REVIEWS Archives - Page 365 of 571

15Mar

By Gill LewisNo Comments

North West

Animal – Hope Mill Theatre

A hilarious, laugh out loud comedy which at the same time punches you straight in the gut. Animal is an unapologetic portrayal of a young gay man’s sexual expression and exploration as a person with a severe physical disability. David (Christopher John-Slater) is 'gay, disabled and profoundly horny'. Cerebral palsy affects his mobility and co-ordination which hampers his enjoyment of his 'auto-suck' sex toy, leaving him unfulfilled, frustrated and annoyed. David's friends/carers, Jill, brilliantly played by Amy Loughton, Mani, pitched perfectly by Harry Singh, and Derek, splendidly portrayed by Matt Ayleigh, who David refers to as ‘his arms and leg’ as they assist with all elements of his care needs. The differences in approach by Jill, Mani and De...

Brodsky Quartet: Celebrating 50 Years – St George’s Hall, Liverpool

15Mar

By Donna M DayNo Comments

North West

Brodsky Quartet: Celebrating 50 Years – St George’s Hall, Liverpool

The Brodsky Quartet are currently celebrating their fiftieth anniversary, and this concert was a recognition of that milestone in the beautiful setting of St George’s Hall Concert Room. The quartet played a selection of string music featuring both for reflective and joyful themes. The concert opened with Bach’s Solo Violin Sonata in G minor, arranged for quartet by violist Paul Cassidy. The opening bars of the first movement have a haunting feeling which evoke a feeling of nostalgia on theme for the event. A change in tempo leads to a brighter tone with some pizzicato maintaining a haunted and reflective feeling. There is a defiance in the drama of the piece with the second movement being melancholy and the final movement’s much quicker tempo feeling rebellious. Regular eye contact amon...

15Mar

By Bo WarnerNo Comments

North West

Rock of Ages – Opera House, Manchester

The West-End & Broadway juke-box musical ROCK OF AGES, full to the brim with classic rock head-bangers, is making a 2023 farewell tour around the UK. I was lucky enough to catch them at the Manchester Opera House. Rock of Ages is a tongue-in-cheek, sexy, glam-rock romance about two kids trying to make it on the LA strip. Meanwhile, the Bourbon bar is being threatened by the gentrifying influence of German investors looking to make a quick buck. It features nostalgic hits like “I Wanna Rock”, “Dead or Alive” and “Feel The Noize”, pumped up with powerful vocalists and high-adrenaline dance numbers. There’s a reason why this musical keeps coming back after over 15 years of UK and US performances (and why it is one of my guilty pleasure favourites!). The unapologetic campiness of eig...

The Memory of Water – Birkenhead Little Theatre

15Mar

By Ezzy LaBelleNo Comments

North West

The Memory of Water – Birkenhead Little Theatre

Can you remember things that didn't happen? What about remembering other people's memories as if they were your own? The Memory of Water, written by British playwright Shelagh Stephenson, is directed by Brian Dickson and performed by the Carlton Players of Birkenhead's Little Theatre. The play explores the complex relationships between three sisters who come together for their mother's funeral and must confront their pasts, their feelings and the memories they share. Does everyone experience the past the same way? The relationship between the three leading sisters is fractious. Each is striving to make sense of their own identity and grief and each deal with stress and emotion in different ways - the youngest, Catherine (Zoe Howe) has a taste for taking the edge off reality with d...

15Mar

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

Wales

Home, I’m Darling – Theatr Clwyd

Five years after its birth at Theatr Clwyd, Home, I’m Darling has returned as part of its UK tour. After being lucky enough to see this Olivier award winning show the first-time round, I was excited to see it’s return and how it has developed over the years. Laura Wade has written a fantastic piece, with thought provoking conversations and plenty of wit and humour. Judy (Jessica Ransom) and Johnny (Neil McDermott) love the 50s and when Judy gets made redundant, she cooks up the idea of living a “traditional” 50s life. She’ll be a stay-at-home housewife, doing all the cooking and cleaning, having her husband’s slippers and drink ready for when he comes home from work. Dressing in beautiful 50s dresses and staying away from current events and devices. At first, it’s the perfect life, but ...

15Mar

By Luke StephensonNo Comments

North West

An Inspector Calls – Liverpool Empire

Upon writing this review I’m still trying to process what I saw upon the empire stage last. I can’t put into words (ironically) how good it was, but I will certainly give it a go. It also comes with a bit of sadness because usually when I write reviews, I hope that it encourages people to watch however, this run has already completely sold out so if you like what you are reading do check out where it is performing if it’s in your area or an area near you be quick and snap up tickets. I studied ‘An Inspector Calls’ by J B Priestley in school I would say it’s one of the first plays that gripped me and drew me in and got me in to theatre so when given the chance to see it live I was very excited. This production was directed by Stephen Daldry. It was a dark rainy night; children were pl...

The Rocky Horror Show – Edinburgh Playhouse

14Mar

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

The Rocky Horror Show – Edinburgh Playhouse

On their way to announce their engagement to their old science teacher - no wait, this is the part of the plot that makes sense - Brad (Richard Meek) and Janet (Haley Flaherty) are forced to take refuge in a castle when their car breaks down. Inside, they find Doctor Frank'n'Furter (Stephen Webb), and their acolytes Riff Raff (Kristian Lavercombe), Columbia (Darcy Finden), Magenta (Suzie McAdam) and phantoms (Reese Budin, Fionan O'Carroll, Jessica Sole, Sefania Du Toit, Tyla Dee Nurden and Nathan Shaw), transvestites from the planet Transylvania - told you it was getting less run-of-the-mill - experimenting on human matter Eddie (Joe Allen) and Rocky (Ben Westhead) with sonic tranducers, rubber gloves, sex, and a floor-show. (And we're back to the every day stuff. Or is that just me?) R...

Their Finest Hour – Waterloo East Theatre

13Mar

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Their Finest Hour – Waterloo East Theatre

"Never was so much owed by so many to so few." Churchill's famous speech highlighting the role of the RAF crews whose sorties and bombing raids did much to help bring the Second World War to an end, has become one of his most legendary moments. Writer Steve Darlow bases his play on hundreds of interviews conducted with the real-life pilots, air- and ground-crew who lived this story, the men and women who served in the RAF, The Few. Told through narration, the songs of the period and war poetry, this is an emotive piece that is both of that period of history and a tribute to the RAF personnel who served so heroically. The story starts on the day of RAF pilot Bert's funeral, as his family go through his things after finding a suitcase of photos and memorabilia that chart Bert'...

Gianni Schicchi – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

13Mar

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Gianni Schicchi – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

Gianni Schicchi is one part of Il trittico, a collection of three one-act operas by Giacomo Puccini, with the link in the final work illustrating that each opera deals with the concealment of a death. Whilst originally intended to be played as a set, it has been more usual to play individually or pair with another one-act opera by another composer. Here, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Dominic Hindoyan, serve up a further variation with excerpts from different composers providing the warm-up in the first half before the comic deception of Gianni Schicchi, performed in Italian with English surtitles, is unleashed. Commencing proceedings were a couple of Puccini pairings with La Tregenda (Le Villi, Act II) making for an energetic and frenetic start before slipping ...

Nothing Happens (Twice) – Jacksons Lane Theatre

12Mar

By Gonzalo SentanaNo Comments

London

Nothing Happens (Twice) – Jacksons Lane Theatre

Two Flamingos dance and invite you to visit Andalusia, and then they do it again, and then again. And their suffering and their meaninglessness becomes apparent as they try to find reasons to keep doing what they are doing. In this piece, that one could argue is a study on Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, the actors Mercè Ribot and Patricia Rodríguez take us in an irreverent trip through stages in the present and towards the present. Playfully delving into the process of trying to act and survive as performing artists in a foreign land, their personal lives become a moving and intense experience amid laughter and music. The audience will see the appearance of several pairs of characters through the play, and the actors will impersonate themselves, and break the fourth wall more th...