REVIEWS Archives - Page 332 of 548

Der Rosenkavalier – MET Opera Live in HD

16Apr

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

REVIEWS

Der Rosenkavalier – MET Opera Live in HD

Paula Suozzi’s revival of Robert Carsen’s 2017 production, which moved the setting from the cusp of revolution in the 18th century to the brink of World War I in 1911, the year in which it premiered, remains eerily evocative with its tale straddling three generations, the imminent collapse of the old order, the uncertainty of what is to come, and the maturity to accept both. The Marschallin (Lise Davidsen) is having an affair with the young count Octavian (Samantha Hankey) whilst her country cousin, Baron Ochs (Gunther Groissböck) is engaged to Sophie (Erin Morley), the young daughter of a nouveau-riche arms dealer, Faninal (Brian Mulligan). When Ochs meets Octavian, hastily disguised as a chambermaid to avoid discovery, he makes advances towards ‘her’ and the Marschallin is appal...

This is Merseybeat – The Tung Auditorium

16Apr

By Donna M DayNo Comments

North West

This is Merseybeat – The Tung Auditorium

This is Merseybeat, compiled by Cavern Club resident band, The Shakers, is a fun, musical trip down memory lane, showcasing the songs performed by a selection of bands and solo artists on Mathew Street from 1962 onwards. The first half of the show features a projection of the interior of the original Cavern Club, as host, Paul Codman introduces the venue, year and sound of Liverpool which changed the lives of a generation. The Shakers are wearing the suits and ties associated with the era and begin a high energy performance of Merseybeat songs from the early sixties. One left-handed guitarist and body language reminiscent of The Beatles recorded performances add to the aesthetic of a different time. Lead guitarist, Liam Mannion’s vocals on a Quarrymen style cover of That’ll Be The Da...

Martha, Me and My Family – Unity Theatre

16Apr

By Carole BaldockNo Comments

North West

Martha, Me and My Family – Unity Theatre

A lot of us dream of becoming rock stars, and Saphena Aziz, half Guyanese, half Indian, a wholly talented and original writer and performer, gets the chance to become a Vandella. That story is the hook but what reels you in is her family’s history, coupled with her ability to bring to life the different characters, from Martha, to her friends, to her redoubtable, valiant mother. At so many points, the audience was nodding in recognition, whether the volatility of family relationships or the fakeness of a telephone voice. As for history - we do not know the half of it: slavery may have been abolished throughout the British Empire in 1833 - it was simply replaced by the insidious practice of indenture. But we all dream of escape, making it to a better life. Yet for too many people, it ...

16Apr

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Private Lives – Donmar Warehouse

Michael Longhurst's revival of Noel Coward's classic play downplays the lightness and wit of Coward's dialogue and emphasises the violence of the relationship between the two main characters. Elliott and Amanda. The plot is familiar: two honeymooning couples happen to occupy adjoining balconies in their seaside resort, and unfortunately one of the members of each of the couples used to be married to the other. When they discover this and overcome their initial shock and horror, they realise that their underlying love for each other is much stronger than they have for the nonentities whom they have recently married. The first scene takes place on the two balconies and the rest of the play takes place in a Paris apartment, to which Elliott and Amanda have escaped from their new spouses...

The Spongebob Musical – Birmingham Hippodrome

15Apr

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

West Midlands

The Spongebob Musical – Birmingham Hippodrome

I’m not too familiar with Mr Squarepant’s portfolio of work but it seems his previous incarnation was as a wildly successful children’s animated cartoon television series and that, it seems, was what a lot of today’s audience were expecting. Springing from the mind of marine biologist Stephen Hillenburg, Spongebob premiered on Nickelodeon way back in 1999 and, unlike a real person, hasn’t aged since. I’m not going to Google this, but I think we can safely assume he has also appeared as varying dolls, toys, games and nameless and endless merchandising tie-ins. Originally named SpongeBoy, and we can only imagine the days of sweat and toil put in at various board and focus meetings to revise that name, he has proved himself a nice little earner over the years. So, what are we to make of the l...

15Apr

By Gonzalo SentanaNo Comments

London

Life is A Dream – Barbican

Life without consequences. Life as theatre. The great stage of the world. Life as a dream, and dreams as dreams. Welcome to the undying and unrelentlessly current world of Calderon de la Barca. In the huge stage of the Barbican, the companies Cheek by Jowl, LAZONA and Compañía Nacional de Teatro Clásico join forces to bring this oneiric classic to life, with a staging irreverent and bold, but thoughtfully provoking and challenging. Directed by Declan Donellan, and Design by Nick Ornerod, the stage is very simple yet effective in its metaphor: the audience is received by a wall of doors that will open and close during the performance, to let characters in, but also to hide and show the farce that is about to be shown. The known story of Segismundo, played by Alfredo Noval born ill-fat...

Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial – Ambassadors Theatre

13Apr

By Jennifer LaishleyNo Comments

London

Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial – Ambassadors Theatre

Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial is a fun retelling of the court trial between Rebekah Vardy and Colleen Rooney. The sensationalised story struts into the west end for a second run and brings together 7 days of court transcripts into a show that is surprisingly funny and entertaining. The cast and the creatives do not hold back in ridiculing Rebekah and Colleen, whilst at times this can be funny, there is something almost patronising undertone of undermining two young women. Halema Hussain and Nathan McMullen play two sports pundits who transform the transcripts into a football match. Nathan and Halema are a great double act and use their excellent comic timing to make this show hilarious! I enjoyed the way Halema at Italy transitioned between characters and Nathan's Wayne Roo...

We Were Promised Honey! – Traverse Theatre

13Apr

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

We Were Promised Honey! – Traverse Theatre

In We Were Promised Honey! members of the audience become travellers on a prophetic tour of our own futures. We are not merely observers. We are participants within the world of the story. In 2018 Richard Russell, an airport baggage handler, stole an empty passenger plane and flew it for over an hour. He had learnt to fly by playing video games. Unfortunately, Russell had never practiced landing. Russel conducted some astonishing aerial manoeuvres, experiencing and sharing moments of pure joy – but hearing his story, our delight is tempered by our awareness of how the story must end. Writer and performer, Sam Ward, tells stories about the future lives of the people in the audience. Stories that will unfold over the next few centuries. (He is optimistic a...

13Apr

By Gonzalo SentanaNo Comments

London

Family Tree – Brixton House

"Black is everything. Black is life." Let yourself be introduced to Henrietta Lacks, the inhabitant of petri dishes who you might already know, without knowing it. In this production of Mojisola Adebayo's Family Tree, directed by Matthew Xia, the audience will find a very sensitive and warm approach to difficult topics that need to be addressed, with deep historic roots, and ramifications up to our times. The play has the magnificent performances of Aminita Francis as Henrietta Lacks; Mofetoluwa Akande as Ain, Anarcha and Oshun; Keziah Joseph as Bibi and Betsey and Aimeé Powell as Lyn and Lucy, and the pertinent and silent participation of Alistair Hall as the Smoking Man. The group delivers for astonishing poetical texts, embodied in a beautiful way. The show starts with a speech fr...

The Multiverse is Gay – Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh

13Apr

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

The Multiverse is Gay – Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh

The Multiverse is Gay is a brand-new play performed by Lyceum Young Company. You can only imagine the nerves and courage it took to pull this off for the teens and young adults on stage. It was my pleasure to attend their opening night at the 100-seater Lyceum small theatre, a ‘black box’ cube space with seating set up in L-shape formation for this performance. A surprisingly moving piece which undoubtedly brought a tear to many an eye at the conclusion of the opening night this evening. At the heart of ‘The Multiverse is Gay’, is the common thread of ‘otherness’ which binds the raggle-taggle group of friends on stage. Others may have branded them as the outsiders, the geeks, the queer kids or the school dropouts, but they know they are a community, a family. This is certainly an amb...