REVIEWS Archives - Page 388 of 548

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Series 3 Tour – M&S Bank Arena

17Sep

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Series 3 Tour – M&S Bank Arena

It's too conformist. It's not political enough. There's a diversity problem. The drag debate began long ago and won't be settled anytime soon. But surely, if a show has talent and is attracting a new audience then it's doing something right? If so, there's very little to debate: RuPaul's Drag Race UK Series 3 Tour is bloody brilliant. The latest season of RuPaul on the BBC boasted a stellar line-up. But it's not until each queen is given an equal time to shine that it's clear just how stellar. There are no weak links, everyone is bringing their a-game and the result is mainstream drag at its very finest. A black and white-themed runway opener gives the up-for-it-audience a first glimpse of what's in vogue. The looks are predictably incredible. This review will focus on the performanc...

Queenz: The Show With Balls – The Clapham Grand

17Sep

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Queenz: The Show With Balls – The Clapham Grand

Following a very successful run at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, ‘Queenz: The Show With Balls’ has strutted into London at the Clapham Grand before heading out on a UK Tour. Advertised as a trailblazing, life affirming drag extravaganza, the production features a cast of five phenomenally gifted, and sequin-clad divas who make up the ultimate ‘drag queen super girl group’. The five are fierce, and they clearly mean business, performing a jam-packed list of hits and the full spectrum of pop classics from across the decades, including The Spice Girls, Lady Gaga, Little Mix, Marilyn Monroe, Beyonce, and Shakira, as well as their own original remixes of show tunes and diva anthems arranged by Alex Turney (Musical Supervisor & Arrangements). The show offers up drag on a big scal...

16Sep

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

The P Word – Bush Theatre

Waleed Akhtar’s new play is sharp as it combines the warmth of friendship with the brutal reality of life as a refugee in the UK. The story follows two gay Pakistani men as we watch their lives unfold in London. Zafar is seeking asylum, fleeing from the danger he would face as a gay man in Pakistan. He attends counselling sessions and lives in a constant state of unrest as he waits to hear about his application. Bilal, who goes by the name Billy, has been brought up in London and as he enters the stage, we are given the lowdown on his Grindr status. The pacing is gentle and gradual as the parallels between their lives are established, assisted by Max Johns’ minimalistic stage design; it is a rotating circle platform split in two. Each character sticks to his own side of the circle, whic...

The Book of Mormon – Edinburgh Playhouse

15Sep

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

The Book of Mormon – Edinburgh Playhouse

As Edinburgh comes down off its narcotic high of hosting the largest arts Festival in the world, and just as it starts to hunker down for the onset of Autumn and Winter, here comes a wake-up of epic proportions as ‘Mormon’ marches unashamedly into town. One of the world’s highest grossing musicals, this multi award-winning show is not to be missed, from the creators of South Park, Avenue Q and Frozen, Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone. This is a show of high pedigree and high quality that does not disappoint and is probably one of the funniest musicals you are ever likely to see. Halfway through a UK tour the cast are drilled, the music is tight, and the laughs are guaranteed! Stripped down this is a buddy road-trip musical, think Abbott and Costello meets the Lion King, that...

Antigone – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

15Sep

By Gemma PrinceNo Comments

London

Antigone – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

The Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre concludes its 90th season with playwright Inua Ellams' fiercely modern adaptation of Sophocles' Ancient Greek tragedy. This fresh version of Antigone explores family, faith, politics and power in 21st century Britain. Jointly directed by Max Webster and Jo Tyabji, the titular character (played by Zainab Hasan) is a British Muslim woman whose family faces a tragedy which tears them apart. Living in a politically divided world where her faith and identity are constantly scrutinised, Antigone rises up and decides to take matters into her own hands. Ellams draws on numerous real-life parallels in his adaptation, from xenophobia, political tensions and questions of religion, the famous heroine re-imagined as a determined young woman who runs a youth cent...

14Sep

By Maani WayNo Comments

London

Heathers The Musical – The Other Palace

The wickedly funny, energetic and chaotic Heathers is back in the West End and for its second run at The Other Palace Theatre. Produced by Paul Taylor-Mills and Bill Kenwright, Heathers The Musical made its record-breaking box office debut in 2018 for a limited season. Re-opening in 2021, the show kickstarted the post-pandemic theatre recovery period. A high-school classic, Heathers stars Veronica Sawyer (Erin Caldwell), a girl simply trying to fit-in at high school and make it through to graduation. She joins the infamous Heathers, the school’s lead clique who are beautiful but impossibly cruel. When new rebel, Jason Dean/JD (Nathanael Landskroner) joins Westerberg High, Veronica find herself in a toxic whirlwind romance resulting in lies, deceit and much worse... The show begins wi...

Fisherman’s Friends The Musical – The Alexandra, Birmingham

14Sep

By Annette NuttallNo Comments

West Midlands

Fisherman’s Friends The Musical – The Alexandra, Birmingham

This musical is based on the 2019 film of Fisherman’s Friends, which also takes its inspiration from the surprise hit group of the same name. The production sails into Birmingham this week as one of its first venues on a UK Tour. When city boy Danny stumbles across a group of sea shanty singing fisherman in the little village of Port Issac, he believes he has found the next big thing. Can he gain the trust and the hearts of the village or just a slap with a wet fish? For a couple of hours you are given a window into the lives of the people of Port Issac in Cornwall. Traditions and history are part of their daily lives, dotting an old language through their conversation, celebrating Saints days and above all being there for each other. Although life is not the easiest and there is und...

14Sep

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Trainspotting Live – Hope Mill Theatre

Wow, just wow! This was the perfect hit, a heady concoction of filth, foulness and fun. Yes, fun. Which seems extremely odd for a play which is based on Irvine Welsh’s infamous novel about heroin addiction and hopelessness. The characters maybe without hope but they are teeming with energy. This play is closer to the book than Danny Boyle’s film. If you have seen the movie, you will recognise a number of the set pieces. There is, for instance, the speed induced attempt to mess up a job interview without making it appear that they don’t want the job. And, yes, there is the toilet. Word of warning don’t sit near the loo. It is staged in such a way that the audience is seated either side of a thin strip where the action takes place. The actors also frequently come into the audience and ...

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical – The King’s Theatre, Glasgow

14Sep

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical – The King’s Theatre, Glasgow

Everything about Beautiful - The Carole King Musical presented by The Curve Production is top notch. The direction (Nikolai Foster) is superb with seamless transitions on a wonderfully apt set (Frankie Bradshaw) and, of course the cast, every one of them, is talented, exuberant and committed. They are multi-talented actors, singers and instrumentalists. This show is full of life. It is joyful from the very start. Carole King’s story is inspiring. Her music, and that of her contemporaries, has stood the test of time. She is one of the most successful solo acts in pop music history and the quality of this production would make her smile, I am sure. Characters mill around on stage, chatting, setting up mics etc while the audience settle down. Click your fingers and the auditorium ...

14Sep

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Bat Out of Hell – Hull New Theatre

Hull New Theatre’s autumn season got off to a flying start on Tuesday night, when Bat Out Of Hell the Musical roared into town. As a reviewer, I try to be critical, but when something of this calibre hits the stage, it is practically impossible to find fault. The rip-roaring production, featuring the music of Meatloaf, centres around two couples - 18-year-olds, gang leader, Strat (Glenn Adamson) and his love interest Raven (Rebecca Lafferty); and Raven’s over-protective parents, Falco (Rob Fowler) and Sloane (Sharon Sexton). Strat’s gang, The Lost, live underground, while Raven and her parents live above-ground, in luxury. Here I must mention set designer, Jon Bausor, whose concept of having just one item of the set, a sofa, having to be “scene-shifted” throughout the productio...