REVIEWS Archives - Page 382 of 402

The Fabulist Fox Sister – Southwark Playhouse

5Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

The Fabulist Fox Sister – Southwark Playhouse

The Fabulist Fox Sister is a 2020 musical that plays with the idea of lies and fake truth in a historical context. Yet the references to today are there. The Fox sisters were 3 siblings who claimed to converse with spirits, becoming star medium performers during their lifetimes and now being cited as some of the founders of the Spiritualism movement. Michael Conley is a smiley and natural performer, as is his character Kate Fox who is reminiscing to an audience about her life in 1892. Kate is intentionally un-mystical, raucously funny, and from the start an unreliable narrator. The narrative is fairly typical of an older character looking back on their life and taking the audience through the events they have experienced chronologically, in Kate’s case she details her and her sister’...

Flying Lovers of Vitebsk – Bristol Old Vic

5Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

South West

Flying Lovers of Vitebsk – Bristol Old Vic

As theatre continues to adapt to the restrictions of a pandemic. Wise Children and the Kneehigh Theatre follow suite as they perform live at the Bristol Old Vic for an online audience. Thank goodness as this is keeping the spirit of the theatre alive, while giving many the opportunity to watch a live show and enjoy a joyful experience, from the comfort of their own homes. Directed by Emma Rice, of Wise Children, (Wise Children, Malory Towers, Romantics Anonymous) the story is written by Daniel Jamieson. It centres around artist Marc Chagall and his partner Bella. A generally romantic story set against the backdrop of the early 1900’s. Chagall’s paintings made a beautiful use of colours and flying lovers were an ongoing theme that featured in many of his works, thus the title refle...

5Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

42nd Street – Theatre Royal Drury Lane

This show has it all - glitz, glamour...and of course, showtunes. Any fan of musical theatre - young and old - should see 42nd Street, a true celebration of the theatre and a masterpiece from start to finish. The plotline for this production is somewhat familiar - an age-old tale of the underdog done good. 42nd Street follows small-town girl Peggy Sawyer, whose one ambition is to secure a place in the chorus line of Pretty Girl, the hottest new show in town. Of course, to paraphrase Shakespeare, “the course of ambition never did run smooth”, so there was lots of obstacles for our young heroine to overcome to get there - but, thanks to her raw talent, she soon finds herself competing for the spotlight against theatre veteran and diva extraordinaire, Miss Dorothy Brock. It’s almost lik...

Magnetic North: Voices from the Indigenous Arctic

4Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London, REVIEWS

Magnetic North: Voices from the Indigenous Arctic

The British Museum teams up with Border Crossing’s ORIGINS festival’s latest offering to their series on climate change and indigenous people. Magnetic North: voices from the Indigenous Arctic sees art, technology, spoken word and music collide in an event dedicated to the culture of the indigenous people of the Arctic Circle. Here, artistic expression finds its groove in technology and shows us love of the planet, and of each other’s culture is a vital step in the race to save the environment. Only then can we begin to understand what we are fighting for. Ishmael Angaaluuk Hope’s spoken word introduction describes indigenous people using the concept of Shukat Khu.oo, a Tlingit word meaning people at the very front and at the very back of society. Knowing our earth so intimately, ...

3Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

Jack and the Beanstalk – Panto Online

Produced by Jack Be Nimble and Everyman Cinema, Jack and the Beanstalk is uniquely, a garden pantomime! Filmed in the summer and featuring a talented cast, the production is being screened across 55 cinemas across the UK this December, providing a Covid-safe environment to enjoy our favourite festive tradition. It is difficult to get the balance quite right between stage style performing, and on screen acting, but generally the cast get it spot on. The use of the garden space is excellent, particularly the scenes in front of the large house, and the fairy scenes in amongst the greenery. There are also some hilarious tongue-in-cheek comments about the beanstalk! All the best aspects of panto are included - a slosh scene, ghost gag, full musical numbers and an excellent song sheet. The da...

1Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

Red – The Shows Must Go On

A pretentious artist and his naïve assistant work away in a 1950’s New York studio. John Logan’s Tony award winning piece may not sound like the most exciting subject, but don’t let that deter you. It’s a deep-dive into the creative mind with thrilling performances. The play spans two whole years of an intense working relationship. Mark Rothko (Alfred Molina) is a celebrated artist who has been commissioned to create art for display at the new Four Seasons restaurant. He is assisted by “over-eager under-graduate" Ken (Alfred Enoch). Questioning opinions and confronting each other's weaknesses makes for an uneasy partnership but a riveting play. Enoch is charming as the assistant. The quirkiness of his movement and emotional openness are played expertly by someone in his Wes...

The Legend of Moby Dick Whittington – Online

1Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

The Legend of Moby Dick Whittington – Online

If ever a Christmas show was so bang on trend, it’s ‘The Legend of Moby Dick Whittington’. Not only do Sleeping Trees manage to pull off a high quality production full of interactivity and fun – they do it from the confines of a small house using bundles of creative energy. It is this sense of the ‘make do and get on’ which is of huge appeal in this ‘living room adventure’ which is stuffed with Christmas cheer and puns a plenty. Interactivity is high on the agenda with easy screen prompts and many calls for you to get involved. The story is as follows: Mayor of London, Dick Whittington, is turning on the Christmas lights but then a giant whale appears and swallows Santa Claus whole. Dick, along with his trusty sidekick Cat, must embark on a quest to stop Christmas being ruined foreve...

30Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

ALLO Opera – Online Opera Gala

Tonight, I had the absolute pleasure of viewing ALLO Opera’s inaugural recorded Opera Gala. We find ourselves in a time when live performances are scant so any opportunity to enjoy a fantastic evening of singing is to be grasped with both hands. Of course, with the current climate, social distancing is the order of the day and I was delighted to find that the performers found a perfect way to maintain the 3-meter rule for singers to make sure everyone was safe. Ross Cumming took first performance and also doubled up as a more than capable compare for the evening. His rich tone and strength of voice complimented the Mendelssohn Elijah piece, Lord God of Abraham, and it was sung with a great reverence and sensitivity. He presented a totally different tone for Ach wir Armen Leute from Hump...

In Search of a White Identity – The Actors Centre

29Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

In Search of a White Identity – The Actors Centre

This short play, filmed at The Actors Centre in Seven Dials, is written by Cliffordkuju Henry, who also stars as Patrick. As we find this black man in a holding area in a police station together with the white Mickey (played by Drew Edwards), we know we are in complex territory. Both have been arrested for their behaviour on a march that has turned violent, and although they were childhood friends, Mickey has become a right-wing white supremacist. Both come from the same background: violent father, a mother they couldn’t protect, a deprived inner-city estate. This is explored to some extent but fails to fully address the whys and wherefores of how such an upbringing may breed extreme views in later life. Years on, their former playground has been ‘gentrified', and Mickey in partic...

Death of England: Delroy – National Theatre Live

29Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

Death of England: Delroy – National Theatre Live

The sequel to the play that went out earlier this year where Raef Spall played Michael, friend of Delroy. Death of England: Delroy is a new play that premiered and closed on 4th November this year and subsequently is now being streamed live on YouTube in order to give it the airing it deserves. And of course, adjusting to the social distancing measures that have rocked the foundations of theatre this year. A refreshing new play written by Clint Dyer and Roy Williams is at least getting to reach a wider audience tonight who may not be able to visit the Olivier Theatre in London or not think to watch it so there’s some positivity to be gleaned from this. The writer Dyer tells us that out of adversity, things happen, and enthuses there has been a shift in consciousness this year due ...