REVIEWS Archives - Page 47 of 563

Canal Street Lonely Hearts Club – Hope Mill Theatre

6Sep

By Scot CunninghamNo Comments

North West

Canal Street Lonely Hearts Club – Hope Mill Theatre

With an inspired creative vision, the updating of a theatre piece can breathe new life into it, bringing entirely new meanings to the story and characters. The gender-swapped Company revival provided a female-centric look at the thirty-five-and-still-single life, questioning societal expectations, while &Juliet allows the queerness of Shakespeare to be a lot more overt. But when Rupert Street Lonely Hearts Club writer Jonathan Harvey‘s motivation for a modern, Northern version of his 90s London-based play doesn’t go beyond ‘f*** it, why not?’, its purpose is thrown into question before the curtain has even lifted. In a Canal Street flat, two brothers (Shaun, straight and Marti, gay) contemplate their love lives as the former’s girlfriend is being unresponsive while on holiday in...

Here & Now The Steps Musical – Opera House

6Sep

By Philip EdwardsNo Comments

North West

Here & Now The Steps Musical – Opera House

Here’s the thing, some people like Marmite, and some don’t. I always add it to my gravy and most people don’t mind. The music of Steps can be equally divisive some people like it, some don’t, but when you add it to a piece of musical theatre, well most people, on the evidence of the Opera House audience love it! But let’s dig a little deeper than the whooping, cheering and joining in that I witnessed on press night. First of all, you hire a critically acclaimed writer such as Shaun Kitchener to pen a story into which you can fit the songs of a 1990’s pop group. That’s not so easy. Many “catalogue” musicals fit the story round the songs. On the evidence of “Here and Now – the Steps musical”, the songs fit around the story and that is one of the strengths of this show. The songs adv...

4Sep

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Emerald Storm – Emerald Theatre

Emerald Storm is a dazzling fusion of dance, song, and cabaret that delivers an electrifying evening of entertainment. Combining the raw energy of Riverdance with the rhythmic flair of tap, the production sweeps the audience into a whirlwind of movement and music that is both exhilarating and immersive. From the moment you enter the Emerald Theatre, the atmosphere is carefully curated to set the tone. Guests are welcomed by an inviting bar area where live Irish music fills the space. The band Fiddlin’ About immediately charms the crowd, performing a lively repertoire that ranges from country classics to contemporary pop. The intimate setting, enhanced by plush seating and an upscale cabaret vibe, ensures that the evening feels special even before the show starts. When the show be...

4Sep

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

The Genesis – Peacock Theatre

Human beings are fragile creatures. The connections between us are fraught and tenuous, both physically and spiritually. Copenhagen Collective’s The Genesis offers audiences a powerful reminder of this gravitational reality. Photo: Luke Chadwick Beautifully choreographed and directed by Patrick King and Johan King Silverhult, and set to a mesmerizing score by composer Leif Jordansson, this one-hour circus piece is both awe-inspiring and astounding. As sixteen incredible acrobats weave, dart, pulsate, soar, and even sometimes falter, it is impossible to look away—even as tension builds to almost unbearable heights. The light conception by Stefan Goldbaum Tarabini is so entrancing it occasionally draws focus from the performers themselves—a welcome respite in an hour so deliriously ...

Annie Get Your Gun in Concert – Theatr Clwyd

4Sep

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

Wales

Annie Get Your Gun in Concert – Theatr Clwyd

Tip Top Productions have come bounding back to Theatr Clwyd with full force, bringing a concert version of Annie Get Your Gun to the newly renamed Theatr Moondance. Although this is no ordinary “in concert” as it comes with wonderful staging, fantastic choreography, brilliant projections and a whole lot more. Steve Davies as Producer and Director has put together a highly professional show with a stellar cast and staging that makes you forget you are watching a concert version and allows you to immerse yourself into the full musical. The stage is set with chairs across the centre with a gap in the middle and cast bring on five microphone stands across the front section of the stage which ties in the concert vibe of the show but also helps when it comes to spacing and lighting. Such a cl...

The Pitchfork Disney – King’s Head Theatre

3Sep

By Holly SewellNo Comments

London

The Pitchfork Disney – King’s Head Theatre

“Through indiscriminate suffering men know fear / and fear is the most divine emotion.” Zora Neale Hurston’s sermon-like words, which open The Pitchfork Disney’s epigraph, paint fear as a sacramental rite in the pursuit of wisdom. Fear allows us to know truth; it is holy because it is the realest thing there is. Pitchfork’s characters live in the realm of dreams, but their words are devastating precisely because they touch the darkest knowledge each of us carries in our gut: we are afraid, and we are right to be. Philip Ridley’s debut play is often credited for sparking the ‘90s ‘in-yer-face’ British theatre movement. Its influence extends to the likes of Sarah Kane and Jez Butterworth: the blood, guts, sex and violence that is so unflinchingly depicted in Ridley’s script carries over i...

3Sep

By Charles PipeNo Comments

London

Cascando – Jermyn Street Theatre

Cascando was written by Samuel Beckett as a radio play, originally in French. It was first broadcast in English in 1963. Now, it has been boldly reimagined by Pan Pan theatre company as a promenade piece. Listeners arrive at Jermyn Street Theatre where they dump their bags, before being issued with hooded black cloaks, iPods, and headphones. They are lined up single file, the audio track is begun, and they are led in procession around St James’s. With their hoods up tp conceal their headphones, they appear to onlookers like some kind of strange, anachronistic cult or monastic order. Should the weather turn foul, umbrellas are provided, but audience members should bring their own layers for if the weather is chilly, and of course wear comfortable footwear. If you’re a lover of Beckett...

3Sep

By Max EdenNo Comments

North West

Blood Brothers – Buxton Opera House

It’s powerful, heartfelt and bursting with unforgettable songs; Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers is a timeless classic that continues to resonate with audiences – and the recent production on tour and currently at Buxton Opera House is no exception! Directed by Bob Tomson and Bill Kenwright, this production retells Russell’s poignant tale of nature versus nurture through the lives of twins separated at birth. It’s a story filled with humour, warmth and inevitable heartbreak, delivered here with an emotional punch that keeps you gripped right to the final moments. At the heart of the show is Vivienne Carlyle as Mrs Johnstone, whose moving portrayal of a mother torn between desperation and love carries both strength and vulnerability. Her vocals soar with passion, particularly during the...

3Sep

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Calamity Jane – Alhambra Bradford

When the town drunk picks out the notes of the Deadwood Stage on a banjo in front of the curtain, and the audience without thinking starts singing along, you can see why Calamity Jane has been such a successful old school musical revival Most of the people here when they think of Calamity Jane would be immediately thinking of Doris Day’s rollocking performance in the classic 1953 movie. This warm hearted and often very funny show offers a more folky version as a team of actor/musicians stroll and dance around Matthew Wright’s Golden Garter saloon set playing all the show’s familiar numbers. Rootin’ tootin’ tomboy Calamity Jane lives up to her name causing mayhem everywhere she goes in gold rush town Deadwood shooting her mouth off and telling tall stories much to the disgust of Wild ...

The Glamification of Loki – Southwark Playhouse Elephant

31Aug

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

The Glamification of Loki – Southwark Playhouse Elephant

The gods must be crazy. Thor, Odin, Freya, and the rest are mad as hell. The cause? Loki. This new musical depicts the god of mischief according to tradition — which is to say, as unpredictably as possible. With a surprising and scintillatingly clever script by writer, composer, and lyricist Eden Tredwell, British Youth Music Theatre has a runaway hit on their hands, as much as the Norse pantheon has a runaway deity on theirs. Director Grace Taylor ably weaves a great variety of performances into a compelling and refreshingly easy-to-digest plot, despite an overwhelmingly large cast of young performers. Every actor has their chance to shine, and this production does, in fact, sparkle. Photography: Leanne Dixon The winning combination of Steven Moore’s choreography and Cory Ship...