REVIEWS Archives - Page 381 of 454

26Oct

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

The Cat and the Canary – Opera House

With Halloween upon us and the clocks going back at the weekend, our thoughts turn to entertainment of the scary variety, therefore an old-fashioned thriller set in a creepy house should be just what is required as the nights draw in. Unfortunately, the production of 'The Cat and the Canary' which began its week-long run at the Manchester Opera House this evening was a huge disappointment. As a thriller it wasn't scary, as a comedy it wasn't funny, and it wasn't camp enough to be interesting as a pastiche of the genre. Based on the 1921 play by John Willard and adapted by Carl Grose, the production wore its 100 years heavily, with the usual tropes that one would associate with a thriller of this vintage. Creepy old mansion - check; assortment of characters assembled and trapped against ...

The Little Mermaid – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

26Oct

By Hannah WildeNo Comments

North West

The Little Mermaid – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

Even if you’re not a Disney aficionado, everyone knows the story of The Little Mermaid: Girl meets boy, girl can’t be with boy, chaos ensues, true love prevails. It’s a true Disney classic. However, love story aside, I was very intrigued to see how a story that predominantly occurs underwater would be portrayed onstage, so when the chance arose to see The Little Mermaid at Altrincham Garrick Playhouse, I naturally had to see it for myself. And am I glad I did! With a dream-team of talent spearheading the dressing rooms – from renowned stage director Joseph Meighan, musical director Mark Goggins, and lesser-known at the Garrick (but still utterly fantastic) choreographer Koda Holland-Smith – it’s no wonder this show was a delight from start to finish. Photo: Martin Ogden Whilst ...

25Oct

By Donna M DayNo Comments

North West

How to Kill a Rose – Unity Theatre

Transcend Theatre’s How to Kill a Rose, written by Felix Mufti-Wright and directed by Ailis Lord, is an exploration of domestic abuse within the transgender community. Terrifying realistic and heartrendingly hopeful, this bittersweet drama raises awareness of a vital issue affecting far too many people, while making you laugh with some clever humour. The performance is presented with subtitles and BSL interpretation throughout. The set shows a simple home, with a sofa and tables, and hints towards the creativity of the characters with the presence of a keyboard and easel with paints. The characters are sixteen year old “Me” (Felix Mufti-Wright) and 23 year old “Him” (Tony Fox). At the outset of the piece their relationship seems to be sweet and tender as they mime domestic bliss, watchi...

25Oct

By Zoё MeeresNo Comments

London

Mum – Soho Theatre

“I’ve just read the synopsis of the play we’re seeing. Bloody hell mate.” “I told you it sounded harrowing. Do you want to give it a miss and we can catch up later?” “No, I’ve picked an outfit now. I’m committed.” Thus was the exchange I had with the friend who agreed to accompany me to Mum, 20 minutes before we were due to meet. We reflected afterwards how glad we were that we’d seen it together and Mum was made all the poignant for me having experienced it with another strong woman that I’m lucky enough to be able to share my secrets and fears with. Mum moves quickly – we meet Nina (Sophie Melville – who I will say up front is exquisite), a new mum who is preparing for her first night off in three months with her friend, Jackie, while her mother-in-law, Pearl, prepares to rel...

Jack and the Beanstalk – St Helens Theatre Royal

24Oct

By Anne PritchardNo Comments

North West

Jack and the Beanstalk – St Helens Theatre Royal

Christmas pantomimes at St Helens Theatre Royal are a traditional treat and now half-term pantos are a firm favourite as they coincide with local school holidays; children and families can attend a show and enjoy retro slapstick and sing along to musical chart hits whilst enjoying the dancing and singing on stage. As you walk into St Helens Theatre Royal, it’s rather like stepping back in time. The small, old- fashioned theatre entices theatregoers to buy sweets and ice cream from the kiosk and the corner counter is twinkling with fairy lights from the colourful swords and fairy wands it sells which all the children clamour to buy. The theatre was full, and all eyes were on the stage as youngsters with their parents and grandparents waited for the curtain to rise. When it did, ...

24Oct

By Zoё MeeresNo Comments

London

Birdwatching – London Horror Festival

I was pretty excited about the London Horror Festival, because I am a self-confessed horror fanatic. There are various fascinating psychological theories around why people like to feel fear which I’m not qualified to cite here or expand on, but for me it boils down to excitement. Books, plays, films, rollercoasters; it’s all about getting the adrenaline pumping around your body but also knowing that you are, at all times, perfectly safe. Perfectly safe is not how Amy (Karen Barredo), one of the three characters in Birdwatching, would describe her position. An actress of small notoriety having appeared in a few slasher B movies, Amy arrives at a shelter deep in the woods to take on the role of Kate, accompanied by Pete (Arno van Zelst) - cameraman by trade, actor to help a friend – and H...

24Oct

By Donna M DayNo Comments

North West

The Chair – Theatre at the Casa

The Chair, presented by the Bridewell Production Company, is a new play written by Vinny Ferguson and Tony Kelly, based on the aftermath of the Cameo Murders which happened in Liverpool in 1949. Focusing on the experience of Tommy (Ted Grant), a petty criminal and prison barber, the play depicts DCI Balmer (Mike Lockley), a crooked and manipulative senior police officer, using his power to pressure Tommy into breaking the confidentiality that exists in the seat of the prison barber’s chair in order to ensure his preferred suspects, George Kelly and Charlie Connolly (Tony Jefferies) are found guilty of the murders. The play opens with Tommy arguing with his partner, Maggie (Andrea Neary) after being out all night “working”. Exhausted and cagey, it quickly becomes clear that Tommy is hidi...

The Body Remembers – Battersea Arts Centre

24Oct

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

The Body Remembers – Battersea Arts Centre

‘The Body Remembers’ created and performed by Heather Agyepong in collaboration with Fuel, creates a space to view ‘The Mover’ realising and releasing from their trauma. This piece opens a conversation in how the body has memory of trauma where the mind may forget, how the body will create physical responses which may not have any explanation other than the trauma of its experience. Focusing particularly on the experience of Black British women in trauma recovery we watch The Mover express through ‘Authentic Movement’ whilst her shadow follows her lead through a large projector, bold beautiful colours combined with simplistic images and quotes from women playing overhead, which seem planted at just the right moments. Knowing that the Mover is reacting through improvisation seems all the...

24Oct

By Ezzy LaBelleNo Comments

North West

First Time – Unity Theatre

Raw. Funny. Honest. Tonight, we met Nathaniel J Hall in all his glory and left the theatre better for it. Known for his role in Russell T Davies ‘It’s A Sin’ Hall has already established himself as an actor to watch. With First Time he is also establishing himself as a writer to watch. First Time manages to fit jokes, a re-enacted prom, silly string, and a quiz into the running time without it becoming farcical or cheesy; much of it is delivered with the light-hearted naivety of youth, providing a contrast to the sudden crash into the adult world Hall found himself confronted with. Opening up a topic that doesn’t often reach the mainstream warrants recognition. Doing it in a way that connects and engages a wide audience is to be even more commended. When did you last see a mainstr...

24Oct

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

REVIEWS

Blind – London Horror Festival

What is evil? Can it infect a place and its people? And how would you react if you found yourself trapped in that place, in the dark, alone? Blind is a 30-minute immersive experience from Ryots Productions, currently part of the London Horror Festival, that takes us on a ‘found footage’ type story (in this case purely audio rather than visual) of what happens to historian Alice Levine - in town to share the slightly gruesome history of the newly re-opened Butcher Library - when a sudden power cut plunges her into darkness. When a young girl, that Alice presumes is the caretaker’s daughter, comes to keep her company, she shares a chilling ghost story of the library’s original inhabitants and a doll whose blindfold must never be removed. It’s a classic ‘bumps in the night’ tale by E...