REVIEWS Archives - Page 403 of 417

Tonight at the Coliseum: Rob Fowler & Sharon Sexton

18Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

Tonight at the Coliseum: Rob Fowler & Sharon Sexton

Tonight is the penultimate concert in the live recording series ‘Tonight at the Coliseum’, produced by Take Two Theatricals in conjunction with Carter Dixon Productions and stream.theatre. This week is the turn of Rob Fowler and Sharon Sexton, who met when they were performing together in Bat out of Hell – The Musical. Tonight they shared some tracks from their debut album of duets, Vision of You, as well as singing some of their favourite songs. From the opening moments of Shallow from the film A Star is Born, Fowler and Sexton took us on a joyful and diverse musical journey, brilliantly arranged by Musical Director Steve Corley, who also played the piano during the concert. Supported by Mark Cox on Guitar and Nerys Richards on Cello, the pair sang solo numbers from shows that they hav...

Alfie Boe: Bring Him Home – Royal Festival Hall

18Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

Alfie Boe: Bring Him Home – Royal Festival Hall

Filmed in London at The Royal Festival Hall in 2012, ‘Alfie Boe: Bring Him Home’ was not surprisingly a sell-out. Streamed as part of ‘The Shows Must Go On’ series, this is a performance not to be missed. Alfie Boe may be one very talented tenor, but this performance also showcases not only his powerhouse of a voice but also his charismatic stage presence. His personality is warm and engaging with the audience. With lots of audience ‘banter’, especially with a certain Matt Lucas in particular, he was instantly likeable and also displayed a very witty sense of humour throughout. He performed several duets with special guests including Matt Lucas, Mel C and Tom Fletcher from McFly. His performance of ‘The Impossible Dream,’ with Matt Lucas was impressive and was also interjected ...

17Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

The Fall – Dazed New World Festival

Coracle Arts’ The Fall, written and performed by Sarita Plowman under the direction of Alex Howarth, is a poetic and unique exploration about how we are shaped by tradition, particularly religion, and how this effects the place of women in the world. A simple set with one chair and a table represents the detailed, and often overwhelming, world that Plowman creates. The lyrical language of the piece is captivating from the beginning and emphasises Plowman’s switches between herself in adulthood and her childhood memories, which are emphasised beautifully by a change of voice and body language. Sound effects such as loud, but incomprehensible conversations, are also used to recreate the sense of being a child in an adult’s world, something which everyone is familiar with. Plowman’s...

Les Contes d’Hoffmann – Royal Opera House (2016 Revival Production)

14Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

Les Contes d’Hoffmann – Royal Opera House (2016 Revival Production)

Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann is the most enduring ‘serious’ opera from a composer better known for his operettas and this 2016 revival of legendary film director John Schlesinger’s sumptuous 1980 production provides the perfect vehicle in which Offenbach’s story – in turn witty, erotic, and macabre – and highly melodious music come together to form a deeply and satisfying whole. Set in the 19th C, the great storyteller Hoffmann (Vittorio Grigòlo) is losing himself to drink. His rival in love, Councillor Lindorf (Thomas Hampson), claims that Hoffmann knows nothing of the heart, and so goads Hoffmann into telling the tales of his three great loves – each destroyed by a villain who bears an uncanny resemblance to Lindorf… First Hoffmann tells of his infatuation for the mechanic...

Dr Blood’s Old Travelling Show – Leeds Playhouse

12Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Dr Blood’s Old Travelling Show – Leeds Playhouse

imitating the dog are a company who make things difficult as part of their creative DNA so it’s not much of a surprise they are the first company to try a national tour in the midst of a pandemic. The audience are placed on socially distanced cones outside Leeds Playhouse, sans cover, as are the three strong cast also exposed to the elements playing a gang of ghoulish vigilantes who travel the country righting wrongs. This time they are on the trail of a crooked mayor, a bent chief constable and a dodgy headteacher who are conspiring to build the biggest casino in the UK before pocketing in the profits. Some critics who like to over intellectualise work will no doubt bemoan the slight narrative, and the chance to rub their chin reflectively. The rest of us are just grateful it’s o...

Royal Ballet: Back on Stage – Royal Opera House

12Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

Royal Ballet: Back on Stage – Royal Opera House

Describing what has happened to the performing arts as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic is difficult and upsetting. In a time when the arts were needed more than ever, stages were emptied and orchestras were silenced for the sake of safety. Royal Opera Houses’ ‘Royal Ballet: Back on Stage’, is more than just a selection of ballet excerpts, but a battle cry on behalf of artists up and down the nation who work on and off stage. It urges us to dream of a future when the arts will be safe and possible again. As the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House begins the Overture from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake under the baton of Jonathan Lo, one could be forgiven for thinking the mess was all over-that we were once again back to normal. At this moment, the orchestra, the dancers, and the theatre ...

11Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

East Midlands

The Color Purple – Digital Concert

The Color Purple – Digital Concert features reflections and performances from the cast and creative members of the 2019 Made at Leicester Curve and Birmingham Hippodrome co-production. This digital concert was recorded remotely over the Summer and commissioned to mark Black History Month. Directed by Tinuke Craig with Musical Direction and Piano by Alex Parker, the concert includes seven songs from the show including Brown Betty, African Homeland, The Color Purple and the stunning I’m here. In between songs we have cast and creatives talking about how important the show is, how it tackles many issues, especially those of which black women have had to go through and in some ways, still are. About the coming together of people and finding the strength within, and within your community to ...

11Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

Tonight at the Coliseum: Kerry Ellis

As most theatre lovers will know, Take Two Theatricals in conjunction with Carter Dixon Productions and stream.theatre began streaming a series of one-off concerts on 18th September, and this week was the turn of Kerry Ellis. Best known in theatreland from her time as Elphaba in Wicked and Meat in We Will Rock You, Ellis is also an extremely successful recording artist, and she finished recording her sixth album, Feels Like Home, just before lockdown. Produced by Nikki & Joe Davison at Auburn Jam Music, Ellis had intended to sell the album as exclusive merchandise at her 2020 live gigs, but when the coronavirus pandemic put an end to her touring plans, she decided to sell the album online. Tonight, with a backdrop of the empty Coliseum as a haunting reminder of the current challenge...

Apollo 13: The Dark Side of The Moon – The Original Theatre Company

10Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

Apollo 13: The Dark Side of The Moon – The Original Theatre Company

I have always been in awe of those committed individuals who would dare to take on the challenge of space travel. Having been a fan of the movie version, I tuned in with high expectations, and I wasn’t disappointed. It is 50 years this year since the aborted lunar mission took place in April 1970, and so it is fitting that on the anniversary that writer Torben Betts has penned his play using the original transcripts as his guide. Using the same creative team that gave us the wonderful online plays ‘Birdsong Online’ and ‘Watching Rosie’, the skills needed to create the effects, have clearly been sharpened by practise. The introduction allows the joining together of two time periods. We meet Jim Lovell 2020 (Philip Franks) and Fred Haise 2020 (Geoff Aymer) who a...

The Death Of A Hunter – The Finborough Theatre on Scenesaver

9Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

The Death Of A Hunter – The Finborough Theatre on Scenesaver

We know the name Ernest Hemingway from his successful novels, ‘A Farewell To Arms’, ‘For Whom The Bell Tolls’, ‘The Sun Also Rises’. We also know that he committed suicide in 1961, but the reasons behind his suicide were vailed in uncertainty. This play written in 1977 by controversial German playwright Rolf Hochhuth, known for his plays ‘The Representative’, ‘The Deputy’ and ‘Soldiers’, attempts to examine the last hours before Hemingway’s death to gain a greater understanding of what was going through his mind in those last hours. The Finborough Theatre has a knack for delving into theatrical pieces that have remained undiscovered or have rarely been performed. The theatre have resurrected other plays written by Hochhuth including ‘Sommer 14 – A Dance of Death’, ‘Sol...