REVIEWS Archives - Page 378 of 549

Doing Shakespeare – Assembly Roxy Theatre, Edinburgh

24Oct

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Doing Shakespeare – Assembly Roxy Theatre, Edinburgh

Doing Shakespeare at the Roxy for one night only sees Northern Comedy Theatre on the road for a whistlestop tour of Scotland and Northern England bringing David Spicer's laddish take on the canon of the Bard. Part of a series of six plays for six actors, written during lockdown and designed for broadcast over zoom, this is an adventurous, playful and to some extent experimental project piece. However, sitting alongside other titles like Doing the Pub Quiz, Doing Whodunnit, Doing the Bookclub, and Doing the business, you have to wonder about the logic of targeting the world’s most revered scribe. Set in the village of Felching, the local am-dram society meet together again after lockdown to put on a Shakespeare play. Unfortunately, due to miscommunication each of the six members has p...

24Oct

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

An Improbable Musical – Hackney Empire

An Improbable musical is a fun mixture of drama, music and theatre. The Hackney Empire is a fitting venue with its splendour of old-world charm and stunning productions. In the 120 years since its inception, it has played host to important and admired comedy legends. An Improbable Musical unfolds in front of you with improv magic, live music and puppetry. The team created a full-length play of varied characters with suggestions from the audience, all on the spot! Superb stagecraft, some stereotypical theatrical choices talented actors and musicians made this an enjoyable watch. Improvised theatre brings such joy due to the element of surprise for the audience and the performers on stage, tearing apart the fourth wall. With seasoned players like Lee Simpson and Josie Lawrence, joined ...

22Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

A Single Man – Park Theatre

Tonight, I had the pleasure of experiencing a near perfect night at the theatre. People, place, performances - to steal a well-known phrase, everything was coming up Zoë and I could not have been happier about it. Arriving at the brightly lit, inviting Park Theatre I was warmly greeted by the super-accommodating front of house, acquired a delightful glass of rose and found my seat. The stage is surrounded on three sides, and the front row of the audience’s knees are level with the stage. I’ve personally never been a fan of this set up, it’s always felt a bit too intimate somehow and if any of the action gets too close to you it’s a bit like being sat on the floor in a school assembly staring at teacher’s feet. Luckily, I was sucked into the action and after about 15 minutes any discomfo...

Brown Girls Do It Too: Mama Told Me Not to Come – Soho Theatre

22Oct

By Gemma PrinceNo Comments

London

Brown Girls Do It Too: Mama Told Me Not to Come – Soho Theatre

Based on the critically acclaimed BBC Sounds podcast Brown Girls Do it Too, dynamic duo Rubina Pabani and Poppy Jay have brought their charm, wit and openness to the stage in this new show. Winners of Best Podcast of the Year at the British Podcast Awards (2020) and Asian Media Awards, (2021) the podcast explores the chaotic reality of being a British Asian woman and their experiences of sex, identity and family while growing up. Titled 'Brown Girls Do It Too: Mama Told Me Not to Come, the unfiltered show is a hilarious mix of skits, songs , stories and dancing. Set in the early 2000s- style teen bedroom decorated with nostalgic pop culture references from the likes of Bend it Like Beckham, Friends and American Pie with R&B classics playing in the background, the intimate set perfec...

22Oct

By Donna M DayNo Comments

North West

The Fifth Guest – Hope Street Theatre

The Fifth Guest is a horror themed dark comedy, written by Carol Maginn and directed by Zara Marie Brown. Taking place on Halloween night, four strangers arrive at an abandoned, and apparently haunted, house on a small, rocky island somewhere between Great Britain and Ireland. They have been invited to take part in a murder mystery dinner, but soon after arriving, one by one, in the dusty, cobwebbed filled dining room, with gaudy red chairs and cheap hatstand, it quickly becomes clear that everything might not be as it seems, and worst of all, dinner may never be served. Soon after the play opens, we meet the house’s resident ghost, the Lost Girl (Emma Hill) who wears a bedraggled wedding dress and speaks mostly in Macbeth quotes creating a brilliant pastiche of Dickens and Shakespeare,...

22Oct

By Jennifer LaishleyNo Comments

London

A Gig For Ghosts – Soho Theatre

A Gig for Ghosts at The Soho Theatre is a heart-warming story that tells of the romance between Lilly and Amy. The show is a gig theatre show with one act. There is a lot more story to this show than other shows I’d the same format which helps to bring alive the characters. Although the subject matter is dark the script is also funny. Amy (Hanora Carmen) has a morbid job administering deaths for forgotten people and Lilly (Rori Hawthorn) is temping and new to London. The two characters are complete opposite, Lilly is desperate to fall in love and Amy is more comfortable alone. In the first scene we learn that Lilly is dead and this hangs over us throughout the show. The girls had convincing chemistry together and built believable characters. They were accompanied on stage by Maud (Li...

Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear – Online

22Oct

By Nicky LambertNo Comments

REVIEWS

Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear – Online

Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s fourth and final Sherlock Holmes novel. This production by Blackeyed Theatre is a world premiere, written and directed by Nick Lane, currently touring the UK and there is also a streamed version available until 22nd January 2023. This review is of the streamed version. Blackeyed Theatre was created in 2004 and I saw their 2016 version of Frankenstein which I thought was a masterpiece. They set the bar high with that one in my opinion! I am not familiar with the story of “The Valley of Fear” so this was new to me. We see two stories running parallel to each other – one in “present day” (1895) and one told in flashback from twenty years earlier. This part is set in the Pennsylvanian Vermissa Valley. It is clear that they a...

Noga Ritter Trio – Manchester Jewish Museum

21Oct

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Noga Ritter Trio – Manchester Jewish Museum

Noga Ritter made her inaugural performance as part of Manchester Jewish Museum’s Synagogue Nights autumn 2022 season, delighting the audience with a fusion of diverse musical influences from around the world, in particular Africa, South America and the Middle East. Joined by Tomer Eldor on Piano and Giuliano Osella on percussion, the trio took us on an eclectic journey informed as much by Ritter’s upbringing in Israel as her experiences of other cultures including taking Hebrew back to its original nomadic context. The opening song, Falling In Love In The Middle Of Lockdown, had an infectious rhythm with poetic lyrics, whilst Horizon that followed drew on Ritter’s time in Haifa near the sea and reflected strong emotions reinforced by a bluesy piano providing a richer, deeper and hope...

The Beauty Queen of Leenane – Traverse Theatre

21Oct

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

The Beauty Queen of Leenane – Traverse Theatre

Maureen Folan (Julie Hale) leads a frustrating and angry life looking after her elderly mother Mag (Nuala Walsh), thanks in great part to the latter's mix of necessary dependency due to old age and her less than charming personality. Maureen has a few issues herself, highlighted by the forced proximity and partly due the frustrations of missed opportunities, a personal grief echoed by the many Irish folk forced to pursue other lives in America and England. One such person is the attractive Pato Dooley (Paul Carroll), older brother of neighbour Ray (Ian O'Reilly), who is back in his hometown for a short stay, and with whom a meeting offers Maureen some escape from her troubles, though in what way remains to be seen. The Beauty Queen of Leenane is the first part of Martin McDonagh's fi...

The Solid Life of Sugar Water – Orange Tree Theatre

21Oct

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

The Solid Life of Sugar Water – Orange Tree Theatre

The solid life of sugar water opens at the Orange Tree Theatre to critical acclaim. The venue is a cosy setting for the play that brings the intimacy of a young couple to stage. They meet greet, to moving in and falling in love. It's a masterpiece on how theatre can dwell with poignancy on often untold stories and transport us to witness human beings with their rawest emotions. The audience enters the dark theatre that has ‘the bed’ centre stage lighted below. Around the room the screens display the dialogues as uttered by the actors on stage. Indiana Lown-Collins commitment to make access cool with the brilliant collaboration of designer Ica Niemez shines through. Actors Katie Erich and Adam Fenton arrive with authenticity, as they bring Alice and Phil to life with their sign, tw...