REVIEWS Archives - Page 372 of 560

<strong>Dreamgirls – Liverpool Empire</strong>

4Jan

By Clare ChandlerNo Comments

North West

Dreamgirls – Liverpool Empire

Dreamgirls is an iconic musical, later movie musical, but it is on stage where the story really sings. The show follows the rise of the Dreamettes (later the Dreams) amidst the changing sounds of America in the swinging sixties. The trio at the musical’s heart (Effie, Deena and Lorrell) navigate these challenges, finding success, overcoming heartbreak and – ultimately – learning to love themselves and one another. Dreamgirls premiered on Broadway in 1981, it was directed and choreographed by musical theatre legend Michael Bennett. Thirty-five years later the show made its UK debut, opening on the West End in a new production directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw. This production is now on a UK tour, and we caught up with it at the Liverpool Empire. The show continues ...

<strong>Standing at the Sky’s Edge – Crucible Theatre</strong>

29Dec

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Standing at the Sky’s Edge – Crucible Theatre

Some books you only ever want to read once, some films do not stand up to the scrutiny of a second watch, and some plays you will try to forget before you even leave the theatre foyer. I reviewed 'Standing at the Sky's Edge' in its original incarnation at the Crucible Theatre back in March 2019, when I had no hesitation in naming it amongst my top five shows of that year. I'm delighted to say that this revival matches the original production in every way, my love affair with this superb production was rekindled and London audiences are in for an invigorating blast from the north when it transfers to the National Theatre early in 2023. Retaining eight of the original cast of nineteen, including the core of the lead performers, allows these actors to revisit and more fully explore their c...

<strong>Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh</strong>

22Dec

By Roger JacobsNo Comments

Scotland

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

Like an unruly bottle of Christmas fizz this Panto popped and sparkled in all the right places. And plenty of the wrong ones. The sentence ‘Macbiehill – watch yer bags everyone’ is not a sentence you’ll hear very often. Of Champagne Moments there were plenty: Nurse May’s (Alan Stewart) Prawn & Crab joke may be an old one but the punchline neatly utilised the richness of the local dialect, steamin’ and reekin’ being interchangeable for one who’s drunk, or just plain smelly… Lucifer’s (Grant Stott) song, nay, homage, to the Edinburgh Tram works was a release for those inconvenienced - meaning everyone in Edinburgh - for the last no-one-knows-how-many-years… the shirt-sleeves routine… the riotous 12 Days Of Xmas caper… Muddles’ (Jordan Young) précis of the entire show up to halfway… but n...

<strong>Jack and the Beanstalk – Hope Street Theatre</strong>

22Dec

By Donna M DayNo Comments

North West

Jack and the Beanstalk – Hope Street Theatre

Jack and the Beanstalk is an all singing, all dancing pantomime, full of Scouse humour, original and fun musical numbers and all of the interactive jokes that make pantomime a great festive experience for all of the family. Written by Christopher Jones and directed by John Garfield-Roberts, assisted by Kazia Cannon, this is a great pantomime to introduce children to the theatre or continue an existing festive tradition with children who are already familiar with the annual showcases. The stage, with set design by Amy Le Dain, is outlined in bright green cheerful beanstalks and features a cute house that has been taken straight from a fairy tale. This is the home of Jack Trott (Joe Owens) and he, as Mother Nature (Lesley Butler) tells us, is the reluctant hero of our tale. Jack however i...

Stocking Fillers – Liverpool’s Royal Court Studio

21Dec

By Hannah EsnoufNo Comments

North West

Stocking Fillers – Liverpool’s Royal Court Studio

Stocking Fillers – Liverpool’s Royal Court Studio December 2022 If you need something to make you feel Christmassy, look no further. Amongst the wholesome decoration of the studio, Emma Bird has allowed these short plays to shine. With a drunken Santa, a police investigation, and a church flasher, laughs were not running short. As a collection of short plays provided by the new writer's scheme at the theatre, it was a fantastic collection of tales. Rachel Hunter’s Derby Day Domestic was a lovely way to open. Pip was a highlight and the comedy timing was sharp. Tendency was had to verge on playing for a laugh, but it was minor and didn’t distract from the story. White Christmas Lies by Wallace Charles was a highlight for me. Performed with conviction and warmth, this monologu...

<strong>The Nutcracker – Leeds Grand Theatre</strong>

21Dec

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Nutcracker – Leeds Grand Theatre

Northern Ballet’s festive spectacular is their annual thank you to the city which they call home and has supported them to become a world class company. It’s also had the feel of an onstage office Xmas do where the dancers, creatives, musicians and technical teams really let rip in a production that is always epic in scale, and often gloriously over the top. The Nutcracker with its surreal, dreamy narrative, and Tchaikovsky’s familiar score, is the perfect vehicle as naïve young rich girl Clara is given an introduction into another world by a mysterious magician Drosselmeyer, who gives her a toy nutcracker that in classic fairy tale fashion turns into a handsome prince. Charles Cusick Smith’s massive sets from an opulent country house to a wonderfully realised winter fantasy...

<strong>The Ocean at the End of the Lane – The Lowry</strong>

21Dec

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

The Ocean at the End of the Lane – The Lowry

When a reviewer is compiling their list of 'Best Shows of the Year', it is advisable to wait until the end of December until they make their final decision. Tonight, having attended the packed press night for 'The Ocean at the End of the Lane' at the opening of its extensive UK tour, I have had to rip up my list for 2022 and start again. As with many of the classic stories aimed at a younger audience, we begin our tale with loss and grief. A man (Trevor Fox) returns to his family home to bury his Father, an event that acts as the stepping off point, evoking his childhood memories of a series of strange and wonderful adventures for his boyhood self (Keir Ogilvy) and best friend Lettie Hempstock (Millie Hikasa). A more detailed summary of the plot is superfluous, suffice to say that au...

<strong>Mr Charles Dickens presents A Christmas Carol – Greenwich Theatre</strong>

20Dec

By Zoё MeeresNo Comments

London

Mr Charles Dickens presents A Christmas Carol – Greenwich Theatre

I’ve been struggling with this review since I left Greenwich Theatre last night, unsure of whether I’d just witness a masterclass in stage performance or a relatively dry rendition of a festive favourite. I shall expand; the clue is in the title, and ‘Mr Charles Dickens presents’ means exactly that. For an hour and 35 minutes, John O’Connor in the role of Charles Dickens narrates and performs A Christmas Carol solo on a static stage, as the author himself would have in the mid-1800s. Sound and lighting are used sparingly to create effects such as the weighty chain Marley forged in life, but otherwise this the epitome of a pared back performance. On the one hand, O’Connor as Dickens is superb. Alone on stage for the duration of the play, O’Connor’s Dickens is jovial and charming and deli...

<strong>Potted Panto – Apollo Theatre, London</strong>

19Dec

By Samantha CollettNo Comments

London

Potted Panto – Apollo Theatre, London

I’m always sceptical when a show claims it can cater for ages six to 106, but this is Panto season, so I let myself go for the festive ride – and thank the jingle bells on high I did, because ‘Potted Panto’ is the funniest panto I’ve ever seen. From the start you’re not really sure how the dashing duo of Dan (Daniel Clarkson) and Jeff (Jefferson Turner) will turn out seven pantomimes in 70 minutes, until you realise the sheer creative power this pair have. Incisive and utterly brilliant they take the panto punchline and regale the tales in the most madcap funniest display of wit and fun. Their energy and enthusiasm are boundless and infectious. I laughed until my teeth hurt. I know some people aren’t fans of the panto genre, but to call this Olivier Award nominated festive celebr...

<strong>Sofokles Oidipus – Štátne divadlo Košice</strong>

18Dec

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

REVIEWS

Sofokles Oidipus – Štátne divadlo Košice

Great theatre stands the test of time and so it is with this production, translated by Vojtech Mihálik, and which in the capable hands of director Anton Korenči, crossed all barriers with ease, a testament to the professionalism and craft of its creative team and cast. Plague and war are raging in Thebes and the people (chorus: Martin Stolár, Beáta Drotárová, Katarína Horňáková, Lívia Michalčík Dujavová, Juraj Zetyák, Adriana Ballová, František Balog and members of the ŠDKE Opera Choir) are desperate, and they look to their ruler, Oedipus (Matej Marušin), for help. When his brother-in-law, Creon (Jakub Kuka), returns from consulting the priest (Róbert Šudík) at Delphi to tell him that it is because the murderer of Laius, the former king, has never been found, Oedipus takes it upon himse...