REVIEWS Archives - Page 460 of 549

19Jan

By Annette NuttallNo Comments

West Midlands

The Addams Family – The Alexandra

At last, this spooky and kooky production comes to Birmingham for the week. Based on the 60's TV show and various films, this musical brings the creepy family to life in a show full of humour and original songs. Wednesday Addams has fallen for a “normal” boy, much to her family's horror. She invites him and his parents for dinner to meet the family, will they get along or will her family and their mysterious game ruin everything. Although set in New York there is a distinctly Spanish flavour to the show thanks to Gomez and his ancestors. With a Latin beat running through some of the numbers it is hard not to tap your feet to the music. The songs may not stay etched in your memory, but they tell the story and convey the emotions perfectly with each one being a showcase for the sing...

Operation Mincemeat – Southwark Playhouse

19Jan

By Robert BartleyNo Comments

London

Operation Mincemeat – Southwark Playhouse

One of the craziest true stories in Britain’s history, ‘Operation Mincemeat’ was a wartime deception that somehow successfully fooled Hitler into changing his invasion plans in 1943, and all thanks to the well-dressed corpse of a homeless man who’d died by ingesting rat poison and was shipped off to Spain with a briefcase full of fabricated documents. Production company SpitLip got their hands on this fascinating historical nugget, thought “that would make a great musical”, threw in some ‘Monty Python’-style shenanigans alongside the catchy tunes, and the result is a brilliantly entertaining show that is playing right now at the Southwark Playhouse, after enjoying successful runs in 2020 and 2021 following its 2019 debut at the New Diorama Theatre. ‘Operation Mincemeat’ is the ...

19Jan

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Looking Good Dead – The Lowry

The absolute stunning Lowry Theatre hosted Peter James’ stage adaptation of ‘Looking Good Dead’ starring Adam Woodyatt and Gaynor Faye as Mr and Mrs Bryce a family caught up in this crime and thriller script. Peter James is a best-selling author best known for his crime fiction novels and the creator of the much loved Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, he has achieved global book sales of over 21 million copies which have been translated into almost 40 languages. Peter James was born in 1948 in Brighton, so it seems fitting that his script location is that of his hometown. I must be honest I have not read any of the books in the Roy Grace series or watched his two feature-length film adaptations ‘Grace’ on television which seemingly attracted over seven million viewers, so my review...

Frankenstein – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

18Jan

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Frankenstein – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

These are interesting times at the Garrick Playhouse in the leafy south Manchester suburb of Altrincham. Under the aegis of Artistic Director Joseph Meighan, their programming is broadening its appeal beyond the traditional light comedy and murder mystery, into edgier and darker territory. So, we find 2022 kicking off with an absolutely cracking adaptation of the Mary Shelley gothic masterpiece, both chilling and thought provoking and with a simply stunning central performance. Those patrons expecting a hoary old 'Boris Karloff with a bolt through the neck' rendition, would have been disappointed. With Direction and Set Design in the capable hands of Barry J C Purves, this was always going to be a more delicate study on the nature of humanity. By using Nick Dear's 2011 National Theatre ...

18Jan

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

The Rocky Horror Show – Palace Theatre

Since the original show was spawned in 1973 the ‘Rocky Horror Show’ has gained generations of theatregoers who have been seduced by its mix of horror-comedy and science-fiction script, backed with some iconic songs such as ‘The Time Warp’ whilst dressed up in glittering corsets and eye-catching lingerie has become an institution that encourages glamour, silliness and having a damn good time. It is hard to believe that this show is nearly half a century old as it has absolutely no signs of ageing as it continues to entice the old and the youth of today through its doors with its bright, bold and extremely risqué script that bursts into life from the beginning through to the finale. I remember my first viewing as a teenager in the 1980’s with my mum and grandmother and I was mortified ...

18Jan

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Snow Maiden – Hull New Theatre

Winter is my favourite season, so you can imagine my glee when snow fell in Hull on Monday evening - huge flakes, too. The fact that the snow only fell inside the Hull New Theatre didn’t dampen by excitement, as it was the beautiful, wintry backdrop to Snow Maiden, performed by The Russian State Ballet of Siberia. This amazing backdrop was almost as awe-inspiring as the talented ballet dancers and the magical music, played live by The Russian State Ballet Orchestra, under the baton of Anatoliy Chepurnoy. The story centres around a beautiful Snow Maiden (Natalia Bobrova) and her lust to escape life in the forest, even though she is surrounded by her lovely snowflake friends. Her dad, Father Frost (Grigorii Botenkov) sees how unhappy his daughter is and, reluctantly, lets her vis...

The Diagnosis – The Fizzy Sherbet Podcast

17Jan

By Donna M DayNo Comments

REVIEWS

The Diagnosis – The Fizzy Sherbet Podcast

The new series of the Fizzy Sherbet Podcast launches with The Diagnosis, an audio play written by Athena Stevens. Directed by Anna Girvan, it tells the story of a remote-working London Underground security worker, played by Lizzie Annis, who monitors her area from home using drone cameras. One day she can suddenly see the cause and date of people’s future disabilities floating above their heads. Any attempts she makes to help people are ignored, but the consequences of her efforts change every aspect of her life regardless. The play is followed by an interesting Q&A with the cast and crew, exploring the origins and themes of the piece and the role of activism in today’s society. The play opens with Annis speaking to the police about a shocking incident, which has a long story. Her s...

A Day Out at Shakespeare’s Theatre – A Bit Lit

17Jan

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

REVIEWS

A Day Out at Shakespeare’s Theatre – A Bit Lit

‘A Bit Lit’ is the brainchild of Andy Kesson and Jimmy Tucker and is a learning platform which offers the opportunity to learn about early modern theatre in a fun and immersive way. ‘A Day Out at Shakespeare’s Theatre’, was the launch event for this learning platform, and all the stops were pulled out to make the two hours of this Zoom event, fun and imaginative. It all began with an introduction by actor Simon Russell Beale and teacher Emma Smith who decided to go on a date to a theatre. The discussion highlighted a typical date at the theatre, food, a show and may be some bearbaiting or cock fighting if the show was not to their taste. Then we heard from B K Adams, Sarah Dustagheer and Elizabeth Tavares who presented a vision of the early modern theatre, building a pict...

One Man, Two Guvnors – Farnworth Little Theatre

16Jan

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

One Man, Two Guvnors – Farnworth Little Theatre

Richard Bean’s hilarious One Man, Two Guvnors is the perfect antidote to the January blues, and Farnworth Little Theatre and director Natalie Crompton have gathered a superb cast to administer said antidote. We are in Brighton in the year 1963 and Francis Henshall (Phil Harrison) has just been fired from his skiffle band. In search of food (and romance), he soon finds himself juggling not one but two new jobs. What Francis doesn’t know is that his first guvnor, small time crook Roscoe Crabbe, is Roscoe’s twin sister Rachel (Ellie Murphy), in disguise as her dead brother, who was killed by her boyfriend, Stanley Stubbers (James Haslam). To complicate matters further, Francis’ second boss is none other than Stubbers, on the run and desperate to be reunited with Rachel. All Francis need...

The Snow Queen – The Atkinson, Southport

14Jan

By Rebecca CaseyNo Comments

North West

The Snow Queen – The Atkinson, Southport

Panto’s back! What a lovely evening of entertainment for all of the family at The Atkinson this evening. After such a long break the last couple of years it was truly nostalgic to hear the audience participation again. All Souls Dramatic Club have done a great job on this modern twist of Hans Christian Andersen 's classic; But don’t be expecting any Elsa and Anna, I don’t want to spoil too much as it was opening night and you may wish to go to watch but I will say ‘The Snow Queen’ had some classic pantomime elements, mixed in with a contemporary musical score and twists of a darker tale. The stage was set very bare other than the band who were visible throughout on the second level with staircases either side leading down to the main performance area. The live band, led by Adam Dutch...