high standard that comes with productions by the National Theatre one thing is to be sure you will not be disappointed when going to see the spooky phenomena that is The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Based on the best-selling novel by Neil Gaiman (also known for Coraline, Stardust, Good Omens and many more), you are bound to expect to be taken on a journey through the strange and wonderful but at times frightening. The National Theatre have managed to take Gaiman’s story of a young lad both coming to terms with the suicide of their family lodger due to money as well as learning to deal with the monsters (or should I say flees) he had no idea where lurking at the edges of his world and stamp it onto t...

Wyrd Sisters – The Little Theatre, Birkenhead

19Apr

By Gill LewisNo Comments

North West

Wyrd Sisters – The Little Theatre, Birkenhead

An enjoyable and charming romp through an enchanted world where 3 powerful witches stand on a dark, lonely heath conjuring up a magical plan which will see them use their witchcraft and sorcery within the realms of fate, time and destiny. Evil Lord Felmet murders the King of Lancre and takes over the throne. The 3 witches, Granny, Nanny and Magrat who have hidden the real heir to the throne must find a way of overthrowing Lord Felmet to make room for the true heir. Terry Pratchett’s 6th offering from the Discworld series is brought to life admirably by The Carlton Players. This fantastical tale pulls on a range of accessible references, mainly Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Hamlet. Adapted by Stephen Briggs and directed by Barry Prescott, this humorous...

The Makings of a Murderer – Adelphi Theatre

19Apr

By Samantha CollettNo Comments

London

The Makings of a Murderer – Adelphi Theatre

I’m currently reading a crime fiction book about a serial killer who chops up their victims and keeps souvenirs. Ears, tongues and hands are kept as trophies. It’s a grisly read. But it’s a story, and I know (hope) in the end the good cop will catch the baddie. Listening to David Swindle, the detective who brought serial killer Peter Tobin to justice, I was unnerved to realise just how true, my story book was. The true crime scene has exploded in recent years. The evil amongst us has always been a source of fascination, and with so many podcasts and programmes to choose from, it’s amazing that the Adelphi theatre was packed out to listen to The Scottish Detective. In a whistle-stop tour of the most notorious murders and investigations, Swindle does well to remind us of the victims...

19Apr

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

The Beekeeper of Aleppo – The Lowry

Christy Lefteri’s 2019 bestselling novel was inspired by her work over two summers at a refugee centre in Athens. She felt that no one would tell their story, so she decided to humanise the tale of the asylum seeker and created a heart-breaking tale of love and loss. In a world where politicians implore people to “Stop the Boats” this dramatization brings to life the fractured life of the refugee in those dinghies. It tells the story of Nuri and Afra who have to flee the bombed-out city of Aleppo in Syria. He, along with his cousin Mustafa, was a beekeeper living in harmony with nature until the civil war tore everything apart. The story is told in a fragmentary way on an ingenious set which enables the action to move effortlessly from scene to scene. We are taken backwards and forwa...

19Apr

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Snowflakes – Park Theatre

What is the logical end game of ‘cancel culture’ and digital pile-ons? In many ways, the ongoing culture wars indicate that society has barely moved on from villagers with pitchforks and crowds of cheering peasants at public executions. We might not be buying rocks to stone the condemned, instead, we’re doing it with clicks and retweets. Robert Boulton’s Snowflakes tackles this unsightly quirk of human nature with a dark satire that is gripping, provocative and grimly entertaining. Dissident Theatre’s first production has elements of Sartre’s No Exit coursing through its veins. Three characters are holed up in a room together and the audience are invited to relish their discomforts and work out what brought them together in this way. ‘Hell is other people,’ the infamous quote from Jean-...