REVIEWS Archives - Page 438 of 549

13Apr

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Tapped – Theatre 503

Tapped by Katie Redford is a unique story following a mother, daughter and a local friend turned motivational speaker. Gavi’s (Max Hastings) goal is to start a group which encourages people to achieve their dream in 6 weeks, but that may be harder to achieve due to no one showing up except for a mother and daughter duo (Jennifer Daley and Olivia Sweeney) who have a growing frustration buried by years of misunderstandings. This trio work together, surpassing barriers of the mind and forcing positive thinking until it works but inevitably it doesn’t work, and the fall seems harder. This story is a heartfelt piece showing the depth of mental health in small towns full of people with much bigger dreams and how unforgiving parenthood can seem when struggling with the expectations of being a ...

The Liverpool Passion Plays: This is Our Story – Anglican Cathedral, Liverpool

12Apr

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

The Liverpool Passion Plays: This is Our Story – Anglican Cathedral, Liverpool

Written by Mark Lovelady and Daniel Bishop, who also directs, and produced by Nick Basson, the Liverpool Passion Plays are back with a…well yes, it’s obvious, but there was so much more to this though as using the Cathedral’s architecture and artwork as a backdrop, the audience ‘walk with Jesus’ through his story, starting as a young boy, and witnessing his entry into Jerusalem, his betrayal by Judas, and his subsequent trial and crucifixion. Congregating in the Nave of the Cathedral, Mary (Katherine Wikeley) and Joseph (John Zang) worry where their son has gone, when we meet Young Jesus (Thomas Holmes) in the temple questioning the Pharisees, before we move forward to an Adult Jesus (Tom Martin) challenging the moneylenders. In the Western Crossing, to the accompanying choir singing...

11Apr

By Donna M DayNo Comments

North West

Sunset Yellow – Hope Street Theatre

Sunset Yellow is a collection of three short, dark comedy plays, written by Jamie Pye and directed by Pye and Kieran Kidd. The first play, The Campfire, is set on the campsite of four friends who have not seen each other for a long time. It has a nostalgic feeling as the four friends tells stories around their warm campfire. It quickly becomes clear however that something is amiss as Abby tells a fun story from her childhood and Jo reacts like a petulant child throwing camping paraphernalia around in the background and pulling bored and impatient faces. She rudely interrupts Abby’s story and her friends react badly to her rudeness, but they cannot anticipate where Jo’s behaviour will escalate to. This is an interesting piece with plenty of twists and turns but could be strengthened b...

Doctor Doolittle Jr. – Rainhill Village Hall

11Apr

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Doctor Doolittle Jr. – Rainhill Village Hall

Rainhill Musical Theatre Company Youth’s latest production, under the direction of Tom Cain, is based on the original 1920 Dr Doolittle stories by Hugh Lofting, and with the assistance of Choreographer Kirsty Higgins and Musical Director Wayne Oakes, takes us on a journey from the small English village of Puddleby-on-the-Marsh to the far corners of the world. When wacky but kind Doctor Doolittle (Aaron Savage) decides he’s going to learn to talk to animals, friends Madeline Mugg (Eden Brennan) and Tommy Stubbins (Ella Andrews) are in disbelief but with parrot Polynesia (Poppy Trigwell) leading the lessons, it’s only a matter of time before he’s getting to grips with what’s ailing Jip the Dog (Marina Forshaw), Toggle the Horse (Emily Greenough), Sheila the Fox (Mandy Roberts), and Dab Da...

11Apr

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

The Bone Sparrow – Theatre Peckham

In a country where the Home Office ponders sending asylum seekers to Rwanda for ‘processing’ and Navy battleships intercept people crossing the Channel on a lilo, The Bone Sparrow couldn’t be timelier. It’s ironic that Boris Johnson can fly to Kyiv with ease, while Ukrainians fleeing war, can’t get to the UK for love nor money. The UK’s discourse on migration feels endlessly toxic, but the Brits are far from alone in their unbridled ignorance with regards to this topic. Pilot Theatre have landed at Theatre Peckham to shine a light into this darkness. Their welcome pitch is a stage adaptation of Zana Fraillon’s book about Subhi, a boy born in an Australian detention centre after his mother escapes genocide in Burma. Like the prisoners in Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, Subhi has no concept...

Madama Butterfly – Opera House, Manchester

10Apr

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Madama Butterfly – Opera House, Manchester

Madama Butterfly is a staple of the operatic repertoire, so it is hard to believe that the original two-act version was so poorly received at its premiere in 1904 at La Scala in Milan. Puccini rewrote it in three acts to great success before reverting to the two-act formula that we see performed today. Marriage broker Goro (Ruslan Pacatovici) shows US naval lieutenant Pinkerton (Vitalii Liskovetskyi) round the home he will share with his bride-to-be in Nagasaki, although American Consul Sharpless (Vladimir Dragos) warns him of the tragic consequences that may follow. The Butterfly duly lands in the form of young Japanese girl Cio-Cio-San (Elena Dee) supported by maid Suzuki (Irina Sproglis), and they are married by the Commissioner (Vitalii Cebotari). Her love makes her willing to sacri...

10Apr

By Jo TillotsonNo Comments

North West

The Jungle Book – Oldham Coliseum

If you are looking for a family-friendly show that everyone can enjoy this Easter, then look no further than this musical adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book! Written by Jessica Swale with music by Joe Stilgoe, this production, which was first performed in 2017, is a very creative retelling of the story we all know: Mowgli, a man cub, is raised in the jungle as part of a wolf pack after his father is killed by the tiger, Shere Khan. We follow Mowgli as he grows up and learns to recognise all the wonderful things that make him unique, and then as he finds his courage to follow his true path. Performed by a cast of just seven, this musical has everything you could want, from drama and tension, to comedy and friendship. Stilgoe’s music reminds the audience of the songs from the...

I Know, I Know, I Know – Southwark Playhouse

10Apr

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

I Know, I Know, I Know – Southwark Playhouse

I Know, I Know, I Know, at the Southwark Playhouse was originally in place for The Vaults festival however with this year’s cancellation has moved. Starring Ethan Moorhouse, Hannah Khalique-Brown and Martha Watson Allpress, we are split between two locations: one where friends drive to a wedding discussing the success of the band they created and the other we watch a young woman writing the article, expressing her experience with this band member from the age of 16. The two scenes run side by side, weaving through each other as we grasp on what is truth and who could be lying. The tragedy of this piece is its relevance and the violence against the victims who come forward. It can take some attention to keep up with the pace of this piece, the rhythm is very tight and so harmonious with ...

10Apr

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

North West

Carmen – Opera House, Manchester

Written by French composer Bizet and first performed in 1875, and an adaptation of Prosper Merimee’s novella Carmen, which was judged by French society to be utterly improper. This may explain why the opera was initially delayed because of fears that the themes of betrayal and murder may offend. The opera received negative press, Bizet was accused of plagiarism by Gounod whose music had a great influence on Bizet, and died aged 36, believing that his opera was a failure. Bizet was described as a child prodigy, admired by Liszt and even though Bizet himself felt that he had written something special, he did not live to see its success. In Ellen Kent’s and Opera International’s adaptation with the Ukrainian National Municipal Opera, the opening Act I reveals a set design...

10Apr

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

Richard II – The Vaults

This inventive take on a Shakespearean classic finds itself in the grizzly, ambient Vaults. Quandry Collective presents a world in which a woman disguises herself as a man to hold onto the throne. The story follows Richard II’s demise starting from the moment he banishes Bolingbroke to his bitter end. The cast is all male with the exception of Coco Maertens who plays Richard. They convey a harsh, sterile environment full of dormant aggression and angst which often explodes into violence and you appreciate her precarious position as a woman. The set designed by Valentine Gigadet is cluttered with pieces of fence and other units amongst bric-a-brac that double up as percussive instruments used by the performers. This sets an ominous tone and with the pulsating electronic beats, they both ...