REVIEWS Archives - Page 396 of 417

14Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

The Prom – Netflix

When Coronavirus pressed pause in March of this year many key events were missed - weddings, christenings, graduations and proms. The high-school prom - a formal dance that originated in America which has gained global popularity – celebrates the start of adult life as teenagers tear up the dance floor in all of their finery following the ritual of ‘promposals’ (ever more inventive ways to ask someone to prom), corsages and limo rides. Netflix’s latest movie musical The Prom (an adaptation of Matthew Sklar, Chad Beguelin and Bob Martin’s 2016 Broadway musical) provides a heartening tale of acceptance and redemption which is well judged to entertain audiences starved of live theatre and events. In these socially distant times seeing exuberant dancers not observing a safe two met...

12Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

South East

Peter Pan – Barn Theatre

With this one-man adaptation of the classic family tale, the Barn Theatre has another success on their hands. Equally as thrilling as it is heart-warming, this version transports the audience from normality to Neverland. All with the help of that famous, ever-youthful boy. There have been countless retellings of J.M.Barrie’s creation and everyone has their favourites. From the big screen (“Hook” coming to mind, whereas I wish I could erase “Pan” from it) to stage musicals such as “Finding Neverland”, it is obvious that the appeal for the pixie-dust sprinkled adventure has not faltered. Playing on the universal appeal for the story, the Barn team have created a play with family at its forefront. Waylon Jacobs (Hamilton) plays a travelling father who is coaxed into a bedtime story from...

The Magic of Christmas – Pitlochry Festival Theatre

11Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

Scotland

The Magic of Christmas – Pitlochry Festival Theatre

Perhaps the biggest nightmare for theatreland through the pandemic has been the loss of the lucrative festive shows they use to subsidise their riskier offerings during the year. So, like so many venues the team at Pitlochry Festival Theatre have been forced to offer their seasonal production online, which in all honesty is no replacement for the sheer joy of sitting in a theatre full of overexcited kids with adults in tow keen to relive their youth - all secretly hoping things will go wrong. It may be no substitute, but a four strong cast deliver a charming half hour show in the theatre’s garden as hapless elves Hari and Lari smash the fourth wall inviting cyber viewers to join a journey as they seek the missing North Star that guides Santa as he gives every kid in the world a press...

Christmas Music by Candlelight – The Shows Must Go On

10Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

Christmas Music by Candlelight – The Shows Must Go On

I love a good carol concert. I’m no expert (or singer), but I love the songs and the feeling of Christmas. Online carol singing though, how’s that going to work? Well, it does, and it does it exceedingly well. Through the flickering candlelight at St Paul’s Church, Birmingham, conductor Jeffrey Skidmore takes Ex Cathedra through a range of carols old and new bringing joyous melodies and harmony to your home. I was astonished how in love with this show I became. And maybe it’s the power of the music and the beauty of the voices, but I found this performance a time to reflect. A time to step back and enjoy the wonder of the world. Visually, I felt I was there. The candlelight is so atmospheric you feel yourself drawn into the dancing lights reflecting off the church windows. ...

10Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

The Dumb Waiter – Hampstead Theatre

When watching a play written by Harold Pinter, I always feel as though the writer is asking the audience to help him to write the play. There is a feeling of inclusion as we follow the plot line, never really knowing what is coming next as we are still trying to puzzle out what just happened during the previous scene. Pinter wrote this short play in 1957 and it premiered at Hampstead Theatre Club (as it was known then) in 1960 after first being staged in Frankfurt in 1959. Pioneering his own style of writing; Pinter continues to fascinate 60 years later. The play begins with two men sitting in a shabby room with only two beds as furniture. In typical Pinter style there is no explanation as to why these men are in the room, we are supposed to pick up on clues i...

The Royal Variety Performance 2020 – Blackpool Opera House

9Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

The Royal Variety Performance 2020 – Blackpool Opera House

Well, it’s that time of year again! Christmas TV is well under way and so we are welcomed into the Blackpool Opera House (via our screens) for this year’s Royal Variety Performance. With the stage set, and the virtual audience in their seats, the night fulfilled the show’s yearly promise of talent and festive cheer. Jason Manford opened the show by journeying through the theatre to the stage, whilst singing Webber’s “As If We Never Said Goodbye”. A poignant and rousing start to the night. As Manford also hosted the Oliviers last month, it seems he is the voice of the theatre world at the moment. He used this position to present with humility, humour and class. The show was filled with its usual spectacular line-up of stars. From Gary Barlow singing his new hit “Incredible”, (an adjec...

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical – Garrick Theatre

8Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical – Garrick Theatre

Showstopper did not allow lockdown to stop their creativity, they have continued to produce online improvised shows, in fact North West End UK have reviewed some of these (see our website). For those who have somehow missed the artistry that is musical improvisation here is a quick summary. Showstopper use suggestions made by the audience to make up a musical from scratch in front of your eyes. In a normal musical production, it can take years for a production to make it to the stage, with the services of a lyricist, a composer, producer, director, actors, etc, etc! Showstopper does all of this in one night – the performers multi-task and roll all of this into one very sleek team. Ring, ring, the red phone shrills, and we know it’s going to be Cameron asking the ...

7Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

Potted Panto – Garrick Theatre

Panto – as traditional a Christmas custom as mince pies, mulled wine and pulling crackers. Like many of our favourite things this year, Covid has put-paid to lots of the pantos and theatre trips we’d normally be enjoying, so naturally I jumped at the chance to see Potted Panto - a madcap romp through all the classic pantomimes, performed in just 70 minutes. As my first theatre trip in socially distanced times, I must give a quick shout-out to the team at the Garrick who did a terrific job of creating a Covid-safe space, whizzing us through temperature and bag checks and ensuring everyone remained vigilant with their masks. A different experience for sure but a smooth one which provided a small slice of normality in an otherwise very strange festive season. Using a pretty basic bu...

Philharmonia Sessions: Beethoven’s Prometheus – Battersea Arts Centre

6Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

Philharmonia Sessions: Beethoven’s Prometheus – Battersea Arts Centre

Presented in the month of the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth, Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra playing Beethoven's famous ballet The Creatures of Prometheus. In this version, each symphonic movement is punctuated by Stephen Fry explaining the part of the story about to be told, aided by animation by Hillary Leben and a script by Gerard McBurney. Beethoven wrote his hugely popular ballet score in 1801, in just 11 days and, as Fry tells us, the version of the ancient Greek creation story he used is not the most widely established one about Prometheus giving man fire. In this version Prometheus creates man with fire from Mount Olympus and then calls on Apollo, god of music and dance, the Muses, and a host of other deities to teach his Creatures what it is to ex...

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’...