REVIEWS Archives - Page 401 of 417

Tales from the Tombstone Tavern: Vlad – Ameena Hamid Productions Ltd

31Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

Tales from the Tombstone Tavern: Vlad – Ameena Hamid Productions Ltd

The penultimate episode of Tales from the Tombstone Tavern, the new six part podcast series written by Delmar Terblanche and directed by Jamie Boucher, takes a terrifying turn into the dark and murky world of the occult with a disturbing tale narrated by Vlad Dracul (Joshua Manning). This episode opens with our monsters discussing zombies and their place in the horror genre. While Wolfgang (Percival Fagent) and Vlad maintain that they aren’t scary anymore, unless they are given a gimmick, Adam (Delmar Terblanche) wonders if they have a place, otherwise why would people keep coming back to them when creating new stories? Vlad answers this question by outlining his theory that horror reflects our own anxieties and zombies are scary because they represent the worst fear of all: the loss...

31Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

Midnight Tango – The Shows Must Go On

As part of the Shows Must Go On season, the 2011 production of Midnight Tango takes to the stage with a dazzling, vibrant and totally beguiling production. Framed by a simple tale of two people who meet at a seedy late night bar in Buenos Aires circa 1947 and eventually fall in love, this magnificent dance show is simply breath-taking both in concept and delivery. Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace, both from Strictly Come Dancing lead the cast of eight other professional tango dancers in a superb sequence of both traditional and Argentine tango and they both prove to be two of the finest exponents of this complicated and passionate dance. The show is produced by another Strictly legend Arlene Philips and superbly choreographed by Simone and Cacace who both brilliantly highlight th...

Tales from the Tombstone Tavern: Shirley – Ameena Hamid Productions Ltd

31Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

Tales from the Tombstone Tavern: Shirley – Ameena Hamid Productions Ltd

Episode 4 of Tales from the Tombstone Tavern, the new six part podcast series written by Delmar Terblanche and directed by Jamie Boucher, delves into the classic genre of ghost stories as we hear from one of the ironically quieter monsters around the table, Lady Shirley Edith James, the Wailing Woman (Anna Chedham-Cooper). When this episode opens our monsters are ill at ease with Adam (Delmar Terblanche), in particular, being on edge and Annie (Sena Bryer) agreeing that something doesn’t seem quite right. Coming back to the point of the challenge, Shirley brings the discussion around to what it is we actually want from horror. For her, the shock factor of Wolfgang’s (Percival Fagent) story is not enough. There needs to be more to create genuine fear, the emotional response audiences ...

Philharmonia: ‘American Dreams’ – Royal Festival Hall

31Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

Philharmonia: ‘American Dreams’ – Royal Festival Hall

After being away from their London home since March 2020, Philharmonia have come together (albeit in a socially distanced way), to stage this concert celebrating the work of Aaron Copland, Florence Price, Steve Reich and Igor Stravinsky. Conducted by the Orchestra’s Principal Conductor Designate Santtu-Matias Rouvali, this is a wonderful opportunity for the Orchestra to celebrate their 75th Anniversary and to help to raise funds to enable them to continue to produce their lively performances. The performance begins with Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring, written in 1943-4, this piece was composed for choreographer Martha Graham who asked Copland to write a new ballet. The story centres around a young couple in 19th Century Pennsylvania who meet, marry and set up home ...

Tales from the Tombstone Tavern: Wolfgang – Ameena Hamid Productions Ltd

27Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

Tales from the Tombstone Tavern: Wolfgang – Ameena Hamid Productions Ltd

Episode 3 of Tales from the Tombstone Tavern, the new six part podcast series written by Delmar Terblanche and directed by Jamie Boucher, takes a violent plunge into the slasher genre, with a gruesome camp-side tale narrated by Wolfgang the Wolfman (Percival Fagent). The episode opens where we last left our group of classic monsters, with Annie, the Mummy (Sena Bryer) still enthusiastically discussing the darker sides of biology to the delight of Wolfgang and the equal disgust of Vlad Dracul (Joshua Manning). Vlad takes advantage of his supernatural powers and hypnotises Wolfgang to force a change of subject which Lady Shirley Edith James, the Wailing Woman (Anna Chedham-Cooper) eagerly supplies. But the vampire’s effect on Wolfgang does not last and he is soon once again declaring t...

The Lure (2020) Horror Short Film – Hounds of the Round Table

26Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

The Lure (2020) Horror Short Film – Hounds of the Round Table

This psychological thriller will have you on edge and avoiding your mobile phone. Hounds of the Round Table is a small, talented and resourceful independent production house from Liverpool. The Lure is where they announce their presence and their intentions to the world. The film tells the story of Toby a depressed man grieving over the death of his girlfriend Laura. Most of the action takes place in Toby’s untidy apartment where he chooses to sleep on the sofa each night and drink himself silly with only his dog, Sergeant, to keep him company. Things quickly take a bizarre twist when Laura starts calling Toby from beyond the grave. A disturbing feature of the film is the image of Toby’s phone lit up with ‘Laura calling’ and the persistent ring tone which blends in seamlessly with...

Tales from the Tombstone Tavern: Adam – Ameena Hamid Productions Ltd

26Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

Tales from the Tombstone Tavern: Adam – Ameena Hamid Productions Ltd

Episode 2 of Tales from the Tombstone Tavern, the new six part podcast series written by Delmar Terblanche and directed by Jamie Boucher, continues with its analysis of different types of scary stories, with a brilliant example of science fiction horror narrated by Adam, Frankenstein’s Monster (Delmar Terblanche). This episode opens with a discussion about conspiracy theories led by Wolfgang the Wolfman (Percival Fagent). Wolfgang insists that Stanley Kubrick directed The Shining to apologise for his role in the faking of the Moon Landing which leads to more general conversation about which genre The Shining actually falls into. As Edith, the Wailing Woman (Anna Chedham-Cooper) insists it is a classic ghost story, Annie, the Mummy (Sena Bryer) falls back on Lovecraft, linking back to ep...

The Creepy Cabaret Cabin – Edinburgh Horror Fest2020

25Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

Scotland

The Creepy Cabaret Cabin – Edinburgh Horror Fest2020

The Zoom/Skype/online world of Lockdown has provided ample opportunity for family members to wobble uninvited into our worlds of work and/or creativity and delivered unscheduled contributions. Thus it was as one sat down to review The Creepy Cabaret Cabin this evening, a collection (one says ‘a curation’ these days) of Drag, Burlesque and Circus performers undressing to various degrees spiced with blood, wine, food and scary stuff, the results alternately comic, stomach-churning and plain unsettling. ‘She’s drinking Irn Bru at breakfast!’ shouted my little one as Roxy Stardust opened with a tale of domestic shenanigans demonstrating that you should ‘ne’er underestimate yer Granny’. Sobering advice upon this evidence. And to the tune of ‘Hoots Mon’ by Lord Rockingham’s XI. Next up was...

25Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

Stowaway – Liverpool Irish Festival

Liverpool Irish Festival was established to provide a permanent, annual event to celebrate the Irish contribution to Liverpool’s cultural identity and heritage, regularly providing a rich array of arts, literature, film, music, and drama. The current pandemic has provided a new challenge for the Festival to overcome with normally staged performances now transferred to Zoom and Barbara Marsh’s fifth play is no exception to the rule, with the romantic drama – written in response to a Scriptshop theme of ‘leaving’ – put together as a scratch reading under the direction of Zara Marie Brown. Ted (Steve Dean) works as a steward on a passenger ship with Paddy (Daryl Holden), and is bringing pregnant wife Annie (Mairi-Claire Kennedy) and teenage son Jimmy (Lew Freeburn) on the next sailing as a...

Clown-Hearted – Dazed New World Festival

25Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

Clown-Hearted – Dazed New World Festival

ClodHopper Theatre’s Clown-Hearted is an exploration of mental health and self-care in the modern world, devised and performed by Leonie Spilsbury and Owen Jenkins. A dialogue free piece of original and funny physical theatre, the show is both surprisingly deep and deceptively poignant. The show opens with Spilsbury sitting on the stage in her pyjamas surrounded by cardboard boxes featuring labels of various emotions and mental health references. A ticking clock echoes and subtitles for the sound effect are provided, a feature which is present throughout the show. Spilsbury pulls the hood of her pyjamas up in an attempt to create a sense of safety and looks through the various boxes. Her facial expression is excellent and the reality of the boxes is increased through creating a sense...