REVIEWS Archives - Page 380 of 548

The Day They Kidnapped The Pope – Rainhill Village Hall

15Oct

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

The Day They Kidnapped The Pope – Rainhill Village Hall

Rainhill Garrick Society start their 80th birthday celebrations with a bang with this startling and surreal comedy whose improbable events become all too believable through the magic of the theatre. Written in 1979 by Joao Bethencourt, a celebrated Hungarian actor, playwright and director, it was well received throughout Europe including a rave review when presented in Rome. On a visit to New York, the Pope (Rick Young) mistakenly gets into a taxi and is immediately kidnapped by its driver, Samuel Leibowitz (George Lowe) who takes him to his Brooklyn home much to the surprise of his wife Sara (Tracey Duffy) and daughters Esther (Sophie Brogan) and Miriam (Lucy Whitfield). As events outside unfold through TV media (Angela Vose; Tom Nevitt), the demands of the ransom become clear: a day o...

14Oct

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Good – Harold Pinter Theatre

The Harold Pinter theatre brings us a revival from C.P Taylor exploring the idea of what makes a person ‘good’. Set in the early stages of World War 2, Halder (David Tennant) is picked up by the SS regarding his writing about Pro-Euthanasia after recently having his mother move in. His best friend Maurice (Elliot Levey) acts as a soundboard to his ramblings and stories as he endures the slow evil creeping upon his Jewish community. Meanwhile, Helen (Sharon Small) plays the part of wife at home although finding it more and more difficult to keep it all afloat. This piece explores brilliantly the idea that evil can suffocate us without acknowledging it, that a person may continue to convince themselves they’re good although actively contributing to the disaster. Tennant’s character is fla...

14Oct

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

London

La Performance – Tron Theatre

In La Performance, we peek behind the pretence of theatre and language. Instead of words, the performers use non-verbal techniques to tell the story, drawing on the Commedia dell’Arte tradition. On the stage of the intimate Changing House space, we see a dressing room in a theatre. The composer (Ross Whyte) enters and takes the outer layers of wood off his piano so that its inner workings are laid bare. What about the inner workings and inside the people on stage? Will we see those too? Him (Ramesh Rayappen) enters and begins his warm up with frantic, anxious energy. He warms up his hands and arms, acknowledging the language of gestures that is used. Her (Emmanuelle Laborit) joins him. She is chic and disdainful in a little black dress. Th...

Wipe These Tears – Camden People’s Theatre

14Oct

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

Wipe These Tears – Camden People’s Theatre

BÉZNĂ Theatre brings another powerful and hard-hitting performance traversing space, time, years and gender to centre conversations about love, sacrifice, strength and war. Wipe these tears is based on interviews with over 90 individuals, including survivors of war and torture, clinical psychologists and medics working with ex-service people and the UK's leading anti-war, anti-Islamophobia, state crime and colonial studies academics and activists. The ensemble of female, working class and BME-led cast hold forte traversing the narratives and transforming characters, accents and costumes seamlessly. It was satisfying to witness symbols of British Imperialism receive what they deserved and see how capitalists profit from the wars on stage. We start at the innocuous setting of a teac...

14Oct

By Jennifer LaishleyNo Comments

London

Stranger Sings – The Vaults

Based on the hit Netflix series, Stranger Sings Parody Musical is an entertaining show that will have you laughing from start to finish. With a talented cast playing multiple roles this lively show brings all of your favourite Stranger Things characters to life. Johnathan Houge’s script is hilarious with lots of catchy songs that are glittered with 80’s references. As you enter the theatre you are drawn into the Hawkins set in Will’s house with fairy lights adorning the ceilings and walls. The bar is done up like Hopper’s cabin with an array of sofas, with the odd hanging torch on the ceiling, and the themed cocktails really help to build the atmosphere before the show. The set is quite simple with transformative props hidden around that take the audience to different parts of the story...

14Oct

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Choir of Man – Arts Theatre

Do you fancy a night down the local? Choir of Man takes the audience to their local pub, not one of those swanky, shiny wine-bars, but the sticky-floored boozer where you meet friends and put the world to rights over a pint. Only, in this pub, The Jungle, the patrons sing, dance, narrate, play music and are not afraid to talk about emotions and community and yes even cry. There's not so much a through-story as a series of snapshots as the different characters from the talented group of nine performers have their moment in the spotlight in between the superb ensemble numbers. Ben Norris acts as MC for the evening with his eloquent poetic monologues, pulling the whole together. There's an eclectic mixture of re-orchestrated songs from artists like Adele, Sia and Avicii. And...

House Guest – Allerton United Reformed Church

14Oct

By Kiefer WilliamsNo Comments

North West

House Guest – Allerton United Reformed Church

Originally written in 1976, Francis Durbridge’s House Guest can be best described as a quintessential “cosy crime” thriller. Spanning just over 50 years, Durbridge was a prolific writer of crime novels and plays and his most famous creation was Paul Temple, the debonair and exclusive private investigator. House Guest is one of his least known standalone plays that centres around the kidnapping of a child and suspicious goings on with the so-called police! Unfortunately, no Mr Temple is in sight here to sort things out! The play by today’s standards is quite dated and some of the dialogue is gruesomely wooden but having said that its clear to see that the RADS have tremendous fun in performing Durbridge’s creaky script and I must say, their enthusiasm was infectious. ...

13Oct

By Peter RuddickNo Comments

North West

JB Shorts – 53Two

There are very few certainties in life. Hardly any in theatre. One constant, however, is that JB Shorts always delivers interesting ideas, great writing and talented acting. For anyone unfamiliar, the showcase of short plays was born in the Joshua Brooks pub more than a decade ago as a way of giving TV writers the space to try out new work. The show has gone from strength to strength in its new home at 53Two and this selection of shorts is no different. Energy bills, the political response to the pandemic, ableism, so-called cancel culture and discrimination. The issues being tackled are overwhelmingly influenced by the extraordinary times we are living through. However, at the heart of each play, are surprisingly well-drawn characters given the brevity of the texts. Zoe Iqbal &am...

13Oct

By Caroline JamesNo Comments

London

Life of Pi – Wyndham’s Theatre

Adapted from the book, Life of Pi is a beautiful piece of storytelling, full of vibrancy and wonder. Chirag Benedict Lobo led the cast as Pi on this performance. We meet him in a hospital where he is being questioned about the ship he was on and how it sank. The rotating stage and realistic floor projections allowed a seamless transition from the hospital to the open sea. A lifeboat appears as if from nowhere and the joy Chirag Benedict Lobo brings as he jumps into the stage floor, magically disappearing into the ocean, sent a flurry of delight through the audience. The sound, designed by Carolyn Downing, created the world at sea for us along with Tim Lutkin’s lighting design and Andrzej Goulding’s video design. In addition to the strong lead role, the ensemble moments really shone in t...

13Oct

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Fame Whore – King’s Head Theatre

‘Fame Whore’, written and directed by Tom Ratcliffe holds up a morality mirror (and light ring) to modern societies desperate desire for attention, relevance, and the ultimate goal, “followers”. It highlights the lengths that people will go to achieve fame, and the pitfalls for some once they achieve this, as well as the ever-evolving cancel (or call-out) culture that is growing within many online communities, that can leave some entirely ostracised from their friends and fans. Part one-man play, part cabaret and part social narrative, ‘Fame Whore’ introduces the world to Becky Biro (Gigi Zahir), a hard-working drag performer, with a modest social media following, but a wild desire to be the next Drag Factor contestant. Beck feels she “deserves” fame, and having been rejected from Drag ...