REVIEWS Archives - Page 39 of 548

Scenes with Black Folk – Camden People Theatre

20Aug

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Scenes with Black Folk – Camden People Theatre

Scenes with Black Folk sets out with a bold and important premise: to ask, what are the rules of being Black? Who decides, and who enforces them? And what happens when those questions are asked aloud? On paper, it promises to be thought-provoking and powerful, a piece that could explore the complexities, contradictions, and lived realities of Black identity across time. Unfortunately, the production falls short of that promise. While it gestures toward weighty themes, it lacks the substance and cohesion needed to make them resonate. Instead of offering sharp insight or meaningful reflection, the play leans heavily on clever-sounding wordplay and poetic fragments that ultimately feel hollow. Symbolism is suggested but rarely lands with clarity or impact, leaving the audience with mor...

Dragging your Heels – Camden People’s Theatre

20Aug

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Dragging your Heels – Camden People’s Theatre

Dragging Your Heels, part of Camden Fringe, is a charming little play about a recently divorced builder, Ben, who dreams of becoming a stand-up comedian. By the end of the show, he manages to face his stage fright by embracing a whole new persona by stepping into drag as a way to perform with confidence. The central message is thoughtful: drag can be many things: a character, a persona, an art form, even a political statement. Here, it becomes a means for someone to follow their dreams and step onto a stage. It’s a touching idea, and the play pays tribute to the transformative power of drag in a warm and accessible way. The production itself is minimal, with a cast of three who keep the story moving through jokes and small musical numbers. There were moments of genuine laughter, ...

ShakeItUp: The Improvised Shakespeare Show – Gilded Balloon

20Aug

By Juliette PepinNo Comments

Scotland

ShakeItUp: The Improvised Shakespeare Show – Gilded Balloon

With spontaneous sharp wit, wild rhymes and surprise pop culture references, Shake It Up Shakespeare pokes fun at the classic tragedies in this unpredictable and boisterous romp. We are confronted with our first choice of a comedy, tragedy or history – after a resounding chant for tragedy, we are told to expect that everyone will, in true Shakespearean fashion, die. As we walk to our seats, we are given the option to write phrases and prompts for the cast to select at random throughout the play, with the power to change the entire course of the story. The result is hilarious chaos, with a murder being committed in Aisle 4 of an ASDA, Hamilton lines being freestyled for a 16th century audience ('methinks I am not throwing away my shot’) and Auld Lang Syne celebrations thrown in. The ...

20Aug

By Scot CunninghamNo Comments

North West

The Diana Mixtape – The Lowry

Succeeding a world premiere in London, The Diana Mixtape makes a Royal Visit to the North for a limited, three-day run. This concert-style jukebox of a Di-opic declares a need “to set the record straight”, centring on the People’s Princess’ turbulent relationship with Charles the Third. Five drag queens share the titular role as they blast through a contemporary pop playlist of female anthems. Photo: Harry Elletson It starts out strong with the queens delivering fast-paced, irreverent comedy as a lovestruck Lady Di meets her future husband for the first time. Well-chosen songs promptly introduce the audience to other characters: Elizabeth II- played by Keala Settle- rules the stage with Commander. Meanwhile, the sensational Lucinda Lawrence demands undivided attention as Camilla s...

20Aug

By Samantha CollettNo Comments

South East

Duet For One – Frinton Summer Theatre

Watching a play about someone struggling with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is not the first thing you think of when you go to the theatre, but then this is the beauty of the medium: at times, it is challenging. I’m sure most people would agree MS is a terrifying illness. There is, as yet, no known cure for this chronic autoimmune disease which affects the central nervous system, specifically the brain and spinal cord. In ‘Duet for One’ we watch as Stephanie Abrahams (Coco Azoitei) struggles to come to terms with her diagnosis. Her MS symptoms mean her illustrious career as a concert violinist have been cut short in her early 40s, and now she must try and find new meaning in her life. Dr Alfred Feldmann (Alan Cox) is the psychiatrist who has taken on this unenviable role. You w...

20Aug

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Bog Body – Paradise in the Vault

Lindow Moss, Cheshire - a peat bogland gains notoriety in 1984 when an iron-age body is uncovered from the bog mostly intact, fondly named Lindow Man. Soon after being discovered, the body was properly preserved and then displayed in the British Museum - until now. It’s Petra’s wedding day and she’s full of the pre-wedding jitters, maybe because it’s a huge milestone in life, or maybe because she is about to marry the decaying body of Lindow Man which she has stolen from the British Museum. Produced by Itchy Feet Theatre, Bog Body is a one-woman show that revels in the dark and brooding atmosphere, with both humour and almost thriller-like aspects. Performed by Maddie White, we are let into Petra’s inner world - stressed, all over the place, and in deep emotional a...

The King of Hollywood – theSpaceUK @ Surgeon’s Hall

20Aug

By Al CarrettaNo Comments

Scotland

The King of Hollywood – theSpaceUK @ Surgeon’s Hall

Two heroes; long forgotten but pillars of an epoch. On a simply set stage, Hollywood silent movie star Douglas Fairbanks waits for his friend Charlie Chaplin in a heavenly restaurant. He’s been waiting for over 37 years; Fairbanks passed in 1939 and Chaplin in 1977. At some point around 1900, Charlie Chaplin trod the boards of the Gaiety Theatre in Leith with the clog dancing troupe ‘The Eight Lancashire Lads’. Chaplin enters and alludes to this connection as Fairbanks takes us on a potted history of his life in the movies. From the first moment this is highly engaging theatre. Lit with two large defined circles of light, two chairs and a table of expected restaurant props, Gerardo Cabal leans back confidently and brings a suave charm and subtle nuance to his version of Fairbanks. W...

The Last Keepers – theSpaceUK @ Symposium Hall (Annexe Theatre)

19Aug

By Al CarrettaNo Comments

Scotland

The Last Keepers – theSpaceUK @ Symposium Hall (Annexe Theatre)

A stranger washes up on Uig on the Isle of Skye. It’s purportedly 1970 and the lighthouse is closing down. The tight knit community is fragile. Everything is falling apart. The audience enters to the cast symbolically waving torches wrapped in blue plastic carrier bigs. This simple introduction sets a tone. Actors bustle in shock, the discovery of the stranger ensues, and the audience is engaged through a frantic commotion. The plot is relatively simple, or not when you begin its deconstruction. Donald, our mysterious man from the sea excites the village. He serves as the catalyst who creates ripples of animosity with every other person he crosses paths with. Like so many other EdFringe productions, this show has no printed programme or online production information. Pedantic, maybe...

Nearlyweds the Musical – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

19Aug

By Juliette PepinNo Comments

Scotland

Nearlyweds the Musical – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

We are cordially welcomed to the wedding of an eager bride-to-be, talking our seats at a wedding reception that never actually happens. Settling in for a light-hearted romcom, we receive just that - Jasmine Alice's new musical Nearlyweds is vibrant and upbeat, packed with quirky characters and excessive puns. Nearlyweds follows bride-to-be Lily who gets cold feet and jet sets to escape her wedding, while another husband-to-be Jake deals with repercussions of his fiancé baring his cheating habits for all his family to see. As both navigate new independence and impending fatherhood respectively, they meet through Lily's friend and Jake's brother Brian. Sarah Alexandra Brown as Lily is a compelling lead – we empathise with her as she confronts her disconnected relationship wi...

Liza Minnelli, Life is a Cabaret – Cellar Bar at Argyle Cellar Bar

19Aug

By Triona ScullyNo Comments

Scotland

Liza Minnelli, Life is a Cabaret – Cellar Bar at Argyle Cellar Bar

Life is a Cabaret features skilled storyteller and vocalist Sally McGreevy weaving together songs and anecdotes about Liza Minnelli’s life. This is McGreevy’s tenth year at the festival and it shows. A seasoned performer, she opens her act with the title track and immediately her audience warms to her. She then reveals snippets of Minnelli’s early life and captures the erratic nature of her formative years with the revelation that the star had attended twenty-two different schools by her sixteenth birthday. At this young age Minnelli left home to pursue her dreams of being a dancer but with such a strong vocal heritage she was always destined to be a singer and just two years late, in 1964, performed ‘Gypsy in my Soul’ live at the London Palladium. McGreevy performs the track effort...