REVIEWS Archives - Page 4 of 636

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie – Lyceum Theatre

10Oct

By Tom ScottNo Comments

Scotland

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie – Lyceum Theatre

The National Theatre of Scotland’s new expressionistic production of ‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie’ is a magnificent theatrical gem. Since the 1960s, theatre audiences have enjoyed the Jay Presson Allen adaptation of Muriel Spark’s iconic novel. That features an eccentric but lovable teacher in 1930s Edinburgh, and her influence on the young girls in her care. Vanessa Redgrave played Brodie in the 1966 West End production but turned down the part for the 1969 film version, allowing Maggie Smith to step in and claim her first Oscar. David Harrower is only the second writer to be allowed to adapt the novel, receiving permission from Muriel Spark herself shortly before her death in 2006. Harrower’s adaptation, which premiered at London’s Donmar Warehouse in 2018, and has been rev...

User Manual for a Broken Machine – Holy Cross Church

10Oct

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

User Manual for a Broken Machine – Holy Cross Church

A vacuum cleaner might seem an unlikely starting point for an absorbing piece of theatre about growing up under the demands of economic and technological progress. Yet KASSNA’s ‘User Manual for a Broken Machine’ takes this ordinary domestic object and builds an inventive, energetic production around it, exploring the human cost of being expected to always function efficiently. Written and directed by Namoo Chae Lee, the work begins with a broken Daewoo vacuum cleaner and the instructions intended to restore it to working order. From this simple premise emerges a much larger question: who actually gets to decide what constitutes a malfunction? Applied to a machine, the answer might appear straightforward, but applied to a person (or society), it becomes considerably more troubling. ...

10Oct

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

Fences – Lyric Hammersmith

Fences by August Wilson “is a powerful family drama about racism, lost dreams, fatherhood, betrayal and the emotional barriers people build around themselves and the people they love”. This production is directed by Daniel Bailey and with Ray Fearon playing Troy Maxson and Madeline Appiah playing his wife, Rose. The time is the 1950’s America when Black working class families were trying to survive racial discrimination and generational trauma. The story centres around Troy Maxson, a Black man in his fifties working on the streets of Pennsylvania. What becomes evident early in the play is that Troy is a troubled man scarred by this past, trying to live in the future; but his demons uncover a deep abyss of loneliness. His actions towards his relationships with his wife Rose and his c...

The Love That I’ve Lost – Bread and Roses Theatre

10Oct

By Holly LilyNo Comments

London

The Love That I’ve Lost – Bread and Roses Theatre

Love is very complicated, and The Love That I’ve Lost undoubtedly demonstrates that. Written and directed by Morgan Clarice, The Love That I’ve Lost follows three generations of women: Lillie (Harriet Spence-Reid), Michelle (Amelia Dunn) and Betty (Nina Anderson), as they navigate their complex love lives. Lillie, the youngest of the three, is new to dating and struggles with the rejection that can come with finding the right person. Her mother, Michelle (though difficult to believe with the age gap not seeming believably big enough), is going through a messy divorce, finding it hard to move on when she is still so in love. Betty’s husband is suffering from dementia, and so despite still being in a long-term relationship, she feels a lack of love as a result of feeling him slowly s...

10Oct

By Abigail PendleburyNo Comments

North West

Calendar Girls – Octagon Theatre

Calendar Girls is a beautifully uplifting and heartfelt production that all audiences relate to. The show radiates warmth, humour and a humanity which created an atmosphere that felt both intimate and uplifting. It’s one of those rare productions where you laugh freely, feel deeply, and leave the theatre with a renewed sense of connection and optimism. It just shows why this story has resonated with audiences for so many years. What makes the production so special is the sheer authenticity of the cast. Every performer brings sincerity to their role, portraying the friendships, frustrations and quiet bravery of these women with a real emotional depth. The camaraderie between them is so effortless, you can feel and believe the friendships, and grief, and the courage it takes each of them ...

Disney’s Alice in Wonderland Jr – Z-arts

10Oct

By Grace LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Disney’s Alice in Wonderland Jr – Z-arts

There is something truly special about watching young talent take to the stage with confidence, enthusiasm and a genuine love of theatre, and Manchester Musical Youth’s Apprentices production of Disney’s Alice in Wonderland JR delivered all this and more during its opening night at Z-arts, Manchester. Featuring a cast of 36 talented young performers aged between 8 and 13, this vibrant production was a wonderful showcase of the passion, dedication and creativity at the heart of Manchester Musical Youth. Directed by Shannon Holland, with producers Dave and Kimberly Holden, musical direction by Kimberly Holden, and assistant choreography by Rose Warburton and Amelie Hassouna-Smith, the production brought Wonderland to life with colour, character and theatrical charm. Following he...

Don Black’s From the Heart – Garrick Theatre

9Oct

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Don Black’s From the Heart – Garrick Theatre

A lyricist’s words can become so familiar to us that we forget the person who wrote them. ‘From the Heart’ brings Don Black, one of the world’s most accomplished lyricists into focus, offering a beautifully presented musical revue that traces his career through songs and autobiographical reflections. Directed by Nick Winston, the evening feels carefully assembled, with a thoughtfully curated programme that makes room for discovery alongside recognition. The lesser-known numbers provide an opportunity to appreciate Black’s work beyond the songs audiences can immediately hum, and there is considerable pleasure in hearing these pieces given such accomplished treatment, allowing the lyrics their place in the spotlight. The staging of this revue is equally assured. Sophia Pardon’s minimal...

God Save Us – The Lion & Unicorn Theatre

9Oct

By Charlotte MansfieldNo Comments

London

God Save Us – The Lion & Unicorn Theatre

French spies, educated women and badly filed paperwork make for chaotic comedy in this new show set in 1066. Only nine months since King Harold had an arrow through his eye, and the French are changing laws and imposing their language and customs on their newly conquered country. Clergymen Theodore (George MacGowan) and Nicholas (Xavier Atkins) have enough problems keeping the villagers in line, and when their French superior arrives and helps himself to a farm at the same time as a woman arrives from Yorkshire claiming the farm is hers, Theodore has his work cut out keeping everyone distracted while he tries to fix the mess. Rabble-rouser, Joan (Julie Joubert), is asked to write a morality play and Yorkshire woman Asa (Lily Blunsom) is given the lead part to keep both of them busy....

9Oct

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

The Void – Traverse Theatre

There are moments in The Void when I genuinely believe I have boarded the Nostromo, and for someone whose youthful infatuation with Sigourney Weaver remains largely undiminished, that is no small achievement. The extraordinary set presents us with an exploded view of the nose cone of a spacecraft, its outer sections peeled back like the petals of some enormous mechanical flower, exposing the industrial structure within. At its centre, a vast circular surface doubles as a rear-projection screen, providing the focus for much of the production's remarkable imagery. But what makes this design particularly impressive is how successfully the whole of Traverse One becomes part of the spaceship. The exposed air-conditioning plant, overhead gantries and cage-like structures of the t...

9Oct

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

King Lear – Royal Exchange

To mark its landmark 50th anniversary, Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre offers an extraordinary, electrifying staging of King Lear. Adapted and directed by Matthew Dunster, this gripping production brings two titan creative forces back to the in-the-round stage: Dunster, in his sixth engagement with the venue, and screen icon David Threlfall, returning to the Exchange after a 27-year absence. The result is a searing, unmissable theatrical event that reinvents Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy for a modern audience without losing an ounce of its power. At the epicenter of this storm is Threlfall’s remarkable performance. Playing a monarch whose vanity blindfolds him to genuine affection, Threlfall portrays Lear’s descent into madness not merely as a loss of reason, but as a total collaps...