REVIEWS Archives - Page 4 of 548

6Dec

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Pantoville – St Thomas’s Church Hall

Written & directed by Michael Pirks Returning once again to review a Michael Pirks Soup Production feels less like an assignment and more like coming home. Since first meeting Pirks in 2024, I’ve been hooked on his brilliantly spirited writing, and Pantoville - my fifth of his shows, proves yet again that his creative well runs deep and delightfully wild. While his previous works I’ve seen have been plays, this venture into pantomime is nothing short of a triumphant stroke of genius. With all the essential ingredients of a classic panto - singing, dancing, audience participation and of course the timeless cries of “He’s behind you!” and “Oh no you didn’t!”, Pirks not only honours the tradition but elevates it. The script is enriched with beloved Disney and storybook characters, g...

5Dec

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

A Christmas Carol – Crucible Theatre

What a start to my Christmas celebrations, a joyous and heart-warming new adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic – A Christmas Carol. Set in Sheffield and dripping with the festive custom of Carols, these harmonic vocal bells charm the local audiences and provide the grounding human link between our past and our present. Long before the well-known choral carols in churches, Christmas regional songs were sung ad hoc in pubs and this tradition remains strong and striving in Sheffield. What better way to highlight Dicken’s story of change and redemption than with a kaleidoscope of a vocally created backdrop, replacing much of the instrumental music and also gifting the community audience with localised lyrics and customs encompassing and highlighting the moral story to inclusiv...

Young Frankenstein – Liverpool Playhouse

5Dec

By Emma LambeNo Comments

North West

Young Frankenstein – Liverpool Playhouse

Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein has tickled the funny bone of many over the years. It's no wonder it works so well on stage in this fantastic musical adaptation. The show was packed with energy from all of the cast, right down to the versatile ensemble who played a range of different characters. Each actor brought the silly comedy you expect from a piece like this. The songs were all witty and gave great context for each scene and character. I cannot begin to express how special this cast was. There was no weak unit at all. Coronation Street's star Daniel Brocklebank leads the cast as Dr Frederick Frankenstein (pronounced Frankensteen) He keeps the memento going from start to finish and sets the tone of each scene. Jessica Martin is brilliant as Frau Blucher. The scene where she steps...

5Dec

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Singin’ in the Rain – Royal Exchange

We all know that Manchester has a reputation for enjoying a drop of rain, so it was entirely apt that a downpour greeted ‘Singin in the Rain’ as it landed in the Victorian splendour of the Royal Exchange for the festive period. The weather did nothing to dampen the palpable sense of excitement of the packed press night audience and were not to be disappointed. This is a show with the high quality production values, a great ensemble, superb leads and a beautifully orchestrated score, that left me walking through soggy St Anne’s Square singing 'do de do do, do de do de do do do, I'm singin' in the rain, just.......', into the Mancunian night. The plot, charting the demise of silent pictures and the rise of the 'Golden Age' of 1920s Hollywood 'talkies', is well known, less so is the fact t...

A Christmas Carol – Thingwall Community Centre

5Dec

By Stephanie WiswallNo Comments

North West

A Christmas Carol – Thingwall Community Centre

It's the most wonderful time of the year, and what a better way to get yourself into the Christmas spirit than immersing yourself in one of the best loved Christmas tales which has stood the test of time, Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol. Wonderfully produced and directed by Charlotte Holguin. Thingwall Players have yet again produced a magical and captivating show that will engage adults and children alike. This company really do prove that you don't need the grand sets and huge venues to produce excellent theatre. Their set (Robert Bowes) was a simple yet multifunctional space. Props (Caroline Doyle, Hayley Jeffrey and Laura Powell) were adaptable and reused for many different purposes. A cast of dynamic and versatile characters take you on this journey through London i...

4Dec

By Charlotte MansfieldNo Comments

London

The Horse of Jenin – Bush Theatre

Alaa Shehada’s one man show about growing up in Jenin is a funny and powerful tale of Palestinians trying to lead ordinary lives under the ever-present threat of violence. Comedy is the tone from the outset, as Shehada begins by engaging with the audience, getting us to laugh, clap along to music and interact with him to ease us in. He then tells us about his birth, the first boy born to his parents, passed around by all his aunts and uncles in celebration. At the same time, another boy was born in the area, Ahmed, who becomes Shehada’s best friend. When a German artist comes to Jenin and starts collecting the debris from the latest Israeli attack, the boys are confused at first – why would someone want this rubbish? But then a sculpture of a horse is unveiled, piec...

The Christmas Thing – Seven Dials Playhouse

4Dec

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

The Christmas Thing – Seven Dials Playhouse

Tom Clarkson and Owen Visser have returned with their anarchic Christmas show, The Christmas Thing. The vague title is perfect for a show that veers wildly between songs, slapstick, games and skits. It harks back to the Morecambe and Wise Christmas Specials of the 1970s, with music, sketches, slapstick, cracker jokes and a bit of topical satire thrown in - if that legendary duo had been high on magic mushrooms. The set-up is a live TV studio, with members of the audience offering up their party pieces as they become the show's "special guests". So in between songs and sketches, audience members gargle the National Anthem or do the splits or hunt for a missing box of Christmas cheer. The frenzied pace is interspersed with some whizzy and technically clever video pieces introducing ...

Dick Whittington – St Helens Theatre Royal

4Dec

By Luke StephensonNo Comments

North West

Dick Whittington – St Helens Theatre Royal

It’s December and that can only mean one thing: it’s almost Christmas—well, two things, because now it’s panto season. Last night’s offering was Dick Whittington at St Helens Theatre Royal, who regularly put on four pantos per year. However, they go all out for their Christmas pantomime. It’s a Regal Entertainment production, written by David Phipps-Davis and directed under the helm of Chantelle Joseph. For those who are unfamiliar with the story, Dick Whittington (Matthew Wolfenden) has walked the long journey to the bright lights of the English capital, London, all the way from Yorkshire—specifically Emmerdale Farm. His adventure comes with many a twist and turn. Firstly, he gains a little pussy cat called Tommi (Jenna Sian O’Hara), who has spent many a year at the circus because she ...

Broke and Fabulous in the 21st Century – Etcetera Theatre

4Dec

By Charlotte MansfieldNo Comments

London

Broke and Fabulous in the 21st Century – Etcetera Theatre

How do you live a life as beautiful as the one that’s in your head? This is the question facing the characters of Dale Robertson's one act play. Described as a ‘dramedy for today’s generation’, it is a commentary on navigating the modern world told through the eyes of two friends, Alex and Petunia, both broke and in their 30s. As the audience enters, Alex (Dale Robertson) is already on stage, lying on a low bed, pouting and scribbling in a notebook. Clothes are strewn around the room, partly a result of his latest sexual encounter with not-quite-boyfriend Tom (Rowland Stirling) and partly because this is his lifestyle - chaotic, messy bohemian. He's an out of work actor and writer who can only afford one meal a day (but has enough for alcohol and drugs when he wants th...

4Dec

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Oliver Twist – Hull Truck Theatre

Published as a serial between 1836 and 1839, Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist has undergone a myriad of adaptations, and Deborah McAndrew’s dramatic and highly theatrical take on this age-old classic is currently wowing audiences at Hull Truck Theatre. The venue was packed on Tuesday night with all ages of theatregoers eagerly awaiting curtain up at 7pm. Of course, regular Truckers will know there never is a curtain to actually rise; every nook and cranny of the stage for whatever production is always totally on show giving one a chance to have a pre-production nosy. At first glance, the stage for this show looked quite empty. However, towards the rear there rose huge arched windows and spaced columns, with an elevated walkway reached by a hefty spiral staircase. The atmospheres w...