REVIEWS Archives - Page 347 of 417

15Oct

By Jan MellorNo Comments

North West

Shrek the Musical – Brindley Theatre

Well, what a stimulating night I have just had! Returning back to my favourite local theatre – the gorgeous Brindley Theatre in Runcorn- the long absence of attending live theatre has had its toll on me and to be back to see live theatre feels like Christmas has come early! To see an amateur theatre company, who I have never seen before- “D & S productions”, turn a masterpiece of theatre into a phenomenal piece of theatre and to see such amazing costumes, stage sets and pure talent on stage has been a fulfilling dream come true. “D & S Productions” is a company founded by two inspirational friends Donna Dale and Sasha Edge and as the audience slowly filled, they were around ensuring that ever last detail was met meticulously and to motivate and support their production team. ...

Lone Flyer: The Last Flight Of Amy Johnson – Hull Truck Theatre

15Oct

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Lone Flyer: The Last Flight Of Amy Johnson – Hull Truck Theatre

I came away from the Hull Truck Theatre on Thursday night, full of admiration for all involved in The Lone Flyer - The Last Flight Of Amy Johnson. How on earth could just two people create so many different atmospheres - happy, sad, scary - that kept us theatregoers hooked for almost two hours. Admittedly, the two - Louise Willoughby as Amy Johnson, and Benedict Salter as every other character on the night - were aided and abetted by suitable lighting, music, background sounds and the odd cloud of steam. I’m not downplaying in any way the importance of such effects; this production would have obviously been greatly diminished without any of them. But from “curtain up” it was the two actors who commanded the audience’s complete attention. Hull-born Willoughby was perfect as A...

Out of the Narrow Place: A Ritual for Black Descendants of Slaves – Unity Theatre

15Oct

By Ezzy LaBelleNo Comments

North West

Out of the Narrow Place: A Ritual for Black Descendants of Slaves – Unity Theatre

Out of the Narrow Place is an invitation. It may not seem it from the title if you are not descended from a slave, but from start to finish the audience are invited to engage with - and celebrate - black history, black culture and black Britishness. The only pre-requisite is the ability to think. Using the ability to think is a choice. Garnering a standing ovation and very positive comments from a diverse audience, this was an evening to remember. Unity Theatre has given a gem its debut. The most striking thing about Out of the Narrow Place is it traverses being both a story and a statement; both entertainment and a lesson. If theatre is deemed an opportunity to bring people together, an opportunity for sharing, connecting and collective experience, this does it. The audience member ...

15Oct

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

Screen 9 – The Pleasance Theatre

Making any artistic project that deals with someone’s lived experience is a challenging endeavour, especially when it touches upon trauma and hurt that one continues to live with every single day. Between remaining true to the testimonies that drive the story and holding a safe space for an audience to explore the subject area, it calls for a dramaturgy of care and empathy. Piccolo Theatre’s new verbatim show Screen 9 succeeds in doing precisely that. Based on the 2012 mass shooting incident that occurred in a movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado, the show uses the real-life testimonies and interviews of survivors to reconstruct the gruesome July night which left 12 dead and over 70 injured. Focusing on the life of these survivors in the years since the shooting and their attempts to deal wit...

The Beauty Queen of Leenane – Lyric Hammersmith

15Oct

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

The Beauty Queen of Leenane – Lyric Hammersmith

The current revival of Martin McDonagh's 1996 play, "The Beauty Queen of Leenane" recently completed a successful run at Chichester and has now transferred to the Lyric Hammersmith. Mag, a mean elderly woman, is being looked after by her daughter, Maureen, an equally mean middle-aged woman who yearns to get away from the stifling and constricted life she leads looking after her demanding and manipulative mother in the isolation of a Connemara cottage. The unexpected return of an old friend, Pato, offers Maureen the chance of escape but Mag is determined to scupper her daughter's chance of a new life, which would leave her alone and without her carer. These are two women who are deeply flawed and unable to tell each other the truth - Mag hiding the fact that she doesn't need to rely e...

14Oct

By Scot CunninghamNo Comments

North West

Death Drop – The Lowry

Crooked guests, a cold-blooded killer and…Crispy Pancakes? Still hot from a West End run, Death Drop sashays into The Lowry for an evening of murder and mystery with a delightfully chaotic drag twist. The eccentric Lady von Fistenburg (Vinegar Strokes/Daniel Jacob) has invited several equally-madcap guests to a dinner honouring the tenth anniversary of Princess Diana and Prince Charles on Tuck Island. Before these strangers can work out exactly why their presence has been requested, though, they begin to meet grisly fates- one by one. Holly Stars’ killer script is stuffed with kitchen sink comedy and laugh-out-loud Northern humour that guarantees a trolley full of laughs: from Lambrini to Club biscuits, the jokes are punchy, contemporary and regularly redelivered to even further comi...

14Oct

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

No Fear! – Hoxton Hall

From an undercover operator and rebellious rock star to a manic mother and prolific performer, Linda Marlowe has lived many different lives within one lifetime. Interspersed with her real-life experiences, relationships and encounters as well as a larger personal commentary about her age and the legacy she wishes to leave behind, ‘No Fear!’ is a one-woman show being staged at the Hoxton Hall. The show is directed by Gavin Marshall, who joins Josie Lawrence and David Benson to share the writing credit. The production follows in the footsteps of Marlowe's previous stage productions such as ‘Berkoff’s Women’ and ‘Diatribe of Love’, in which she says she “expressed (her) love of physical theatre and, the power of words from two great writers, Berkoff and Marquez”. This production touches upon ...

Farmaggedon: ‘Resurrection 2021’ – Farmer Ted’s Farm Park

14Oct

By Tracy RyanNo Comments

North West

Farmaggedon: ‘Resurrection 2021’ – Farmer Ted’s Farm Park

After 14 seasons, the award-winning interactive horror theme park Farmaggedon (the slightly twisted but ever-entertaining brainchild of Mark Edwards) is back with new experiences, additional creatures of the night, extra fairground & a ramped up Carnivalesque atmosphere. I confess that I have nothing to compare this experience to - being a middle-aged woman and a new attendee - but as a lover of horror films for over 40 years, my interest was piqued; the other hundreds of waiting participants were clearly stoked & giddy as they moved through animal pens on their way in, growing more nervous or excitable the closer they got to the entrance The first thing you notice are the cast of grotesques: a hideously botoxed-deformed and massive boob-enhanced nurse trips around menacingly...

Northern Ballet: Merlin – Hull New Theatre

14Oct

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Northern Ballet: Merlin – Hull New Theatre

I wonder if professional ballet dancers, after a performance, head straight for the Voltarol to rub on to their aching limbs. Well, after watching the ballet Merlin, on Wednesday night, at Hull New Theatre, I really felt I, too, would be heading for the Voltarol, to rub onto my aching arms - so vigorously had I applauded. Luckily for me, pain relief wasn’t needed, but my goodness, the Northern Ballet company has really gone to town with this production. A read through the programme informs us Merlin brings together a creative team working with Northern Ballet for the first time. And, with no disrespect to any of the company’s other productions, this new input really has worked its magic. The story of the mythical wizard is told in such a way, I didn’t know what to concentra...

Dracula: The Untold Story – Liverpool Playhouse

14Oct

By Carole BaldockNo Comments

North West

Dracula: The Untold Story – Liverpool Playhouse

The road to Hell is paved with good intentions, and here we are on Route 66 (or should that be 666?), since that's their year (read on...), and a young lady has just walked into a police station to confess to murder. But she says her name is Mina Harker... And goodness, can she name drop - an affair with Picasso? And literally, because many of the people she encounters hit the deck. But is she as it were victim turned vigilante, seeking to rid the world of evil? Or does Dracula actually have a hand in this, not that the title isn't a dead giveaway. Yet having slayed Dracula, she is seemingly possessed by him. Mina travels the world hunting down the people from her nightmares who are plotting some kind of uprising. The police officers are bewildered by the murder of unknowns (keep rea...