REVIEWS Archives - Page 347 of 549

Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.3 – Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

3Mar

By Ezzy LaBelleNo Comments

North West

Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.3 – Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Stunningly absorbing, this performance of Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No.3 conducted by Domingo Hindoyan is unmissable. Considered as an archetype showpiece, the concerto is renowned for being a challenge and demands technical prowess - pianist Sergio Tiempo rises to this and more, demonstrating what a maestro he is. Composed in the summer of 1909, the concerto is composed for a solo piano and an orchestra. It is split into three sections and this performance takes all three of those on with barely sixty seconds between each. This is a performance of endurance as well as technical mastery. Sergio Tiempo was not originally billed to perform tonight, making his playing all the more impressive. Throughout most of his playing, he subtly smiles and loses himself in the intensity of pl...

How To Break Out of a Detention Centre – Riverside Studios

2Mar

By Marita MatarNo Comments

London

How To Break Out of a Detention Centre – Riverside Studios

“I was born in a strange century where people are taken to jail because they were born with a heart that beats for honesty and justice” – Nawal el Saadawi (Memoirs from the Women’s Prisons, 1984). It is with deep solidarity that the production paid tribute to women in detention centres in the UK, and it is with tremendous honesty that art consolidated with social causes brings justice to women in detention, choosing to sensibilise the public’s eye rather than choosing to stay silent. Allowing visibility for women suffering because of multiple systems of oppressions for a staged production is an empathetic choice by nature. How To Break Out of a Detention Center? A compelling world premiere of a female migrant led international co-production from BÉZNĂ Theatre and Romanian theatre compan...

The Beekeeper of Aleppo – Liverpool Playhouse

2Mar

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

The Beekeeper of Aleppo – Liverpool Playhouse

Of all the jobs in the world, one of the ones you’d probably least associate with Syria, is beekeeping. Based on the book by Christy Lefteri, who was a volunteer at a women and children’s refugee camp in Athens, the play tackles the topic of the Syrian war and a refugee and his wife, who leave Syria and are trying to seek asylum in the UK. With adaptations from a book and especially one that deals with such a serious issue as this one, it can be hard to get it right. Getting the message across in just the right way can be difficult, but this production from Nottingham Playhouse, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse and UK Productions Ltd hits the spot. Getting the mix of serious and funny across was done extremely well and despite the subject matter, you left the theatre having had a thorou...

2Mar

By Louise KershawNo Comments

North West

Better Days – The Carlton Club

You don’t have to go far in Manchester to find a now grey haired 50 something who will become positively wistful should you mention words like Hacienda, doves and rave. They will enthusiastically monologue about the greatest years of their lives and the camaraderie they experienced amongst their peers. I have been guilty of this myself on occasion. Ben Tagoe’s poetic story tells of 19-year-old Danny’s journey from the violent football terraces of the late 1980’s to the euphoric dancefloors of the early 90’s. The piece makes a seamless transference from the pleasure felt from the ‘threat of beautiful violence’ within the subculture of football hooliganism to the absolute joy experienced within the subculture of an emerging ecstasy fuelled rave scene. Leaving his terraced home, clad in...

2Mar

By Maani WayNo Comments

London

Oklahoma! – Wyndham’s Theatre

A hit for over 75 years, the Tony Award-winning musical ‘Oklahoma!’ returns to London, bringing its charm, humour and heart with it. The classic tale of who will win the girl is transformed into a contemporary and deep portrayal of modern lust, with exotic artistic choices and set design utilised to revive this show. As the audience take their seats, they are met with bright blinding lights which remain almost constant, focusing the audience’s attention and indicating what’s to come. In addition to the sunlit stage, the set is panelled with a pine wood aesthetic, creating a modern barn feel, with shotguns displayed proudly on the walls. The set is kept minimal, with one long wooden dining table and several wooden chairs. The show begins abruptly, as no curtain is used. The audi...

Around the World in 80 Days – Blackpool Grand

2Mar

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Around the World in 80 Days – Blackpool Grand

Shakespeare once famously compared the world to a theatre stage in As You Like It – tonight, theatre company Tilted Wig have turned things on their heads to make the stage a world. This energetic take on Jules Verne beloved tale of Phileas Fogg, the London gentleman who wagers his fortune and reputation on a bet that he can circumnavigate the globe in 80days or less, has been adapted and directed by Juliet Forster. Forster has added a new depth to the journey by weaving it around the real-life memoirs of Nelly Bly, a pioneering American journalist who took on Fogg’s fictional journey and bested his time by a week. And she cleverly takes time to address the more uncomfortable moments of oppressive patriarchy and colonialism within Verne’s novel, without glossing over or censoring them...

Peaky Blinders – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

2Mar

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Peaky Blinders – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

Attention to detail is powerful and Rambert hits the right note from the get-go. Ushers dressed in waistcoats and peaked caps direct the audience. The request to turn off your mobile could be termed menacing. Even the coasters for your interval drink remind you the venue is under new management by order of the Peaky Blinders - the now famous fictional Shelby family, created by Steven Kinght, CBE, who claw their way up from street hoodlums to legitimate business owners in early twentieth century Birmingham. The special effects (Filipe J Carvalho), especially the burning barge are bold, unapologetic, theatrical: awesome. And so apt. Peaky Blinders wins at story-telling because it’s “in your face” yet the brushstrokes of anguish and wounds that seep from the past into the present are...

2Mar

By Hannah EsnoufNo Comments

North West

Mother Goose – Liverpool Empire

A special show. For obvious celebrity reasons, this panto was a sell-out, and it met all expectations. This show really does allow you to leave all your troubles at the door because it is laugh-a-minute, and the vivaciousness of the cast and crew fills the room. There was a bright energy from all performers which was felt and proved by a standing ovation. Some wacky highlights to give you a flavour, were a conservative cake-loving pig, a gin-loving Queen Consort, water guns and a golden egg-laying goose, to name a few. Aside from the dramatic royalty that stars in the show (tough they do so with professional aplomb), I want to take time to mention other standout elements. Oscar Conlon-Morrey, playing Jack Goose, brought abounding energy with him when he came onstage. One...

1Mar

By Gill LewisNo Comments

Wales

The Shawshank Redemption – Theatr Clwyd

A strong visual greets us at the Shawshank Prison followed by authoritative narration which quickly spirals into an uneven and often questionable production based on Stephen King’s 1982 novella, ‘Rita Heyworth and The Shawshank Redemption’. Bill Kenwright’s production attempts to rejuvenate the charm which has made this a remarkable tale of hope, friendship and injustice, sitting firmly within the canon of popular culture. Recognised as one of the greatest films ever made, the 1994 film ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ is considered a cult cinematic masterpiece, historically and aesthetically significant. The bulk of the story sits on the shoulders of its two protagonists Ellis ‘Red’ Redding (Ben Onwukwe) and new inmate Andy Dufresne (Joe Absolom). Unfortunately, this friendship lacked warmth...

1Mar

By Gonzalo SentanaNo Comments

London

BriTANick – Soho Theatre

They tell you to laugh and you laugh. They tell you how much to laugh, and you listen. But when you try to stop laughing, that seems impossible. Welcome to BriTANick. The comedy duo of Nick Kocher and Brian McElhaney, under the direction of Alex Edelman and produced by Zach Zucker and Allegra Rosenberg, brings a thrilling series of short comedy sketches with a non-stopping rhythm and precision that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Starting with a very short slapstick sketch of an annoying spirit that decides to haunt an innocent reader, the audience will be quickly introduced into this clockwork machinery were the two actors play a version of themselves playing characters through eight sketches and some intermezzos. The deceptively simple mechanism of addressing the audience a...