REVIEWS Archives - Page 363 of 559

16Feb

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

Graceland – Royal Court Theatre

Graceland by Ava Wong Davies and directed by Anna Himali Howard and Izzy Rabey features the character Nina a British Chinese woman in her mid-20 who falls in love with a wealthy white man who captivates her attention at an ‘optimistic’ Barbecue. Nina is played by Sabrina Wu who gives a convincing performance as she engages with the audience and addresses the absent other people depicting her up and down relationship with her ‘man’, which ends badly for her. The setting, an attic based room with minimal light, bed, duvet and pillow within an earthy mud filled space that Nina moves into throughout the play which creates moments of drama, when acting out the unfolding conflict and her sheer tenacity in what is, ever changing life events. Her turbulent relationship and self- depreciating b...

16Feb

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Wasteman – Vault Festival

Attended Wasteman at the Vault Festival on the same day it was announced that the subterranean performance jamboree is currently under threat. Having run in the formerly derelict tunnels in Waterloo since 2012, VAULT Festival has helped build the reputation of The Vaults over the past 11 years, bringing over 3,000 shows to more than 400,000 people. It’s like having an intense, bijou Edinburgh Festival in the depths of the capital and one might argue, it’s a tad more affordable and easier to manage. According to the Urban Dictionary, ‘wasteman’ is what ‘you call a boy who’s a waste of space and is gonna be nothing in life’. British MC and rapper, Lady Leshurr extended the insult to a former Prime Minister in Queen’s Speech 7, "Who stood up when Grenfell? Where's all the money we raised t...

16Feb

By Hannah EsnoufNo Comments

North West

Dead Funny – Hope Street Theatre

From the multiple awards that this show has previously won, my expectations were relatively high. I was pleasantly surprised when the curtains rose as Chamber’s had transformed the intimate space into a quirky 90s living room. In my opinion, the show is a slow starter but worth the wait. As a young audience member, many of references to comedians went over my head. However, if you’re up to speed with the likes of Benny Hill and Frankie Howard, then the recreations of their sketches in this performance will live-up to their comedic value. That said, the commitment to these personas brought to life by these actors, specifically Steven Arnold and Adam Perrott, still brought a smile to my face. Perrott’s performance was a highlight. His character Brian brought an exuberance to the stage ...

16Feb

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Henry V – Leeds Playhouse

This is not a production for the purists as the traditional opening chorus is ditched in favour of a dying Henry IV handing over the crown to Prince Hal. It is typically challenging rethinking of the traditional text by dramaturg Cordelia Lynn who offers a smartly edited dark version that is a million miles away from the jingoish of Olivier’s technicolour movie version. That propaganda piece focused on Henry as a selfless warrior for a nation and empire in its greatest peril, but Lynn’s king is a conflicted man who reluctantly embraces the relentless brutality displayed by monarchs of that period, and familiar to Shakespeare’s audiences who had often fought in bloody campaigns. This is co-production with Headlong whose artistic director Holly Race Roughan places the uniformly excelle...

The Mirror Crack’d – Alexandra Theatre Birmingham

16Feb

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

West Midlands

The Mirror Crack’d – Alexandra Theatre Birmingham

Miss Marple first surreptitiously ambled onto the crime scene in 1927 and she was very old even then. Since her first appearance in “The Tuesday Night Club” she has solved more murders than is normal for one petite detective to encounter in a lifetime and all without forensic tools, magnifying glass or DNA. “A Murder at the Vicarage” saw her first appearance in a full length novel, which, suspiciously, is the very novel on which your current reviewer is embarked. Spooky and perhaps a tad revealing. But I mustn’t mix up my murders! Miss Marple would not approve. The first actress to play our erstwhile spinster was (interesting fact for detective fans) our very own Gracie Fields in a 1956 episode of “Goodyear TV Playhouse” and many notable actresses have followed in her tiny footsteps - A...

15Feb

By Ezzy LaBelleNo Comments

North West

Aida – Floral Pavilion

What better way to spend an evening than with a story of love, betrayal and heartbreak against a backdrop of war in Ancient Egypt? Composed by Giuseppe Verdi and performed by the Ukrainian National Opera, Aida takes the audience on an expedition of emotion. Picture the stage lit and an air of anticipation. Conductor Puchkov Ihor pops his head above the pit with a lively smile before gently bringing the orchestra to life. The curtains lift. Upon the stage, Egyptian General Radames (Oleksii Srebnytskyi) is quietly hoping that he will be chosen to lead his country in war against Ethiopia that the counsel, Ramfis (Maksym Ivashchuk) has just informed him about. The King confirms it - Radames is joyous! However, the woman he is besotted with, Aida (Olena Dolhina) just happens to be the ...

15Feb

By Jo TillotsonNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Mother Goose – Sheffield Lyceum

“A panto? In February!” was my first reaction to being invited to Mother Goose. But yes, a panto. And what’s more, it was exactly the kind of entertainment we could all use in the current climate. Loosely based on an old children’s story, this production is firmly set in the present day. A high street department store has closed down, and Mother Goose has moved in with her husband and son and the animal menagerie she has taken in. However, they are facing rising energy costs which could leave them homeless… possibly a little on the nose for some, I suspect! What follows is the story of their rescue by Cilla Quack – a goose that lays golden eggs – and their subsequent rise and fall as the good fairy and the evil witch exert their influence on the family. The writing is excellent: Jona...

The Oyster Problem – Jermyn Street Theatre

15Feb

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

The Oyster Problem – Jermyn Street Theatre

Gustave Flaubert's most famous work, Madame Bovary, made him one of France's most celebrated 19th century writers. A trial on obscenity charges arising from the novel created a scandal that raised the novel's public visibility. Orlando Figes' debut play is not about that period of Flaubert's life but looks instead at what happened to him after his fortunes dwindled, an investment into the sawmill of his niece's husband crashed, and his work came to all but a standstill. Figes (a renowned historian of Russian and European History) takes his material for the play from a series of letters written between Flaubert and members of his literary circle, along with other historical records. Flaubert's close friend was the celebrated Russian author, Ivan Turgenev, with Emile Zola, the youngest...

15Feb

By Zara OdetundeNo Comments

London

Windfall – Southwark Playhouse

After an acclaimed run in New York last year Windfall has arrived at the Southwark playhouse. From director Mark Bell comes a story about five office workers, so miserable with their current situations, are willing to risk it all on a $500 million lottery prize. This show explores the relationships between these people and with their evil boss, but most importantly how they ended up stuck in the office and exploring what they’d do to get out of it. The atmosphere in the theatre was amazing, the music during the preshow and the interval was in the style of a radio show playing hits from the 80s and 90s. This style mainly links to act one and early parts of the play which feel like a 90s sitcom set in an office. A sitcom with classic characters, the evil and uncompromising boss, and 5 qui...

Strictly Ballroom – Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

14Feb

By Robert BartleyNo Comments

West Midlands

Strictly Ballroom – Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

Back in 1992, director Baz Luhrmann brought the world of competitive ballroom dancing into the cinematic spotlight with his hit film ‘Strictly Ballroom’. Covered in fake tan and sprinkled with sparkles, the lovingly satirical Australian film offered an entertaining glimpse into a high-pressured world with its on-stage rules and off-stage dramas. It half-inspired the title of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ and has since gone on to inspire its own stage musical. First seen in the UK in its Leeds tryout prior to a short-lived West End run, the production has been reworked and is now midway through a successful UK tour. Scott Hastings (played by ‘Strictly’ favourite Kevin Clifton) has grown up in a family of dancers, craving the freedom to dance his own steps and frustrated in be...