REVIEWS Archives - Page 4 of 583

12May

By Klervi GavetNo Comments

London

Escaped Alone – The Coronet Theatre

Escaped Alone at The Coronet Theatre is one of those productions that feels perpetually on the verge of becoming something unsettling and profound, yet never quite arrives there. Directed by Lisa Ferlazzo Natoli and Alessandro Ferroni, this Italian-language adaptation of Caryl Churchill’s 2016 play certainly has atmosphere, but little dramatic momentum. The premise is deceptively simple: four older women sit in a suburban garden, chatting about ordinary things: cats, television, old memories, drinks, passing time... Beneath the surface, each carries some private fracture or trauma. Every so often, one of them steps out of the everyday realism to deliver apocalyptic monologues describing floods, disease, famine and societal collapse, while projections and sound design suggest a world qui...

12May

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Company – Bridewell Theatre

Stephen Sondheim's Company won six Tony Awards for its original 1970 US production. Its witty and innovative format of a series of vignettes, focusing on the central character Bobby, stunned audiences then and continues to delight with a message that's as relevant today as it was 50 years ago. It's Bobby's 35th birthday and he's reluctantly at a surprise party thrown by his friends. Surrounded by married and single friends, ex- and current girlfriends, Bobby witnesses the swirl of emotions, the joy and the heartbreak of being in relationships of all types. As the drink, weed and emotions flow, Bobby's married friends set him up with dates and try to persuade him that he needs to be married. But Bobby isn't wholly wedded to the idea of commitment, and it seems his married friends are ...

Let the Right One In – Underbelly Boulevard

12May

By Charles PipeNo Comments

London

Let the Right One In – Underbelly Boulevard

Let the Right One In, by Jack Thorne, adapted from the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist, is a bold blend of two genres: vampire horror meets coming-of-age romance. Set in a bleak Swedish suburb in winter, the plot follows the blossoming relationship between awkward, bullied teen Oskar and un-aging vampire Eli. The narrative is both touching and gripping, and the script is full of fascinating moral shades of grey, while richly exploring themes around puberty and masculinity. This production features a large ensemble cast of twenty, including eighteen NYT REP members. Every member of the ensemble does an excellent job, and the physical group scenes feel dynamic and polished. At the core of the play is the sweet and somewhat concerning teen romance that develops between Oskar (Nicky D...

12May

By Savitha VenugopalNo Comments

London

The Anti “Yogi” – Soho Theatre

There is yoga, and then there is yoga. One is the kind that has been repackaged for a Western audience and the other is the kind that is deeply rooted in an ancient culture. The Anti “Yogi” – which comes with the tag line “Liberation, not lululemon” – is a rebellion against the former. Written and performed by Mayuri Bhandari, this production is directed by Shyamala Moorty & D’Lo. Mayuri starts off with the warning that the show will contain triggering words like manifestation and mindfulness. Triggering not for the audience, but for her. She delves into the multi-billion-dollar yoga industry in the US, where yoga has been commodified and stripped of its essence, leaving only a misunderstood and repackaged husk. She laments the topsy-turviness of it all, and how something she gre...

12May

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

The Wasp – Southwark Playhouse Borough

Two school acquaintances meet in the courtyard of a pub, having not seen each other for several years. Their lives have diverged: Heather, is married, childless and prosperously middle-class; Carla is pregnant with her fifth child and definitely working class. They seem to have little in common, and indeed, as their conversation develops, it is clear that they were not exactly friends at school. So why has Heather suggested this meeting? As they circle each other warily we learn more about their backgrounds, and then Heather offers Carla a very large sum of money to undertake an outrageous task for her. Carla is initially resistant, but she needs the money and it is clear that Heather, although not having been in direct contact, has learnt a lot about Carla's family situation a...

The Fastest Clock In The Universe – New Wimbledon Theatre

12May

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

The Fastest Clock In The Universe – New Wimbledon Theatre

“In a flat in East London the party preparations are under way, each detail meticulously planned, including the birthday cake and surely nothing can wrong”. “After all there is the specially chosen guest of honour and a very sharp knife”. Ridley’s play is dark, funny and extraordinarily captivating. The Fastest Clock in the Universe written by Philip Ridley in 1992 “became an early example of ‘in your face’ creative theatre” with a design to shock and unsettle audiences rather than comfort them. The story centres around a cast of five people, with interwoven nuanced lines and evolving deep meaning of life experiences, aging and opportunistic revenge. The plot centres on Cougar Glass played by Frederick Russell a man celebrating his 19th birthday ‘again, a man plagued by father time a...

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold – Sheffield Lyceum

12May

By Natalia PrucnalNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold – Sheffield Lyceum

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold brings John Le Carré’s 1963 Cold War novel to the stage, alongside plenty of carefully woven drama, deception and espionage. The Ink Factory and Second Half Productions take us on a tumultuous journey to East Germany alongside British intelligence officer Alec Leamus at the Sheffield Lyceum Theatre. The play is well adapted by David Eldridge, with a relatively digestible storyline and many witty British references sprinkled throughout the script. It felt as though there was a lot of “telling”, with little “showing”, particularly in the first act. There were several times where characters, particularly Leamas, referred to the show’s title and broke the fourth wall, clichés that surely caused a few eyerolls in the audience. Yet, the scenes featuring Leamu...

Operation Mincemeat – Alexandra Birmingham

12May

By Annette NuttallNo Comments

West Midlands

Operation Mincemeat – Alexandra Birmingham

Operation Mincemeat has been running in the West End for three years and is currently on its 18th extension. You don’t need to travel to London to see it though, audiences in Birmingham have the chance to see this tour, with many cast members who have appeared in the West End version. The slightly unappealing title of the show comes from the code name of an MI5 mission to deceive the German army and help to win the war. Not exactly ideal musical material, but somehow this show really works! There is everything you need for a cracking night out, great characters, humour, drama, perfect comedy timing, surprises, wonderful vocal performances and moments that will tug at the heart strings. All the songs are original and help to propel the story on at a rapid pace. There are a mix of styl...

The Crucible – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

12May

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

The Crucible – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

Since becoming artistic director of Altrincham Garrick Playhouse, Joseph Meighan has steadily transformed the venue into one of the north-west’s more adventurous amateur theatres, programming work that aims beyond easy familiarity. His production of The Crucible continues that run with intelligence and confidence, offering a reading of Arthur Miller’s drama that shifts attention away from political allegory and towards the intimate failures that allow hysteria to flourish. Miller famously wrote The Crucible as a response to McCarthyism and the anti-communist paranoia of 1950s America, and productions often lean heavily into that parallel: Salem as a warning about authoritarianism, ideological persecution and the dangers of collective fear. Meighan takes a quieter approach. Rather than f...

The Wars of Patie Crichton – Duns Play Festival

7May

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

The Wars of Patie Crichton – Duns Play Festival

The HotTrod Theatre Company was commissioned by The Wilson’s Tales Project to deliver a new dramatic rendering from the bank of Scottish Borders tales which once appeared weekly in the Berwick Advertiser. They were so popular they were reprinted for a century and found favour as far away as Australia and America. These stories, some based on real events, were all the rage and a recent initiative is working to republish them all in modern-day language so as not to lose this cultural body of work. Nichol’s reworking resulted in The Wars of Patie Crichton. Writer and performer, John Nichol, fuses two tales to create a warm, homely story featuring two actors and a chair. It was greatly appreciated by the full house at the Duns Play Fest. A couple’s misunderstanding results in misery for the...