REVIEWS Archives - Page 494 of 548

19Aug

By Eugene GriffinNo Comments

London

Jersey Boys – Trafalgar Theatre

Jersey Boys has always been a huge favourite amongst the group of Jukebox Musicals. It is not difficult to see why: A compelling story to success, the music of the Four Seasons is perfectly structured and paced to allow each member of the Four Seasons to have their full character explored through monologues, which are spoken directly to the audience. Brickman and Elice’s book moves at a thunderous pace with numerous scene changes happening within a single song. As soon as the show opens, you are whisked away with Tommy De Vito’s snappy account of the boys meeting and the formation of the group. Benjamin Yates' performance as Tommy bounces off the stage with energy, wit and humour- a great way to open the show! A recent Mountview graduate, Ben Joyce takes on Frankie Valli with youthfu...

Shut Up, and Drive! – Lion & Unicorn Theatre

18Aug

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

London

Shut Up, and Drive! – Lion & Unicorn Theatre

Sitting your driving test is a very nerve-wracking experience and as most people today tend to learn to drive, this play will resonate. Robert Jones (Garth Oates) is sitting in the reception of the driving test centre with his driving instructor Kelly Preslie (Jemma Carlton), waiting to take his driving test. He is nervous and his instructor is not helping to calm him down with her inappropriate comments. John, the examiner (Phil Broomhead) breezes in to take him for his test and its all good so far. Rob visibly relaxes and he chats to the examiner, maybe relaxing a little too much. All of a sudden, he does an unscheduled emergency stop, as a man is standing in front of the car pointing a pistol at them and tells them to get out. At this point Rob has...

Spells for a Broken Heart – Hen & Chickens Theatre

18Aug

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

London

Spells for a Broken Heart – Hen & Chickens Theatre

What is the worse way that someone can break up with you? If you are involved in the dating scene this is a thorny issue and one that is tackled by ‘On the Common Theatre Company’. After graduating from The BRIT School in 2019, the company have been working on writing and devising plays that feel fresh and exciting. This play is their take on modern dating with all its joys and heartbreaks. As we walk into the theatre, we are handed a very cute little booklet that accompanies the show which includes the recipes for spells that help to mend a broken heart. This is a lovely touch and something that is frequently overlooked, that clever marketing can help to keep the image of your play in your audience’s mind, even when they have left the theatre. The play revolv...

Tell me on a Sunday – Frinton Summer Theatre

18Aug

By Samantha CollettNo Comments

South East

Tell me on a Sunday – Frinton Summer Theatre

Tell me on a Sunday may be the smallest musical Andrew Lloyd Webber has ever written, but as a one-woman musical, it packs enough punch to keep the audience enthralled. The key to this success, in a Frinton Summer Theatre first, is the casting of Shona White and the accompanying live six-piece band. White, whose credits include Mamma Mia, West Side Story and Wicked, is clearly used to a big stage; she has a big voice and a big presence – precisely what you need to carry off a one-woman show. Tell me on a Sunday is the story of an ordinary English girl journeying to, and across America, looking for love. Her romantic misadventures are hapless and humorous and feel very Bridget Jones. This was originally written in the 1970s, a time when the male gaze and women defining themselves thro...

18Aug

By Luke StephensonNo Comments

North West

Bouncers – Liverpool’s Royal Court

Last night was the opening night of bouncers. Before I get into my review, a massive thank you to the Royal Court theatre Liverpool for accommodating myself as I arrived a little earlier than planned. 5 days to be exact. So, thank you for being legends. As I walked into the theatre there was a love DJ on the stage. Which to me was new and immersive as soon as you walked in along with bouncers walking round the dining area. Upon sitting at my table I got the impression that If someone built a nightclub with theatre seating watching the Merry patrons in the club, this would be what they had in mind. The show was originally penned by John Godber in the 1970s he was also known for writing teachers and up ‘n’ under. The original was also set in Yorkshire; however, this was adapted new versio...

18Aug

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Village Wooing – Etcetera Theatre

Produced as part of the Camden Fringe Festival, George Bernard Shaw's "Village Wooing" was written in 1933 while he was on a world cruise on the Empress of Britain. This two-hander in the form of three conversations has characters loosely based on people Shaw knew - writer Lytton Strachey and Jisbella Lyth, postmistress in Ayot St Lawrence, Hertfordshire, where he lived for most of his life. Shaw said of his play, "..my efforts to write resulted in nothing at first but a very trivial comedietta which only Edith Evans could make tolerable." He was wrong. This is a mini gem of a play, very much of its time and a period delight. The unnamed characters, known only as "A" and "Z" meet on board a cruise liner, he a widowed writer and aesthete, struggling to find the words for his Marco ...

18Aug

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

The Play That Goes Wrong – The Lowry

It’s the grandaddy that launched a juggernaut of disaster theatre. An above the pub fringe show that became a West End and Broadway sensation, The Play That Goes Wrong is now into its seventh year with a slew of award wins and nominations in its wake. From the moment a hapless stagehand appears pre-show pleading with the audience to be on the lookout for the show’s missing canine performer, before being joined by the ‘director’ Chris Bean (a fabulous Tom Bulpett), apologising to those in the audience who thought they’d booked tickets for ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’, the show lives well and truly up to its name. We join the members of the infamous Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society to witness their presentation of the 1920s-eque whodunnit, Murder at Haversham Manor. As the player...

Dirty Dancing – Winter Gardens, Blackpool

18Aug

By Alison BainesNo Comments

North West

Dirty Dancing – Winter Gardens, Blackpool

The classic film, brought to life on stage in front of your eyes… It truly is the film on stage, everything that you love about it, everything that made you laugh and cry… on stage with the same charm as the film. Set in the summer of 1963 the story follows daddy’s girl, Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman on her family holiday in New York’s Catskill Mountains. Baby becomes mesmerised by the raunchy dance moves and the pounding rhythms she discovers from the staff, especially when she catches sight of Johnny Castle the resort dance instructor. A guilty pleasure, that I don’t feel too guilty about, but I have always loved the 1987 film starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, I mean, who doesn’t. But as a self-confessed musical nerd, I really didn’t think I would enjoy this show, worried it wou...

18Aug

By Gemma PrinceNo Comments

London

Wild Waxflower – Camden Fringe

Part of this year’s Camden Fringe Festival and the debut play of No Salad Productions, Wild Waxflower explores the trials and tribulations of a young woman’s first night working at an adult entertainment club. Written and starring Siane Faye, the digital performance follows her journey from the changing rooms to the stage, exploring themes of sexuality, identity and religion. Although a short one-woman piece, Faye certainly commands attention with her stellar performance as this young female character and her inner battle as she decides to step into the world of adult entertainment. There is a lack of dialogue, particularly in the first 10 minutes, yet Faye’s portrays the character’s emotional conflict with just her facial expressions extremely well. Set within a quiet alleyway in Lo...

18Aug

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

London

Bad Teacher – Etcetera Theatre

Not to be confused with the Cameron Diaz film in 2011, Bad Teacher offers a tongue in cheek look at the teaching profession and how this particular teacher manages to deal with the day-to-day frustrations of the job. As an introduction, the screen on the backdrop projects news articles about Government cuts to education, mental health and general unrest within the teaching profession because of pressure, leading to teachers quitting. Evie is a 26-year-old drama teacher who feels that she is underpaid and underappreciated. She has decided that as no-one has offered her a pay rise, that she must ask for it herself; you don’t ask you don’t get. Today she is feeling the power of BPE (big pussy energy), so she feels superhuman. Head of the arts department Nina is t...