REVIEWS Archives - Page 389 of 548

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...

14Sep

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Horse-Play – Riverside Studios

“Set in a dark sex dungeon, crime-busting superhero, the Stallion, and his intrepid sidekick, Butterfly, have been lured to the secret lair of their arch-nemesis: the dastardly Villainor…!” This all sounds very exciting and Hollywood-style cinematic, but in reality, this is not a play about superheroes at all, it is instead an incredibly camp, modern, and queer take on the traditional British farce, conceived and written by Ian Hallard. The play features two main characters Tim (David Ames) and Tom (Jake Maskall), a married couple of 10 years, seeking to spice up their sex life with a bit of superhero, spandex cosplay. It features a very handsome male sex worker and a room full of sex toys. Sounds like the perfect night out for our adventure seeking couple, however, when an unfortuna...

14Sep

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

And Here I Find Myself – The Lowry

There’s an added edge to tonight’s show. We will hear repeatedly how the past feels condensed into a moment that has only just happened. Under the shadow of the very recent death of the Queen, with two major shows in full swing in the Lowry’s larger theatres this theme will probably resonate far more strongly than may have been expected. Created and performed by Wayne Steven Jackson, we are guided through milestones of Wayne’s life, trying to navigate the world and its expectations of conformity, despite the apparent relaxation of attitudes towards LGBTQ+ rights. Suddenly facing 40 and having failed (through surrogacy) to become a father, Wayne has a choice to make – keep pushing towards ‘ticking the boxes’ (marriage, family, career etc.) or reject these rules and forge his own path. ...

14Sep

By Zoё MeeresNo Comments

London

Doctor Faustus – Southwark Playhouse

The plot of Doctorr Faustus is well trodden in the arts – character thinks s/he is getting everything they’ve ever wanted, turns out the small print doesn’t exactly chime with that. Spoiler alert - your heart’s desire may not be all it’s cracked up to be and/or comes with some undesirable side effects. But Faustus really should have known better – he knows he is quite literally making a deal with the devil and even back in the Elizabethan era should probably have known that might come back to bite him. The stage set up at the Southwark Playhouse (never been, would definitely return – front of house staff charming, drinks reasonably priced, delightfully air-conditioned space) is a little confusing. The setting is very 80s with a dial-up telephone and recording apparatus, yet the backdrop...

Distinguished Villa – Finborough Theatre

14Sep

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Distinguished Villa – Finborough Theatre

"Refined" is the word around which Kate O'Brien's 1926 play hinges. Mabel Hemworth is unrelenting in her control of her immaculately cleaned suburban home and her downtrodden husband, Natty. A woman claiming permanent illness and anxiety, frigid and childless, she is constantly on edge and desperate not to attract the negative judgement of the neighbours on their quiet avenue in Brixton. Even her husband's singing along to a record she regards as outrageous due to what she considers to be racy lyrics. She has also ruled over the life of her sister, Gwen, a young woman seeking escape from this situation through marriage to the unremarkable John. Mabel represents the tied-down morals of the Victorian era, with even vague references to "issues of the night" causing her to have a fit of the va...