REVIEWS Archives - Page 425 of 589

James IV: Queen of the Fight – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

5Oct

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

James IV: Queen of the Fight – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

“I’d no illusions I could match Shakespeare, but I thought someone should try and dramatise Scotland’s history,” said Rona Munro when she set out on the James series of plays. And this latest one, James IV: Queen of the Fight, brought to the stage by Raw Material and Capital Theatres in association with National Theatre of Scotland, is a cracker. The script has humour and is earthy, mixing modern language, clothes and gestures with a set which reflects the sixteenth century and costumes to match. It is framed by the acknowledgement that this is storytelling, based on historical evidence. It is a snapshot in time of James IV and Queen Margaret’s court. It is compelling and exciting in equal measure. The strong king (Daniel Cahill) fights his foes for fun yet has a tender heart and a s...

5Oct

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

West Midlands

Sister Act – Birmingham Hippodrome

Immaculate! If you see only one Holy Catholic mass this season, make sure it is “Sister Act - A Divine Musical Comedy” at the Birmingham Hippodrome! It’s a joyous, elegant, comic romp riven through with the kind evangelical zeal usually only witnessed at the most passionate of churches. In the beginning was the film and the film, according to most critics, was good, and Whoopi Goldberg was, according to those same critics, “heavenly”. That was 1992 and now, thirty years later, the story is reborn and praise the lord it’s a hit! The Good Book by Cheri Steinkeller and Bill Steinkeller wipes out memories of the film whilst still retaining its joyful, liberating tone. Mix in Alan Mencken’s music and Glenn Slater’s lyrics and you have nothing short of a miracle of musical theatre! Okay...

5Oct

By Aditi DalalNo Comments

London

Dmitry – Marylebone Theatre

The son of the Tsar Ivan IV and heir to the throne has been long dead. A young man emerges in a Polish court claiming to be him, the much-revered Dmitry. Who is this man? What is his genealogy? Could he possibly be Dmitry? What does the Tsarina make of this? How much does his newlywed wife know about who he really is? What will be the fate of the current child heir to the throne be, if this man really was Dmitry? Based on the historical and religious stir this mystery caused in 16th century Russia, Peter Oswal’s Dmitry explores the personal and political conflicts around the identity of this man. Oswald boldly took on the task of completing the play after Friedrich Schiller passed away midway through writing the original manuscript. Artistic Director of Marylebone Theatre, Alexander Giffor...

5Oct

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Ladies Unleashed – Hull Truck Theatre

It might have been a rainy night in Hull on Tuesday, but there was a very warm welcome awaiting Hull Truck theatregoers who had ventured out to see Amanda Whittington’s Ladies Unleashed. No sooner had my theatre buddy sister, Chrissy, and I found seats in the foyer, a friendly “waitress” held the most scrumptious looking food under our noses for us to sample - free of charge. The garlic chips, chicken wings with dip, prawns etc were all from the new menu of Shoot The Bull, the popular eaterie within the theatre, and every mouthful was delicious. What a fantastic start to theatrical proceedings. But did the night continue in that vein? Well, the jury is still out on that one. The atmospheric stage setting was static, apart from a useful giant film screen at the rear, which mainl...

5Oct

By Kiefer WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Othello – Liverpool Playhouse

Formed in 1994 Frantic Assembly is the UK’s foremost physical theatre company. Their inimitable and often compelling style of theatre has undoubtedly elevated their reputation both at home and on the international theatre scene. They are an exciting and innovative theatre company producing work that resonates and stays long in the memory of their audience and now they turn their attention to one of Shakespeare’s darkest tales of jealousy, passion, and revenge. Of course, being Frantic Assembly, they manage to conjure up a new translation of Shakespeare’s painfully beautiful play and transport the action to a modern-day poolroom in a pub. It shouldn’t really work on paper but through audacious and complex movement alongside strong performances from the cast and imaginative direction f...

West Side Story – Rotherham Civic Theatre

5Oct

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

West Side Story – Rotherham Civic Theatre

Great gusto delivering an iconic show. A long-time favourite of many, West Side Story which is based on the concept of Jerome Robbins – as a modern day telling of Romeo and Juliet - is synonymous with Robbins famous choreographic style. Collaborating with Arthur Laurents as writer and the legendary composer Leonard Bernstein with Stephen Sondheim as lyricist; West Side Story was always going to be a hit. From its film versions in 1961 and 2021 to its innumerable stage productions the musical has engaged people for the last 65 years. Set in the 1950’s, the musical resets Romeo and Juliet onto the New York streets and the world of rival gangs, the Jets and the Sharks. Maria, sister of the Sharks gang leader Bernardo, falls in love with Tony, the once Jet who has drifted away from...

5Oct

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

The Crucible – National Theatre

The National sets us off right into Spooky Season with the retelling of the classic tale, The Crucible directed by Lyndsey Turner. Immediately thrown into a grand atmosphere gushing rain from the ceiling and the distant flickering of two candles placed neatly on a table on stage. It’s hard not to be in awe, a feeling that only seems to expand during your experience with this show. As a very loved, famous tale (although one I’m not familiar with myself) the audience will be very sure on the story that they will be viewing, to make this individual and give it the impact that it is capable of is certainly a task: one that they handled with edge and power. We are firstly introduced to our cast in a beautifully haunting choral song, one that follows through the performance and growing only w...

Blue Stockings – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

4Oct

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Blue Stockings – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

Every year, during the first week of October, thousands of fresh-faced young people flock to our major cities marking the start of the university year. That this annual migration forms a rite of passage for both men AND women, is largely due to the efforts of 'Blue Stockings', pioneers in the rights for women's education and equality of opportunity during the nineteenth century. In this 2013 play, writer Jessica Swale focuses on the 1896 fight by women at Girton College, Cambridge to gain the right to graduate alongside their male peers in the face of hostile opposition from faculty, fellow students and society at large. We see the prejudice and misogyny that women in education faced through the eyes of four new 'Girton Girls', Tess (Pippa Lane), Celia (Bronte James), Carolyn (Madeleine...

Only An Octave Apart – Wilton’s Music Hall

3Oct

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Only An Octave Apart – Wilton’s Music Hall

It might sound like an unlikely coupling, a world-famous opera singer and a cabaret legend described as the “the best cabaret artist of [their] generation", but Anthony Roth Costanzo and Justin Vivian Bond really do bring the magic to the stage in their two-person show ‘Only An Octave Apart’, which is currently playing at Wilton’s Music Hall. ‘Only An Octave Apart’ is a juxtaposition of styles in every way possible, vocally, stylistically, and creatively, the pair (with direction by Zack Winokur) have created a fluid and yet genuinely sincere 90-minute musical extravaganza that is truly charming, and that burrows deep to warm the soul. For those unfamiliar with the two performers, Bond, is a pioneer of alternative live performance, a true diva, a legend, with a smoky and inviting ton...

Half Measures – Shakespeare North Playhouse

3Oct

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Half Measures – Shakespeare North Playhouse

War. Corruption and power plays. Women fighting for autonomy. All very Shakespearean themes but all still very much identifiable in today’s society. Tonight, we are asked if “life itself is always worth more than the way it is lived”. One Hour Theatre has re-visited its 2016 debut play, Half Measures, written by Tim Prentki and directed by Victor Merriman. The piece melds together selected scenes from Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, with the modern tale of Nadia, an Eastern Ukrainian illegal immigrant, who seeks a better life away from her war-torn country. When Nadia catches the eye of a married hotshot footballer Angelo, she must decide how far she is willing to go to get the happiness and security she craves. By then focusing on the Measure for Measure storyline of Isabella,...